My recollection of Dallas Willard

On May 8, 2013 a very fine man, theologian and prolific writer, died. Scholar and professor emeritus at UCLA, I met Dr. Dallas Willard in Chicago a few years ago.

The group I was with, a senior leadership group from a church, were at Trinity International Seminary for a leadership conference. We had struggled to put together a purpose statement for our congregation in Ohio and had taken the trip to Chicago to let that work mull around in our heads and simmer into a great stew.

In our self-elevated status of big-time church leaders, we were still uncertain that we had nailed down the purpose of this particular church. Because of our insecurity on the one hand and great confidence on the other, we decided we should ask Dr. Willard, who was a presenter at the conference, to meet with us and get his reaction to our work.

Somehow I was appointed spokesperson to go find Dr. Willard and ask him to meet with us.

Around lunch time on one of the conference days I saw him making his way across campus. I waited for him on the cafeteria steps. He came closer to the building, not hurried, seeming to be in conversation, or in deep listening mode, to an unseen friend.  As he came to the steps of the cafeteria doors I addressed him, "Dr. Willard?" not wanting to interrupt his thought process.

He looked up at me with great expectation and a smile, like I was the very person in all the people on the whole earth, that he was waiting to visit with. I asked him to meet with our staff and he said he looked forward to that the next day. So easy.

The next day I was surprised at the level of expectation that abounded within the staff. The very respected, educated, sought after theologian, whose writings were looked forward to with great expectation in the Christian world, was coming to meet with us. US! Like we were real people. Well, we all felt like we had arrived...somewhere...and were pretty proud of ourselves for having scored an interview with the great doctor.

And so, after breakfast the next day,  our senior guy laid out our purpose statement for the church and the rationale behind it to Dr. Willard, who asked that we call him Dallas. Our guy was eloquent but, I could tell, nervous. 

After the short presentation, we waited in hushed expectation for Dr. Willard to react. Would he help us tweak the statement? Add something to it? Tell us we really should start fresh? After a few moments of silent reflection Dr. Willard looked at each of us and said, "I think you've got it." Nothing more.

Here's the life lessons I took away from this encounter:
-the really great person will not have to justify his/her greatness by telling you what you need to change.
-the really humble person will not have to elevate him/herself by words upon words.
-the really memorable person will be the one who gently comes into your life and leaves a wisp of a trail when he/she leaves.
-the really extraordinary person will make you feel like you are special, worthy and competent.

I want to be like Dr. Willard. Not dead, of course, but a person who leaves positive footprints on the hearts of those I encounter. And that's what I think about it.