Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rythms of Work and Rest (affiliate link). Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP, 2013. 208 pages.
This book speaks directly into one of my areas of weakness as a leader and as a Christian. I have never been accused of being lazy, but I have had many concerned friends encourage me to slow down. They typically worry about my health or my family. Some believed burnout was just around the corner. Thus far, I’ve staved off the worst of those effects. Nevertheless, this book probes deep.
Alan Fadling was a typical church leader who measured his success by numbers and accomplishments. Then he had some divine encounters that challenged everything he had assumed about work, ministry, and life. This book is a wonderful collection of his learning.
Fadling begins by confessing, “I am a recovering speed addict” (3). He later asks, “Why do I rush through this world as though it were an all-you-can-eat buffet right before the restaurant closes and the serving trays are about empty?” (71). He confesses, “The pace of my life often feels much less like a playful breeze and much more like a hurricane” (90). Fadling notes that since the book’s release, “‘Rest first’ is proving to be the seminal idea in this book that is gaining the most traction” (4).
Fadling contends that western culture drives people to be constantly in a hurry. He notes that “. . . there is little incentive out there to slow down” (7). He quotes John Ortberg, who contended that “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life” (9).
Throughout the book, Fadling examines how Jesus never rushed through his life, though he carried enormous responsibility. He looks at Satan’s infamous temptations of Jesus in the wilderness and notes that “. . . the essence of these temptations was to provoke Jesus to hurry to get for himself what the Father had promised to provide, but in his good timing” (9). Much of our hurry is self-imposed.
Fadling instructs readers to “move at the pace of grace” (10). I like that phrase. Grace doesn’t hurry. Neither does love. Fadling points out that when you look up “slow” in the dictionary, many of the related terms have negative connotations (11). Western society is predisposed against slowing down. Fadling cautions that “We fail to realize how weary and distracted this filled-to-the-brim life makes us” (12).
Fadling quotes Chinese leader Wang Mingdao, who tested a young man by asking him “How do you walk with God?” After the man listed various spiritual exercises, Mingdao responded, “Wrong answer. To walk with God you must always go at a walking pace” (13). He also quotes Vincent de Paul, who warned, “The one who hurries delays the things of God” (15). Fadling confesses, “I’ve also learned that ‘making things happen’ isn’t as helpful as learning to respond with courage to whatever God is doing” (16).
Fadling relates how he had to change his ministry paradigm. He notes that “Up until that point, my ministry had been more about gathering a crowd than about cultivating a core of committed people and following Jesus together with them” (20). He realized that his lifestyle contradicted his message. He observes, “Don’t talk trust and live worry” (22). Fadling observes that as he began to change the way he ministered, “We were learning to follow Jesus together. The focus was less and less on our activities for him and more on our working with him. We were learning how to follow him—and it was one of the hardest years of my life and ministry” (23-24).
Fadling points out that the church often seeks to be attractional rather than making Jesus followers. He notes, “It makes little sense to attract people on the basis of their own self-interest and then expect them to embrace an invitation to self-denial” (27). He also suggests, “Since it’s hard to patiently work with people long enough that they become deeply rooted followers of Jesus, we too often settle for helping them learn more information rather than focusing on the long, hard work of equipping them to follow Jesus” (30).
Fadling suggest we should regularly ask, “What am I doing to let my life be shaped by God and his priorities for me rather than misshaped by cultural pressures?” (31). He also confesses that “. . . I’m afraid that I have, in the past, tried to carry out this commission of Jesus without much communion with him. It has been much activity without much abiding” (33). He notes that “Genuine productivity is not about getting as much done for God as we can manage. It’s doing the good work God actually has for us in a given day” (54). He asks, “What if I learned to work from a place of unhurried abiding?” (55).
