lundi 2 décembre 2013

Weeks #45 - 48


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vendredi 8 novembre 2013

Week #40 - 44



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Week #36 - 39




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mercredi 4 septembre 2013

Week #35


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Week #34


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lundi 2 septembre 2013

Louis Berkhof《系统神学》

310 lectures in Chinese on Berkhof's Systematic Theology.
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dimanche 25 août 2013

A note on being a tool

I made this somewhat a point in my message to my disciples, but it should be one's aim in life not to be a tool for women. While reading at Columbia, I literally witnessed a Korean fob with designer jeans and frames sit down and have long coffee chats with two different women, with an hour of separation in-between. He propped his feet up on the chair, made the girls squeal "oppa~" a couple times, and smiled at his own occasional cleverness. Tool, tool, and super tool. And yet I observed these things while intermittently exchanging sentimental messages to my girlfriend on my phone. I conceded we're all entrapped by similar things.

Why is it I'm writing this? Because I realize I'm growing. Yes, I'm pronouncing a judgment on him here on the internet (there is a purpose for that, namely, I don't want to see you guys doing shady stuff too). But it didn't stop there. I prayed for the guy, for his future marriage, that he would learn the emptiness of his boyish ways, and even prayed for the gift of tongues - for God to somehow endow me with Korean so I could befriend him. I prayed for my brothers to stand countercultural and love fellow sisters by loving God more than their egos. I earnestly wanted those prayers answered. We must all learn that the mark of manliness may indeed be how many marks we've left on fellow men, and not scars on women. LORD, forgive me all my wrongdoings; I am a worm, but what makes it all worthwhile is that I am your worm.

To be fair about painting pictures of certain people groups, there was a group of very loud and vulgar Chinese FOBs on the other side so I much preferred the Korean couple(s). Also, to the Korean brethren, if you could supply translated phrases along the lines of, "Have you ever heard of covenantal theology?" I'd be most thankful! I surmised it would have been fun to see what this guy felt about covenants, both with God and with other people. Apologies, I'm inextricably going through my 5th relapse into cage-stage Calvinism.
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mardi 20 août 2013

Week #33




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dimanche 11 août 2013

Week #32




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vendredi 9 août 2013

Biblical theology

It’s important! When actual counseling situations arise - as they have - and you need to explain what Jesus means when he’ll separate the wheat from the tares or goats from the sheep, what system of biblical narrative could you offer in that moment? The one that makes arbitrary xyz fruit the underpinning of one’s standing with God? Or the one that stresses preaching the truth of the gospel to believer and nonbeliever with equal, unyielding emphasis?

These are the implications of one’s biblical theology. Or a new believer wants to know the significance and purpose of the sacraments, i.e., baptism and the Lord’s supper. Your understanding of the covenants, the continuity or newness of them, will let them know how each sacrament edifies the believer and community of believers. Extremely practical stuff.

Don’t stop at systematic theology. Know the Bible as one huge chunk: how is the gospel (the coming kingdom of God) heralded throughout the ages? Doing so, at the very least, will edify your private worship of God as one whose sovereign hand cannot be hindered in blessing his people. And the best thing you can do for your church is increase your private worship.

Specifically, you can start at any number of systematic buckets (end-times, sacraments, covenants) and compare each biblical theologies’ (covenantal or dispensational) treatment against the Bible’s own hermeneutic (hinted in John 5:39, Luke 24:27). Personally, the hermeneutical lens I prescribe to is the one that magnifies the Father’s sovereignty, Christ’s sufficiency, and the spirit’s consistent, unthwarted execution of a masterful redemptive plan.
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On moral relativists

“Suppose we think of a man made of water in an infinitely extended and bottomless ocean of water. 
Desiring to get out of water, he makes a ladder of water. 
He sets this ladder upon the water and against the water and then attempts to climb out of the water.
So hopeless and senseless a picture must be drawn of the natural man’s methodology based as it is upon the assumption that time or chance is ultimate. On his assumption his own rationality is a product of chance. On his assumption even the laws of logic which he employs are products of chance. The rationality and purpose that he may be searching for are still bound to be products of chance.”
— Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith (P&R, 1972), p. 102, writing on the inconsistencies present for moral relativists. What makes your ethical opinion hold water?
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Pray without ceasing

And don’t put that added pressure of “it doesn’t work until I’m broken because that’s when it’s most passionate” as if you’ve discovered some formulaic approach to 2 Corinthians 12:9-11. Brokenness is not a matter of the circumstantial or existential, but the spiritual reality is that we’re all broken. Right now. Status quo. Baseline. It is just a matter of realizing it.

