God's Creation and Photography

              After every day that God created this earth, he saw that it was good. When He created us, it was for His glory and it was all for Him, but do you ever wonder why He saw that it was good? Who it was good for? A friend of mine told me it was for me. God created this perfect world that caters to us daily for us. He wanted it to be perfect for us to live in. He wanted the sun to be a perfect distance away so we won’t burn or freeze to death. He thought of us as he made this universe. God is so sweet.

                As I look into photojournalism more and more, I become more passionate about everything God has created. I used to take things for granted all the time and let the little moment slip by like it was nothing. Through taking photos and experimenting with what I can do, God had truly shown me the beauty of Himself. His glory and face shines through every beautiful living thing on this planet.

                There is something about being able to convey a message through photos that can’t be done any other way. When we grab a newspaper, do our eyes look to the story first, or the photo? I'm sure the photo will catch our attention first. A photo needs to be able to capture the attention of the reader and tell a story on its own. An amazing war photographer and star of the documentary “The War Photographer,” James Nachtwey said, “We must look at it. We’re required to look at it. We’re required to do what we can about it. If we don’t, who will?” This is exactly what I want to portray in my photos. Things that people need to see to believe. Things the world are neglecting and ignoring because it's not happening in America. We as believers need to get the word out, and to show the corruption the enemy brings.

                I can’t wait to start my journey in being a photojournalist whether it be wedding photographer, or a war photographer, because I know God will be pleased and glorified by my photos of his creation. 

Should Christians explicitly state their faith when writing a publication?

         I think this depends on the publication you’re writing for and what the topic is. Personally, I would have a hard time not including God in the things that I write because He is such a huge impact in my life. When writing about everything he created how can I not admire and adore Him? Every ounce of me and every breath I take is only by his crazy grace upon grace. At the same time; I can understand why one would have to leave God out of the picture. Depending on the job that I get, I would have to deeply think about this issue. Would God be most glorified if I risked my job in writing about Him, or would he want me to build a stable career writing about other things first? There can be great power that comes out of a newspaper or magazine if they are internationally known first.

I don’t think I know an exact answer yet, because so much good can come out of both choices. I have a friend that is a co-editor in chief of a magazine in New York and that magazine is on men's fashion. I see her struggle through parties and dealing with non-Christians on a daily basis. It really takes a strong person to stand your ground and plant it firm on the Lord. She does a really good job of being calm and collected as well as rejoices in the Lord for everything in her life.

She is such a great example of someone I hope to be like. What a great ministry it would be to be out in the world with many unbelievers, but be able to work with them. Hopefully when my time comes, God will use my life as an example whether I work as a Christian writer or not.

A Calling that Couldn't be Ignored

Jose Anaya, a man so passionate about journalism and the world's actions, conveying so perfectly people's agonies and joy through writing, died on Thursday in La Mirada, CA at the age of 18.

Anaya was born in Colombia and lived there for 9 years. His family found refuge in the United States after the communist in Colombia threatened to kill his father. He lived in Downey, CA for the rest of his life leading him to Biola University as a freshman. Throughout his time here, God has put in his heart to go back to his native land and reunite his people.

Through Journalism, Anaya hoped to be a vessel and let God’s voice just flow out of him onto paper. He wanted to use his journalism skills as an impacting form into uniting Colombia. Through his hunger to rebuild his country, Anaya explored spiritual warfare and ways to bring the power of the Holy Spirit into play.

A woman after God's own heart

Deborah Lee(right) with two of her closest friends from The Church of Southland's 10th Anniversary Celebration: Tiffany Sun (left), and Jasmin Izumikawa (center)

(this is an exercise)

Deborah Lee, a woman who so clearly ran after the heart and will of God, died on Thursday at Biola University. 

Her roommate Sharon Kim said she had been struggling with too big of a heart (haha) for the past couple of months which led to her death at 10:45am. This has been a constant battle for Lee and was finally given to God.

Lee grew up in San Jose, CA and lived in the same house her entire life. She grew up with one older brother and both her parents. In high school, she found Christ and moved on to make a huge, drastic change in liker. She applied to Biola University; a private, small, Christian University in Southern California. Throughout the 2 years she attended, she found her calling into ministry through her passion of photojournalism. 

