Carrying these three over to 2024.

These three I'm carrying into 2024. So much in each of these. 

I've started Divine Conspiracy a few times the past 20 years and have never finished. I'm slowly going through it again, reading Willard's Theology as I go, along with a Willard Dictionary. 

As to "A Different Way," it's been a slow read the past 4 months. 

Hall, Willard, Richard Foster, Steve Macchia and James Bryan Smith are cut from the same cloth. 

The Good and Beautiful God, by James Bryan Smith

The Inner Game of Tennis, W. Timothy Gallwey

Gallwey emphasizes the mental and emotional aspects of performance, what he appropriately calls the “inner game.”

In the end, “The Inner Game of Tennis” offers a philosophy for self-improvement that extends beyond the tennis court. 

Rich Mullins (25th Anniversary Edition) An Arrow Pointing to Heaven

On The Incarnation, by St. Aryanasuius

Class: The Priority & Practice of Soul Care, led by Steve Macchia, LTI

Sobering and insightful. My awareness on this matter is much higher than before the class. I'm even aware of the growth I've had in recent years surrounding my soul. It's so good to realize I've done a better job of taking care of my sour, my heart that my self-talk had been telling me. 

Getting Naked, by Patrick Lencioni

This is my second time through this really good read. The first time 10-12 years ago. 

I'm praying and pondering the rest of my years and this book came to mind. 

Faith Driven Entrepreneur, by Kaestner, Greear, and Ingram

The Pursuit of God, by A. W. Tozer

The Shoebox Chronicles, by Mark Lehman

What a treasure!!

50 People Every Christian Should Know, by Warren W. Wiersbe

Dallas Willard’s 3 Fears About the Spiritual Formation Movement | Christianity Today

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/september/dallas-willard-fears-spiritual-formation-movement.html

Death Can Only Make Me Better: Remembering Tim Keller (1950–2023) | Desiring God

" Courage, on the one hand, is not looking at yourself and banishing fear. No, it's just letting the fears play their role, and not letting the fears play too much of a role by looking away from yourself. "Okay," you say, "but then to what?" It's even in the text I just read. It was defiance, not hope. Hope." - Tim Keller

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/death-can-only-make-me-better-remembering-tim-keller-1950-2023

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, by Peter Attia, MD

Preparing for Heaven, by Gary Black Jr.

In Preparing for Heaven: What Dallas Willard Taught Me About Living, Dying, and Eternal Life, Gary Black Jr. shares insights from Dallas Willard about heaven, eternal life, and how we should understand our relationship with God beyond death. Their perspective, heavily influenced by Willard’s theology of spiritual formation, challenges common Christian assumptions about heaven. Here are the key points they emphasize:

1. Heaven is Not Just a Future Destination—It Starts Now

• Willard teaches that eternal life is not something that begins after death, but rather, it starts the moment a person enters into life with God.
• Heaven is the continuation of the life we live in Christ now. Those who are actively living in the Kingdom of God today will experience heaven as a seamless transition.

2. Heaven is an Extension of the Kingdom of God

• Instead of thinking of heaven as a distant place, Willard and Black describe it as God’s realm of reality that we can access now through discipleship and spiritual growth.
• The Kingdom of God is already available to those who seek it, and heaven is a natural extension of that Kingdom.

3. Christian Formation Prepares Us for Heaven

• Willard emphasizes that spiritual growth and discipleship shape us for heaven.
• The more we develop Christlike character on earth, the more naturally we will step into heaven when we die.
• Heaven is not simply a reward for belief; it is a place suited for those who have been shaped by a life with God.

4. The "Divine Conspiracy" and Our Eternal Destiny

• This book builds on Willard’s ideas from The Divine Conspiracy, where he argues that God is training us for eternity now.
• If we have spent our lives walking with Jesus and seeking transformation, then entering heaven is a natural progression of that journey, not a sudden shift.

5. Death is Not the End but a Transition

• Willard suggests that those who are deeply immersed in the life of God may hardly notice the moment of passing.
• He speaks of heaven as a state of ongoing development in God’s presence, rather than a static paradise where nothing changes.

6. Most Christians Have a Shallow View of Heaven

• Willard criticizes the traditional Christian view of heaven as a distant place of clouds, harps, and passive existence.
• Instead, he insists that heaven is dynamic, active, and deeply relational, where we continue to grow in knowledge, love, and creativity in the presence of God.

7. Hell as Separation, Not Just Punishment

• Though the book focuses on heaven, Willard and Black also discuss hell, emphasizing that hell is fundamentally a state of separation from God.
• Those who reject life with God now may find themselves unprepared for the reality of heaven, since they have not cultivated a heart that desires it.

Final Summary

Dallas Willard’s view of heaven, as presented in Preparing for Heaven, is not about escaping earth but living in the Kingdom of God now, so that heaven is a natural continuation of our life with God. The book challenges readers to reframe their expectations of eternity—not as an unfamiliar reward but as the fulfillment of the life we cultivate in Christ today.

*Compiled Comments

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, by Paul Washer

Switch on You Brain, by Dr. Caroline Leaf.

A Tuesdays @ 2 Mastermind book. Great read with a great group. 

Go to Work, Go to Church — Christ Is Coming Back! | Desiring God

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/go-to-work-go-to-church-christ-is-coming-back


Danny
512-773-6528
LinkedIn.com/In/DannyLSmith.com

God’s Smuggler, by Brother Andrew

How to Grow Old, by Marcus Tullius Cicero

David Reign, by Mark Buchanan

The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks

7 Weeks to 100 Push-Ups, by Steve Speirs

Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, by Collin Hansen

The marking of Tim Keller. 

Rise: The David Trilogy - Book One, by Mark Buchanan

The depth, the story, Buchanan is a master storyteller. A true wordsmith. 

God Walk, by Mark Buchanan

2nd and 3rd time through. This listen (some reading) has become a regular companion on my walks, and contemplation afterwards. 

Your Roadmap for Success, by John C. Maxwell

Breaking Free of OCD, by Jeff Wells

Long Shadows, by David Baldacci

Bannon, by Louis L’AMour