Book Review :: Dallas Willard's Hearing God

Dallas Willard’s Hearing God, Updated and Expanded: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God is the most practical, straightforward, and helpful theological resource on communicating with God I have ever encountered. Communicating with God may very well be the most pressing and least understood aspect of the Christian spiritual life today, and too often, I have worked with people who do not expect to hear from God, or who believe hearing from God is a spiritual experience reserved only for select holy men and women. This is despite the fact they have been invited to enter a “personal relationship with God.”

Moving methodically and with precision, Willard introduces the reader to the “paradox in the contemporary experience and understanding of hearing God.” On the one hand, “we have massive testimony to and widespread faith in God’s personal, guiding communication with us,” and on the other we “find a pervasive and often painful uncertainty about how hearing God’s voice actually works.” Willard then gives guidelines for hearing from God, assurance that God is with us, an examination of God’s speaking in the created order, and the nature of God’s voice as “still and small” amidst competing voices. Then, Willard examines God’s Word and God’s rule, the transformation that comes through hearing and believing the gospel about Jesus, the ongoing role of Scripture in furthering that transformation in the life of the disciple, wisdom in how we discern God’s voice, and, lastly, how we listen for God in the everyday, beyond matters of simple guidance, growing in friendship with him. This book is narrowly focused but incredibly deep, laser-like but possessing a unique breadth. It is a treasure.

Willard writes with a pastoral tone, expressing concern for those who have, so often, shared with him their difficulties in hearing God. Very gently, Willard reminds those who believe their prayers do not pass the ceiling that “God is beneath the ceiling.” God is near. God hears you. God has spoken, and his Word still rings out. God wants you to listen, and to discern God’s voice. Countless examples from Scripture, and the testimony of many Christians known and obscure confirm that God is a God who has spoken, and who speaks. God is good, and will teach all who are willing to learn to communicate with him “as a friend.”

Willard is also a Christian philosopher. In my view, this is a strength. The author has given this matter careful thought, and has surveyed a broad range of theological and autobiographical writings on the subject of hearing God. He moves the reader through the finer points of hearing the divine voice, discerning God’s will, and living life before God in “the kingdom of the heavens.” Patient and thoughtful readers will be rewarded in considering the book as a whole, not only in reading those portions considered “practical.” We don’t “get to the point” when learning to hear God, we get to the person. God is a person, not a machine that can be manipulated through our own power. When we meet the Person and are initiated in to the life of the kingdom Jesus announced and enacted, the adventure begins, the conversation broadens, the world takes on a new shape. We do not control God’s speaking by mastering a “hearing technique.” That’s good news.

If God is personal, and we enter a relationship to God, wouldn’t it make sense to communicate with this person who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? As Willard notes, a brief biblical survey of ordinary people like Abraham, Moses, Miriam, David, or Mary reveals that God is certainly an awe-inspiring figure, but near enough to befriend his human creatures. In one of the more profound insights explored in this book, Willard argues God’s greatness is amplified by his lowliness. If God desires to establish friendship with those who seek communion in his presence, he most certainly can bring it to pass.

Once the premise that God can, and does, communicate with us is accepted, all that is left is to establish the ways and means we might experience such communication. That is no small task. How, exactly, does one discern God’s speaking? What role does Scripture play? What pitfalls exist, and how might we avoid them? What about those who abuse others through the claim they have heard from God? To what degree does God communicate his will for our lives, and to what extent do we possess a freedom to choose that which we believe is best? Willard addresses these questions, and others.

A unique feature of the Updated & Expanded edition is the incorporation of lectio divina, or “sacred reading.” A bugaboo for some due to association with Catholic spirituality or mysticism (unfounded, in my opinion), lectio can be helpful when regarded as a means by which to discern God’s voice, and not as a means to some esoteric experience of God. Six familiar passages of Scripture are highlighted, complementing material in six of the chapters. The reader is invited to read, reflect, respond, and rest in the text. The inclusion of this type of Bible reading trains us  with regard to how God has spoken in the past, and in hearing God’s voice today.

For those reading this book with others, each chapter ends with a series of discussion questions that review content and broaden the conversation. As noted on the back cover, a companion DVD resource is also available as a separate purchase. Taking on this topic with others isn’t a bad idea; you will find that a community of others learning to communicate with God is an immense help in understanding and applying the truths contained in this book.

Lastly, I have read many books on Christian spiritual formation, and specifically on learning to hear God’s voice. Hearing God is unparalleled. It is a complex, sophisticated book, but it is incredibly clear and direct, immensely edifying for the diligent. Don’t let other reviewers dissuade you by describing this book as one “for seminarians.” I have read this book twice, and missed many key aspects on my first reading.

