Why Now Is the Best Time to Be (or Become) a Star Wars Fan

In December 2011, I finally sat down and did something that every person should do at least once his or her life: I watched the Star Wars films. I was instantly hooked. I kicked myself for waiting so long to experience something so utterly cool and groundbreaking. I watched all six movies twice in one week, and I went online to read everything I could about them. I was officially a Star Wars fan.

Now I’m still relatively new to the Star Wars fandom compared to people who have been fans since A New Hope released or people my age who have been watching Star Wars since they were babies. I’m not pretending that I know everything (or even very much) about the Star Wars universe. And I’m not here to step on any toes. But I do think now may be the best time ever to be a Star Wars fan, and I’m hoping that by the end of this little blog post, you’ll agree with me.

I truly wish that I could go back to 1977 and experience Star Wars in its original form. To be there in the theater, to see those special effects when they were cutting-edge, to walk out not knowing what was going to happen next, nothing compares to that. And I would give anything to experience the shock of hearing, “No, I am your father!” in The Empire Strikes Back without expecting it. Experiencing Star Wars that way is something I’ll never understand, and I’m jealous of those of you who were fortunate enough to do so. But if anything can measure up to the excitement of being a Star Wars fan then, it’s being a Star Wars fan now.

There are just so many exciting things going on in the Star Wars world right now. Ever since LucasFilm was purchased by Disney in 2012, they have been slowly but surely making announcements about their plans for the company and for the Star Wars universe itself. Some fans are still pretty skeptical about the whole thing, but I’m personally excited.

First off, we have more movies! Episode VII is coming in December 2015 with Episodes VIII and IX to follow. We still don’t know much about these new movies other than that they take place 30 years after Return of the Jedi and are being directed by J.J. Abrams. I think that in the coming months, we’ll hear more about casting and maybe a little bit about the plot, but even without those details, I think this movie is shaping up pretty well. I trust J.J. Abrams, and I can’t wait to find out what happens after ROTJ.

But those aren’t the only Star Wars movies coming our way. Disney has also announced two spinoff Star Wars films. The general consensus among Star Wars fans is that these movies will probably center around Han Solo and Boba Fett, two characters that I think both are interesting enough to deserve their own films. If these films are successful, they could lead to even more spinoffs outside of the sequel trilogy. I think we could start getting a new Star Wars movie every year starting in 2015.

Some people might be skeptical of this. If they make a new Star Wars movie every year, how are they going to keep the quality standard high? For the answer to that question, I would point them to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which also happens to be owned by Disney, and puts out two successful movies each year. Other studios are starting to see that this model is not only viable but also very successful, and they’re trying to create their own cinematic universes with releases each year. I think it makes sense that Star Wars, with its vast universe of characters and story lines, would jump on board.

But the Star Wars universe isn’t limited to just movies. It all began on the big screen, but Star Wars has spread to multiple formats. The animated TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars recently ended, and the creators are getting ready to release a new show, called Star Wars Rebels, in the fall. The show will take place between Episodes III and IV, and it will tell the story of how the Rebel Alliance was formed. So while we’re waiting for more Star Wars movies, we can learn more about the Star Wars universe through television. To me, that’s pretty cool.

But possibly the most exciting new announcement—and the one that inspired me to write this blog post—came from LucasFilm just yesterday. They announced that they are forming a cohesive Star Wars canon. The basis for the canon will be the six films and two TV shows, but they will soon be complemented by Star Wars books, comics, games, and more. Everything included in the canon will have to approved by the LucasFilm Story Group to ensure cohesiveness. Star Wars is going to finally become one big story.

Some may find this unnecessary. After all, we’ve had the Expanded Universe for years. There is a plethora of Star Wars stories to read and play through. What’s the big deal about creating a canon? Well, to me, this move solves a big problem that the Star Wars universe has. There are so many stories that one person can’t possibly keep up. There’s no cohesive timeline, and some of the stories even contradict each other. It creates a kind of mess, and now that they’re making more movies, they have to clean it up.

So all of the EU will now be considered “Star Wars Legends,” and the canonical stories will include the movies, TV shows, and anything else approved by the Story Group. The EU can still be enjoyed just as it has been, and the creators of the movies and TV show are even open to the possibility of drawing characters and stories from the EU, but now the official Star Wars storyline is clearer and easier to follow. This is great for fans like me who want to know the whole story but can’t figure out the puzzle that is the Expanded Universe.

