Dallas Willard is famous for his definitions of the way things are in reality, especially pertaining to our life in Christ. Listening to Dallas talk it seems he has a definition for everything! Quotes from Dallas Willard abound in sermons, books, and on the Internet. For my own study I decided to gather what I felt were the…
Jesus promised that those who follow him, “Will not see death.” They will not taste it. They won’t even experience it! (John 8:51-52) Is Jesus crazy? Everybody knows that eventually people die. No. Dallas Willard (pictured on the left) explains that Jesus was standing in another world, the reality of the Kingdom of God. He…
Kristi and I just returned from Dallas Willard’s funeral which was on May 14, 2013. It was a small gathering for family and friends at his home church, Valley Vineyard in Reseda, CA. A large public Memorial Service for Dallas Willard will be held on May 25, 2013 at 10:30 am at Church on the Way…
Have you ever felt like prayer was unsatisfying? Do you relate to Peter and the disciples falling asleep when Jesus asked them to “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:36-46). I think all of us, including pastors and other ministry leaders, have felt this. A pastor of a large church confessed that his own prayers had been…
My heart is heavy. I just got the news that Dallas Willard died today at 5:55 am. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for a number of months. He was 77 years old. He was born on September 4, 1935 and died on May 8, 2013. Dallas’ passing was peaceful and gentle. He told his…
Ask most Bible students what God’s grace is and they’ll answer, “undeserved favor.” Indeed, the Bible teaches that despite our sinfulness (rejecting God’s love and rule and failing to love people as God loves us), because of Christ’s death we are forgiven and have a credit of righteousness on our account before God. We are now…
Pastors today face tremendous pressure, heavy burdens, and stress overload. They’re constantly pressured to improve in the A-B-C’s of church success: Attendance, Buildings, and Cash. Their church’s growth is measured by how many people attend their services, how big their buildings are, and how much money they can raise for their ministry. Many pastors we talk with feel…
An over-stressed executive of a nonprofit ministry asked me, “How can I be spiritually healthy? What can I do to be a better leader for Christ?” “Don’t hurry,” I replied. Repeating words that my mentor Dallas Willard said to me in a seminary class, I said, “You need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”…
In his Doctor of Ministry class for pastors Dallas Willard teaches that “The Gospel is a spiritual reality about a spiritual reality… the availability of life under the rule of the heavens.” Over 100 times in the Gospels Jesus preaches that he is making the Kingdom of the Heavens available. In his master key parable…
Bill Gaultiere’s Notes from Dallas Willard’s Talk These are my notes from the talk that Dallas Willard gave at the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot Seminary, Biola University, on September 27th, 2011. As best I can I have used Dallas’ wording, but this is not a transcript—some of what Dallas said I didn’t write…