What do we do when God no longer feels as close as He used to feel?

Many sincere believers experience seasons when prayer feels empty, Scripture feels quiet, and God seems strangely absent. For leaders especially, those seasons can feel confusing, discouraging, and even shameful.

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss the new book When God Seems Distant, coauthored with John Coe.

Together, they explore:
Why spiritual dryness is a normal part of mature faith
The danger of equating spiritual feelings with God’s presence
How suffering and helplessness can become places of formation
The subtle ways we avoid God—even through our spirituality
Why love, rather than striving, is what truly transforms us

This conversation offers a compassionate and deeply hopeful vision for anyone walking through uncertainty, weariness, disappointment, or spiritual distance.

Whether you are a pastor, leader, spiritual director, or simply someone longing to remain near to God in difficult seasons, this episode offers wisdom and encouragement for the journey.

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. 

Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care

What do we do when God no longer feels as close as He used to feel?
Many sincere believers experience seasons when prayer feels empty, Scripture feels quiet, and God seems strangely absent. For leaders especially, those seasons can feel confusing, discouraging, and even shameful.
In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss the new book When God Seems Distant, coauthored with John Coe.
Together, they explore:
<ul>
<li>Why spiritual dryness is a normal part of mature faith</li>
<li>The danger of equating spiritual feelings with God&rsquo;s presence</li>
<li>How suffering and helplessness can become places of formation</li>
<li>The subtle ways we avoid God&mdash;even through our spirituality</li>
<li>Why love, rather than striving, is what truly transforms us</li>
</ul>
This conversation offers a compassionate and deeply hopeful vision for anyone walking through uncertainty, weariness, disappointment, or spiritual distance.
Whether you are a pastor, leader, spiritual director, or simply someone longing to remain near to God in difficult seasons, this episode offers wisdom and encouragement for the journey.
<hr>
Connect with Alan on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanfadling/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;or learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/alan">Unhurried Living programs</a> on their website.&nbsp;
Learn about <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/pace">PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care</a>

Many of us feel hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize. The Unhurried Living Podcast with Alan and Gem Fadling provides resources and training to help Christian leaders learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. Great influence begins on the inside, in your soul. Learning healthy patterns of rest and work can transform your life—your daily influence. Built on more than twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire people around the world to rest deeper so they can live fuller and lead better.

If this podcast helps you be an unhurried leader, be sure to check out our website https://www.unhurriedliving.com/, where we have books, resources, and featured membership communities so you can learn with fellow leaders how to lead from abundance instead of lack.

Many of us feel hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize. The Unhurried Living Podcast with Alan and Gem Fadling provides resources and training to help Christian leaders learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. Great influence begins on the inside, in your soul. Learning healthy patterns of rest and work can transform your life—your daily influence. Built on more than twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire people around the world to rest deeper so they can live fuller and lead better.
If this podcast helps you be an unhurried leader, be sure to check out our website <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/">https://www.unhurriedliving.com/</a>, where we have books, resources, and featured membership communities so you can learn with fellow leaders how to lead from abundance instead of lack.

Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better

Many of us feel hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize. The Unhurried Living Podcast with Alan and Gem Fadling provides resources and training to help Christian leaders learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. Great influence begins on the inside, in your soul. Learning healthy patterns of rest and work can transform your life—your daily influence as well as your leadership. Built on more than twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire people around the world to rest deeper so they can live fuller and lead better.

If this podcast helps you be an unhurried leader, be sure to check out our website https://www.unhurriedliving.com/, where we have books, resources, and featured membership communities so you can learn with fellow Christian leaders how to lead from abundance instead of lack.

Many of us feel hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize. The Unhurried Living Podcast with Alan and Gem Fadling provides resources and training to help Christian leaders learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. Great influence begins on the inside, in your soul. Learning healthy patterns of rest and work can transform your life—your daily influence as well as your leadership. Built on more than twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire people around the world to rest deeper so they can live fuller and lead better.
If this podcast helps you be an unhurried leader, be sure to check out our website <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/">https://www.unhurriedliving.com/</a>, where we have books, resources, and featured membership communities so you can learn with fellow Christian leaders how to lead from abundance instead of lack.