So there you go. That’s my argument for why now is the best time ever to be a Star Wars fan. There are so many exciting things happening in the Star Wars universe in so many formats, and they’re forming one cohesive overall story. We’re going to be seeing more movies, a new TV show, and a slew of new canonical books in the very near future. Star Wars fans, rejoice! And enjoy all the cool new stuff that’s coming. Those of you who haven’t seen Star Wars, now is the time. Catch up on the movies so that you can see Episode VII when it drops in December 2015. The Force is strong with the Star Wars universe, and the future is bright. Now truly is the best time to be a Star Wars fan.

Aiden's Second Birthday

So today is Aiden’s second birthday, and I just wanted to write up a quick post in celebration! This boy means the world to me. I can’t believe he’s already turning two. I still remember holding him for the first time. I had no idea how much of an impact he would have on me. I didn’t know I could love a little person so much.

I’m so proud of Aiden. I love watching him grow and learn. I especially love that as he gets older, we can communicate more and more. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for him, and I am so honored that I get to be a part of it. Happy birthday, Aiden! Uncle Dev loves you very much.

The Power of Just Being There

This past Sunday, I had the honor of leading children’s worship at Ozark Free Will Baptist Church. We had a good time singing, playing games, and talking about God. I’m very glad they asked me to come. But before children’s service, I attended the church’s adult Sunday School class. We talked about Job, the story from the Bible of a godly man who lost everything but still kept his faith. Mike, the teacher, read from Job 2, and a couple of verses really stood out to me.

“Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him… Then they sat with him seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.” —Job 2:11, 13 (HCSB)

Job was going through the most difficult time of his life. He had lost his possessions, his children, and his good health, all in a very short period of time. He knew that he hadn’t done anything to deserve all of these terrible things. Job was hurting, confused, and alone. And when his friends came to him, what did they do? They simply sat there with him.

We all have a tendency to want to fix things. When we see a loved one that’s hurting, we want to do something to make their situation better, or say something that offers them some sort of comfort. The desire to help is good, and there is a time and a place for doing things, but sometimes—really, most of the time—what our hurting loved ones need is simply our presence. Not our words. Not our actions. Just us.

Until you’re in a situation where you really need someone, you can’t fully understand how much it means just to know that you’re not alone. Just to be able to look beside you and know that someone is there. Just to be able to look into someone’s eyes and know that they care for you and that they’re there for you. I think we forget that when we’re trying to comfort people. We busy ourselves with trying to find the right words to say or the right things to do when we could be so much more help if we just stopped and sat with the person for as long as they needed.

Being present is hard. When you’re sitting next to someone who is going through something you can’t even being to understand and you see their pain and all you want to do is help, it’s hard to stop and just be there. We live in a world that is so hectic and fast-paced. We forget what it’s like to be completely present in one place for a while. It takes effort. It’s much more difficult than talking. But it’s so important that we choose to be present with people when they’re hurting, because that’s what they really need.

And when we choose to present with someone who is in pain, that’s when we really can connect with them. That’s when we can feel their pain with them and at least get a glimpse of what they’re going through. We can understand them better, and that can be good for the comforter as well as the person who is in pain. It creates a mutuality that words just can’t. It’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve been guilty of not being present when trying to comfort people who are in pain. Especially if it’s someone who is constantly coming to you for comfort, it can be difficult to be fully present every time. But when you half-heartedly try to comfort someone in pain while not being fully present, you actually do more harm than good. Making someone feel like they’re not worth your full attention when they need someone to rely on can not only hurt them but also limit the likelihood of that person coming to you for help in the future. Being present with someone who’s hurting is the most difficult way of comforting them, but it’s the best way, and it’s something we should all try to do.

Recently, a friend texted me needing someone to talk to after a hard day. I knew I could respond in one of two ways: I could either try to offer comfort over text, or I could take the time out of my day to meet up with my friend and actually be present like Job’s friends were. I chose to be present in my friend’s time of need, and I’m glad that I did. My friend felt better after we spent some time together, and I was glad to have helped my friend out. I’m not saying all that to pat myself on the back. I was only doing what a friend is supposed to do. But what I am saying is that choosing to be present with your loved ones when they’re hurting works, and it’s beneficial for you, too.

