Married dad of 3. May my life testify to the beauty of God’s love for the broken and the lost.
Cedar Rapids, IA
Joined April 2007
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Michael Willis retweeted
happy the shining day 🥃 #July4th
ALT Two stills. Top still shows a black-and-white photo of attendees at a hotel ball. The photo is shot from a high angle, everyone is dressed smartly in formal attire. Bottom still shows a close-up of a sign that reads "Overlook Hotel, July 4th Ball, 1921" in cursive writing
Michael Willis retweeted
I was excited to watch a movie about how chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ended up as a single ice cream flavour but apparently 'Napoleon' is actually about some French guy?
Michael Willis retweeted
Wisdom >>> intelligence
We almost worship intelligence in this culture, but why?
Intelligence is not a virtue. It's a trait, like physical prowess. It allows people to do particular things bigger and faster than others, but it doesn't make them "good" or grant them access to transcendent truths that are unattainable by less intelligent people.
There are super-smart people who are functional, wise, and benevolent. But there are also super-smart people who are dysfunctional, wrong about a lot of things, or just plain evil.
Do not worship intelligence.
Instead, revere wisdom.
Wisdom is accessible to every one of us, if we have the one key to attaining it: humility.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10
Michael Willis retweeted
In the early 1900s, an early playground made of metal was constructed 12 feet above concrete floors in Cedar Rapids. Prior to the concept of structured playgrounds, children played wherever there was space, including empty lots, rural fields, the woods, and even in the streets. In the early 20th century, parents grew concerned that unsupervised play might lead children to skip school and neglect their responsibilities.
According to Our CR Magazine, published by the city of Cedar Rapids, "Early playgrounds were created with the goal of guiding children towards good health and good citizenship, intending to teach them to play safely together. However, safety didn't seem to be a top priority in their design."
During the 1930s and 1940s, playground development slowed due to the Great Depression and war efforts. However, WPA workers were trained in various recreation activities as part of the WA Recreation Project. In Cedar Rapids, individuals were paid the regular relief scale of 50 cents an hour to supervise playgrounds.
After WWII and the baby boom that followed, junk or adventure playgrounds became the norm, encouraging children to explore and build play elements using found objects. New housing developments grew quickly, and playgrounds entered mass production in the years that followed. Cedar Rapids struggled to keep up with the demand for playgrounds in neighborhoods, so they created a mobile playground that visited a site one day a week, featuring a merry-go-round, swing set, and slide on a trailer.
Today's playgrounds promote socialization across various ages and ability levels. Equipment is designed to allow children with disabilities to join in and play. Rubberized surfaces are used to soften the impact of falls, and plastic pieces have round and smooth edges."
Michael Willis retweeted
Summary of the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father - Intimacy
Hallowed be your name - Holiness
Kingdom/Will be done on earth - Justice
Daily Bread - Provision
Forgive us as we forgive - Grace
Lead us not into temptation - Weakness
Deliver us from evil- Warfare
Thine is the kingdom- Hope
Michael Willis retweeted
I loved this, by David Brooks. Please read: nytimes.com/2023/08/10/opini…
Michael Willis retweeted
For @spectator, I wrote about what all these newcomers to Cormac McCarthy are getting themselves into with Blood Meridian: thespectator.com/book-and-ar…
Michael Willis retweeted
.@TGC is hiring a Multimedia Director who will oversee podcast & video content. I’m narrowing my focus to our branding, design, and website platform development. thegospelcoalition.org/job/t… – at Greenville, SC
Michael Willis retweeted
This is ridiculous. This that I’m holding in my hand here. It’s such a crazy thing how you can work so long on something and you’re still taken aback when the intended result appears. This right here has taken 4 years of constant tending and trouble. And I’m still so fumblingly new at it.
I want to talk to you this morning about not letting this frenetic culture take the fruit of painstaking work from you. Social media has made us instant and editor-less publishers. Trains us to immediately say whatever we’re thinking or post whatever we’re seeing. And that’s not all bad. I love some spontaneity. I’m a sucker for social media because I’m a very social creature.
I’m just saying there are some works God wants to do in us then through us that are meant to outlast us. Works that require many weeks and months and maybe years. Works that take pushing through the loss of focus and interest that inevitably come in the middle of a project. This culture is training us to be starters of 1000 things and finishers of none. Reject it. Fight for your focus. This ongoing fight is one of the most challenging parts of my work.
But this right here. This picture right here. That mentee who’s beginning to get it. That kid you thought would be the death of you showing some character. That painting. That class. That degree. That start up. That material in somebody’s hand who writes and says it meant something to her. To him. The thought, the trouble and the tears that went into it. The self-doubt. The editing. Oh Lord, the editing. The critique. The wounded pride. The restarts. And the just plain weariness that hard work brings. It’s worth it. Because in all the project’s getting old and on your nerves, God is doing something new and on his mind.
Do the work. Pay the price. Finish what you started.
Michael Willis retweeted
What if there is no reason for your suffering?
What if, instead of reasons, there is redemption? Wouldn’t that be a better story than the narrative of “everything happens for a reason?”What if the story is actually “everything will be made right in the end?”
Michael Willis retweeted
🧵 The Lottery is a story about a town where the residents gather every June to select one person who will play a pivotal role in ensuring that year’s harvest.
The winner is stoned to death and thus the future is secured.
Last week, Christian Twitter pulled Josh Butler’s name.
