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Summary: Presenintg a life long love affair with God.
Review: Willard spekas to the hunger and emptiness so many people feel in this modern era of pop spirituality. Instead of quick answers or magic prayers, he presents a picture of life lived in the presence of God. This book also explores why so few people experience God's presence transforming power in their lives. For those who are hungry, defeated, or yearning for a realisitc approach to rhe reality of God's presence, please read this book. You won't regret it.
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Summary: A Gold Mine (7 stars)
Review: I've read over many of the positive reviews of this book here on Amazon.com. It's hard to add anything to what they say. For me this is a 7-out-of-5-star book. I've been an intentional and practicing Christian for about 27 years now and an avid reader of helpful books on Christianity for most of that time. I can honestly say that this book stands out among the rest. It's the most profound and helpful book I have ever read on Christian discipleship. The ideas are simple and derived from Scripture, but the insight and clarity that Dallas Willard gives to them is compelling and inspiring for those who desire to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It took me almost 3 years to read though this book, in large part because it's so densely packed with thought provoking insights that I needed days or weeks to digest, and reflect upon, the things I had read in just a dozen or so pages of this book. This isn't just a book that contains interesting information about God. It's focus is on what God is doing in and through people who follow Him; the kind of people we are and can become. Unlike many theology books or books on Christian living, it's impossible to absorb what this book is saying without being forced into some deep reflection on our own personal character. This is a book I'll be reading over and over again.
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Summary: A Book with Depth
Review: This is not an easy read, but is a book with real substance - not always easy to find in the world of Christian publications. It is not for beginners, it seems to me, but for the mature Christian looking for more depth. I've had the book for several years now and I keep going back to portions of it and re-reading and pondering. It's well worth owning for that reason alone.
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Summary: Excellent for teaching adult class on Matthew 5-9
Review: This is a great source for teaching an adult class on the Sermon on the Mount. I used it for thirteen weeks and it provided wonderful insights and excellent open-ended questions to spur thoughts and discussions. Willard's in-depth study and thoughts are very complete and helpful for anyone. This book is both a good resource for Bible teachers and those who thirst for private study.
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Summary: Jesus teaching opened up for today
Review: Dallas Willard presents the logic and flow of Jesus' most important talk, The Sermon on the Mount. Then by disecting the Sermon he presents to us the meaning of Jesus statements and then he tells us how to become true disciples of Jesus. This book makes sense to me and is logically sound. I needed a book like this, and it has turned out to be the most powerful book I've every read in my quest to be Christlike. Though I've never met him Dallas Willard is definitely one of my spiritual mentors.
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Summary: Yes, it is a masterpiece
Review: Dallas Willard concludes his study of disciplineship with a very strong treatise on what it means to be a student of Jesus Christ (note: I am not a religious person by nature or a church goer, but I enjoyed this book immensely).
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Summary: Timely and Theologically Sound
Review: I was impressed with this book because it answered so many questions regarding society today and how our ways-of-life fit in with the old "do and do-nots," especially the attitude on divorce, which is frowned upon in Paul's letters. The author's perspective is that the Lord would not want persons to stay in abusive marriages, particularly where the partner and children are being physically or psychologically hurt. The author still stands for the "make marriage work" ethic, yet recognizes that sometimes there is no other alternative. There are other instances that flash a modern light on some of the old statements; interpretations that help us to continue to be strong Christians in this modern age. I think it is a wonderful book, and one I can share with those who aren't sure if they really fit in with a Christian traditional church. This books makes it clear that they do.
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Summary: AN ESSENTIAL READ, A MASTERPIECE
Review: Simply the most brilliant, profound work on Christianity of modern times that the church so desperately needs to hear. Willard lovingly points readers toward a truer understanding of Jesus Christ and the life He intends for us--removing misconceptions and misrepresentations that have clouded the gospel and disillusioned many Christians and seekers alike. It answers those questions you feel tugging at your spirit but can't always identify, or possibly are to afraid to ask.I am thankful beyond words to Dr. Willard, and heartily agree with Foster--it truly is "the book I have been searching for all of my life."
Rating:
Summary: Stunning. Simply stunning.
Review: You will never view your surroundings or life the same way again. A monumental book.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a book besides the Bible that can change your life.
Review: I had heard the name of this book dropped here and there, always seemingly with some special excitement that stuck in my mind. So when I saw it in the store I decided for some reason I needed it. Just one of those things where the Spirit leads and you don't know what's happened until later. Dallas Willard's grasp of the Christian life as exposited by Christ himself, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount, is absolutely compelling. Willard mildly castigates both the theological Right and Left for, respectively, emphasizing saving faith alone in the Christian life as though how we live our lives on earth doesn't really make a difference, and preaching a 'social gospel' bereft of the spiritual or eternal significance that gives it its meaning or moral impetus. He then goes on to put forward a very vivid picture, using a wonderfully consistent and contextual view of Jesus' teachings, of what God intends for our lives here on earth. The author's treatment of the subject seems entirely original and unfettered by the various passing trends of thought that seem to color so many Christian books, and as such also sounds almost radical. But read it for what it is, and you'll find it to be as clear and natural an interpretation of Kingdom living as you'll ever hear. I can hardly imagine a more welcome book for my own spiritual life, and expect it may be so for others too. I would put this book on a par with C.S. Lewis; perhaps even higher since Dallas Willard has crafted a work of not only intellect, but great applicability. This book seems like a life's work, and if so, then I'd have to say it certainly seems to have been worth it. It can be difficult, out of the deluge of Christian books out there, to pick one out as absolutely essential, but as far as I'm concerned this would definitely be such a one, and I ardently hope others find it too.
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