Recent Comments ARCHIVE - Love writes a letter to Hate - 19 things I want RUF to be about - Time to Start - Casa Hogar 2 - Casa Hogar 2 - Casa Hogar 1 - End of the Semester Report - A poem by Nicole Rowlette - Mexico - Poem by Anthony Plopper - My Poem - Patty Griffin Rocks My House - End of the Decade - The Gospel by Tim Keller - Sex by Marva Dawn - The Interviews - Becky Robertson - The Interviews - Katie Willis - The Interviews - Ian Puffenberger - The Interviews - The Moyni - The Interviews - Chris Schaefer		The Interviews - Katie Willis 11/04/09 I can't exactly remember my first recollection of Katie, but I'm sure it was at RUF. Katie came regularly and faithfully. I can think of some really great conversations with Katie, usually at some hip, green, earthy place, where we talked about science, faith and turtles. Katie tormented turtles for her research, though she will tell you it was painless for them. Right. It's awesome that she's in grad school in Maryland, whose mascot of course is a Terrapin which I think is a turtle. Katie also sends me Bilar from the IKEA store, which gets her on a short list of favorite RUF graduates. Katie loves Jesus and wants to serve him in her world of science - that is a great calling! 1. How did you first get involved with RUF? I had heard about RUF vaguely before I came to OU, and I spent the 1st year drifting around campus ministries and being irritated about it. Finally, Joel Pastor and Chris Schaeffer talked me into going to RUF late in that 2nd semester. 2. What was/is your favorite part about RUF? The people. They're sufficiently weird. They are also loving; the warm and fuzzy kind of love and tough love too. Doug's teaching was great. The gospel was always shown, even in the unexpected places. RUF was the 1st time I'd really been exposed to hymns. There is so much richness in content and history in those hymns. 3. How would you describe your RUF to people interested in coming? It's a community of people who will love you when it's easy and when it's hard. They are from all different places and in different places, but they all know what grace and the gospel are. 4. What traditions did you have at RUF that meant the most to you? The small group Bible studies were great, especially when I first started. I'm not sure if this counts as a tradition, but the semester of going to various dives and diners around Norman was pretty neat. Summer book club: Best idea ever. Game nights at Doug and Julie's. - Do you have an appropriate funny moment that you can share? When Chris Schaeffer, Joel Pastor, Jenny Pyles and I stole the Not-A-Date chicken trophy 5. How did God use RUF in your life? Taught me solid theology (and a little catechism) Loving people well. And letting them love me. There was an acceptance of me, in spite of (or because of?) my being a little eccentric and having less popular opinions Living openly and honestly in community 6. What did RUF teach you about Jesus and the church? That Jesus (the gospel) changes everything. I learned the importance of the local church. When I was getting frustrated with one of the (many) churches I wandered through my 1st couple years of college, I had lunch with Doug to basically whine about how wrong this church was about something or other. After politely listening to me, Doug basically told me that I need to make a commitment to a church with all its ugliness and all its beauty. I've been doing that ever since and it has changed so much about my life. 7. What are you doing now? Where are you in church? I'm working on my doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Maryland (at College Park, which is just north of DC). Basically, that means I do brain surgeries for fun and profit and teach a lab. I've been attending Wallace PCA, which is across the street from campus, for almost a year. It is lovely, diverse, and full. 8. What is the gospel? That I am more sinful and more loved than I ever thought possible. That God is working through the Church to redeem the world. Name: (optional)