So sad that I came to be saved and learned of Dallas after his death. What a strong mind and gentle soul. He explained so many spiritual concepts to me in a way I could understand and apply in my life.
When I discovered Dallas, he was a sane voice in a crazy world and if I may say...a sane voice in a crazy church. His gentleness soothed my raw heart as he pointed me towards the disciplines. I regarded him as my uncle. His simplicity got my attention. I'd never been to university but I could understand him. If I could have asked him one question it would've been...'Hey, Dallas...would you like a coffee and a chat...you do all the talking'. Bliss!
I am a pastor I'm Calgary, Alberta Canada. I saw the title "Living in Christ's Presence" on Audible. I bought it without knowing who the author was. I knew Ortberg. I had heard of Dallas Willard. When I was in highschool, my Dad (also a pastor) had "Divine Conspiracy" on his shelf. All of this to say, I was just desperate for more. I saw the title, bought it and started listening. I heard the voice of a man who had electric life in his voice (even though it was frail). I heard John Ortberg speak of Dallas with such honor. This is the book that awakened tremendous desire for God in me. God used it to divert my eyes from me and my circumstances to Himself. I have listened to that book 8-10 times since. I recommend it to everyone but insist they listen to it in Dallas's voice rather than read it. I have since tried to introduce Christ in Dallas to everyone I know but I have a very specific order. 1. Start with L.I.C.P. 2. Becoming Dallas Willard 3. Eternal Living 4. Everything Else Once people encounter the man who lived in a different time zone. They will be hungry to hear anything and everything he had to say about the Jesus he actually knew.
All my life I’ve been looking for someone who understood, who was kind and gentle and loving, to show me the way. To explain to me all the things I cannot figure out for myself. I found that person in Dallas. I wish I could have taken one of his classes as USC. I tell people that Dallas is like the kindest grandfather you never had that you could go to with every question, about God and about the Bible and what it meant, and he can explain it to you in the simplest way, which made you think even more. Thankfully, we have the treasure of his books and the seemingly endless number of videos of him. I watch them over and over.