It doesn’t matter who you are. Where you’re from. What you did. You are broken. Heed not the line, “I’m a good man, with a good heart” from John Mayer’s Shadow Days when your flesh is still bent and inclined towards destruction. How many other song references can I make lol.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14). Prayer is effective so long as our hearts sincerely have the Matthew 6:9-13 posture.

:]
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"Surprised by God"?

Perhaps I’m not a fan of the semantics that involve the word “surprise,” but in the contexts where worshippers ask God to execute something they would deem miraculous, it is almost like Satan putting God to the test (Matthew 4:7). Having written before about God’s will being abundantly clear in order that we be effective disciples, the Christian life is not about “surprises” but an everlasting, sustainable joy. Surprises, therefore, connote some vacillation of that joy.

Let’s take this presupposition: if you are a Christian, then you would agree it takes more “faith” not to believe in God than to believe, because God’s presence is much more obvious than his absence. Therefore, you are never really surprised when God answers prayers. I wasn't surprised on the mission field. Yes, there occurred many amazing coincidences and providential acts that brought much joy, because the God we prayed to was looking out for his name being famous (Psalm 115:3, Colossians 1:16). The Christian prays with the heart of making God famous and nothing else (Luke 6:9).

I’m not knocking on prayer for miracles, but oftentimes our definition of a miracle can be so man-centered. A restored limb benefits one person; a changed heart can transform communities and generations. Is not joy the ultimate goal? And is not joy consummately found in Christ? We have not because we ask not (Matthew 7:7-12).

Can we as a people celebrate at the end of our prayers even when nothing has occurred? David certainly did amidst his betrayals (Psalm 3:8). And have we not greater assurance than David - for the historical death and resurrection of the LORD Christ is rock-solid security that God will deliver us from the hands of our enemy!

:]
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mercredi 7 août 2013

Week #31




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Week #30




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Week #29




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lundi 5 août 2013

Not a mite

At the Flushing Chinese church I attended yesterday, there were some special needs children in attendance. These precious children were tended to as they fidgeted, uttered sounds, and stared off during the worship service.

O LORD! How wonderful a depiction you’ve given us of our helpless estate - at every moment. Not a mite of my own doing, my own efforts, have added to the blessing of knowing you. Nay, it was me that constantly hesitated to run to you, made sharp complaint, or looked to lesser rust-friendly pleasures. I was especially handicapped (read: dead), and so only your extravagant love has buttressed our relationship. You embraced me when I fought back, my rebellion putting you on that cross. You interceded amidst my shout to “crucify him," groaning on my behalf as I pierced you. As I looked to free Barabbas, you looked to the joy set before you in expectation of bringing me into your kingdom. It’s all so one-sided.

Had two communions yesterday. Emotionally wrecked during both.
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lundi 15 juillet 2013

Week #28




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Week #27




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Week #26




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Week #25


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Week #24





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Week #23




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Week #22






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dimanche 14 juillet 2013

Week #21




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Week #20




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vendredi 12 juillet 2013

Week #19








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Week #18




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Week #17



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Week #16



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mercredi 3 juillet 2013

Week #15



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Week #14


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Week #13


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jeudi 27 juin 2013

undergrad vs. grad


after three hours of practice
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Feedback

Among good friends, a question that I believe should be more commonplace is: “Are there any improvements I can make in communicating?" Maybe married couples already do this. Ask genuinely and two things occur:

  1. You serve your friends by allowing them an avenue to voice their opinions. If they have been around you a lot, your friends probably have things to say. You thus save them the agony of trying to discern an appropriate time to lovingly engage you and your quirks that annoy them (and that they probably repent over to prevent holding grudges in order to love you for your sake).
  2. Your friend serves you by pointing out ways you can become a more thoughtful version of yourself, a more loving version of yourself, a better version of yourself.

