LOVE God & LOVE others.

Wow, my heart is just consumed right now with God’s love. Tonight, was the first time in awhile that I attended Generate because of confliction with work. The service began with worship. Generate’s worship service is unlike any other worship I have ever experienced. You can just seeGod’s love throughout the stadium of people who are just on fire for God. It is such a mind-blowing scene. Young people with their arms stretched out in adoration of God, praising Him with all their might. It seriously is one of the best feelings ever! Tonight’s message was about addictions and defining the line between what God thinks is “over the line.” Pastor Tony related it to drugs, drinking, clubbing. The main points that came from the message include:

• The love of God is as powerful as a striking wave.
o Tony used the analogy of person first learning how to surf. They get constantly knocked down by the wave each time they get up.
• Stop focusing on what you can’t and shouldn’t do..Focus on what you CAN do.
• Clanging Cymbal= annoying.
• FOCUS on point of motivation.
• Change always happens whenever you converse with God. WE are too scared to become serious with the conversation because we do not what to give God our complete trust.
• It’s not what you’ve done. It’s about who God wants you to be.

Pastor Tony left us with the following questions:

1.) What’s your motivation?
2.) Does this glorify you, God?
3.) Do you love God enough that the things that break God’s heart, breaks yours?
During the service I experienced a kind of love that I have only received from one person, and that is God himself. It was a unique type of love. A type of love in which God doesn’t need your love in return. A love that is far better than human love. I was again reminded that I don’t need anyone else’s love except for God. I don’t need anyone else’s approval to feel confident of who I am. That type of love, is so extraordinary. A love that I would choose over human love. I was so inspired by the message that I came back to my computer and started typing away.

God is amazing. God is just. God is love.

Final thing to leave you with, Love God and love others.

Columbia University-Report On Journalism

http://www.minnpost.com/insideminnpost/2009/10/19/12627/a_modest_proposal_for_federal_funding_of_journalism

http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1212611716674/page/1212611716651/JRNSimplePage2.htm

Journalism has played a significant role in society since Gutenberg invented the first printing press. This is true because many people rely on the news to give them information of what is occurring in the world. They depend on writers to give strictly factual information that is not fabricated. For many years, newspapers has been the most popular way of relaying the news to the people. People often got a jump start to their day with a coffee in one hand and a newspaper in their other hand. But due to the rapid growth of technology newspapers are being used less and less. This is true because it there are less reporters writing, “Fewer journalists are reporting less news in fewer pages” (Downie and Schudson). Newspapers however are not the only channel of news that is losing its audience. The number of television news viewers has dropped as well. Though these two popular means of news will not be extinct just yet, it will quickly begin to be lost in the sea of news transformation, “Newspapers and television news are not going to vanish in the foreseeable future…but they will play diminished roles in an emerging and still rapidly changing world of digital journalism”(Downie and Schudson).
The transformation of news has raised many questions of concern of whether or not the new form of news will be able to be as affective to its audience as it is now. The most popular solution right now is the internet. This is true because it is faster to put information on the web as opposed to printing it and relaying the news to its audience the next day. It is also easier to access, free, and less money to advertise. However, with this said internet news organizations can not expand without the help of already established news organizations, “credible independent news reporting cannot flourish without news organizations of various kinds, including the print and digital reporting operations of surviving newspapers” (Downie and Shudson).
Regardless of the way news will be transformed it is important that news industries keeps its people informed in a respectful and organized manner, “this is an essential purpose for reporting, along with interpretation, analysis and informed opinion, and advocacy” (Downie and Shudson). Reporters have a significant amount of responsibility with the consideration that they inform the people of what they do not know. It is a job that may seem quite simple but, if not done in an ethical manner can result to dramatic consequences, “reporting is not something to be taken for granted” (Downie and Shudson).
Because of the decline of newspapers, many companies have had to let go of a significant amount of their writers. For example, The Los Angeles Times’ decreased to 600 writers with an original number of 1,100. Due to the dramatic fall of journalists many newspaper circulations have collaborated together to form one newspaper. “Ohio’s eight largest newspapers…have formed the Ohio News Organization” (Downie and Shudson). This is occurring throughout the country In order to preserve print news and their news organization.
The transformation of news will effect not only the news’ companies but also the people. Perhaps it may benefit the people more so than the news organizations because of the faster, cheaper and easily accessible benefits. Despite, what may replace news print and television news the preservation of ethical reporting will still remain the same.


**written for JRN 215

favorite bible verse

"...Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."- James 1:3-4

One of my favorite verses is James 1:3-4. Though it was assigned to choose only one verse I could not help but include verse four as well with verse three. These verses are very powerful. I chose to write about this verse because I feel like this time in our life is such a beautiful yet scary time. I mean this in the sense that we are learning about who we truly are. To make it a little more complex, some of us no longer have the financial support of our parents. We are all trying to figure out our lives as a grownup now. Which is slightly ironic because, personally when I was younger I could not wait until I was an adult. But now that I have hit that point in my life I wish that I could just go back to being a kid at times.