But great books are worth rereading. They continue to teach us, as we change, grow, and develop. This is just such a book.

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Devotional Writing :: bread.

Hopefully you have checked out my new project: bread. I've been writing daily devotional pieces for over a week, and I plan to keep it up. 

Subscribe to bread. by email by clicking this link.

Each entry in bread. includes a Scripture reading, a brief meditation, and a written prayer.

And if you have verses of passages of Scripture you would like me to shed light on, leave your recommendations in the comments below. I would greatly appreciate the help, and it would make the project gain deeper traction--I think the Bible takes on life as the community of people reading it together broadens and grows.

So please, sign up to receive bread. in your email inbox each day, or follow on Twitter: @bread_devo. And share with others, liberally.

Prayer: What Does it Accomplish?

Of all the Christian spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most difficult for me, at least as I have come to understand the practice. We are commanded to pray, and taught to pray by the Scriptures, most notably by Jesus, who taught us to pray, "Our Father..."

And our pastors and leaders exhort us, telling us to pray, and from time to time they even give us a glimpse of what prayer looks like, earnest and transparent before the throne of God, offering praise, asking for divine help, confessing sin.

But still, prayer remains difficult. Is God listening? Is his ear inclined to my prayers? Are my prayers, in effect, answered? Are "no," "yes," and "wait" the full range of responses God may offer? Could it be that the conversation is the end, and not the outcome or the result? Might it be that simply entering God's presence is enough? Could it be that prayer has other outcomes, other purposes, other transformative ends in the life of the faithful person, beyond the thrills of a spiritual experience, beyond the chiseling of character, or the witnessing of God's sovereign acts in accordance with our supplications? Or could it be that prayer is all of these, and more? That the facets, the effects of prayer are beyond our imagining? The privilege itself is ineffable.

Here is a story that may capture one meaning, one end of prayer.

I once heard a wise elder relay a story of a young monk who had become frustrated by the practice of prayer. He approached an older monk, his spiritual mentor, and asked, "What does prayer do? I am tired of praying! Prayer doesn't accomplish anything!"

Instead of offering a theological rebuttal, the older monk simply said, "Here is my basket, woven together and made of straw. Please, take this down to the river and fill it with water, and return it to me."

Again and again, the young monk filled the basket. And time after time, the basket slowly drained as he made his way back to the monastery. Finally, the young monk returned to his master, basket in hand.

"Each time I attempted to return, the water ran through the basket. I attempted to do as you had asked, but to no avail," said the young monk.

"Look inside the basket," the older monk offered. "What do you see?"

The younger monk replied, "When I began, the basket was lined with dirt and a trace of filth, but now, the dirt has been removed. It is clean."

The older monk then said, "This is what prayer does. It cleans."

As you pray, remember, God may be at work exposing dirt and rinsing it away. The work may be slow and tedious and gradual. Your patience may wear thin. But take heart. Return again and again to the Water of Life.

Let him cleanse you.

What Is the Role of the Pastor?

Scot McKnight has been carrying on a brilliant exchange with Mark Stevens of Australia on the calling and role of the pastor. The impetus that set this conversation in motion is the challenge of the megachurch to the vocation and current embodiment of the role of the pastor, and because I have been both nurtured within and am currently a member of a megachurch, I found these words pertinent. I have also served as a "pastor" within the large church context, though not in the senior leadership role. I know firsthand the pressures of being "visionary", or leading successful programs, of applied analytics that seem to be more numerically abstract than concrete and fleshy. I think that it is very difficult to be in a large church context and remain a pastor, rather than an entrepreneurial visionary leader of a religious enterprise. Not impossible, but very difficult.

Stevens advocates a "Petersonian" perspective on the pastorate, and in his correspondence with McKnight, draws insight from Eugene Peterson's works The Pastor and Working the Angles (if Andy Rowell's correction in the comments is on point), both to great effect. Leaning on Peterson, Stevens names the three primary aspects of pastoral vocation as:

1. Prayer,
2. Scripture,
3. and Spiritual Direction.

"But of course!", you might say. Pastors should pray. They should read and study and know Scripture inside and out and help us to hear its words rightly and truthfully in our particular cultural moment. And yes, they should help us tend to our own souls, if indeed we have one, and encourage us along the path as we grow in maturity to Christ. Of course this is the role of the pastor.

But as I've said above, the large church does not always concern itself, primarily, with prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction. Oftentimes it is programs, soaring attendance, and strategic planning, done in a way devoid of spiritual energy; fueled by business acumen. Shepherding a soul is not the same thing as herding bodies through programs. Numerical growth is not always indicative of spiritual growth. And strategic planning can, at times, depart from the call of congregational faithfulness and move toward the achievement of personal ambition, particularly for that of the senior leader.

