Living Unhurried #17

Look at one thing under a magnifying glass today. What do you see that you didn't notice with your bare eyes? Ask God to "open the eyes of your heart" to see Him in fresh ways.

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Living Unhurried #16

 Before bed, take 10 minutes and ponder, perhaps asking the Lord, "Am I making any decisions out of fear?" List them out, paying attention to how you feel as you engage with these. What might God be inviting you toward?

Join the unhurried revolution!

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Living Unhurried #15

 After work/before dinner today, take 5 minutes to ask the Lord, "Who are you inviting me/us to pray for in these moments." Tend to whomever comes to mind by silently holding them before the compassionate heart of God. 

Join the unhurried revolution.

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Living Unhurried #14

Take some time to revisit and/or re-engage with the Living Unhurried tips that you'd like to try -

Happy last weekend in March!

Join the Unhurried revolution!


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Living Unhurried #13

"Fast" from the internet for a day and pay attention to what else your heart turns toward for connection.

Join the unhurried revolution!


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Living Unhurried #12

Living Unhurried #12 - what playful thing did you enjoy (lose track of time playing) as a kid? Find time to do that this upcoming week.

 Join the unhurried revolution!

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Livin Unhurried #11

Pick one 5 minute "decluttering" activity and do it 6 days in a row. You don't have to finish it, but do it faithfully each day - set a timer. As you are decluttering ask God to reveal to you what He wants to declutter in your heart and life - especially those things interfering with you creating space for Him.

Join the unhurried revolution

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Befriending Ourselves - by Henri Nouwen

Claiming the Sacredness of Our Being

Are we friends with ourselves? Do we love who we are? These are important questions because we cannot develop good friendships with others unless we have befriended ourselves.

How then do we befriend ourselves? We have to start by acknowledging the truth of ourselves. We are beautiful but also limited, rich but also poor, generous but also worried about our security. Yet beyond all that we are people with souls, sparks of the divine. To acknowledge the truth of ourselves is to claim the sacredness of our being, without fully understanding it. Our deepest being escapes our own mental or emotional grasp. But when we trust that our souls are embraced by a loving God, we can befriend ourselves and reach out to others in loving relationships.


from March 21 Bread for the Journey www.henrinouwen.org

Living Unhurried #10

"Consider the birds of the air...the flowers of the fields..." Take a moment to watch/listen to the birds or smell "spring" blossoms. Ask the Lord, "What are you inviting me toward?"

 

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Living Unhurried #9

"Faith is often understood as accepting something you cannot understand...

However, when Jesus talks about faith he means first of all 

to trust unreservedly that you are loved, 

so that you can abandon every false way of obtaining love."

~Henri Nouwen

Before bed tonight - take a few moments to reflect, "In what ways did I experience God's love today?" Maybe start a journal listing of His Loving advances toward you.

Join the unhurried revolution!

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Living Unhurried #8 - a Sabbath practice

Since tomorrow is the Sabbath, let me give you LU#8 early:

Try not to spend any $$$ on Sunday.

• Was this easy or hard? Why or why not?
• Did this contribute to unhurriedness and/or rest? Why or why not?
• What other choices did you make as a result of not spending money?

Join the unhurried revolution!

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Living Unhurried #7

Today, give ample space to anyone who wants to merge into your traffic lane – and maybe consider not passing anyone.

Take your time, breathe deeply, speak blessings… and if you happen to have a bit of road rage, then pray, “Lord, what is it? What is this really about?”

Join the unhurried revolution!

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The Unhurried Life #6

Okay - maybe not so much like the movie "yes man" by Jim Carrey. Nonetheless here is the Living Unhurried tip #6

Living Unhurried #6 - ask yourself what you'd like to say "yes" to in life. Then ask the Lord, "What do I have to say 'no' to so I can say yes?"

 

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Living Unhurried #5

Take time away from your to-do list and dance to your favorite song - afterward, ask the Lord, "In what ways are You inviting me to dance with You?" Pay attention to how you feel.

Join the unhurried revolution!

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Living Unhurried #4

At noon, take 5 minutes to stretch, breathe deeply, and pray: "Establish the work of my hands, Lord, Establish the work of my hands." 

Then spend a moment in silence and listen for His voice re: your work. 

Click here for a great visual of breathing by artist Melanie Weidner @ http://www.listenforjoy.com/art/deepbreath.html

Join the unhurried revolution!

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Living Unhurried #3

Living Unhurried #3 - Sit down for at least 1 meal today (not in front of TV or computer) and after you are finished eating, linger 5 more minutes thinking of things you are grateful for.

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Living Unhurried #2

Take 2 minutes to reconsider your impatience yesterday - was the trigger primarily external or internal? Ask God to reveal to you how you might be kind to the source of your impatience today.

 

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Living Unhurried tip #1

Pay attention to your impatience today - who and what flusters you (long lines, being cut off in traffic, kids who dilly-dally, a sermon that goes overtime...) Ask God to gently reveal what is at the core of your "flusterment."


Join the unhurried revolution!

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A new "Series" on Living Unhurried

"Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible. 

It is because love kills hurry 

that it is the single greatest detriment to the spiritual life."

John Ortberg.

If this is so (and I have a sneaking suspicion it is!) then any of us who long to live a life of love must consider giving space to the ordering of our lives toward a more unhurried fashion. This does not come naturally to most of us who live in North America - I'm sure I do not even need to explain this.

If living unhurried is synonymous with loving well, then imagine the following all-too familiar dialogue:
"How are you?"
"Busy..." said with a sigh and a bit of a nervous shuffle.
"Good - me too."
At this point, the conversation is typically over and moves onto something more impersonal like, "How 'bout this weather?"

Now imagine what is really being said:
"How are you?"

"Struggling to be loving, afraid to let myself be loved." (i.e. I'm really busy - doing really important things and trying to keep your distance from asking me to add more to my already overextended plate. I don't really want you to know how I am and I'm not really sure how I really am.)

In light of this, I hope to post some "Living Unhurried" tips and exercises from time to time. Little blurbs will also be on facebook and twitter (look for paula gamble or mysoulrefresh) - and more indepth reflections here. Living unhurried is not only about changing behavior, but also examining the perspectives and attitudes beneath the surface.

Join the unhurried revolution to make even one part of your day a little less hurried, a little more loving!


www.mysoulrefresh.com