Writer: Joan Schueller | Photographer: Dania Lopez Humanity’s grotesque obsession with the unique and macabre is a tale as old as time. The American media responds to the call of consumers by saturating movies, TV shows and podcasts with bloody violence, psychological horror, explicit sexual scenes and plots bordering on psychotic. One significant topic that the media has extrapolated on in recent years are cults. The media employs both retrospective and realistic fiction to create the narratives of popular shows such as “Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey,” “Under the Banner of Heaven,” “Midsommar” and much more. Common reactions to this topic include fear, confusion, but most of all interest due…
-
-
COVID-19 and the Shifting of Missions Focus in the Church
When the world seemed void of promise, new opportunities for missions arose. For many churches during the pandemic, opportunities to serve across the world grew scarce and they began to recognize a greater need in their local community. Others worked around obstacles to continue serving other countries. Churches have seen a shift in missionary focus leaning in either direction in the wake of COVID-19. Local Missions Focus For sophomore music composition major Michael Fausett, the pandemic shifted his focus toward local outreach. His love for missions stems from his home church in Texas church, Coronado Baptist, which often emphasizes the importance of Acts 1:8. “With missions specifically, we are called…
-
Are Virtual Friends Real Friends
According to a January 2020 survey published by the health company Cigna, roughly 3 in 5 Americans are lonely. Since 2018, when Cigna first began conducting annual surveys of loneliness, there has been a nearly 13% rise in loneliness. Nonetheless, we have never been so connected with the advent of social media. In their Friendship Report, Snapchat revealed that 79% of survey respondents affirm the helpfulness of digital communication in maintaining relationships. However, it is hard to reconcile the increase in American loneliness to the rise of virtual friendships. Social media is a powerful tool, but its impact is paradoxical — as virtual, relational connectivity increases, interpersonal satisfaction decreases. Something…
-
The Point is currently taking submissions of any story ideas, art, photography, podcasts, vodcasts, news packages, edited narratives (short documentaries) and music to publish on our website! Please check the web guidelines before submitting photography and stories. Contact our Senior Web Editors, Austin Bland, Web Visual Editor, and Rebecca Mitchell, Web Story Editor, through the below form if you are interested. General inquiries are also welcomed and encouraged and can be sent to [email protected]
-
A Letter from the Editor
Written by Alissa Sandoval When I got off the soccer field my breathing was erratic. It came in the rhythm of three uneven breaths. Sitting down had clearly become my next priority. My body usually responds this way after I do sprints or a large amount of running — the heat was not helping either. “You can barely breathe,” chimed my roommate with the usual look of concern on her face. I looked up, shrugged with a half-hearted smile and plopped to the ground.When I got off the soccer field my breathing was erratic. It came in the rhythm of three uneven breaths. Sitting down had clearly become my next…
-
Letter From The Editor
Three days. Three days was all it took for God to change how I viewed my life in America. In three days I met people that will be a part of my story for the rest of my life. The Lord broke my heart for the people of Haiti in three days. I continued to photograph the church dedication while the children clapped and sang. I knew that if I didn’t take the time to remember I was worshiping our Creator with Haitian brothers and sisters, I’d regret it. So I let my camera rest around my neck. I found a spot in one of the back pews and took…
-
A Letter from Your Editor
A 10-foot, turquoise nylon kite lay on the beach in front of me, the frequent gusts of wind causing it to hover slightly over the sand. A tangle of red, white and blue lines extended from the sides of the kite and attached in some complicated way to the short bar I now held in my hands. The conditions were perfect, or at least that is what Jesse told me. I looked out at an ocean of advancing white caps that dotted the clear, blue water, the palms swayed on the beach around me and grains of sand danced about. Nothing was left untouched by the ripping wind. I had…
-
A Letter from Your Editor
Photography by Alissa Sandoval When I looked out at the coral reef from inside my kayak, it was not anything impressive. I was able to spot a few rocks poking through the surface of the water and peer down at some sort of dark shapes, but that section of ocean basically looked like any other. That all changed once I got out and jumped in. Streams of sunlight beamed down from above, illuminating an active and colorful other world. Yellow, white, blue and silver fish darted in and out of the coral. Octopuses slinked in the shadows, while sea turtles chilled near the surface. Then, with a flash of silver…
-
As Dreams Grow Up
Photography by Alissa Sandoval People live to make their imaginations come true, but does it always happen this way? A childhood dream can change with time. Some people decide to focus on an entirely new career then what they initially thought. Students and faculty share their vision and how it has changed or stayed the same over the years. “My childhood dream job was probably [to be] a trucker. Now, I am a computer scientist which I guess means that was just a childhood thing. Bigger and better things came along, I guess.” – Michael Prigge, junior, computer science. “My childhood dream job was to be on TV. After that…
-
Editor’s Note: Spring 2013
Photography by Jaicee Almond When I was little, I dreamed of growing up to be a horse trainer. I had it all planned — exactly how I was going to purchase our neighbor’s property and redesign it into stables and pastures. I spent endless afternoons sketching it all out. But today, those plans sit in a box in the corner of my closet, all but forgotten. The passage of time dimming that dream. And isn’t that how it is for most of us? As life moves forward, we define new goals and vocations as we ourselves change. We smile back on our childhood aspirations and marvel at how differently life…
-
Editor’s Note: Fall 2012
There’s something absolutely magical to me about a pink balloon. For one, people look at you differently when you’re carrying a balloon. They wish you a happy birthday, or just generally send warm fuzzy feelings in your direction. They smile when they see the bright pop of color unexpectedly bobbing above your head. With it tied to your backpack, you can feel like you have a friend with you at all times. One of the great myths of American society is that you need a particular reason to have a balloon. If you believe this, let me tell you — you’ve been duped. Absolutely anyone can trot down to the…
-
Editor’s Note: Fall 2011
Written by Kelsey Osterman Like many other imaginative, nature-loving kids, there was a time in my childhood when my greatest dream was to have my very own treehouse. Yet I didn’t want just any treehouse; my arboreal residence was a veritable mansion in the sky, a castle in the leafy canopy. I spent rainy days scribbling blueprints on scrap paper, drawing a spiral staircase here, a rope ladder there and trapdoors everywhere. Each multi-level floor plan was more preposterous than the one before, but I was blissfully unaware that my dreams were so implausible. Much of our world is formed and controlled by expectations. We believe the world around us…
