Interlude

 Have you ever read something that seemed to explain your life with God? That was the case for me when around ten years ago I started reading books by the late Dallas Willard. He was a philosophy professor at the University of California for over forty years. And he was a devoted Christian in the Southern Baptist tradition. That combination surprised me and piqued my interest. If I remember correctly, the first two books of his that I read were The Divine Conspiracy and Hearing God.

Why has Willard’s writing affected me so deeply? Because they spoke to the deepest longing of my heart: to know God more.

One of the things The Divine Conspiracy talks about is a fatal error in modern Western Christianity: the lack of teaching to encourage spiritual growth in the life of the believer. It seems that the modern church lost this vital aspect of the Christian faith. I remember as a teenager longing for more. After accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, what then? It seemed that the only means of renewal came through a recommitment of your life in an altar call. What then? Once the emotional exhilaration of that moment passed, it was back to life as usual.

The church’s exclusive focus on evangelism (saving souls) neglected the necessary follow up of discipleship. Sure, there were Sunday School classes or small groups that concentrated on learning what the Bible says and teaches. And, yes, those were essential. Life applications were discussed as well as admonishments to read the Bible more and pray more. At the time I didn’t realize it, but I needed a spiritual mentor. I needed help with prayer and with developing a devotional life. Though I didn’t know the verse at the time, I was looking for the inner transformation spoken of in Romans12:2.

Hearing God focused on a big question for believers: how does God speak to us through the Holy Spirit today, and how can we tune in to what He is saying? As I read through the book the first time, I was exhilarated to recognize the various ways God has nudged me along in my quest to know him better. If I were to roughly summarize what Willard wrote, it would be that first and foremost, God speaks through the Bible. He can also speak to us in a variety of other ways, such as nature, circumstances, and people. And he speaks to us quietly through nudges and whispers to our souls. Practices such as spiritual disciplines help us learn the art of listening to our Creator.

I recognize that I may be writing what could seem like a whole lot of nothing in my attempt to not box God into a certain process. His Truth is eternal, but he has limitless ways to convey it to each individual because he knows us so well.

Why am I writing about two Dallas Willard books in a cancer blog? Because his spiritual teaching has mentored me. You see, my life in Christ is what sustains me through the ups and downs of cancer treatment. I’ve had a week of feeling almost better. Tomorrow starts the cycle again where my brain will be fogged by the poisons administered to kill stray cancer cells; and my body will be plagued by exhaustion, pain, and neuropathy. It is hard. It is very hard. But I have peace because of what Jesus has done for me and how he has faithfully drawn me closer in the past and in the present.