This verse serves as a great support system when I am going through trials in my life. I often remind myself that God is always by my side and that everything he puts me through is for my benefit. A motto that I like to live by is, “What does not kill, only makes you stronger. “ This verse reflects that type of attitude. God lets us endure the trials that we go through so that we may be mature enough to handle future situations.

This verse has impacted my life in so many ways, whether it was family or relationship issues. Though the pain was not the best experience in the world this verse encouraged me to stay strong and continue to trust in God. My pastor once told the congregation that what may seem like chaos in this world is something that is perfectly orchestrated in God’s eyes. I thought that was such a beautiful analogy. We often forget that God is in control and already has our lives planned out. We get so worked up about what we are going through; and either forget or choose to ignore God’s love and mercy.

This verse can be helpful to anyone regardless of what there are going through. This verse is a reminder of God’s love. He only wants the best for us. God does not put trials in our lives to punish us but, to make us stronger advocates for Him.

**written for JRN 371

my passion

Each person has a passion, whether it is a sport or the desire to stay in shape. Regardless of what motivates a person, the effort and time spent to achieve their goal is similar.
For me, my passion is life. I know it may sound unrealistic to some but I really do love living life. I live for the small things in life. I live for the ability to hear the crashing of waves, taste the sea of salt water on my lips, seeing the smiles of my loved ones, hearing the sound of a child’s laughter, helping senior citizens with groceries and the list goes on. God has blessed me with more than enough. Sometimes I forget how blessed I really am. Though, I may not be the wealthiest I have so many other things to be grateful for. The fact that I am healthy and have all my senses is more than enough to have a positive outlook on life.
This is just a couple of examples of God’s beauty. My passion of life is founded on God’s love. I am constantly amazed of how God work in mysterious ways. I have realized that God blesses us with every person that pays a visit in our lives. The amount of time they spend is unpredictable. However, God never fails to make us stronger and wiser human beings, doing everything for his glory.
I honestly can say that God is the reason of why I am so passionate about life. It amazes me how he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all people. I cannot help but wonder God’s thought process of why he would do such an inexpressible act of love for all who fall short of his worth.
God’s love has made it possible for me to overcome the various obstacles in life. His love ties back to my passion in life through my desire of living my life to the best of my ability. I constantly fall short of perfection but I strive daily to glorify him in all that I think, say and do.
During a bible study last year, my group leader pointed out a good point of how he strives to honor God with his words and actions. He said, “I consider my words and actions a constant prayer to God. This mindset keeps me from cussing and speaking unkind words.” My bible study leader’s mindset has inspired me to do the same.
I have come to the understanding that life is too short to spend on insignificant and worthless things such as, what people may think of your morals and beliefs. With this said, it is important to live life with all I have been blessed, living each day like it is my last. I know it is a cliché statement but honestly believe our world would be very different. I realize it can go both ways, good or bad. However, I do my best to stay optimistic about situations by leaning on God as my Fortress.
**written for JRN 215

a hard-boiled egg

Yesterday afternoon was a sad day for me and my baby egg also known as my white previa mini van. Its actually not a baby in any way considering my family got it in 1998! hah. Anyways, it all began while I was driving to Disneyland this afternoon. My engine was sounding funny earlier in the morning when I started it but I didn't think anything of it. Well as I was driving down the 91 West my engine started to make a weird sound again. Thankfully my boyfriend, Brett, was driving right behind me. He called to tell me that water was spurting on his windshield. This was the first red flag that there was something wrong with my car. It wasn't until I saw that my thermometer, that predicts if your car is overheating, was all the way at the "H." I freaked out and called my cousin who's well-educated in mechanics and asked him what was wrong. He told me that my car is over-heated and that I should not drive after arriving to my destination. Well, unfortunately I did not make it to my destination. The next thing I knew my car began to go at a slower pace. I managed to make it to the shoulder of the road just before it completely died. I literally thought that my egg would burst because it was smoking on the inside and outside. To summarize what happened after Brett called AAA to have my car towed to one of his dad's offices, the East Anaheim Police Station. So as of right now my little egg is chilling in the parking lot waiting to be towed back home. Hopefully, it's in too bad of condition to repair so that I can get a new car!!

