dimanche 14 juillet 2013

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.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 03:29 0 comments
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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
Posted by Willis Zhang at 11:57 0 comments
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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

Posted by Willis Zhang at 11:50 0 comments

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
Posted by Willis Zhang at 22:01 1 comments
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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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samedi 23 mars 2013

Takeaways from Romans #2


  • We are to preach the gospel to believers. All the time. (Romans 1:12,15). We learn this is the case from 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ("where we stand") and 1 John 2:19 ("they went from us"). Let’s not comfort backsliders with validation of a past promise but warning that they might have believed in vain.
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  • The world teaches us to deal with shame by hiding it, avoiding situations that would bring it out. God, instead, brings our shame to the for forefront, despises it, and frees us from it. Romans 1:16-17 brought Martin Luther into paradise.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 01:13 1 comments
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mercredi 13 mars 2013

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Posted by Willis Zhang at 02:16 0 comments

lundi 11 mars 2013

Reflections on Christian leadership

From Henri Nouwen's In the Name of Jesus:
In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of God, a heart that forgives, cares, reaches out and wants to heal. In that heart there is no suspicion, no vindictiveness, no resentment, and not a tinge of hatred. It is a heart that wants only to give love and receive love in response. It is a heart that suffers immensely because it sees the magnitude of human pain and the great resistance to trusting the heart of God who wants to offer consolation and hope. 
...
The original meaning of the word "theology" was "union with God in prayer."
...
The world says, "When you were young you could not go where you wanted, but when you grow old you will be able to control your own destiny." But Jesus has a different vision of maturity: It is the ability and willingness to be led where you would rather not go (John 21:18).
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dimanche 10 mars 2013

Those mid-study phonecalls


that leave me thankful for God revealing how judgmental and anti-gospel I am and how dependent on him I need to be. I desire the best for your people, LORD!

Life is not simple, nor does it make sense, but I am going to do my best to translate my principles (of which I will not compromise) into principles that show love and care for those they mean to protect.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 23:57 0 comments
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Takeaways from Romans #1



  • When you take a risk based on someone’s promise or protection, you magnify his trustworthiness (Romans 1:5,8). Prove your faith to the world and trust God for all your needs.
    _
  • Thank God for the people in my life. If I cannot, I have made the grace of Christ a trifling thing, or worse yet, an enemy (Romans 1:8)
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  • Thank God for God in my life. Amen.
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  • You are not ruining a prayer by adding “if it is your will.” This is not lack of faith, this is faith (Romans 1:10).
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  • By ministering to people, you are doing myself a favor because you need them and their faith to bless you (Romans 1:11-12)
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  • I am obligated (a debtor) to people (Romans 1:14) because I stole glory from God (Romans 1:23) but his gift of salvation makes it so I must share God’s glory to people.

Posted by Willis Zhang at 22:17 0 comments
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The offices of Christ wrt my story

My feelings must stem from reality lest idolatry reign (Proverbs 19:2). Jesus the prophet is my life’s logos of truth.

Jesus the priest is my covenant-keeper, cementing my life story to his gospel reality.

Jesus, my humble, loving king, crafts my life story with care and protection.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 22:15 0 comments
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mercredi 27 février 2013

Free Veritas Forum event tonight!

SPEC and Year of Proof Event:
Atheist and Christian professor engage one another on science and epistemology, featuring Dr. Ghrist as moderator.

| 730PM | Irvine Auditorium | Penn ID preferred seating |


Posted by Willis Zhang at 11:42 0 comments

lundi 25 février 2013

Best man

I'm going to try to write this in the tone of +Edward Suh's (@Eagersuh) tweets. Running into my friends who are with their significant other makes me so happy. Like really really happy. The guy's embarrassed grin can scarcely be contained, and the girl's eyes glint with a joy I just don't see in other contexts. Like PDwight's groomsman/best man analogies, in those moments I dwell not on myself and instead cherish that window I can peer into their shared joy.

It remains indefinite who is to be my object of affection, the apple of my eye. But the thrill of expressing those emotions (for which there will be no lack, this I promise) will give me deeper appreciation of the passion Christ sees his bride, the church. In any case, I'll gladly use this time to take the role as humble groomsman to please Jesus and his wife, me in the background and them in the foreground.

Posted by Willis Zhang at 07:45 0 comments
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dimanche 24 février 2013

The art of losing myself is the art of joy


It could be hard to fathom, but I was ostensibly more prideful when I was younger. One clear example was my refusal to learn Chinese properly. As I sit here and prepare to go to Chengdu in hopes of showing God's love to a people I can barely communicate with, the regret is palpable.