When God Seems Distant (Kyle Strobel)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/bba04581-1043-4a84-9b87-b45b0130bef5/transcript

In this episode, Gem welcomes Susan Carson for a rich conversation at the intersection of contemplative spirituality, trauma healing, neuroscience, and the Christian mystical tradition.

 

Drawing from the wisdom of Julian of Norwich and insights from interpersonal neurobiology, Susan explores how healing often happens not through striving, fixing, or formulas, but through safe connection, compassionate presence, and co-suffering love.

 

Together they discuss what trauma really is, why the past can continue to shape our present experience, and how healing invites us back toward our true selves. Susan also explains concepts like co-regulation, the nervous system's need for safety, and why being deeply seen and lovingly witnessed can be profoundly restorative.

 

Along the way, they explore contemplative practices of beholding, the self-emptying love of Christ, and what it means to create "noise-free, shame-free, formula-free" spaces where healing can flourish.

 

If you've ever felt exhausted by quick fixes, discouraged by spiritual formulas, or longed for a deeper experience of God's presence in your healing journey, this conversation offers a hopeful and grace-filled vision of wholeness.

 

In this episode you'll learn:
What trauma is and how it shapes our experience of life
Why safety is essential for healing and transformation
The role of co-regulation in emotional and spiritual health
What Julian of Norwich teaches us about God's presence
Why beholding is central to contemplative healing
How neuroscience and spiritual formation complement one another
What it means to create noise-free, shame-free, formula-free space for others

 

Guest:Susan Carson is the Founder and Executive Director of Roots & Branches, spiritual director, speaker, and author of A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing.

Resources Mentioned:
A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing by Susan Carson
Julian of Norwich
Stephen Porges
Bonnie Badenoch

______________________________________

Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads

Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care

In this episode, Gem welcomes Susan Carson for a rich conversation at the intersection of contemplative spirituality, trauma healing, neuroscience, and the Christian mystical tradition.
&nbsp;
Drawing from the wisdom of Julian of Norwich and insights from interpersonal neurobiology, Susan explores how healing often happens not through striving, fixing, or formulas, but through safe connection, compassionate presence, and co-suffering love.
&nbsp;
Together they discuss what trauma really is, why the past can continue to shape our present experience, and how healing invites us back toward our true selves. Susan also explains concepts like co-regulation, the nervous system's need for safety, and why being deeply seen and lovingly witnessed can be profoundly restorative.
&nbsp;
Along the way, they explore contemplative practices of beholding, the self-emptying love of Christ, and what it means to create "noise-free, shame-free, formula-free" spaces where healing can flourish.
&nbsp;
If you've ever felt exhausted by quick fixes, discouraged by spiritual formulas, or longed for a deeper experience of God's presence in your healing journey, this conversation offers a hopeful and grace-filled vision of wholeness.
&nbsp;
In this episode you'll learn:
<ul>
<li>What trauma is and how it shapes our experience of life</li>
<li>Why safety is essential for healing and transformation</li>
<li>The role of co-regulation in emotional and spiritual health</li>
<li>What Julian of Norwich teaches us about God's presence</li>
<li>Why beholding is central to contemplative healing</li>
<li>How neuroscience and spiritual formation complement one another</li>
<li>What it means to create noise-free, shame-free, formula-free space for others</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Guest: <a href="https://www.susancarson.net/">Susan Carson</a> is the&nbsp;Founder and Executive Director of Roots &amp; Branches, spiritual director, speaker, and author of A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing.
Resources Mentioned:
<ul>
<li>A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing by Susan Carson</li>
<li>Julian of Norwich</li>
<li>Stephen Porges</li>
<li>Bonnie Badenoch</li>
</ul>
______________________________________
Connect with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gemfadling/">Gem on Instagram</a> and learn more on the <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/c807b8df-15a1-423a-8649-9db69f7aa374/shows/2a294677-14cc-4597-8409-8efcedfed2cd/episodes/1ff79710-f260-475a-8a39-22315b98892e/www.unhurriedliving.com/gem">Unhurried Living website</a> and her new book, <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/c807b8df-15a1-423a-8649-9db69f7aa374/shows/2a294677-14cc-4597-8409-8efcedfed2cd/episodes/c6bd1beb-251f-42f0-92ea-21c6790a5380/www.unhurriedliving.com/holdthatthought">Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads</a>
Learn about <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/pace">PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care</a>

Seen, Held, and Loved: The Healing Presence of God and Others (Susan Carson)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/6932967e-e700-498b-b3dc-b4950135dc59/transcript

What if your morning didn’t begin with hurry, but with holy attention?

