26 January 2018

Book Review: Life Without Lack

On May 8th 2013, Dallas Willard died of cancer and the world lost a great thinker and writer. Although a philosophy professor at USC by profession, he was perhaps more widely known (and certainly in the evangelical subculture) for his published works regarding Christian spiritual formation. Interestingly, I once heard him say that he never set out to write a book; a remarkable statement for one whose books have been so influential.

Often, when the world loses a well-respected author, one grieves their death, but also laments the realization that there will likely be no more published works. Occasionally, a posthumous publication may appear; for example, Jerry Bridges' beneficial The Blessing of Humility. But in Dallas's case--due in large part to a large corpus of unpublished works and the perseverance of his family and friends to see his works come to light--new books continue to appear. I'm grateful.

Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23 (2018) is the latest offering. In the book's preface, Larry Burtoft wrote, "Twenty-six years ago, I was introduced to the possibility of a life in which I was never in need. Of anything. At any time. From anyone. A life that knows no fear or fluster. No anxiety or angst. No perturbation of any sort. It was, in short, the offer of a life with lack" (p. vii). Burtoft goes on to talk about how this book was born out of an 8-week study of Psalm 23.

The book's 200 plus pages progress through eight chapters in addition to some supplementary material. Willard writes of the importance of renewing the mind to truly live into the reality of a glorious, all-sustaining God as an essential characteristic of the Christian life. One of the sentences that captured me early on was this: "One of our greatest needs today is for people to really see and really believe the things they already profess to see and believe." As I thought about the importance of renewing our minds, the truth of that sentence landed hard upon me. Do I merely give assent to the truths of God, or do I live my life, fully and completely, as though those truths matter? Willard unapologetically believed that what God said in His word could actually change our lives, not only that we could live a little less anxiously or angrily, but that we could live without anxiety, without anger. In other words, we could live a life without lack.

Through the book, he carefully explores what a Psalm 23 life could look like. There is no naivete here; he addresses the threats to this peaceable life. His discussion of "Satan's Three Weapons of Temptation" in chapter 4 was exceptional. I was particularly struck by the ways in which he connected these three weapons described in 1 John 2:16, with the temptations of Eve and Jesus. He made a three way connection that I had never even considered before, but seems clear and accurate.

However, Dallas did not stop with these three weapons, but went on in the latter chapters to describe "the three things that must be working in us before we can truly experience the sufficiency of God: faith, death to self, and agape love," devoting a chapter to each. In the final chapter, he lays out the practicalities of living this way. I was particularly appreciative of his plan for spending a day with Jesus where he identifies several particularities one may wish to consider as they put this life into place.

As I stopped to reflect upon what I had read, I felt challenged, hopeful, and invigorated. Challenged to consider whether I believe that a life without lack was really possible, hopeful in envisioning that it might be, and invigorated as I ponder how I might put this into practice.

Though Dallas's earthly life concluded nearly four years ago, his words remain as fresh as ever. If you get a chance, pick this book up and read it. Talk to others about it.  And then begin to put it into practice. You never can tell what could happen.

*I received a proof copy of this book in exchange for my review. All of the viewpoints expressed here are my own. 

08 January 2018

Review: Called to Create

I was principally drawn to the title of Jordan Raynor's new book. Called to Create (2017, Baker Books). I have thought a lot recently about the concept of creativity in the Christian life. About a year ago, I instituted something in our home, Family Create Nights, where we would practice expression. I am convinced that part of our nature as God's image bearers is that we are creative, whether that is through art, or some other medium.  I was excited about reading more about those ideas in Raynor's book. 

I admit, however, that right off the bat, I was disappointed. The opening chapter was entitled "the first entrepreneur." I was not interested in a book on business, which it appeared this was going to be. By definition, an entrepreneur is "a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risk in order to do so." This is not what I thought I had signed up for as I have almost no interest in business or entrepreneurship. 

Once I moved past my initial confusion, though, I found that there is much to commend this book. Within, Raynor writes extensively about the fact that work is not merely a result of the fall, but that we were created to work.  He then tells his readers about how they can work and create in such a way that it gives glory to God.  I particularly appreciated his emphasis on keeping God in view.  All in all, this was a good book and worth looking into, particularly if you are someone with that entrepreneurial spark.

I received a review copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for this review. The viewpoints presented above are my own.