Writing Homework

This is a research homework. It will be worth 15pts. You have to research the following topics and provide 3 examples for every topic except with the paragraphs -1 for each type. Copy-paste papers will automatically receive a zero (0) grade


CAPITALIZATION

PUNCTUATION
• The Comma
• The Period
• The Semicolon
• The Colon
• Quotation Mark

PREPOSITIONS

• The use of prepositions

CLAUSES
• What is a clause?
• Types of clauses

PHRASES
• What is a phrase?
• Types of phrases

SENTENCE
• What is a sentence?
• Types of sentences

PARAGRAPHS
• What is a paragraph?
• Types of paragraphs


Due Date:

Section A: July 9th
Section B: July 9th
Section C: July 7th

A one week extension might be granted for the students that bring more than 75% of the paper done on the due date. Please inform students in other sections about this website.

Got any question? First look on the dictionary. Leave your comment here and come back to check for replies.

Don’t cry babies! Enjoy your vacations!

Legacy

I think legacy is a great word but it is also a word that is not commonly used anymore. In the past this word meant more than what it means now, it was similar to destiny and purpose. Legacy is still important in some cultures but in the past, in biblical times for example, a son was supposed to follow his father's business -if he was not chosen by a Rabi to follow him- that's why Jesus was a carpenter, because his father himself was one. Legacy meant everything to a whole tribe in the Israelite people, the Levites. The Levites where the only people in the whole earth who could minister to God. Different people in the Bible received promises for their legacy. David for example; he was promised that he would always have a descendant as a king and that the Messiah was going to be born of his linage.

I think all this made life a little simpler, you didn't really have to be guessing much "What am I going to do when I grow up?" And maybe not many people went through that middle life crisis either. Nowadays what we might hear is the expression "family business".

It is certain that we carry in our genes the mark of our ancestors, so most likely if your grandfather or father were good in sports, you might as well be good in them, or maybe they had that tact for doing business for which your family is known, or to care for others, to lead or to plan, to be patient and also those things we're not really too proud that they have been passed to us as well. It is also true that one person can change his legacy too, like we have seen in movies maybe, A Knight's Tale for example, where a plebeian boy becomes a noble knight. But my focus this time is on those things that define our calling for our life. What's your legacy? What has your family been known for? Good cooks, musicians, entrepreneurs, good speakers...? What is your legacy? I think it would be good to check that out.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about this, especially decisions I want to take in my life, where to focus my time, gifts and passions. I really hit me to know what's been going in my family, my ancestors; let me share a bit. I usually told I am -physically and personality wise- more like the family on my mom's side, so I decided to pay more attention to that side of my family. My grandmother, who passed away a year and a half ago was a teacher, and so were most of her siblings. My mom wanted to be one as well but she told me she chose to be a public accountant for economical reasons -It seems teaching has never been well paid haha- Most of the people who know me know that I'm into music and the wife of one of my pastors was asking my dad where did that come from, he really didn't know! haha. No one in my family is has been an outstanding musician, all I know is one of my uncles wrote a song that is still played in a local radio station as one of those oldies haha. One of my grandma's brother's -which would be like a grandfather-uncle if that exists but that's what they call them here- caught my attention. He used to be a policeman but he was also an alcoholic until he came to know about God. His life had a real change, he stop drinking and he became a pastor. I think he founded a couple of churches and just wish my grandma was alive to know more about him now. My grandmother also founded a church in this city -which is still running- founded the woman's ministry there and she was part of that same church until the day she went to be with the Lord.

There are three things I'm really passionate about: people -which includes teaching and leadership- music and ministry -the cause of the local church. I think I am in the right path by looking at my legacy, it's definitely amazing to look at it from this perspective. Of course I'm not denying my individuality and freedom to be myself but I can't deny my legacy which confirms what makes my heart be glad. There are some things still undefined and steps I need to take but my path is being more and more clear.

What's your legacy? What has your family been known for? Are you following it? A more import question maybe, What's in your heart? What makes you come alive? Does your legacy and what's in your heart make sense?

End of My Dreams

END OF MY DREAMS

Caught in my dreams
I want to be free
Free to live, free to act
Not just to dream but to live

Don’t want to dream at night –anymore
Because I’ve lived my dream all day long
I want to lay and be sleep right away
Because my soul is all satisfied

Live my dream not just dream
Disappear as I sleep
And wake up in my dream
Because my dream is what I live


EL FINAL DE MIS SUEÑOS

Atrapado en mis sueños
Libre al fin seré
Para vivir, para actuar
Vivir, no solo soñar

Soñar de noche –no quiero más
Pues mi sueño he vivido todo el día
Acostarme y de inmediato dormir -¡eso quiero!
Pues mi alma satisfecha esta

Vivir mi sueño, no solo soñar
Perderme al dormir
Y en mi sueño despertar
Pues mi sueño es mi diario vivir

Everybody can dream, not everyone can...

I’ve always thought of myself as a dreamer –which is certainly not a bad thing- but I think I’m tired of being a dreamer. It’s disappointing and many times dreams just…don’t come true and when they do they’re not as you expected them.

Now, don’t get me wrong on this, I’m not down or depressed or anything like that but that’s how I see dreams right now. I think I’ve found a better way, not of a dreamer anymore but something more solid, more concrete, more likelyto happen, I’m tired of dreaming and being disappointed, I think I’d rather be a…Visionary.