A woman, who served in many ministries, was passionate about serving God and his people. She was involved with children's ministry at The Church of Southland and was training to be a leader in her college ministry. She truly enjoyed the presence of people and was always amazed by the creation of each person's personality. She constantly talked about the ways God had revealed himself to her in life and continued until her death to minister to others.

A passion that Lee pursued as her career was photojournalism. She wanted to be able to tell a story behind her photos that others can relate to. She wanted her photos to pierce deep into a wounded or hardened heart. Emotions were how she captured people with her photos. A photo Mentor of hers, Hudson Lim and her photo class were really what taught her everything about photojournalism. An up and coming photojournalist longing to convey a message was also so grounded in her faith. There was an obvious sense of joy when Lee took a photo that captured God's great creation.

            

 

On March 11^th, 2011 there was a huge earthquake (9.0) on the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that destroyed homes and killed thousands of people. This tsunami also set off a nuclear emergency that caused explosions and eventually radiation leaks as well. Such a huge event in our world cannot be avoided by the people of our country and our school.

Jane Yu, a graduating senior, lived in Japan for 4 years of her life as a Missionary kid. She left to attend Biola while the rest of her family stayed there. When asked about where her family was now she said her mother and sister are in Korea now, but her father is still there because of the many ministries he is in charge of. When asked about her initial reaction to Japan, she said, “It didn’t seem like a big deal because there are so many earthquake in Japan, and I’ve been a part of them. But when I began to see it on the news and media, and more people talked about it, I realized my family is in danger." Many of her friends and family members were forced to re-locate because of the dangers of the destruction around their homes. Yu couldn't believe what was happening. She was in shock because this was Japan. she said "It's really happening to Japan and not a country that is poor." 

Even through the overwhelming things going on in Japan, Yu says she has a bigger heart to pray for Japan. She said, "God is waking them up, and waking us up." This is reality and yu definitely feels the need for God in this situation.

Tim Ip, a sophomore, had a completely different reaction to Japan's earthquake than Yu did. For Ip, there was not a lot of personally reaction to it. It was tragic, and he felt sorry for them, but there was personal connection. Although he felt this way, he said, "I hope God would somehow work through this. One of the things that came across his mind was of a friend he knew that was going on a short-term missions trip in the summer to Japan. He wondered how that trip would be affected, and how it would play out.

CHEESE ROLLS

                There is a little place in Downey, Glendale, and Burbank, California called Porto's Bakery. I've only been there once, but it is a day I will never forget! When I mention the bakery to anyone, the one thing people never fail to suggest are the cheese rolls. It is a small block of cheese wrapped around this sweet, savory pastry dough. When it comes out of the oven, the dough is soft. The aroma of the pastry excites you to swallow the pastry down as a whole. At the same time you want to savor each bite. You can see the cheese oozing out of each side of the pastry from melting in the oven. As you bite into it, it’s soft, sweet, and cheesy. What more can you ask for? What makes it taste even better is that each one is $.70. This is perfect for any college student looking for something amazing to eat for a low price.

FEEL: March 15th, 2011 @ 10:37am

At this very moment I feel exhausted from sleeping at 3am, but I can't complain because I but that on myself. I am extremely hungry and am thinking about buying a banana at common grounds. After being awake for an hour and a half, I am still surprised that I am awake and made it to my 9am class. I am slightly cranky and don’t feel like interacting with people. Nevertheless God provided such a beautiful day and I am thankful.

When I try to smell, it hurts, and all I feel are boogers clogging the airway to the world. I am still in the process of healing from a cold I had for 2 weeks, so I am still congested. I hear conversations and laughter as I sit by the Fluor Fountain. The sound of the water coming down from each step of the fountain is soothing. No wonder there are a lot of people here studying and reading. I feel the cool, slight, breeze in the air as well as the gleaming sunlight. I see one small bird on a tree that is barely there. Sadly, reminding me of the tsunami in Japan and their coast barely being there.

I love my school, and suddenly got an overwhelming feeling of gratitude towards God’s grace and love for me. This is where I am meant to be. I am so blessed to be here.