Being present is rewarding for everyone involved. It shows the person that’s hurting that they’re worth your time and attention. And it helps you connect with that person in a way that you normally wouldn’t be able to. So take some time today to be fully present with your loved ones. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Make an effort to just be there for a little while, and see what happens. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Bible App

When I was in high school, I had a Bible that fit into my back pocket, and I carried it with me everywhere. It was one of my most prized possessions. No matter where I went, I had instant access to God’s word, so if I had a free minute, I could do my Bible reading. It was great, and it served as a good conversation-starter when I met someone. I was “the Bible guy.”

Now, my pocket Bible sits on the shelf. I’m afraid that it’s on the verge of falling apart. But I still carry the Bible with me everywhere I go. In fact, I carry hundreds of different versions of the Bible in my pocket everyday thanks to the Bible app by YouVersion.

The Bible app is hands-down the best way to read God’s word on the go. They offer the Bible for free in tons of different languages and translations on a beautiful app created for just about every platform. It’s available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and more. Not to mention their newly-revamped website. The goal of YouVersion is to make God’s word available to everyone all the time, and they’re taking great steps in that direction.

We all know the importance of reading the Bible everyday. It’s an integral part of spiritual growth. And the Bible app makes it easy to get into the habit of digging into God’s word on a daily basis. They offer a variety of reading plans designed to help you read the Bible everyday, and many of them offer devotionals to go along with the scripture readings. Whether you want to read the whole Bible in a year or study about a specific topic, the Bible app has a plan for you.

And they have tools to help you stay on track. You can set a reminder to pop up daily at a certain time to remind you to read. If you get a few days behind, YouVersion will send you a kind email encouraging you get back on track and even showing you how to adjust your plan so you won’t stay behind. I use the Bible app for my daily Bible reading, and I am extremely pleased with it. I’ve read every day for the past two and a half years thanks to the Bible app. If you’ve been making excuses about reading the Bible, give the app a try. It will help you turn daily Bible readings into a habit in no time.

The Bible app also tries to help your spiritual growth by offering special content based on the time of year. Easter is this week, so a lot of people have been taking advantage of the Bible app’s Holy Week plans to prepare for the big day. They also put out special plans during Christmas time and at the beginning of the year to help you start out on the right foot. They are constantly updating with new, relevant content to help you on your spiritual walk.

Another cool feature about the Bible app is the number of translations available. If I’m reading a verse that I don’t totally understand or want to get a different perspective on, I can quickly switch to a different translation and compare them. This has helped me in my personal Bible study, but it’s also helpful in group studies where different people can read different translations and discuss the discrepancies between them. The Bible offers 809 versions in 528 different languages, including most of the popular English translations and the original Hebrew and Greek.

There are other great tools on the app, too. There’s no way I could get into all of them in one blog post. They post a daily verse of the day for contemplation and encouragement. They offer video content to go along with The Bible miniseries and the Son of God movie. You can bookmark verses, write notes about them, and share them with friends via social media. You can select a verse and read other people’s notes about them to see what people around the world have to say about any certain verse. And with the new Bible App 5 update, you can add friends within the app, see what verse they are sharing, and have conversations with each other within the app. I haven’t had a chance to try this feature out for myself, but it has potential. A social network based on the Bible. Imagine that!

The Bible app from YouVersion is a must-have for any 21st-century Christian or anyone who is just interested in learning about the Bible. The app makes the Bible readily available for free to anyone anywhere with an Internet connection. That is so amazing to me. The app helps support personal spiritual growth and connection with other people of faith. What a meaningful way to use technology. Check out the Bible app’s website and download the app for your device. Happy reading!

When You Can't Get It Just Right

On this blog, I try to keep a regular schedule. I post a personal blog post on Tuesdays and a Stuff Devon Likes review on Saturdays, with some sporadic bonus posts every once in a while. I’ve been told by several professional content creators that consistency is key when you’re trying to create digital content. It gives the readers—you guys—an idea of what to expect, and it gives me a deadline each week for when I need to have something finished and published. I think keeping a weekly schedule is good for me and for my website.

But I’m also a perfectionist. I like to have time to think these posts through, write them, revise them, and even get feedback on them before I put them out there for the whole world to see. If I had things my way, I would have a post for next week already written out (or at least outlined) as I’m sharing this one with you. But that is rarely the case. Because of school, church, and family responsibilities, I don’t always have that kind of time to dedicate to a blog post. Sometimes I only have a few hours to get something written and published, and that can result in me publishing something that I’m not completely satisfied with.

