Being The Managing Editor

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Author: Lexi Mitchell| Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2023-24

In a recent forum, the students heard from Mr. Robinson, the managing editor for the Living Church of God. As managing editor, he is involved in the design and layout of Tomorrow’s World and Living Church News and nearly all of the church’s written and printed content. When God works in our life, He gives us the experiences we need to shape us for later in life. In his current job, Mr. Robinson employs design principles that are a key factor in increasing comprehension for the readers of Church literature.

Experiences Matter

Mr. Robinson stated that God gave him the perfect life experiences to bring him to where he is today. Despite only attending Ambassador College for one year and never finishing his degree, he had already learned the printing trade and used this knowledge to find a job in the field. He was at the right time to witness the technology boom in the print industry. At one of his first jobs, Mr. Robinson typeset business cards. After that, he landed a job at a high-end design agency, where he wondered why he was there since he had never been interested in design. Mr. Robinson worked at a print shop for 12 years before being hired by the Church.

We might have experiences in life that don’t make sense now, or we may be in situations that cause us to wonder, however, Mr. Robinson reminded us of Romans 8:28: 

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

God places us in situations that prepare us for what we will later do. He has a master plan for us, and we must remember that He has a perfect end goal. We shouldn’t be discouraged, even if we are in a difficult situation that leaves us wondering why.

After 20 years of publishing experience, Mr. Robinson was offered a job as the Managing Editor of the Living Church of God. His experiences working in print shops and design suddenly became useful; one of his first projects was redesigning Tomorrow’s World Magazine. Today, design is very relevant to his job. 

The Purpose of Design:

The design organizes and clarifies information to be intelligible to the reader; and conveys the essentials to them.

Principles of Design for a Managing Editor

  1. Structure of elements for a design and create a clear order of visual dominance between elements
  2. The font used and how the text is displayed matters
  3. Selection of color for printing and color theory
  4. Image & Cover Selection

Mr. Robinson provided an insightful forum into how he came to his job as Managing Editor of the Living Church of God and the importance of design. When we are left wondering why we are given a certain experience, we need to have faith that God has a master plan for us and there is a reason. 

Speedreading the Bible

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Mr. Gerald Weston closed this semester’s Living Education Forums program by sharing with the students the benefits of speed reading their Bibles. 

Throughout the hour period, Mr. Weston guided the students from the first chapter of Genesis through first Kings, highlighting key events and people, using a “Bible Speedreading” technique.

“Speed reading” the Bible means not just reading quickly but identifying key events and people that are part of the story flow of the Bible. This exercise provides a grasp of the overall layout of the Bible. While it may not focus on the details, it gives an understanding of where to find them, with a knowledge of the overall framework in mind. 

Mr. Weston concluded the forum by reminding the students that Bibles on cell phones have their place, but a physical copy of the Bible is important to own. A digital version can be handy, but for certain study techniques, like “speedreading the Bible”, it just doesn’t work! He left the students with the reminder to not neglect the practice of studying the Bible – and don’t let the attractiveness of a digital Bible outshine the value of the physical, written word. 

7 Proofs of God’s Existence

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How can you prove God’s existence?

Men in the Old Testament

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Winter Retreat

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Author: Katelyn Wissinger| Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2024-25

Over our winter break, we took a trip into the North Carolina mountains for a relaxing retreat before getting back to the books again. Despite the chilling temperatures outside, we students had the opportunity to go snow tubing and hiking through the winter scenery. When it was time to warm up, the students huddled around inside to play games, make candy, and catch up with each other. This winter retreat allowed us to make memories and build stronger bonds that will last far longer than just the couple of days of the trip.

Sunday

On Sunday afternoon, we set out for the three-hour drive into the North Carolina mountains to the rental house we would stay in for the next few days. The home was surrounded by a pine farm and sat high in the landscape, allowing us to fully appreciate the beautiful sunset. On the night of arrival, all of us students and the faculty members assembled around a long table for a group meal of taco salad. A major highlight of the night was a game of spoons that most students engaged in, eagerly on edge for that one remaining spoon.

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Monday

On Monday, we woke up to a continental-style breakfast prepared by some of the LE ladies who provided us with the nourishment we needed to go snow tubing in the chilly weather. Despite the long lines, the students enjoyed numerous rides down the slippery slopes, letting out whoops and hollers with the thrill of quickly sliding down the slope. After finishing snow tubing, we returned to the warmth of the house. The afternoon hours were spent relaxing and playing card games. Later in the evening, Mr. McNair announced to us that we would be in for a sticky surprise. Led by the 2nd year students, we were divided into teams to make the best-tasting honey taffy. We all found ourselves in sticky situations, but the result more than made up for it.

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Tuesday

On the final full day of the retreat, we traveled to Grandfather Mountain. While the fog hindered our views as we wound our way up the mountain, the Grandfather Mountain Park team provided us with an audio-guided tour in our vehicles that reviewed its history. Along the route, we stopped at the nature discovery center, where we viewed a short film on all the mountain offers its visitors. The fog parted on the way back down the mountain, and we got a much clearer view of the surrounding landscape. Back at the house that night, we all settled in for games of Bible-themed jeopardy, which made us realize how difficult it can be to come up with answers when put on the spot. The night’s activity reminded us of how much we have to learn yet and the usefulness of our classes in the coming semester.

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Reflection

This winter retreat provided our students with valuable memories that will last with us longer than the trip itself. While we may have been frozen on the outside by the crisp weather, our hearts were warmed by the stronger bonds we built between each other. Now it’s time to jump into the new semester!

Snow Trip

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