Theology, Philosophy, and a Beekeeping Suit
LETTER BY GRACE POUCH
Deep in the Dallas Willard archives in the basement of Westmont College, amidst philosophy books, teaching notes, and overhead transparencies, Willard scholar Keas Keasler noticed a beekeeping suit.
Turns out the sage of spiritual formation had a hobby!
A beekeeping suit might seem an odd piece of memorabilia to find in such a heady atmosphere, but it strikes me as a helpful illustration of something Dallas taught and lived. God transforms us for divine friendship and cooperation in the kingdom through discipleship to Jesus — a process that encompasses all of life.
“From such discipleship all else follows,” Dallas wrote, “and within such discipleship every human ability and resource is welcome.”
Being Jesus’ apprentice includes planned practices like fasting, prayer, and scripture study — as well as unplanned surprise lessons in the everyday classroom of life.
But the disciple’s curriculum is even more eclectic than that. There are a whole host of adjacent disciplines — maybe we could think of them as “electives” or “related arts” — that support the growth of the soul and fan flames of devotion.
According to Keasler, Dallas’s 47-year vocation as a philosophy professor at a secular university and his ministry as a teacher of formational theology are part of one seamless garment. I imagine beekeeping was woven right in there, too.
Dallas’s range of interests is both distinctive and characteristic of so many luminaries in God’s family tree. When you scan the centuries for the most vibrant Christian lives, you find that nearly every standout adopted an interdisciplinary lifestyle, seamlessly integrating overtly “religious” practices with their vocations, hobbies, friendships, creative endeavors, and academic interests.
I think of Simone Weil, who believed that God speaks through geometry to those who give their attention unreservedly to the problem.
And of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General of the UN and philosophical seeker who loved poetry, plays, and wilderness trekking.
Then there’s George MacDonald, the theologian, pastor, professor, and prolific fiction writer who considered playing with his 11 children and hosting convivial neighborhood get-togethers essential aspects of his life and ministry.
And the list goes on!
These friends of God poured themselves into diverse passions that fueled rather than diverted energy away from their devotion and discipleship.
We too can live as apprentices of Jesus through eclectic means. Intense contemplation of anything that “declares the glory of God” — nebulas, newborns, Pythagorean theorems, harmonies, helibores, and honey bees — can drop us to our knees and renew our minds. Deep thinking and devotion go hand in hand. Effort and delight endear us to the Lord. Apprenticeship that is interdisciplinary shapes a thicker, sturdier, truer — and more lovable — idea of God in our mind’s eye. It’s a theology that, as Keas put it, “warms the heart as it informs the mind.”
Grace Pouch
Content Manager
P.S. Renovaré has a new job opening for a full-time remote Operations Manager. This person will help build infrastructure for our Churches in Renewal Network and Cohorts. This includes managing events and logistics, building and maintaining tech platforms, and coordinating grant reporting. Learn more at renovare.org/jobs. Please share with anyone you feel might be a fit!
Sign up for Renovaré Weekly
Thoughtfully introduced Christ-centered spiritual formation resources.
Thanks for subscribing! We'll send you a confirmation email.
LET’S DIVE IN...
CURATED BY GRACE POUCH
-
1.
Nathan speaks with author and professor Keas Keasler about the enduring helpfulness of Dallas Willard’s life and work in this week’s episode of Life With God.
-
2.
In this excerpt from Kingdom Apprenticeship Keas Keasler compares the “cross-disciplinary” theological work of C.S. Lewis and Dallas Willard and argues that these men were not less serious thinkers but stronger theologians for their range of interests and practical focus.
-
3.
In “Mathematics and Prophecy: Faith and Reason In Simone Weil,” Frederick A. Homann, S.J. unpacks Weil’s integration of math and mysticism, writing, “Development of the faculty of attention, started in school studies, matured in reflection and research, terminates in prayer, in contact with God. Mathematics can be amor intellectualis Dei, research can be redemptive.”
-
4.
An interview with George Macdonald scholar Kirsten Jeffrey Johnson describes MacDonald as “A farm kid who loved stories, people, place [with a] desire to live holistically, weaving all his world together, introducing different parts to each other.”
-
5.
In Savoring Childhood, I write about my son discovering a colony of ground-nesting bees in our backyard — a small but significant encounter with the Creator. Now more than ever we need a renaissance of diversified and embodied activities that allow children to form a healthy image of God and his kingdom, learn to pay attention, and encounter God directly as a present and interactive Friend.
– Grace
WORTH QUOTING
“We will not sit around looking at one another or at God for eternity but will join the eternal Logos, ‘reign with him,’ in the endlessly ongoing creative work of God… His plan is for us to develop, as apprentices to Jesus, to the point where we can take our place in the ongoing creativity of the universe.”
– Dallas Willard
RENOVARÉ EVENTS
Early Bird Pricing Ends Today!
First Love 2026: A Renovaré Retreat for Pastors and Ministry Leaders
April 20-23, 2026 · Malibu, CA
Recenter your connection with Jesus in this four-day, three-night Renovaré retreat for ministry leaders in pastoral roles.
TO CONTEMPLATE
Niine Bees and Other Insects
Joris Hoefnagel 1575-1590
(source)
Paying attention to God’s creation is like a second scripture — a primary form of God’s self-revelation that we need time to soak in just as much as we need time to soak in the Bible and other forms of revelation. God first introduced himself to humanity as the Creator of a beautiful world. Every created thing is radiant with his touch and ready to speak something to us about the Maker.
TO PONDER
A Prayer of Susanna Wesley:
Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church, or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in Your presence. So may my every word and action have a moral content. May all the happenings of my life prove useful and beneficial to me. May all things instruct me and afford me an opportunity of exercising some virtue and daily learning and growing toward Your likeness. Amen