And the final result is a strengthened friendship regardless because both parties have shown that the opinions of the other are of significant value. Try it.
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jeudi 23 mai 2013

May 2013 Update


Not so much update more than maintenance, per se. Jumping baby mills lolol!!
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The will of God #2

Going through the book of Acts with my missions team besets my soul with an appropriate awe at the sovereignty of God. Quite clearly, he accomplishes his kingdom-expanding purposes by using the beating, flogging, persecution, stoning, and martyrdom of his servants. Through suffering, the gospel mushrooms out of Jerusalem into the land of Gentiles. Indeed, these would be the "greater works" that Christ prophesies would be greater than the works he did during his earthly ministry. I sit here reflecting on what future trials are coming that I would be privileged to face. Christ suffered immensely in order to give life to a dead world, and t'would be a privilege to similarly suffer for the sake of his name.

I also reflect on the nature of fellowship and how it sometimes can lose this paradigm. How many times do we see the fellowship strive for familiar comfort and vain hanging out? Not necessarily wrong in of itself, but it was so clear to me that it was simply a pattern, of that being the natural inclination of our hearts instead of going out of our comfort into the "land of Gentiles." To prevent being passive aggressive, I'll just make it known that I am talking specifically about my college fellowship.

But I also saw glimpses of redemption. We consecrate things to God and his will in our own will, that is, our own intentionality. That, my friends, is a made-up Christian word that will haunt me for the rest of my life...yet it's always relevant. Let's take fellowship hanging out as an example. Drawing lessons from my mentor and my coleaders, debriefing after such things has been tremendously helpful in cementing how we saw God move and how we pray he will continue to work. That is redeeming. That is being God-centered.

Speaking from experience, intentionality in all things has given me great peace these past months to close my college career, as opposed to the frenetic, empty pleasure-grabbing marked by Christians and non-Christians who are both guilty of this. This has involved the following:

  • Again, on the subject of preparing for young adult life, I needed to assume that I will have no intimate community. This makes it easy to avoid abusing the community as my source of life which would thereby destroy it.
  • Preaching the gospel to friends whom I may never see again was a top imperative. Being a friend to friends whom I may never see again, you can call it the same thing.
  • Saying what I needed to say. Not being afraid about people's opinions of me. Being open about who I am, weaknesses and all.
Admittedly, I failed so many times to love and protect others for the sake of self-interest and I can only now see it as a painful means of grace to draw lessons from. Those mistakes stem from lack of intentionality, so LORD, forgive me. Open my heart to see your surpassing worth that I may die to myself and boldly walk in your precepts.
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The will of God #1

Here I am, finally a post-grad young adult. Far from being a violent transition, there have been many things I've been doing the past year in order to simulate and prepare for this point. The aim: to saturate purpose into every hour of every day. The motivation: to align myself to the will of God - simple enough. The motivation for the motivation: to enjoy his spirit leading the way. Honestly, any one of those three statements could be switched with the other lol such is the language of Christianese. Regardless. Many times I've failed to align myself to his desires, but his mercies have been new and newer to strengthen this almost-man child of his.

The will of God. We should thank God for his word in helping us understand what this means in non-abstract, non-mystical, non-hypothetical terms. The Christian that is frustrated with "lack of direction" has put his faith in the wrong thing, namely, trusting circumstance for security instead the God controlling the circumstance. His clarity is what makes him a gracious God, and we put our faith into what he has made clear. Using scripture, therefore, John MacArthur has provided a helpful framework in discerning his will, explained below in order of priority:

  • He wills that I be saved. Again and again. There is no desire of God's outside of this one whereby he would want anything other than for me to be steeped in the intimate knowledge of my sonship. (2AM has not shown mercy on my prosing)
  • He wills that I be sanctified. I cannot not be aware of my sin and call that God's will. It's all about greater awareness: my fallenness, my identity in him, my working out his salvation with fear and trembling.
  • He wills that I be spirit-led. Far be it from me to over-spiritualize something, especially in light of recent tragedies like this. Following the spirit involves abiding in the word (ever pondered the manifold wisdom of an infinite God and the condescension it must take to put that into human language? Just wow...never take your Bible for granted) and being sharpened by a community likewise abiding.
  • He wills that I be sacrificial. No room for sideline Christianity. Am I number 1 or are others? No matter how "busy" I'll get with life, there will always be examples (other than Jesus himself) of busier people who still lay down their lives for the kingdom, leading to..
  • He wills that I be a servant. Honestly, John, I don't know the difference between this and the last point, but things are still worth repeating. Is my life being poured out for the sake of the gospel? May I never be too busy for this, I have 168 hours a week at my disposable. Trust me, I've done the math!

