“REMEMBER THE WONDERS”: A Literary Tour by Graphic Designer

Gavin Susantio
Sep 4, 2018 · 8 min read

Why do we remember the wonders of God? “It’s when we forget about God that we sin against God.” (Zachariah Jimison) And this isn’t just an abstract God in another dimension saying what’s wrong and what’s right.

He is more fascinating and imaginative than that. He is the God of Story and Poetry.

I study philosophy, and I used to think of God as the “omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent” God that’s meant to be analyzed philosophically. But that’s not how God revealed Himself in the Old Testament (which was the ONLY testament during the time of Christ) or 3/4th of the Bible. He revealed Himself through Story and Poetry.

How did the Israelites use those stories about God’s people and God’s actions in their daily lives? They remember them — the creation, the exile, deliverance, the temple, the promises. Their feasts and songs and rich traditions portray the stories. They prayed the Psalms in awe and wonder.

And like Zach and Annie said in the introduction, “…God has worked, both in history and in your personal story.”

So, my vision was a book filled with bursting, living colors — something EPIC. But that wasn’t how these coordinators imagine it to be. They told me:

There will be students who are broken, doubtful, full of fear. We want the book to be like a story (which I think is a complex but splendid idea), and we will give you some poetry. It should be minimalistic, arousing contemplation.

So, little did I know that my job (as a mere graphic designer) had me contemplate much on how God wants us to be part of the grand Biblical story of a broken people and a faithful Partner.

Biblical poets express human weakness in light of divine greatness — in an enchanted reality that is “strange, difficult, and beautiful” in our eyes today.

Let us begin:

THEME VERSE

The first half is our theme verse, and the second half an extension of it.

In ancient Israel, to remember is an act of worship — a meditation of the mind and heart. The wonders, for them, are always within the context of God’s words and deeds.

Here, there is a juxtaposition of still waters and trembling waters, together arousing a sense of peace while being in wonder, awe while being in solitude.

THEME SONGS

As I think about history, I think of ancient relics. They are sacred, which makes me think of gold: a color symbolizing majesty and its associations, like wealth or kingship/kingdom.

Here we have an image that looks like an oak tree or golden river, but it’s actually a canyon.

A canyon is a literal history that is frozen in time, allowing us to explore the past and what’s “beneath the surface.”

(I hope you catch that!) Using our memory, we can re-explore our past and discover new insights/relics through the eyes of our faithful God.

“Great is thy faithfulness,” on the next page, is a song and a way of remembering the God of history — daily, monthly, and even seasonally.

God’s faithfulness is indeed, history’s anthem.

PIANO

A lonely flower surrounded by tiny leaves…

Here, the color green subtly reminds us of growth, and this type of green — with dark blue hues that’s barely visible — creates a quite sentimental atmosphere.

ROCK ME TO SLEEP

More flowers; they are broken yet beautiful. I chose flowers instead of trees, as the former are associated more with young age, and the latter old age. I did keep in mind that all of us are under 20.

The poem also makes us think of a mother-figure, which in many cultures are represented as tender and caring — the nourisher of our lives. Even one of my favorite songs is called “God Our Mother” (which is a metaphor, not a title).

REMEMBRANCE

The gray and isolation makes everything feel nostalgic.

Realize that time is a motif here, because life can only be lived forwards, but looked backwards. And we do that ALL the time; we reflect on the past and learn new things for the future.

SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR

This is a new academic year, perhaps your first one in college. So, know this:

Growth requires tension. It sometimes requires feeling misplaced and displaced while you are actually in the right place.

A new shell means a new home. And as you grow, you need to leave smaller shells and inhabit larger shells, which enables — instead of hampers — the progress of growth.

Okay, let’s move on to birds! Soaring on wings always makes a powerful metaphor because what birds have that we don’t have is a bird’s eye view (and the ability to fly). We are always called to see the “bigger” and fuller and richer picture of reality.

How much more should we trust God’s eyes who sees the whole fabric of redemption history and each of your story and its quantum details?

JOURNAL ENTRIES

It’s good to have a break from poetry and to read journal entries of somebody who in the past have walked your future footsteps.

The small image in the corner is a nice touch because it can be seen as both a QUILL (which symbolizes writing) and a LEAF (which symbolizes growing).

In a way, you grow by writing things down — i.e. introspecting and reflecting through journaling!

FRUIT

Leviticus 19 says that when we bear from the vine, leave the fallen grapes for the poor. So, bear fruit and share fruit. But why this one grapefruit?

Partly because we needed more blue/purple in this book. But mostly this:

Galatians 5 talks about the “fruit” of the spirit — which is singular, instead of plural — which means that there are 9 qualities of the fruit of the spirit, instead of 9 quantities of the fruits of the spirit.

THANKSGIVING

I had a gut feeling that this page should include either more flowers or more leaves.

But I was reading Roman Lives and Gospel of Mark, which inspired me to get my purity ring that has the form of the crown of thorns. Also, the roman emperor did not wear a crown of gold, but a crown of leaves.

Christ, as king, wore humility; and the heir of an emperor wore loyalty.

I had to choose between a picture of somebody wearing a crown of leaves that looks like a crown of thorns or just the crown hanging there. I chose the latter because (1) it is gender-neutral, and (2) it implies that we are invited to freely take it and be adopted as sons and daughters, in and through Christ.

When we remember that Christ wore the crown of thorns as the suffering servant, we are to be grateful. And gratitude leads to servitude.

FLOWERS

There was a progression in the book, from 1 flower, to a few flowers, then to many flowers.

There was a progression in color grading too, from less saturated to more saturated (ish).

Here, a wide-angled view — instead of a close-up one — of many flowers gives a sense of community and togetherness. And you are now a part of the cohort, Torrey, and Biola community. You are here to experience life together.

ON TIME

In the present, we will experience a glimpse of God’s eternal glory, but in the future, we will experience the totality of His blessings.

I think of God’s blessings as flowing from above. We can tangibly kind of see that when we stand below a waterfall.

There is also a rainbow, which is perfect, because this would be the picture that has all of the color spectrum displayed at once… which isn’t the case in the previous poems. (While this is the last poem in the book.)

Finally, I just love that this picture has a glimpse of the still and bursting waters from the first poem’s pages, Psalms 77.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

The quote is a digital rendition of Annie Kim’s writing from her notes (don’t be afraid to make your notes creative!).

Now that the Story and Poetry part is done, we’d like to invite you to reflect on your life. Now that you’ve read others’ writings, it’s time to write your own.

Do not forget about your past, but rather… embrace it, re-narrate it through the lens of the Storyteller, who is the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

Torrientation 2018: Fresh Folks and Seers Group Photo by Calvary Chapel

Thank you for reading! Shoutout to Zach and Annie for their wonderful vision for “Remember the Wonders,” for making the first ever Torrientation booklet exist, and for being lit.

To the Class of 2022, I would love to hear your own personal insights and experiences as you read the book. Feel free to comment! Blessings to you all amazing group of people.

Gavin Susantio

Written by

Biola University, Torrey Honors '21 | I question the nature of my reality on a daily basis. Accompanied with a hot chocolate and texts on world epistemology.

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