Senior leaders, or pastors, of large congregations can fall prey to the temptation to establish themselves in a pastoral career, rather than within a pastoral vocation. Looking forward to the next generation of pastoral leaders, I have expressed this very concern at Resurrection, albeit quietly, when considering the name of our pastoral discernment program for students, "MAC Track", or "Ministry as Career". Here is Stevens on the subtle nuance between vocation and career, and the discreet way the latter can overwhelm the former:

The truth is there is no blue-print for being a pastor. The circumstances and call of each pastor and their ministry are as unique as the person themselves. Nevertheless, those who are called to lead the church are called to be shepherds of God’s people. My concern is with how the pastoral vocation is conceived of, developed and understood. It is easy for most of us to give lip service to what it means to be a faithful parson when in reality what we do and what we are taught to do is pursue careers. We plan, we build we call people to follow us and our vision for God’s church. I just don’t think this is what it means to be faithful. It maybe how the world defines faithfulness to a c[a]reer but I don’t see it as faithful pastoral practice.

Being a pastor is not a career, it is a calling. And on this occasion, I would contend "but it is both!" will not do.

Being a pastor is a response to the voice of God to serve in a role that is unique within the community of those who believe in and call upon Jesus Christ as Lord. The role of that person is to cultivate an environment where the Word of God can be heard in the proclamation and reading of Holy Scripture, where the voice of God can be heard in the stillness, and where the Spirit of God can blow where it wills, propelling the sails of the great ark of salvation in whatsoever direction it deems faithful and best. All the while, the pastor prays for his people and teaches them to pray. The pastor listens to the people and helps the people listen to God. And the pastor witnesses to Jesus and points the people towards Christ.

Churches do not need more religious employees, those making a career out of regulating the machinations of spiritual gizmos. The church needs more pastors, those who have gotten in to the life of God, and by their very lives compel us likewise to get in to it and get in on it, to get a glimpse of the glory and to chase it forever, because there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more satisfying.

Like Stevens (please read his post), I do not think that the megachurch is devoid of value within the Kingdom. But I do think that it is a place filled with its own unique temptations and blind spots, and considering it is a rather recent phenomenon in world Christianity, I doubt we have yet discerned the extent of spiritual maladies that lurk within our midst. Careful discernment, and careful application of Christian wisdom is advised, as it would be in any small parish. And to discern and apply best, we will need pastors willing to shepherd the souls entrusted to their care, to pray, to immerse themselves in Scripture, and to offer us spiritual direction that helps us to better follow after Jesus.

Awesome Sketches of Jesus in the Wilderness

A perfect video for the 40 days of Lent.

If you're interested in learning how to create animation like this, check out these graphic design colleges.

Signed and Sealed :: My First Book Contract!

The past couple of weeks have been exciting.

Abingdon Press has graciously given me the opportunity to write a devotional guide that will accompany Bob Crossman's book, Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life, forthcoming in 2012.  The title of the devotional will be: Commitment to Christ: 40 Devotions for a Generous Life.

I've been put on a very tight schedule, with the full text of the devotional guide being due in a little less than a month.  I will also produce an accompanying CD-ROM resource that will provide social media helps for individuals and churches who seek to tell the story of their church's journey in becoming more generous.  That resource must be completed by February 1.

Here are a few ways you can help me:

• Pray for me.  I'm going to be on a tight schedule, working diligently to produce a quality resource that evidences sound biblical and theological reflection.  Please pray that God would open my mind to what is true, and to rely that in clear, understandable language.
• Pray for my family.  I have a very loving, loyal, dedicated, and supportive wife.  I want to love her well during this busy time.  I also have a wonderful daughter.  Please pray for us, that we may be drawn together during this time.
• Pray for Rev. Bob Crossman and those at Abingdon who are working on this project.  This resource will help churches in the coming year explore issues relating to stewardship and giving, which is an outgrowth of our love for God and our dedication to Jesus.  Pray that this resource might be as excellent and helpful as possible.
• Connect with me and keep track of my progress through social media.  Visit my Facebook page and click "like".  Follow me on Twitter.  Subscribe to my blog via RSS.  I'll be sharing news and updates, as well as links to my other written pieces through these avenues.

Once again, I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity.  And I hope that over time more opportunities like it will come my way.

Blessings to you!

Monday Give Away :: Foster's Sanctuary of the Soul

Earlier today I shared a review of Richard Foster's gem, Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey Into Contemplative Prayer.  And I'm giving away a copy.

To be eligible, leave a comment response to this question:

Do you find prayer difficult or easy?  How do you best connect with God during times of prayer?