The main reason that I hated learning Chinese was that it forced me to lose myself. Sardonic quips, mocking snark - these things I saw as precious facets of my personality. Chinese sarcasm (hyperboles, rather) is more to be mean than to be funny. It infuriated me to "condescend" to a language where sarcasm as I knew it didn't exist, and the extent of humor was cheesy puns. Our flesh naturally wants to make much of ourselves, but if only God helped me to see that people could really use less of my sarcastic personality anyways, much less the people I will minister to in the future.

And that is why - better late than never - I am now loving every second of learning Chinese. +Brendon Wu said once that if you find that your interests are not constantly changing, you should really question whether your love is genuine. We touched upon this in CG too (+Rachel Miao +Gloria Kim): we must love people in the way they feel loved. Their interests must become ours, in the same way Jesus condescended himself in human form to walk alongside us. My love for God and his people, and my desire to forget myself to make much of him, is now giving such education divine purpose and passion, to which there is much joy.
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samedi 23 février 2013

Pennkindness

Was randomly blessed by dude who held the elevator for me at Harnwell then proceeded to make heartfelt conversation about the week for what the 20 floors were worth. What a nice guy! How easy would it be for me to not be so insecure and brighten someone's day? Worth thinking about.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 00:45 0 comments
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vendredi 22 février 2013

Disciple turned coleader...


  • me: REALNESS
  • 1 corinthians something about judging in the church
  • Sam: im going to do that
  • me: ...what?
  • Sam: doe jk
  • next year
  • me: ...
  • ??
  • Sam: doeeee
  • hopefully next year this time
  • it'l be a bet
  • me: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING
  • Sam: doe
  • hopefully itll be +1
  • me: i honestly cant follow what youre saying
  • Sam: i know
  • im being cryptic
Posted by Willis Zhang at 02:02 0 comments
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mercredi 20 février 2013

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

Posted by Willis Zhang at 02:13 0 comments

lundi 18 février 2013

Weekend takeaways


  • Legalism is not obeying God when you don't feel like it. Legalism is obeying God and feeling more loved by him or self-justified. Obeying God when you don't feel like it (for the moment) is faith.
  • +Albert Chu running jokes, e.g., you don't even go here, the immersive video-game/chips and fries eating/walking experience, providential events
Posted by Willis Zhang at 16:08 0 comments
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Week #7



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dimanche 10 février 2013

Week #6


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Week #5



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Flippant

It's a word I've been using a lot recently, more often than not in an effort to warn others not to have this attitude. In communicating, this has been one of the most severe ways I really discourage people. Mark 9:42 gives an accurate depiction of what has already happened and the due discipline deserved for me.

I can remember such cases so vividly. A relationship quickly fell into shambles when I made a smart remark about a preacher's sermon content that I felt was lacking. Passive aggressive online statements aggravated another relationship, resulting in much hurt. Recently, I had the nerve to sarcastically put down a loving sister through some self-perceived higher understanding of theology, and crazy still I made an offbeat comment during Bible study about how a brother felt towards some other members.

This sinful behavior stems from the ugliest form of pride: thinking I am like God. Thinking I know as much as he does. Thinking "been there, done that, pishposh boring, moving onnn." But oh, how dissimilar we are! God is compassionate, and he expects gentleness and respect within his church.

LORD, I ask you now to humble me. Your grace gave me a new spirit, new eyes to see truth and love it. I had nothing to do with that. Instead of using that knowledge to make much of myself, purpose it for the sake of emptying myself for the benefit of my neighbor.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 22:24 0 comments
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mercredi 30 janvier 2013

Week #4



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Secondhanders

Excerpt from John Piper's sermon titled, "The Author of the Greatest Letter Ever Written":
We get the phrase "secondhanders" from the character Ayn Rand in the novel Atlas Shrugged. He despised secondhanders. That is, people who have no vision and values of their own for which they live triumphantly and are always looking over their shoulder wondering, "What are they going to think about this?" And they live their whole lives secondhandedly, always trying to get into other people's good graces and be liked and stroked and praised and complimented and paid. That's a horrible way to live.
Paul says he is owned by another, bought and ruled by Christ Jesus (Romans 1:1). Christ chooses to be friends with a murderer like Paul, give life to one who has taken it. The phrase "pro-life" extends far beyond issues of abortion for me; to conduct life by pleasing others is death, but to submit everything to Jesus is freedom.
Posted by Willis Zhang at 23:11 0 comments
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mardi 22 janvier 2013

Week #3



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Broccoli

+Esther Eunjin Kim +Susie Ahn +Ernest Tam +Joseph Oh



What exactly do you think is the focus of this video? It's like the subject of a film major's dissertation.
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vendredi 18 janvier 2013

QQ | DC Adventures



Dope +Daniel Park edit! Consider this the behind-the-scenes look at the film edited by +Angi Kwak  and +Euna Kim :]
Posted by Willis Zhang at 16:14 0 comments
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