In this Unhurried Living favorite, Alan Fadling shares how he begins his day with God through simple, grounded rhythms that open space for presence, listening, and grace.

What began years ago as a “quiet time” has matured into something more relational—a daily meeting with the living God. In this episode, Alan walks through his morning flow, including silence, Scripture, singing the psalms, prayer for others, and reading spiritual classics like The Philokalia.

These practices are not about performance or pressure. They are invitations—ways of remembering God, receiving his love, and entering the day rooted in peace rather than driven by urgency.

 

Resources mentioned:
The New Coverdale Psalter(Anglican House Publishers)
YouTube video aboutThe New Coverdale Psalter
An Unhurried Life
An Unhurried Leader
Hold That Thought

 

Whether you are building a new rhythm or rediscovering an old one, this episode offers a gentle vision for beginning your day with God as a friend.

 

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. 

Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care

What if your morning didn&rsquo;t begin with hurry, but with holy attention?
In this Unhurried Living favorite, Alan Fadling shares how he begins his day with God through simple, grounded rhythms that open space for presence, listening, and grace.
What began years ago as a &ldquo;quiet time&rdquo; has matured into something more relational&mdash;a daily meeting with the living God. In this episode, Alan walks through his morning flow, including silence, Scripture, singing the psalms, prayer for others, and reading spiritual classics like&nbsp;The Philokalia.
These practices are not about performance or pressure. They are invitations&mdash;ways of remembering God, receiving his love, and entering the day rooted in peace rather than driven by urgency.
&nbsp;
Resources mentioned:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-new-coverdale-psalter/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">The New Coverdale Psalter(Anglican House Publishers)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvuWZKEBjQ">YouTube video aboutThe New Coverdale Psalter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3HcyCh0">An Unhurried Life</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3Hctpps">An Unhurried Leader</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3IBvB5k">Hold That Thought</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Whether you are building a new rhythm or rediscovering an old one, this episode offers a gentle vision for beginning your day with God as a friend.
&nbsp;
<hr>
Connect with Alan on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanfadling/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;or learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/alan">Unhurried Living programs</a> on their website.&nbsp;
Learn about <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/pace">PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care</a>

How I Begin My Day with God (Unhurried Favorite)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/011d81a1-7878-4fa8-b436-b488013dec2d/transcript

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem reflects on the powerful story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 and what it reveals about trust, surrender, and spiritual growth.

What happens when the thing you long for most feels at risk? How do you trust God when disappointment threatens your peace? Through Scripture and a deeply personal story of infertility and waiting, Gem explores how faith matures when we release our deepest desires into God’s care.

If you are navigating unanswered prayer, wrestling with surrender, or seeking a deeper trust in God, this episode will meet you there.

______________________________________

Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads

Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem reflects on the powerful story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 and what it reveals about trust, surrender, and spiritual growth.
What happens when the thing you long for most feels at risk? How do you trust God when disappointment threatens your peace? Through Scripture and a deeply personal story of infertility and waiting, Gem explores how faith matures when we release our deepest desires into God&rsquo;s care.
If you are navigating unanswered prayer, wrestling with surrender, or seeking a deeper trust in God, this episode will meet you there.
______________________________________
Connect with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gemfadling/">Gem on Instagram</a> and learn more on the <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/c807b8df-15a1-423a-8649-9db69f7aa374/shows/2a294677-14cc-4597-8409-8efcedfed2cd/episodes/1ff79710-f260-475a-8a39-22315b98892e/www.unhurriedliving.com/gem">Unhurried Living website</a> and her new book, <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/c807b8df-15a1-423a-8649-9db69f7aa374/shows/2a294677-14cc-4597-8409-8efcedfed2cd/episodes/c6bd1beb-251f-42f0-92ea-21c6790a5380/www.unhurriedliving.com/holdthatthought">Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads</a>
Learn about <a href="https://www.unhurriedliving.com/pace">PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care</a>

How to Trust God When You’re Afraid to Lose What You Love Most

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/f51fd612-1f8d-4e4a-ae3b-b48801374a92/transcript

When God Seems Distant (Kyle Strobel)

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