Me, myself, and I

"From now on you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make that journey."
-Princess Diaries

There are so many things in life that interest me. And, too many things I would like to do in this chaotic world. Perhaps this may be due to the fact that I am easily interested with almost anything that passes me by.
Ever since I was a little girl I have always had big dreams and aspirations, whether it was traveling the world with all my family and friends in an RV or, becoming an actress. Though many years have passed since my childhood days my ambitions have not fallen short of what many people believe to be “too big.”
At the age of nineteen, I am attending college in hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. Before graduating it is my goal to study abroad for at least one semester. I have always enjoyed studying about other cultures. It is just fascinating to me that God created so many different ethnicities, languages, and cultures. I specifically would love to indulge in the Hispanic lifestyle. I have fallen in love with the romantic language from taking four years of Spanish class in high school.
Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree I am considering attending a school in Arizona that specializes in broadcasting. From there I would love to attend cosmetology school. Even though I do not wear a lot of makeup the whole scene interests me, especially doing hair. After cosmetology school I would like to enroll for some culinary classes. Someday I want to have a big family and be able to cook healthy meals as opposed to dining out. Somewhere in all that schooling I would really like to go on a missions trip, join Big Brother Big Sister program, write a book, and do sports modeling.
God willing I will still have enough energy to start the big family that I have always dreamed of. With that includes being married to the man of my dreams and living in a home with a farm of animals. I want several chickens, pigs, goats, horses, baby elephants, camels and of course my little teacup yorkie. As for children, I would like a maximum of six and a minimum of two! However, we will see what God has planned for me. If, for some reason or another none of my plans occur they way I wished for I will be more than content if I make a positive impact in peoples’ lives.


**written for JRN 371

summer of '09

This summer was filled with many events that equaled up to one memorable summer. This summer I was given the opportunity to intern with the San Bernardino 66ers, a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was such a great experience being a media intern. Through this internship I gained more knowledge in broadcasting, the different styles of writing and several life lessons. My first day consisted of learning how to work the copier and the scanner, typing out both teams starting lineups, writing the lineups on the stadium score board, answering phone calls, keeping a pitch count during the game, and finally, writing the game recap. The last two tasks were the most important because they informed the public of what happened during the game. After each inning, I would inform our radio announcer, Mike Saeger, how many balls and strikes the pitcher threw. He would then announce the information over the radio. Therefore, consistency was essential. The most challenging task was writing the post game summary. This was true for two reasons: the stories had to be done in APA format, and the summary had to be concise. It took awhile to adapt my writing in APA. Previously, all my recaps had to be written in MLA format. After seven and a half hours, I successfully survived my first day as an intern. I felt quite an accomplishment and I was proud of myself for doing my job. As the days continued on I became more comfortable and confident in my work. I learned to perform different tasks as the season progressed. One of my other jobs was creating stat packs. Assembling these stat packs required going on both teams website pages and getting each players personal stats. These stat packs were also distributed to all the stadium suites. Answering phone calls required giving directions to the stadium, transferring calls, and taking down messages for fellow employees who were not available.

After my third game, I was permitted to explain the plays to the official Minor League Baseball organization. This became easier as my baseball league knowledge increased.

Having watched the other intern, Kevin, perform this feat, I was convinced it was easy. However, this was not exactly true. Reporting to Minor League Baseball is a two-part assignment. Not only did I have to make sure I kept track of all the plays correctly but I also had to report it to Minor League Baseball in a specific manner. It was a slow learning process but I mastered it within a few weeks. As for writing the recap it became easier with the help of Kevin. We often tag-teamed the recap giving each other our best input. After writing the summary we would wait until Matt, our supervisor, would be done helping Mike broadcast so that he could proof read it for us. Once it was revised, we would scan it and send it out to all the other employees and then fax it to the local radio stations.

Working at the 66ers baseball stadium has helped me understand the field of Journalism at a more in-depth level. I was able to see first hand how much time is necessary to prepare for live broadcasting. It is more than just reading stats and calling out play-by-play on air. Being a journalist requires the ability to have appropriate filler information, which includes funny stories about the players involved, during the at-bats, pitching change, etc. Speaking clearly is essential in the occupation. The thing that has helped me the most in regards to Journalism is learning to write in APA press format. Though it was confusing in the beginning, I managed to switch over from MLA fairly quickly. The biggest thing that was instilled in me was that APA press is supposed to be written in past tense. Thanks to the help of my fellow interns I now have a better understanding of the format.

Through this internship I have also learned several life lessons. I realized that communication is crucial especially when working in these types of professional settings. I also learned that sometimes it is not what you know but who you know. During the game series when Manny Ramirez came to do rehab, I met several news reporters and journalists from ABC, ESPN, Union Tribune, The Sun, and several more. I got business cards from a reporter from ESPN and ABC. With this, I can use it as a means of networking. I also met a few of the other media associated with the different minor league teams. One of them gave me their business card and told me to contact them and they would do their best to help me get to my aspired career. This internship has been such a blessing to me and I will use the information that I gained, in the future to help bring out the best of my goals and pursuits.

**written for JRN 371