Readers of our Soul Shepherding Devotionals will know that being unhurried with Jesus is a theme I often write about. That’s because hurry is such a problem for many of us. So I was thankful to have Alan Fadling, a friend and colleague of mine, give a talk for a group of pastors and leaders on his new book, An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest. Here are my notes.
Dallas Willard is famous for his definitions of the way things are in reality, especially pertaining to our life in Christ. Listening to Dallas talk it seems he has a definition for everything! Quotes from Dallas Willard abound in sermons, books, and on the Internet. For my own study I decided to gather what I…
Jesus promised that those who follow him, “Will not see death.” They will not taste it. They won’t even experience it! (John 8:51-52) Is Jesus crazy? Everybody knows that eventually people die. No. Dallas Willard (pictured on the left) explains that Jesus was standing in another world, the reality of the Kingdom of God. He…
Planning to Be More Like Jesus Jesus lived in the Easy Yoke he offers us. He didn’t push, press, or strain. He didn’t try to make things happen, but lived in submission to the Father. He was never in a hurry. He didn’t worry. He was relaxed and so he had time for people and was hospitable toward…
What does it really mean to know Christ today? Knowing Christ is not mere head knowledge about the Bible and Christian doctrine. Nor is it just having emotions. To know the Lord Jesus Christ certainly includes intelligent thinking and having feelings, but it is primarily a spiritual experience with the reality of the living God.…
En el siglo 16, en España había un hombre muy pobre y bajo de estatura (¡apenas cuatro pies y once pulgadas de alto!) Que se convirtió en un gigante espiritual con riquezas celestiales incomparables. Su nombre era Juan de la Cruz. Juan de la Cruz tenía un deseo insaciable de Jesús, su Esposo y Amante…
An ancient tool for helping us learn to practice God’s presence and grow in a more intimate relationship with the Lord is called the Examen of Consciousness or simply “The Examen.” The Examen? If you’re not familiar with it then it probably doesn’t sound appealing! The idea of being examined is something most of us want to…
I’ve talked with many people who struggle with emotional reactivity and mood swings. Some are Bi-Polar or Borderline. Most just get overwhelmed by their emotions. They say things they regret, have outbursts of tears, lose their temper, and act on their feelings before thinking clearly. To develop self-control they need to learn to think with…
In recent years scientific research has validated the ancient wisdom of the Bible: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (This is the most repeated verse in the Bible. See Psalm 136 for instance.) Today there is a whole school of psychology called “Positive Psychology.” (It’s related to Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology.)…
If you search a bookstore or the Internet for resources to help pastors most of what you’ll find will be strategies and methods to be more successful as a pastor, preacher, or leader. Of course, these things are important but the source of our ministry as pastors and our effectiveness as leaders is our own intimacy with…