Learning to Slow Down and Sit in Scripture

For Ben Rutledge, it started with a desire to do more for God. A few years ago, after attending a retreat, something shifted for him.

“I just had this strong sense of wanting to share the gospel,” he said. “I was like, ‘Okay, I need to become a pastor.’”

So he did what made sense to him. He got involved, started serving, stepped into opportunities, and before long, he was all in. But the way he approached it felt familiar, just not in the right way.

“I was treating it like trying to get promoted at a job,” Ben said. “Like, ‘What do I need to do to become a pastor?’”

He pushed hard, took on more, and slowly, without realizing it, something important began to slip.

“I was starting to sacrifice my family for ministry.”

When doing more isn’t the answer

Then something unexpected happened. Three separate times, Ben was scheduled to teach. And three separate times, something stopped him… he got sick, or something came up, and he couldn’t go.

“It was weird,” he said. “But I took it as a sign, like, ‘Okay, I think I’m going about this the wrong way.’”

The desire wasn’t wrong. It was the pace. Instead of slowing down, listening, and being formed, he was trying to force his way into something.

“I was trying to do it myself,” he said. “Instead of waiting on the Lord… instead of letting Him shape me.”

Starting again with a different rhythm

Eventually, Ben and his family made their way back to Bethel. And this time, things looked different. There was no rush to prove anything and no pressure to perform. Just a simple step: start showing up.

He began attending men’s Bible study. Then started serving in kids ministry. And through those spaces, he was invited into something he hadn’t experienced before. A slower, more intentional way of growing.

A couple men also began discipling him and walking alongside him. And instead of pushing Ben forward, they gave him space.

“They gave me a place to feel it out,” he said. “To kind of step into the water without forcing it.”

Learning to sit in the Word

One of the biggest shifts came in how Ben approached Scripture.

“For a long time, I treated the Bible like an index,” he said. “Like, this connects to that, and that connects to this.”

He loved chasing connections, jumping from passage to passage, finding insights. But something was missing.

“I wasn’t really sitting in it,” he said.

Through his time with Jared Crowell, that began to change. Instead of rushing through Scripture, he started learning how to stay. To slow down, ask better questions, and notice what the passage actually says about God.

“What is this saying about His character?” Ben said. “What is this actually communicating?”

Jared introduced him to a framework. Understanding what the passage says, the context around it, and how it applies. But more than anything, he helped Ben release the pressure.

“I thought I had to come up with some crazy insight nobody’s ever seen before,” he said. “But that’s not the goal.”

The goal is transformation.

From pressure to formation

Now, when Ben prepares to teach, it looks different. He doesn’t rush. He doesn’t skim. He sits.

“I’ll read the same passage over and over,” he said. “And every day, I notice something new.”

Instead of trying to master Scripture, he’s learning to be shaped by it.

“It’s like you live in the passage,” he said. “You let it speak to you.”

And through that rhythm, something has shifted, not just in how he teaches, but in how he relates to God.

“It’s been humbling,” he said. “In a really good way.”

A rhythm worth keeping

For Ben, the question of calling is still there. He still loves teaching and still feels drawn toward ministry. But now, it’s not something he’s trying to force.

“I’m kind of along for the ride,” he said.

What matters most is not the title. It’s the rhythm. Showing up, opening Scripture, letting God speak, and letting others walk alongside him.

“I just love the Word of God,” he said. “You can keep learning forever.”

An invitation to slow down

Ben’s story is about learning to slow down instead of doing more. To stop striving, to stop forcing, to stop trying to prove something. And instead, to sit with God. To listen and be formed over time. Because growth doesn’t happen in a hurry. It happens in the quiet, consistent rhythms of being with Jesus.

Thank you for reading!

Each week, we’ll share a story from someone in our Bethel family. These written stories will explore their faith journey, how God has been at work in their life, and how it connects to one of our five values. Stay tuned for more stories.

• Week 1: The Journey

• Week 2: Real Relationships

• Week 3: Sacred Rhythms

• Week 4: Diverse Unity

• Week 5: Generous Lives