Fadling cautions that the key is not simply to slow down: “Unholy unhurry is sterile, empty and lifeless rather than fruitful, significant and life-giving” (41). Yet hurry isn’t necessarily fruitful either. He claims, “I have noticed, after all, that apart from him I can still be very busy, just not very fruitful. My overwork is just another example of accelerating even though I’m lost” (46). He quotes Henry Nouwen, who said, “Hence, the question that must guide all organizing activity in a parish is not how to keep people busy, but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence” (49). Fadling adds, “Christ-followers need to slow down enough to listen to the Master for specifics about what it is he actually wants” (53).
Fadling encourages rest, not merely as a means but an end. He claims that “We know we need rest, but we can no longer see the value of rest as an end in itself” (50). He also asks, “Do the works of my life demonstrate God’s favor toward me and his gracious work in me?” (55).
Fadling suggests that “We must learn to follow Jesus’ way rather than our own” (60). He asks, “Do you and I sometimes try and do God’s will but not in God’s way?” (67). He adds, “His unchanging methods have been very effective for a long time” (63).
Fadling makes the intriguing comment that “Legitimate authority and genuine honor are always given” (65). You can’t demand them!
The author also asks, “If hurry gets in the way of love, does hurry go or does love go?” (75). He adds, “God walks ‘slowly’ because he is love” (76). He also notes, “Love looks long enough to be affected by what it sees” (80).
Throughout the book, Fadling quotes various writers and speakers. He quotes Henry Nouwen, who said, “My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered the interruptions were my work” (85). Fadling asks, “. . . could we be running past the work God is giving us because we have a hurried, narrow vision of what we’re supposed to be doing?” (87). Fadling also quotes Elton Trueblood, who claimed, “A person who is always available is not worth enough when he is available” (164).
Fadling suggests that “Unhurried time with the Father broadens our perspective and clarifies our vision” (99). He cautions, “. . . we have to release habits of drivenness, anxiety, and workaholism if we are to receive the gift of rest” (109).
Fadling suggests that “. . . perhaps the greatest leadership challenge any of us faces is ordering our days rightly, giving appropriate priority to our spiritual life” (113). I appreciated his comment on the Sabbath: “God never meant Sabbath to be an enslaving ‘you can’t’ day as much as a freeing, ‘you don’t have to’ day” (117). I also appreciated his musing that, “. . . if our longings were always easily fulfilled, they might not have the opportunity to become more deeply rooted” (132). Fadling comments on the Israelites’ 40-year wandering in the wilderness: “God seemed in no hurry to give them the land if they weren’t ready to live in that land according to his ways” (133).
Speaking of spiritual maturity, Fadling notes, “They are no longer infants who put anything into their mouths, but adults who can—and should know what is healthy and good” (153). Fadling concludes, “. . . hurry becomes a veil that obscures the Lord’s grandeur and beauty” (186).
I enjoyed this book, even though the author regularly stepped on my toes! He has identified a chronic issue in the church today. We are so busy trying to grow the church that we don’t spend time with the Head of the Church. Burnout also continues to occur at epidemic proportions among those who know the Bible better than anyone.
I appreciated Fadling’s clear confessions of his own failings and shortcomings. Though they are part of his unique journey in one sense, it is obvious that the issues he raises are common to many of us. He also draws heavily on reflective authors from various traditions. While some might struggle with quotes from people who have a different theological perspective than their own, I enjoy reading about different perspectives on important issues, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say.
Fadling believes God communicates with people. While there are some Christian leaders who denounce such views, I found it refreshing. Clearly he has spent much time seeking and listening to God.
I also liked his approach to leading retreats or even staff meetings during which he gives time for people to go off on their own to spend time in quiet reflection and listening. While this takes time away from the brainstorming sessions, I believe he is correct when he states that what groups come up with is generally far richer and more insightful after they have invested more than a token prayer at the outset of their meeting.
Some of what Fadling says may strike you as more mystical than you are accustomed to hearing. That’s okay. Don’t get lost in that. Rather, take his questions seriously. Practice times of silence as he suggests. I suspect it might open up entire new vistas for your walk with God as a result.
Rating: 4
