2011

Summer brought hours of (voluntary) aimless lonely meandering through a dense urban jungle, sleepless nights, emptiness, hospital visits and deteriorating health. Fall semester: cue more hospital visits, dead cat, and dead friends. And the year closes again with parents completely rejecting Jesus.

Slowest year. So. Ridiculously. Heartachingly. Slow. Yet the LORD made it so! I stand encouraged! And still young! LORD, if it is your will, if you still see immaturity in me, you are free to discipline me again and again this coming year so that I may cling tighter onto you! I love you to the uttermost, LORD.

Unlike fictional couple Gordon-Levitt/Deschanel, here is collab music of a real couple.

why pursue truth anyways

It’s a wonder how I’m a stickler for correct theology when it would be bringing to light how much greater the wrath would be for my family, currently vessels prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22). Or is it that I seek to know more of God so others may know more of him too when they talk to me?

… on that note, please talk to me if you have questions (willisz@seas.upenn.edu).

Corporate World 101!

Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il

Both died during finals week. Hmm. HMMMMM.

Games Willis Play, #1

Players. 1 v 1, 2, or 3. Increase number of opponents as per skill level.

Background. Unanticipated conversation initiates between you and associate(s) as you walk through campus. Difficulty level gauged by longevity of previous encounter with said opposing party.

Objective. Cultivate cheery atmosphere. Force opposing party into jovial mood for the purposes of making a tactful escape, usually by collective use of winsomeness, animated banter, and/or offhand faux pas.

Current record. Daily average - 3 wins, 2 losses, 0.5 mutual forfeits.

Games Willis Play, #2

Players. 1 v ego.

Background. Game set whilst advancing adjacent to large building windows.

Objective. Correct posture (straighten back, extend legs wotwot) using window reflection within a time window just shy of complete vanity.

Current record. Undefeated record.*

*Scrimmage matches against laptop monitor reflection (the first 2 - 3 seconds where the screen is loading but otherwise black enough to check your hair) not included.

Insecure about praying

Praying aloud in group settings was seriously the bane of my faith up until sometime last year when I learned more about God’s attributes through systematic theology. I really fell in love with Jesus by poring through the doctrines of grace; his necessity and faithfulness was made abundantly clear from studying christophanies within the Old Testament to God’s present soteriological work in our walks. And I would gush about it while praying to the point where someone I wanted to bless didn’t approve of how I prayed. This stumbled me a lot and to this day I feel a wave of hesitance and insecurity as I pray for someone.

As I read more on the topic, I have felt God’s assurance and affirmation through what we see in his word. Tim Keller and John Piper have both written on the prayer in Acts 4:24-31. Things to note in their plea to bring down the Holy Spirit (from our Bible study this week hehe):

• Praying corporately and together. “It is the church gathered, not just the apostles, that pray for God to give boldness and to heal and to do signs and wonders.” People like you and me can pray for crazy stuff.
• It was more absorbed in praise and worship to God than in human requests. “If we want his fullness, we will do well to fill our minds with the truth he has revealed about God in Scripture.” These guys didn’t even ask for protection during persecution!
• With regards to Scripture, declarations from the word guided their prayer. Look! Halfway through the prayer as they meditate on God’s sovereignty, these guys were convicted that even Christ’s death was predestined so that he may be glorified (so how can we not trust God in all things??). We get revelation during prayer; it’s all a process.
• The main point was God’s glory. The requests aimed to make God known to more people.

I’m with Tozer in desiring daily experience of praising Thy glory so that we are accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there.