A Big Responsibility

And the Resources to Do It

In his essay “Living a Transformed Life,” Dallas Willard directs these words to Christian leaders and teachers:

Because the resources of God’s kingdom are available to them, the responsibility for the condition of the world in years or centuries to come rests upon Christian leaders and the teachers in the Christian church. They alone have at their disposal the means to bring their surroundings increasingly under the rule of God. On the one hand, they have the “all power” that is in the hands of the one who bade them go and teach all human groupings to do as he commanded, and promised to be with them always (Matthew 28:18-20). On the other hand, teachers of the gospel have Christ’s kingdom fellowship to live in and to offer to all. They have millions of people who regularly come to them, submitting to their leadership in the spiritual life even when unclear about what that means. And, further, they have knowledge of concrete practices of submission to righteousness within which, given adequate teaching and example, they and their hearers can make regular and remarkable progress into the character and power of Christ himself.

The disciplines for the spiritual life are available, concrete activities designed to render bodily beings such as we ever more sensitive and receptive to the kingdom of the heavens brought to us in Christ, even while living in a world set against God. Lovingly and intelligently practiced, they join with grace to enable us matter-of-factly to “come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need” (Hebrews 4:16, TLB). Therefore, our calling to lead for God where we are is a realistic one, for it can be carried out from the resources of the kingdom.

It is the start of a new academic year. These words have been on my mind.

Book Notes

Still reading Ron Chernow’s Washington.

I’m so close to finishing Seneca’s Selected Letters.

I’ve continued reading Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen’s Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, Dallas Willard’s Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks, and David Foster Wallace’s encyclopedic novel Infinite Jest.

Sights and Sounds

I watched The Presidio, a 1988 murder mystery set on and around a military base in San Francisco. The movie stars Sean Connery, Mark Harmon, and Meg Ryan, and I viewed it in segments over the past two weeks—20 minutes here, 10 minutes there—and finally finished up on Tuesday evening. In the opening shot, aircraft carriers and other navy vessels dominate the horizon as they crawl into San Francisco Bay. The movie goes downhill from there.

I also tried to watch Dog (2022). Couldn’t do it.

The English Premier League returned to action and that’s been most of my weekend and weeknight viewing. You can stream a lot of league action with a subscription to Peacock ($4.99/mo), and after conversations with my kids about what we would watch, I decided to sign up.

I’m also gearing up for coaching soccer this fall, and I learn a thing or two by watching professionals space the field, play in combination, and move the ball around the pitch.

Last Words

On the blog: Seneca’s exhortation to seek wisdom, and Willard’s approach to apologetics.

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Be well this week. Bless others.

Best,

BAS

P.S. - Watching intense Spikeball action on ESPN and enjoying a root beer at Chupacabra Craft Beer in Salado, Texas.