Tuesday, March 25, 2014

10. In Search of Guidance (Hearing God) by Dallas Willard

This book has been retitled *Hearing God*
Like all of Dallas Willard's books, this took me forever to read because it is so deep; but I think it is my favorite of the trilogy; the others being The Divine Conspiracy and The Spirit of the Disciplines

God still speaks to us, people. Just sayin'! I love this little gem. I had a scary day, and I read part of the chapter called "The Still Small Voice," and I listened. It was phenomenal. 

Be warned that Willard can sometimes get very heady. If you already believe that God speaks to us today, you do not need to read most of Chapter 4 "Our Communicating Cosmos" in which Willard tries to prove it in his "Ph.D. in philosophy sort of way" that God really does speak. He says, "If you are one who has no difficulty along these lines [believing God speaks to us today], perhaps you should count your blessings and proceed immediately to chapter 5" (p. 77). I wish I had skipped it for the rest of this chapter really bogged me down; but it is a good insight into Willard's brilliance. I am just not that smart.

You will love reading chapter 5: "The Still Small Voice and Its Rivals." 
But the biblical Christian is not just one who holds certain beliefs about the Bible. Rather he or she is one who leads that kind of life shown forth in the Bible; one of personal, intelligent interaction with God. Anything less than this makes a mockery of the priesthood of the believer. (p.121)
There is so much more that I could quote, but I will refrain. Great read. Loved it.

Also, it is a perfect book to read alongside God Guides by Mary Geegh! I will review that next since I finished them within a few days of one another. :) 

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