Category: Shaycam.com

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (3) over the weekend. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the ending for you right now. But I left the theater with something on my mind: What would Walt think?

By Walt I hope none of you are thinking about some uncle or grandpa in your family, but none other than Walt Disney: The creator and original “imagineer” of the Disney company. A man with a true vision to enlighten the hearts of children and bring quality family entertainment into the world. His company, the Disney Company, has produced hundreds of great, classic family films. Most of these films have won awards for the music, writing, and even animation and many hold places in all of our hearts as to our own childhood memories. Yet when I left Pirates on Saturday night, I couldn’t help but wonder what he would say if he were around today.

*warning… I’m going to talk a little bit about the film. I’ll won’t spoil it, but I figured I would at least give you the opportunity to quit now if you want :).
Honestly, I was surprised about how dark the film really was. I understand that it’s dealing with pirates and mysticism and whatnot, but even the opening scene was a far cry from something I would bring a family to. Footage of people being hanged to death (even small children) started the film off with a bad vibe. Futhermore, I believe the film to be a lot more suggestive in it’s nature this time around. Jokes about the main female character in the film or just the occasional “suggestion” of something sexual just didn’t seem to fit in with the “Disney magic” that we all know. I guess it really just surprised me to see the Disney name on this film. Disney (the company) has always been known for being pretty conservative with their films. Historically they have chosen not to purchase films or scripts based on the nature of the film and the content. They have grown as a family oriented company by keeping in with this model, but I wonder how this film slipped through the cracks. Even comparing Pirates 1 and 2 to the third, number 3 just simply took everything to the next level, and not always in a good way.

So what wold Walt think? Would he of even allowed the first film to be made? Honestly, I doubt it. I don’t think Walt Disney’s vision for the Pirates of Caribbean included hanging people and nightmares for children. I understand that our culture has changed and kids are seeing more violence and disturbing behavior then ever be fore and be a bit desensitized to it. But let Warner Bros. buy those films or let Universal create that big blockbuster. Call me old fashioned, but is there any morality left in companies any more? Walt Disney created films and themeparks aimed at kids and if adults had a good time too, then that was a bonus. He was a kid at heart. Honestly, I think if Walt was alive he would’ve taken the hit at the box office (if it led to that) to make a movie for the whole family.

So C’mon Disney Co., have you forgotten how you got to where you are today?

(this is open ended discussion for anyone who would want to comment with their own opinions)

Never before today have I had a reason to share this story with my blogging friends. That is until now…

About nine months ago I took a job with a company called Amp’d Mobile. They hired me as a designer for their web department. Though the job was really only 30 miles away, the traffic in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas made it an hour and forty-five minute commute, one way. But the pay was fantastic for a guy my age and with the little experience I had, so I took the plunge as a commuter on the 405 freeway and went to work faithfully every day. My job was very cool. I worked with bands/artists material and created the specific branding for those artists on the Amp’d web pages. The people I worked with were some of the best designers I have met and were all very gifted. Though the hours at work were longer than I expected and the three hour commute wasn’t my idea of a good time, I worked hard because I wanted to provide for my family and honor the Lord.

A few days into my job I was asked to make a few edits on some photos. Of course, my first reaction was to say “sure, no problem,” but my producer followed his question with “oh… it’s just some girls in bikini’s.. you don’t have a problem with that do you?” This new knowledge changed my response rapidly and I replied, “actually, I do.” I think at first he was surprised that I wouldn’t work on that kind of material, but he said “ok, no problem… I’ll take care of it.” There wasn’t another conversation with him about it and so I figured it was no big deal. A few days later that guy was fired for reasons that are still unknown to me, but they had something to do with his previous performance and nothing to do with me. So the web department was joined with the print department and we were all one happy family. That is until about three weeks into my new job.

Quite literally as I was sitting at my desk working hard on a new motocross ad, the art director said “Shay, come in to my office.” At first it kind of scared me because not only was he behind me and I didn’t see him, but he never really said that to anyone before. Yet I was sure I had done nothing wrong, so I went in like he asked, and that’s when things got serious. He told me that he had heard about my unwillingness to work on the “mature content” (as they called it). He continued by adding that if I wouldn’t work on that material that basically I wouldn’t be doing the job they hired me for and therefore could lose my job. (This is kind of like the point where your little “shoulder angels” pop up). My stance was firm. I would not work on their adult material even if it cost me my job, and I made that clear to him right there in his office. He said he understood and followed that by “let’s go,” and we walked straight from his office to the HR office where they were waiting for me to sign paperwork and cut me my last check. HR apologized and said, “we are learning to.” They said as well that they were going to start telling people about this material in the interview process in hopes of thwarting any other “Shay’s” that might work there. Furthermore, HR stated that they were working on some bigger deals with some adult entertainment companies and there would only be more of this kind of thing. They cut me a handwritten check right there, I signed some paperwork, packed my stuff, and I left the office at noon that day for the shortest drive home in history.

