Among the books I've read about Christianity, this was one of the most challenging. None of it really went down easily, and it prompted some serious introspection. This one will be on my mind for a long time. ( )

This book along with John Eldridge's "Walking with God" have become the focus of my spiritual growth at this time in my life. Talking with and Hearing God have become core parts of my daily walk. ( )

listened to this on audio but had to occasionally refer to a copy or table of contents to orient myself. Lots of great stuff here, justly a classic. Parts of this felt overlong, but that may have been partly the audio format. ( )

Having been a Christian for almost 30 years, I can tell you that the one thing all Christians want most, and yet struggle with the most, is hearing God. As our world grows increasingly loud and we are bombarded with messages, lies mostly, it is nearly impossible to find the inner stillness and clarity of mind and heart required to know God’s will.
Willard’s work tells us how. And it is both easier and harder than one thinks. Easier, because it is open to all who want it. Harder, but it requires dedication, patience, and above all, an absolute sacrifice of all we are and want and have. In short, it requires a radical shift, a stepping out of the world and into the Kingdom of God.
Being that Willard is a professor of philosophy, his writing is more complex and verbose that your average Christian prose. But it is well worth any effort put forth for the truth and understanding, the life-changing knowledge that one can learn. His book is not for the faint of heart. It requires careful and thoughtful study.
Willard’s general premise is this: Hearing God comes from Knowing God. We know God the way we know anyone – through daily interactions, mostly, through study of the Bible. The more we know God, the more we will recognize His voice, however it reaches us – through the Bible, through preachers, teachers, authors, and friends, and through the still, small, voice of the Holy Spirit. This of course is something all Christians know intellectual, but most never put into daily practice.
I highly recommend Willard’s book for any Christian who wishes to have their life and relationship with God challenge. If you read this with an open heart and mind, you cannot fail to grow.
“Spiritual People are not those who engage in Spiritual Practices; they are those who draw their life from a conversational relationship with God.” (pg. 288) ( )

Highly Recommended, as are most of the things I've read by Dallas Willard, but this one is just so practical about the importance of the Christian experience and how to go about it. ( )