Dallas Willard revised his affairs yesterday, moving to the headquarters of the Kingdom of the Heavens to live slightly nearer to God, whom he spoke of, served, embodied.
The life he continues to live today.
Unceasingly infused, this life was and is. For these ideas and Our Lord were everywhere in what Dr. Willard said and showed. For instance, revised his affairs, is from this comment —
A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. … Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus.
— and in that, it’s in the larger reality, that Christians don’t die; and in that, it’s in the still larger reality, that such a life (indeed, life itself) is simply what happens when one walks after and near and with Jesus.
These things, too, he said and showed. We who were simply readers and listeners — he would not want us to say “followers” — could know little of what he daily did, and even less about what he thought and felt. We affirm those distinctions.
Except that in stronger measure such distinctions — thought, felt, said, did, showed — are erased when all are part of the seamless garment of after, and then near, and then with.
He separated them to better consider them — here and here, say — but knew we don’t live that way. We can’t.
And this, finally, is what he said and showed —
that heart, soul, mind, strength, and showing to others are simply one’s life
that living our lives is done by intentionally and integrally pursuing Jesus
that as we do so Christ’s conquering of death becomes real in us, each day
— and we will never die.
Big Stuff, and somewhere Dr. Moreland uses “giants in the land” to refer to Dr. Willard, and the latter would rightly demur and the former would rightly insist and both would be right.
And both would be showing us God, so then it’d be time for the really big stuff.
To in Him we live and move and have our being.
That is, to continue to.