I have spared some of the details for sake of your time and mine, but that’s the gist of the story. I left work that day without knowing what the Lord would do with me or where he might lead me next. Yes, it was scary, and yes, it was difficult. I definitely shed some tears on my drive home, but I knew I couldn’t compromise my faith for a paycheck. Now fast forward to today. I’m currently employed full-time at a company I probably couldn’t even dream up. I have a sweet job that’s only 10 minutes from home, they feed me lunch every day, and I will never have to work on anything remotely close to adult material.

Finally, I read this article just yesterday. Amp’d Mobile declared bankruptcy. Apparently if your customers stop paying their bills, it’s a bad thing for business. You might call it poetic justice for wrongfully firing me, but I honestly see it as the sovereignty of God. Now, let me be clear. I don’t want to laugh and scoff at them because of their unfortunate business circumstance. As I stated earlier, the people who worked there were very talented, and I hope they don’t lose their jobs. But it does make me see the Lord’s hand upon my own life. How he can make things happen and grow my faith so I can see more of who He is. I couldn’t be in a better workplace then where I am right now, and had it not been for Amp’d Mobile, I probably would’ve never gotten my new job. Everyday the Lord allows evil to continue on this Earth, but every now and then he has to stop it. I don’t know the future for Amp’d Mobile, maybe they’ll get back on their feet. But what I do know is that God has His hand upon his children, and when they seek to obey him, He will honor them. I hope that you understand that I am not saying this in a prideful way to exalt myself with this story. I am sharing with you some things I am learning about my great God and how much he loves His kids.

A Simple Kiss, originally uploaded by shaycam.

This past week was intense to say the least, so let’s recap:

Tuesday : Came down with an influenza.
Wednesday : Dentist Appointment
Thursday AM : Endodontist Appointment (Root Canal)
Thursday PM : Wedding Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner, friends Bachelor Party
Friday AM : Work
Friday PM : In a Wedding
Saturday : Assistant Photographer at a Wedding
Sunday : Church and Photographed a Wedding

There was a time in the early part of May in which I actually thought all those weddings were a good idea. But at that time I really wasn’t thinking about getting a root canal or coming down with a bad sickness. Yet, all went well despite my constant coughing and hacking. My friends wedding on Friday was fabulous, the groom on Saturday was nervous, and the couple on Sunday wore Converse shoes and were super chill.

I have to give a quick shout out to Emily James Photography who I shot alongside of for that Sunday wedding. She, my wife, and I had a great time. Be sure and check out my flickr to see a few more snaps from the Sunday wedding and of course any other usual randomness.

Take Flight, originally uploaded by shaycam.

There are times when I think I need a time machine.

Time travel is always something people are intrigued with. For me, Back to the Future really set me off on the journey of traveling in time, but for others it just be the thought of seeing the world in a different era or culture. Yet every now and then we get those time travel experiences without the use of the “flux capacitor” or the flying Delorean. Last week I had a time traveling experience at a Dizmas concert (pictured above). They were playing in our hometown which basically means it’s going to be a high school reunion. And that’s exactly what it was.

I saw people I quite literally haven’t seen in 5 years. (For sake of shameless self-promotion you can actually go back 5 years in my blog and read about the experiences I had with some of my high school friends). It was just like traveling in time. I could only remember those people that I saw in their 18 year old, graduating senior body. When everyone was excited to be moving away, going to college, getting full time work, or even getting married. It honestly got me thinking about my own life. About how far I have come in my life, or where the Lord has taken me. What experiences I have had and what hardships have taken place. Where I have grown and where I have failed. These things, I believe, are good for me think about. It allows me to see the successes I have had so I can move forward, and it allows me to rethink where I have gone wrong so I can grow in that as well. But that’s the thing about time travel, sometimes we see what we didn’t want to. Maybe we see the things we regret or the things we wanted to forget. Not that we try to forget the past, but that maybe we just didn’t think it was important enough to remember. What I saw in some of my friends was age. Not just the obvious 5 year gap in their physical appearance, but really it was a 5 year gap in their experience. I guess somehow I thought that I was only one that did stuff for the past 5 years and they somehow stopped time and are just walking off the graduation platform. But the reality is that people change and grow over time. Whether it be for the better or for the worse, we are constantly being challenged by our experiences to see if they make use wise or show us to be fools.