From the responses, I'll choose one person at random on Friday, contact you for an address, and ship the title on Saturday.  As long as the USPS is on schedule, you'll be enjoying this title some time next week.

Thanks to IVP's Formatio line for providing the copy.  Follow them on Twitter to keep up with new resources on Christian spiritual formation.

Book Review :: Sanctuary of the Soul by Richard J. Foster

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah flees from Queen Jezebel, who has commanded that Elijah be killed to avenge the humiliation of the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel.  Elijah fears for his life, but is met by God and equipped for a journey to Mount Horeb, where God will reaffirm Elijah's prophetic calling, provide him with hope, and teach him to listen.

After arriving at the mountain, you will recall that Elijah witnesses a great wind, a mighty earthquake, and a consuming fire, but the Lord is not found in these displays.  It is not until Elijah hears the sound of sheer silence that he comes to a knowledge of God's presence.  Only then is he prepared to listen.

Richard Foster, in Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer, encourages his readers to enter the silence, to quiet the soul, and to assume a posture of attentiveness.  Foster's writings have consistently named our greatest spiritual problem as distraction, and through this small book, he shares wisdom with his readers and helps them to learn the fine art of listening to and abiding with God.

Foster's work is structured according to three primary themes: foundational concerns, the practice of meditative prayer, and assistance in resolving everyday problems.  Prayer is challenging for many people, and the notion that we might enter in to an extended period of solitude, silence, or attentive listening as an act of prayer may seem foreign.  Oftentimes, we are accustomed to tailoring our prayers according to our wants and needs, rather than engaging with God as a willing recipient of grace, wisdom, and guidance.

First, Foster begins with foundational matters.  The book opens with a simple affirmation:

Jesus Christ is alive and here to teach his people himself.  His voice is not hard to hear; his vocabulary is not difficult to understand.  But learning to listen well and to hear correctly is no small task.

Christians believe this to be true.  Many Christians, however, express reservations concerning our ability to hear a direct word from God.  We find it hard to fathom that God may speak to us directly beyond what we find in the pages of Scripture.  We go beyond Foster's claim that learning to listen well and hear correctly is "no small task," and instead regard it as impossible.  But it is not impossible.  God has issued the invitation, desiring to commune with you.  Such communion requires stepping beyond the Bible as God's revealed Word toward the Word Jesus Christ.  This in no way demeans the Bible.  Rather, it illuminates its true purpose.  According to Foster the Bible is a dynamic text that instructs and leads us into a dynamic relationship with Jesus himself.  Within the context of that relationship, Foster persuades the reader to develop "a familiar friendship with Jesus," a phrase helpfully borrowed from Thomas A'Kempis.

This friendship requires a transformation of the heart, first through a recognition that such transformation will be the result of a Presence outside of ourselves.  For the Christian, the Reformer of Hearts is none other than the Lord God.  Our re-making is an act of sheer grace and divine power.  Foster acknowledges that it is the condition of the human heart that God must address, eradicating that which is false, and establishing that which is true, rooting out wickedness and renewing us in righteousness.  God must recast our character according to the image of the Son.  In order to accomplish the task of renewed character, Foster helpfully describes a movement of descent from mind to heart.  It is not only our intellect that must be reformed, but our affections as well.

Next, Foster identifies three postures for entering meditative prayer: being present, beholding the Lord, and cultivating an inward attentiveness.  Each of these postures is the subject of a short chapter, and it is here that I believe many of the true gems of this book are found.  Modern people often live as though God does not exist, even if they are actively involved in a church, and these chapters help to counteract this supposition, helping the practitioner--the ordinary, everyday person--to realize a continual awareness of God's voice and leading.

Lastly, Foster addresses practical concerns.  First, he gently encourages those of us who suffer from a wandering mind, giving pastoral wisdom and strategies for how we might become more focused.  Secondly, Foster provides biblical instruction on the reality of our adversary, the devil, who seeks to lead us astray and prevent us from communing with God.  Lastly, Foster addresses common questions that have arisen through his years of teaching about contemplative prayer.

Sanctuary of the Soul is a practical and clear guide to a life of prayer.  Foster is focused on the individual--he uses personal illustrations and experience to provide life-on-life instruction for those seeking to enjoy God's presence and attune themselves to God's voice.  He does not provide instruction on how this might in turn affect a body of people, such as a church or small group who engage in the practice of contemplative prayer.  This does not mean that the book is without benefit.  Though it is individually focused, the degree to which this book can affect change at the personal level could make an impact on others.  Churches and other groups of Christians are in deep need of those who have learned to listen carefully to God.  They in turn help us to hear God as well.

This small book, a quick and very useful read, is one I would recommend.

For more a video introduction to the book from Richard Foster, click here.