New Things

I love new things. New products. New relationships. New phases in life. I love them. New things are so exciting! You get to experience something that you’ve never experienced before. And that’s awesome.

But new things can be scary, too. There’s so much mystery. And so many questions. What if it’s not as good as what I had before? What if it’s not meant for me? What if I don’t like it? What if I mess it up?

These are the questions I struggle with when facing new things. And I’ve come up with an answer for them: So what? So what if I mess it up? At least I tried something new. I can always fix it. So what if it’s not as good as before? At least I’m not complacent. At least I’m trying to improve.

It’s way too easy to get stuck in our ways because we’re scared of what could happen. We’re scared of messing up, or worse, actually being happy with what we’ve got. We get so attached to our habits and what we have that we aren’t willing to try new things. So we don’t grow. We don’t improve. We don’t make a difference.

I’m doing some new things in my life. Making improvements. Trying to remove things that don’t belong there. Trying to spend more time on the things that matter. I’m not doing it all on my own, of course. God is leading and helping me. And it’s a process, not an event. But I’m trying new things.

God’s doing some exciting new things at Cavanaugh Church, too. We’re growing. Redefining ourselves a little bit. Figuring out how to be the church God has called us to be. We’re even gonna be doing some construction work! It’s so inspiring to see God’s people taking a risk and doing the exciting new things He leads us to do.

I’m not saying we should throw away all of our habits, relationships, and stuff just for the sake of trying new things. But if something is holding you back, bringing you down, or stopping you from being what God has called you to be, maybe it’s time to try something new. Don’t be complacent. Try to find something you can improve on. And then do it. Try something new. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that you like it. Maybe you’ll find that something new is exactly what you need. 

Sick

I’m sorry I haven’t written a new blog post in a couple of weeks. I’m trying to get in the habit of posting once a week, but I’ve been sick. If I had a list on here called “Things Devon Doesn’t Like”, being sick would be on it. But the nurse prescribed me some medicine, and I should be all better soon. I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. I’ll try to write a real post next week once I’m feeling better. Until then!

Star Wars



I figured now would be an appropriate time to do a Things Devon Likes post about Star Wars, since The Phantom Menace 3D opened in theaters this weekend, and it’s awesome!

To be honest, I’ve only been a Star Wars fan for a couple of months. Hard to believe, right? My friends have always told me how awesome the movies are, but for some reason I held out until this Christmas Break to watch them. When I finally did, I was hooked. I borrowed the DVDs from a couple of friends and watched all six of them in two days. I immediately ordered the Blu-ray set from Amazon, and my friend Kevin and I watched every movie in one day. I can officially say that I am a Star Wars fan now.

For those of you who don’t know, the Star Wars saga consists of six movies, made up two trilogies. The original trilogy portrays the adventures of Luke Skywalker as he becomes a Jedi, joins the Rebel Alliance, and attempts to overthrow the Galactic Empire. The prequel trilogy chronicles the life of Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, including his humble beginnings as a Tatooine slave, his training as a Jedi, and his slow descent to the dark side. These movies have something to offer for everyone. There’s action, romance, mystery, suspense, comedy, and even some sillier elements that young children will enjoy. The movies are all family-friendly, and they are a joy to watch.

The original Star Wars movie, later subtitled A New Hope, was a huge cultural phenomenon when it was first released in 1977. Star Wars gained an immense following immediately, and this led to people wanting to know more about this universe. Not only did this lead to five more movies, but also a plethora of literature, toys, comic books, video games, and other Star Wars paraphernalia that now collectively make up the Star Wars Expanded Universe. This universe is infinitely dense and covers the history of the Star Wars galaxy from thousands of years before the movies to thousands of years after. The Expanded Universe also fills in some of the gaps that are left by the movies. I personally have not delved deeply into this universe as of yet, but I hope to soon. I’d love to know more about it.

Star Wars isn’t limited to the big screen, however. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CGI-animated TV show that airs on Cartoon Network created by George Lucas to fill in the gap between Episode II (Attack of the Clones) and Episode III (Revenge of the Sith). As the name implies, this series tells the story of the Clone Wars and shows Anakin Skywalker’s progression from the reckless Padawan Learner he is in Episode II to the restrained Jedi Knight we see in Episode III. The show is a great way to introduce kids to the wonders of the Star Wars universe, but it can also be enjoyed by adults. The show’s creators work very hard to make it entertaining and to ensure that they are telling the canonical story of what actually happens to our favorite Star Wars characters between the movies.

No matter what you’re into, be it movies, TV shows, books, video games, graphic novels, action figures, or something else, Star Wars is for you. Everyone can enjoy the epic adventures that take place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”. If you haven’t experienced Star Wars for yourself, I suggest you do soon. I promise you won’t be disappointed. So go check out Star Wars. And may the Force be with you.