Written by Nicole Miller When we hear the words “mission,” and “ministry,” our minds tend to automatically drift to the unreached people groups of Asia and Africa. Especially within the American Church, the concept of ministry is often so closely associated with spreading the Gospel and serving people abroad that we can forget about our local communities, neighborhoods, and cities. In Acts 1:8, Jesus delivers the Great Commission, declaring, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” As believers, we are called to go and…

Written by Steve Day “Ready to run?” I ask, looking directly at Summer. A grimace crosses her face and she clutches her camera closer to her chest. We are still two or three minutes from Union Station – southbound on the gold line. A flash of lightning illuminates the sky, startling us. A rapturous clap of thunder follows. Andrea, a Lincoln Heights local with pink curly hair, three inches of dark regrowth, plug earrings and a polished leopard-print upper lip piercing, squeals with excitement. None of us can remember the last time a storm like this came through Los Angeles. Andrea introduces herself, taking care to roll the ‘r’ in…

Written by Ethan Froelich 1) Water: Take a nalgene for most rides you go on. I usually take around 24oz of water when I ride the 30-mile round trip to the beach. 2) Portable Bike Pump: This is a simple $9-$15 purchase that is small enough to travel with you, but effective enough to pump up tires that have lost air. Bike tires can lose 10-20psi of air pressure overnight, so always be pumping up your tires before a long ride. Buy one on Amazon 3) Cliff Bars: These are life savers when you get to a halfway point in your ride. With almost 250 calories in each bar, you don’t have to…

Photography by Jonathan Hagen Written by Ethan Froelich Lloyd Peckham stared at the sweetgum tree in front of Thompson Hall and an idea began to form in his mind. The intercultural studies professor had just made it through three flats on his daily, 20-mile bike commute from Santa Ana, arriving onto Biola’s campus just in time. His class now over, Peckham had a Felt carbon-fiber 20-speed touring bike that was dead on the pavement, but somehow needed to get him to the nearest bike shop. The tree had his solution. Gathering leaves and small burrs, Peckham stuffed the space between the rim and his bike tire with the organic material.…

Photography by Adam Lorona Written by Ethan Froelich I fidgeted in my Sutherland Auditorium, overflow seat, my mind absent. It had snuck out of the Torrey Conference sessions, and was wandering through beaches, mountains and majestic redwood trees. My mind finally re-entered my head, returning back into the last Torrey session of Wednesday, allowing me to quickly text my fellow travelers, “We’re almost done!” Day 1 8:30 a.m. (Thursday — Downtown LA. Traffic.) As always, the 5 is being stubborn. With cars stopped between us, and a sulking steel sky above us, we are stuck only a few miles away from our first highway to freedom, the 101 North. Our…

Written by Amy Ortega 1. Bourbon Street Bourbon Street, which channels New Orleans through its decorations and cobblestone walkways, is located seven miles from Biola in downtown Fullerton. With space for up to 150 people, Bourbon Street often hosts private parties, but most come to enjoy the live jazz music while they dine. Admission is usually free. Distance from Biola: 7 miles Hours: 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Contact: (714) 626-0050 2. Steamers Café A block away from Bourbon Street, Steamers Café is known for hosting jazz bands in its small, intimate space that fits no more than 50 people. Steamers offers the opportunity to sit as close to the act as possible — attendees…

Written by Candace Arce-Lindsay Living at Biola can sometimes seem culturally isolating, especially when it comes to cuisine. While on-campus eateries do a great job of keeping students fed and happy, one cannot help but wish for more foreign fare at one time or another. While it’s quick and easy to get your Mexican food fix at the nearest taco stand or to feel cultured wielding chopsticks at Panda Express, Southern California has so much more to offer when it comes to ethnic foods. We tracked down ten students with backgrounds in cultural cuisine, who know the most authentic ethnic restaurants in the Los Angeles area. These places not only…

Written by Bethany Miller The 12-story building a few blocks outside of Skid Row seems, because of its age, that it must have stories to tell, but the blacked-out set of double-doors next door to Subway are nondescript. That’s why, when Kent Twitchell lets me in, my jaw nearly drops: Never, from those unassuming doors, would I have guessed that behind them was a cavernous studio space with enough paintings and sketches to fill a wing of the Getty Museum. On the floor, there’s partly-finished portraits of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan measuring easily 15 feet long; on one wall, sketches of the Founding Fathers, the Statue of Liberty,…

Written by Candace Arce-Lindsay The art world can often seem exclusive, reserved only for high-class galleries and museums. There are those, however, who have set out to give art a practical function among the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged. These champions of culture use beauty and expression to inspire hope in the otherwise hopeless and downtrodden. Alegria, founded in 2003 and operated by the Salvation Army, is one such organization that has adopted art as a means of redemption. Located on Sunset Boulevard, the institution houses 72 homeless families affected by HIV/AIDS and provides childcare, food services, professional medical facilities, job coaching, G.E.D. completion and spiritual care. While the care…

Written by Beth Cissel Carla, Splash Aquatic Center When I was a kid… we would swim all day and they could never get me out of the pool. Carla comes to Splash Aquatic Center to swim almost everyday. Her vivacious and friendly presence is well known to the staff and other regular swimmers — she likes to go “where people know her name”. “This will be my fourth year [swimming at Splash]. You know why? It makes me happy. I try to spend a lot of time where people know me, people see me — you feel like you’re part of the family” In order for her to keep peace…

Written by Alyson Luthi If you have just turned onto Interstate 101 heading north from Biola and are winding through its maze of concrete walls and climbing ivy, veer off onto the Soto St. exit, and you will find yourself dumped into the heterogeneous neighborhood that is Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The residents of Boyle Heights hasten to correct any misconceptions that their community is an inclusion of L.A.’s East Side and the stigmas that accompany it. Their identity is unique — a hodgepodge of ethnicities that have mingled into a neighborhood mosaic within their shared vicinity. “There’s a lot of subcultures within L.A., and people in Boyle Heights want…

Written by Michelle Hong Cities whose homes average a million-dollar-plus price tag and more than a quarter of households with an income over $200K? Welcome to modern Orange County, and Dave Keehn’s world. Keehn moved from San Bernandino County to become Associate Professor at Talbot Theological Seminary ten years ago. He transferred his other job, battalion chaplain at Rancho Cucamonga Fire District, to the Orange County Fire Authority. Additionally, Keehn runs the youth ministry at his church in Dana Point. In all of these roles, he constantly works to burst what he calls “the OC bubble.” “My students don’t necessarily think of themselves as rich because they always know someone…