So I guess I’m wondering what I would tell my 18 year old shaycam body if I was able to go back 5 years. What insight could I give to myself if given the opportunity? I know what it is, but not’s really that profound. It’s one of the major themes of the book of Proverbs. Simply put, I would tell myself to GET WISDOM. Wisdom allows us make choices and live our lives according to the work the Lord has placed before us. And since the Lord is wisdom, He is the perfect One to learn it from. Which means I need to continually pursue Him through reading the Bible and being in fellowship with Believers in Jesus Christ. That’s what I would tell myself. Because I don’t know where I would be today without the Savior. I don’t know what I would be caught up in without the Lord’s protection upon my life. Thankfully, getting wisdom isn’t something that ends. It’s something that continues for the rest of my life, until my dying day.

Finally, I want to close out this discussion by sharing something from the day I graduated. Since I attended a Christian school I had a Bible teacher, his name is Danny. He gave me a Bible that day which on the front read “Sherm (a nickname of mine) Numbers 6:24.” Numbers 6:24 reads,“The LORD bless you and keep you;” The Lord has done just that. I am blessed beyond measure and He continually keeps me safe in His arms. Now I say to you, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

The Fountain, originally uploaded by shaycam.

I just needed a reason to post a photo. Not sure what it means yet.

I’m as much of a movie junkie as the next guy. I grew up in a town with two dollar theaters, no television at home, and the majority of my holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) were spent at the movies. I loved movies growing up, and I still do. But something of late has been bothering me. I’m actually quite surprised I didn’t write about this earlier, but.. the time has come.

It has been my stance for a while now that Hollywood is running out of ideas for films. I make my claim simply based on the fact that for the past few years we have seen nothing but films that are remakes of old films, sequels, prequels, etc. Lately, I have been thinking about something that I feel like everyone is overlooking. Not that I have some keen insight, but seriously, what the heck is the deal with the “3” movies ? Everything is in it’s third time around…. let’s look at this lineup (with a little commentary if you don’t mind):

1. Spider-man 3 – Saw it last night. Honestly, spent most of the movie laughing at “emo Spidey”… or who I liked to call “Fall Out Boy Spidey.”
2. Shrek the Third (3) – Didn’t like the first two films at all. I think Dreamworks is just trying to find an excuse to put adult humor in a children’s film and it quite honestly doesn’t go down well for me.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (3) – Liked the first one; Jerry Bruckheimer at his finest. Second one was incredible visually, but seemed like a really long trailer for the third film. Saw the trailer for the next one… looks amazing.

4. Ocean’s Thirteen (3) – The cast of these films are always fantastic. Makes you wonder how they can afford this many great actors/actresses. I really enjoyed the first one, loved the sneakiness. Second one just seemed like one big “hook up” for their team and it didn’t show off their heist qualities. Not sure how I feel about the third to come, but I’m sure I’ll take time out of one of my weekends to see it.

5. The Bourne Ultimatum (3) – First two films were absolutely brilliant. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in the third. I hear the books are better, but I simply love the movies. By far, this movie is most deserving of it’s third installment.

6. Rush Hour 3 – Though I’m a huge Jackie Chan fan, I really don’t think we need another one of these. Yet, one thing remains in my speech to this day… “You put your own crap in the back!” What I don’t get is there was “Jackie Chan’s First Strike”… and we haven’t seen a second or third strike yet?

There could be more films turning 3, so if I missed any be sure and leave me a comment. There are definitely other films going in to their 4th and 5th this summer, but I wanted to stick the number 3 for this blog. But for me, there’s really one sad thing. I’m still waiting for them to make a “Short Circuit 3”. I loved Johnny 5 as a kid… but apparently us robot loving fans are few and far between. Here’s to a summer of three’s.

P.S. Be sure and check out Yahoo!’s Summer Movie Guide. It’s a nice visual display of all the movies headed our way for the summer!

In a recent blog on teenagers and abstinence (found here), I was simply concerned by what I was reading from this man. His post has received many comments and opinions, and I’m no different. This guy claims to be a Believer, which may true, but his view of Scripture is poor in my opinion. His basic thrust comes down to what I believe is his thesis for the post; he writes:

What does all this hiding get us? Psychological reactance. A need to lash out against the rules and to disobey them to an extent we never would if the rules weren’t even there in the first place.

He is basically saying that teenage and young Christians engage in sexual impurity before they are married because they feel the need to go against the rules. He calls it “Psychological reactance,” when in reality, it’s called sin. I amazed at what I read anymore from people are claiming Christ. I understand if the news misses the boat about sin, because the people reporting are not claiming the name of Christ. But this guy is. And furthermore he explains how he grew up in a “conservative Christian church”… and that he is now a “liberal Christian.” Interesting self evaluation. Let me get back to my point.