The more I adhere to these clear outlines of his will, the more joy I experience. To repeat a Timmy K. quote I tweeted earlier, "The lack of joy in our life is due to our lack of mission." And so by converse, fullness of joy is found in him because he makes known to us the path of life (Psalm 16:11)!
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mercredi 24 avril 2013

I don't miss bioengineering


  • John Zhang: ben invited too many girls
  • crowding out
  • competitive inhibition up in this
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samedi 20 avril 2013

#YOSSO



Graduation slide they’ll show on the big screen for SEAS ceremony. It’s getting real.
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lundi 15 avril 2013

Morning chats with @QQdp

+Daniel Park : oh balls
  • my manager's going to talk to me
  • i should just tell him it was one harmless picture of emma watson right?
  • i already got street cred from my coworkers for knowing who wutang was
  • she's a huge fan of wutang
  • i got street cred from her
  • and she recommended me to the lead for the dputy position
  • so i indirectly got this promotion because of bboying
  • wutup
  • i want to just decline the offer and be like
  • nah man i can't be deputy
  • then turn around and walk away
  • then after 5 steps
  • i drop a knee
  • do a coindrop
  • and be like
  • but if you ask
  • i can keep it poppin' for ya
  • cue bboy stance
  • me: CAN YOU NOT
  • OMG
  • WHO ARE YOU
  • DP: i'm every 80s bboying movie
  • yeah son
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vendredi 5 avril 2013

I'm going on missions to China this summer. If you want updates and/or would like to partner with me in prayer and funding, please email me at willisz@seas.upenn.edu

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lundi 1 avril 2013

What you need to know about Ben Shyong

Credit to John Zhang:
  • +Benjamin Shyong's body is so well sculpted, Michaelangelo saw it from heaven and sh-t his robes
  • Rihanna is back with Chris Brown because Ben Shyong said so
  • "Men sleep without shirts on" - Ben Shyong
  • Ben Shyong created so many jobs, he's the reason S&P hit an all time high
  • Taylor Swift's songs are all about Ben Shyong
  • Kanye West lets Ben Shyong finish
  • On a scale of one to Ben Shyong, Aphrodite is only a 7 ;)
  • Ben Shyong's the reason California is so sunny
  • Ben Shyong's shirts and jackets are so tight, it always fits an Asian girl he's with perfectly in the winter
  • 方文山 steals love song lyrics from Ben Shyong's facebook wall
  • Ben Shyong's heart is so tender, it's softer than Philadelphia Eagle's offensive line
  • Honey is sweet, bears eat honey, Ben Bear is sweet ♥
  • Ben Shyong also GTL's - Girls, Taiwan, Love
  • Ben Shyong's voice is so high, Dawei takes a hit...
  • Ben Shyong likes girls
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mardi 26 mars 2013

Week #12

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Week #11

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Week #10

  • NYC trip with +Michael Chen +Michael Thornhill +Giulia Porcari +Jason Choi +Mark Chou +Matt Curtis 
  • Inside jokes
    • I can get behind that
    • Cuban lips
    • Creme brule & spiked donuts ("my lips hurt!")
    • Three-pronged handshake
    • Throwing Faith into public transpo
    • No weapon
    • False
    • 54 likes
    • Squalay
    • We both lose
    • Trip over boxes
    • Ghosting
    • Punch my punch
    • You corny ("..Jesus?")
    • Blowin' it up
    • If Jesus is sleeping, I'm sleeping
    • Waka flocka
    • Batman voice
    • Shrimp meals
    • Get my blessing
    • Corn dusting
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Week #9

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Week #8

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