I think we all can relate to this feeling. Everyone has deadlines. If you’re a student, you know what it’s like to have to write a paper by a certain date. In the work force, deadlines are imposed in order to get things done in a timely manner. And at home, chores have to be done by a certain time, or the house becomes dirty and unlivable. We live in a world full of deadlines. And sometimes, those deadlines come before we’re ready for them to. Here are a few things I try to keep in mind when I have to finish something—whether it be a blog post, a paper, a task, or anything else—before I’m totally happy with it.

1. Nothing is perfect.

As I said before, I’m a perfectionist. I like everything to be neat, tidy, and in its place. If I read something that I posted a while back and find a typo, I get very upset. I know it’s silly, but that’s just the way I am. If I’m going to attach my name to something, I want it to be perfect, or as close to perfect as it can be. This can be a problem when I’m trying to put out content every week, so I try to keep my perfectionism under control by reminding myself that literally nothing is perfect.

My thesis advisor, Dr. Williamson, often says, “There’s alway a different way to write a sentence.” At first, I didn’t believe him. But one day, we did an exercise where we picked sentences from our papers and talked about different ways they could be written. That exercise showed me that even if I think something is really good, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved. Even if I went through every sentence of my thesis and made sure it was written the best way I know how, someone could still read it and find at least one sentence that could be written better. My thesis will never be perfect because it will never be in a place where I can’t make it better.

And that’s OK. Imperfections are a part of the creation process. Some imperfections can be found and fixed easily. Some might go unnoticed for years. But the truth is nothing you create or do is ever going to be 100% perfect or beyond improvement. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you could write the perfect blog post, why would you ever write another one? If you could make your house 100% clean, wouldn’t you be tempted to just never use it again so you won’t mess up your perfection? There’s something very real and compelling about imperfection. It’s something we can all relate to. So don’t feel bad about imperfections. Fix the ones you can, and accept the ones you can’t. And remember, nothing is perfect.

2. You can always revisit it later.

College has taught me a lot about drafting. The first version of anything you write is not going to be the best it can be. It’s just not. I used to think that revising was stupid. I didn’t understand how I could improve something I had already worked so hard on. But looking back now at some of my writings in the past, I see things that I couldn’t see then. I see ways I could have made my argument stronger. I see ways I could have re-worded sentences to make them more appealing. I see connections to other subjects that I didn’t have access to at the time. Going back to something you’ve created in the past and revising it can lead to something totally new and exciting.

Adam Young, who many of you may know as musician Owl City, once said in an interview, “I don’t believe albums are ever finished; they’re just abandoned.” While that may sound a little harsh, I think it’s true for most creative endeavors. We create something, and we improve it until we get it to a point where we find it satisfactory, and then we throw it out there for everyone to see. But does that really mean we’re done with it? Not necessarily.

If you hit a deadline and you know that what you’ve got isn’t your best work, find comfort in the fact that just because a deadline comes, that doesn’t mean you have to be completely finished with what you’re working on. It should be complete and at least adequate. But if you decide later on that you want to improve it and share it again, you can do that. And you’ll probably have a great time doing it.

3. Sometimes, deadlines are more important than quality.

It’s sad but true. No content creator wants to hear this, but every once in a while, quality has to take a back seat. Consistency is important, and once you break that cycle, you may never get back into it. If you release something sub-par one week, you’ll always have an opportunity to do better next week. But if you break your cycle altogether, then you may miss out on creating things that you love, and no one wants that. Plus, even making something that you think isn’t good is a learning experience. You can refine your process and find out how you work best by allowing yourself to fail sometimes.

This shouldn’t be a regular thing. If you constantly find yourself scrambling to meet deadlines and not enjoying the work you put out, it might be time to re-think your schedule or even take a break from the creative process altogether. But if you just have one off week and have to release something you’re not particularly proud of but can put up with, you’ll be alright. Everyone finds themselves in that place from time to time, and the people you’re sharing with will understand.

Content creation is a wonderful process, and I’m so glad I decided to be a part of it. Blogging has been so good for me. But I still have my off weeks. When you’re struggling with putting something out there that doesn’t quite fit your level of quality, I hope you’ll keep these things in mind. And if I ever have an off week, I hope you’ll bear with me. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you guys on Saturday for Stuff Devon Likes!