Be discerning young people. The reason you desire to have sex is good in it’s nature. The Lord has placed that in the heart of man, but when we decided to take that desire and act on it outside of the will of the Lord (which is marriage), it is sin. There’s not other word for it. By trying to call it “Psychological reactance,” you are simply trying to justify your sin. Let me be clear. The writer of the post doesn’t claim to believe that pre-marital sex is OK, but he never explicitly says its wrong. Yet, if we read the Scripture we know that sex is something that is saved for marriage. It is exclusive to marriage.

Young people are being targeted every day by the media, commercials, marketing, and others to engage in sexual impurity. It’s all around them and the pressure is definitely not letting up. But what does Psalm 119:9 say:

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.

Be pure and be discerning. Never let the world’s thoughts change your view of Scripture or tempt you to engage in this sin.

LA Fever, originally uploaded by shaycam.

I’ve been getting a fever lately for my L.A. Dodgers. We went to our second game this season and I took a few pics. And I threw in a little Dodger logo for an added touch :).

I must admit that I am sick today. Yes, physically ill due to the flu or some kind of sinus infection, but also sick of the news. Normally I am not one to blog or respond to the news or the current events. I believe that the people who read shaycam aren’t necessarily interested in hearing about the things that are all over the news, but want to hear something different. Which is the basis for my thoughts today which I am nicely titling “deconstruction.”

In an article by Fox News published yesterday (04/18/07), the writer poses the question “Did the Devil Make Him Do It?” Of course we all know who she is talking about, the now famous Cho Seung-Hui who went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech earlier this week. In the article she asks different “theologians” about the possibility of satanic influence or control of this man which may have caused him to commit such a horrible act. The writers thesis makes sense. Basically she just wants to know why we (an American culture) seem to turn to psychology for the answers when something like this happens. I’ll add now that I think it’s funny that they don’t really ever have an answer, or they have so many answers we don’t know which one to choose. So, I can understand the basis of her writing the article. Yet she continues on asking these different theologians what they think about the possibility of demon possession as opposed to some kind of depression or mental illness that Cho Seung-Hui may have had. This is where I felt I needed to clear some things up.

I am not opposed to asking the question about demon possession. Honestly, demon possession is real. It’s a real thing in Scripture and I believe that it can be a real thing today. BUT, and I stress, I believe those situations are rare today. As I watch and read the news of this story, everyone is looking for an answer. Most of the time it seems that people are trying to excuse this man in some way. “He was mentally ill… he was in a state of depression… he had been ‘sick’ for a while…” These are the kinds of things we are hearing. And for that matter, the news has gone as far as to show us pictures and video to almost exalt his actions. I’m sick of the excuses. I’m sick of hearing that we can’t “blame” him, but that it was something outside of himself that was “controlling” what he did. Listen. Sin is a real thing in this life. Sin is something we do! Sin can be defined as going against the direct command of God. But I’m not hearing about this man’s sin. We have no problem with men in the middle east blowing themselves up every day for their religious cause, and believing they were in their right mind when they committed the act. But as soon as something like this happens in our country, we blame the brain. We don’t want him to be at fault, because we don’t want to be at fault for the sin we commit every day. But you know what the Bible says, “… all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And the truth is, sin has one final result: death (Romans 6:23). That is, separation from God for eternity. Cho Seung-Hui fell short. Yes, his act was crude and horrible, but he fell short…. and so do you, and so do I.

But that’s the beauty of the Gospel! This is the reason why Jesus Christ, the son of God, a perfect man died. Though he lived a sinless life, he paid the penalty that was due us for our sin. He took the blame on himself, so we could live eternally and not be separated from God. When we fell short, Christ didn’t. In the midst of our sin, we can have hope. We can have hope that if we trust in Christ as our Savior, if we believe he is the Son of the true living God, he will save us. He will save us from the sin “that so easily entangles” us. He could’ve saved Cho Seung-Hui, but now it’s too late. Cho Seung-Hui is experiencing separation from God in a real way today. But if you’re reading this, it’s not too late. There is still time for you to learn of the grace of the God of the Bible. Time to hear of his forgiving nature and why he is the redeemer of our sin. I am walking proof of the forgiveness and grace of God. He saved me from my sin and placed in right standing before Himself. Now my eternity is secure.

That’s why I can’t believe the news, because it just doesn’t line up with what I read in Scripture. It doesn’t make sense to believe that we won’t be held responsible for our sin, because the Bible teaches the opposite.

If you have questions, please feel free to leave me a comment, I am happy to share more with anyone who might have questions. Thanks for taking the time to deconstruct some thoughts and hopefully get some clarity on all of this.