I think that when you have a vision you have more than a dream. A dream, you expect something to happen and be certain way but a with vision -when you have a vision- you really see things happening, you can feel what it will feel like to be doing what you have the vision of doing, you know it’s there even though you can’t really see it, a vision is more related to faith. Anybody can dream, but not everyone can have a vision. A vision is built up with time, is created and is worked-out. A dream, you just have it. Having a vision is more difficult to have than a dream, it takes time and work to build it up.

I want God to keep shaping my vision, I already have part of it but I really think that I need to have a more concrete one, I need to see what dreams can really be part of my vision and which one are just desires –it’s ok if they happen or not- but the ones that I know I’m called to do, those will be part of my vision.

Bill Hybels mentioned that there's a price to pay to shape a vision and I think I'm willing to keep paying that price, I need to keep shaping -and let God do it- and building my vision.

Homework: Do you have dreams? If so which ones are they? Do think you have a vision? Is it complete, have you nailed it? What is your vision? It’s interesting to find out what the dictionary defines vision and dream for.

Where is our faith?

Where is our faith?  What do we believe in anymore?  What do people around the world believe in nowadays? These questions come when I think of Christians.

I had the chance to live in the US for a year, doing an internship for youth ministry and it was an amazing experience.  I was living in Tennessee, near Nashville, which, if you know, is part of what is called the Bible Belt.  There were churches almost every block, from every denomination you could think of –Baptist, Southern Baptist, Church of Christ, Vineyard, AG, Episcopal, etc.-   I didn’t know there were so many denominations of Christians until I lived there.   It was pretty much a large Christian community and, it was good, can’t deny that. 

I live in Guatemala City, Guatemala, one of the fastest Christian growing countries in the world.  We have a lot of churches, a lot of people call themselves Christians as well (around 40%), we have Christian radios (actually the largest radio network in the country is a Christian network), we have two Christian TV stations –out of a total of eight-, we have Christian newspapers and restaurants.  But then the question arises when I see the problems Guatemala is facing, when I see the problems the US is facing and when I see the problems countries in Europe are facing.  Where is our faith?

Guatemala faces the problem of Religiosity, that’s how I’ll call it.  We come from a background where the native people who lived here –Mayans- were a very religious people, in their rituals, their temples, their gods and beliefs.  Then the Spanish came and brought the Catholic religion which was pretty much imposed to the natives.  It was pretty much just a change of idols, I’d say, some of the old idols (saints) where mixed with the images that the Catholic religion brought.  Then missionaries started coming, maybe around 150 years ago and mostly from the US. They brought the “Protestant religion”.  Since then the growth of Christians or Evangelical Christians has been going on.  The problem with all this is that our faith has been left in a religious sphere, where it’s all spiritual and mystic at times but it has very little relation and impact in our daily living, with our jobs, with our family, with arts, with politics, etc.  One can be a non-believer and illiterate and then become a Christian but be still illiterate, still come late to work, not respect the law, live in poverty, lack integrity, find something that is not his and think is a blessing from God, litter in the street, not be courteous in the street and not provide for his family.  It’s all religion, not the true faith that Christ came to show us, that abundant life he promised. 

It was very touching for me when I was watching a program on the TV last week; it was about a SWAT team in Dallas, TX.  This people put their lives into risk to stop criminals, to take drugs out of the streets and to really bring justice in a corrupted society.  It was touching because I could see the brotherly love between these men when their captain retired.  They are really willing to give their lives for others, especially the people in their team.  But why did we come to a point where we need SWAT teams to clean the streets?  I’ve been reading a little about American History, like Benjamin Franklin and the Declaration of Independence.  I lived in the US for a year and have traveled there several times and let me tell you, there is no other country like the US, its road system, airports, economy, technology, communication, water supply, food supply, it’s commerce and its power and I really love this country.  I haven’t read the Constitution of the US yet but I know there a lot of God principles all over the American History, in its Constitution, Declaration of Independence and laws.  It’s a whole culture that has lived on those principles and has enjoyed of them without even knowing where they come from at times.  It’s just a culture, not many people’s faith anymore though. 

It’s always shocking for me whenever I hear of a shooting in the US whether it was in a school, in a university or a mall.  How can this be possible! Where is our faith?” –I ask myself.  Where has it been left?  I think it’s been left in the commodity we have taken, in taking things for granted, in living in peace and prosperity for so long that we have forgotten to stand against things that threat our faith.  I would love to be part of a SWAT team but better to be in the front lines changing hearts, touching lives, and yes, standing with the power of God against criminality, drugs, abuse, perversion and corruption, attacking the root where it really comes from.  Are we not called the light and salt of the world by Jesus?  So what are we missing that our kids are so depressed that take guns and shoot people and then kill themselves?  Yes! It’s our problem, it’s our kids, not the neighbors, it’s happening in our city, in our country not just on TV.

I also had the chance to visit England.  It’s a country full of history; it’s pretty much wonderful and lovely.  But why are churches becoming mesquites now?  What happened to our faith Europe?  Did you know that Martin Luther was German?  So what’s up with all the European countries that used to be Christian countries in the world? It’s been around 5 generations that don’t believe in God anymore. Where is our faith?  I think we forgot to pass it to our children, I think we let them believe in whatever they wanted, we lost our leadership; we forgot the commandment God gave to Moses when he said we must repeat again and again the commandments of his law to our children.

Church, let’s not stand with arms crossed, let’s not live in ignorance and religion, let’s fight for this generation, let’s not conform to the patterns of this world, let’s stand in the frontlines again, let’s fight for the truth, let’s fight for freedom, let’s take advantage of the promise that says that not even the gates of hell would stand against us, let’s ask ourselves “Where is our faith?”