           At the table next to me, there was a Hispanic man next to me named Brian Alvarez. After telling him how I felt, he responded with “wow” and simply agreed with everything I said. It turns out we both had the same midterm yesterday and were both relieved. He agreed with what I said about the fountain and how soothing it is, which was why he was there. Alvarez also said there was this sense of a “weird peace,” having finished that midterm. I really liked what he said, because it reflected on how hectic we can be. Sometimes we forget the peace and rest we get from God because we are too busy with the things of this world that we experience “weird peace.” I loved it. 

Smell: Why we choose what we choose.

               Through media, we look at men and expect a manlier, beefier, stronger smell from them. We expect them to smell good, even when they work out. Because of the way media portrays each gender, when men or women smell bad or normal, it comes off as a surprise.

                Personally, I expect boys to smell like the locker room from high school. I grew up thinking body odor and sweat was their cologne and naturally that’s what they smell like. The world make boys look like they are more athletic and love sports, so connecting to that, there is this humid, stuffy smell about them.

                Other boys might be a little different in which they actually care about hygiene and the way they smell. There are many different types of cologne with guys in the stored that might fit their personality. You can get something spicy, fresh, light, strong, etc. 

feature's article

I chose a piece called "Idaho Rancher Revealed as Gangster From Boston" by William Yardley.

The lead is effective because it catches my attention on what is going on. It adds to what i suspect from the title of the article. There is an introduction to the person this story is about. 

"Enrico Ponzo was never a proper mobster, a “made man” in the vernacular of the underworld. He was a renegade, prosecutors say, part of a violent faction intent on ousting the bosses of the powerful Patriarca crime family in Boston in the early 1990s."

Although it doesn't really reveal what the whole story is about, it helps me understand who this person was and who he became later on. 

The story starts with Ponzo history and what he did in the 1990s. Then it states that he went missing for some time. the story reveals that he has been gone for 2 decade making a new like in Idaho as a farmer. "He became a remade man." He was known my neighbors as a good and helpful person. no one would ever suspect Ponzo to be any type of criminal let alone a gangster. It then moves on to how Ponzo was caught and what led him to be arrested. Him and his ex-girlfriend were in a custody dispute with their 2 children and also wanted to request his name on the birth certificate. He was arrested before this could happen.

Then the story changes to Ponzo's background on family and what exactly happened when he attempted murder of Francis Salemme, a k a Cadillac Frank. surprisingly Ponzo plans to come back to his home in Idaho and have told neighbors there to watch over his home. 

The quotes and paraphrases are used to help the reader better understand the situation. There would be times where i would get lost in the story, but the quotes definitely helped me.

Supreme Court stands by the First Amendment

On March 2,2011, in Washington, the Supreme Court ruled for the protesters that say hateful things at military funerals. The protesters, who called themselves "Christians" would come to the funerals with signs that say things like "Thank God for the dead soldiers" and "God hates fags." John G. Roberts Jr. the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said, "even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate” has to be protected. 

I understand the Supreme Court is trying to follow stand by laws, but the sorrow of Americans need to be considered. They are only thinking about themselves and their reputation as the law makers, but what if this was to happen to their family member? What if the Chief Justice’s son died in war, and protesters came to their funeral criticizing their dead son for giving his life to our country? I think this would put him in a different perspective, and I think him and the other members of the Supreme Court need to put themselves in that situation.

There are those who agree with what the Supreme Court rules, and I can understand why they would. Without free speech, America would not be where it is today. There would still be racism, segregation, violence, and we would be a country that we wouldn't be able to call free. But i think this is taking it too far.

Then I look at the “Christians” making all the hateful comments and I get so angry. God did NOT call us to be judgmental and hateful. We are supposed to love others just as God loves us. We are supposed to be gracious and understanding, but this article clearly shows none of this. THESE are the kind of things that make America look at Christians with such a disgust and fear. It’s THESE kinds of “Christians” that go around making signs that see mean and hurtful things. Instead of praying for these families to know God and find comfort in our Lord, they protesters are pushing people away and leading them to the ways of the world!

I am more angry at the "Christian" protesters then I am at the Supreme Court. This is ridiculous.

A person in my class who will remain nameless actually wrote a lot of the same things I did. He used a lot of good, descriptive words that helped me understand how he felt. We both felt that there was a huge issue in the lives of these "Christian" people, and they really need a heart check. We both felt confused and angry as to why they would go and protest as Christians and what homosexuality and marines had to do with each other. His story was a lot better than mine in terms of writing and grammar, and I was inspired by it.