That One Looming Thing

I’ve had this feeling on and off for a long time. But mostly on. And I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, so please forgive me if you find this blog post to be unrelatable. But for the past four years or so, I’ve had this dreadful feeling come over me from time to time. It feels like there is constantly some huge obstacle looming ahead of me in the future. It’s something that I fear, something I know I’m going to dread doing, and something I’m probably going to put off until the last minute because I absolutely do not want to face it. It could be a paper, a project at work, or an uncomfortable conversation, but I feel like there is almost always something looming over me. And I don’t like it. So I’m writing a blog post to help myself think through it. You’re welcome.

This weekend, I finished two major projects. I edited a wedding video for two of my dear friends, and I wrote a term paper for my Introduction to Christian History class. These were big projects that took a lot of time and energy, but they weren’t that difficult. I actually enjoyed doing them. But they had been stressing me out for the past month as I was procrastinating and procrastinating on them. Why? Because I was afraid of them. They were looming over me, and they got scarier and scarier with time.

The truth is that the hardest part of those projects was choosing to get started. Once I got the ball rolling, everything else fell into the place. The video turned out great, and I’m actually pretty proud of my paper. That’s the thing about these looming things. They’re really not that bad once you get started. But you have to get past the fear and actually take that first step. That’s the only difficult part.

But there’s another thing about these things that loom over me. Once I get past one of them, it seems like I barely have time to celebrate before another one pops up. And then the cycle starts all over again. Right now, I’m in a stress-free place. I don’t have anything majorly difficult going on until finals. But I already have this subtle feeling that there’s no way this bliss can last. Something else is going to be looming over me soon, I just know it.

So what can we do about these things that loom over us? How can we break the cycle? As you can probably tell, I haven’t quite mastered that yet. But I’m going to try something. I’m choosing to see these big, looming projects not as obstacles but as goals to accomplish. I’m trying to remember that they’re not as bad as they seem; all I have to do is start, and everything else will work itself out. I’m going to choose to take that first step sooner rather than later so that I can enjoy the stress-free bliss for longer periods of time before something else comes along. Basically, I’m choosing to stand up to the looming things rather than avoid them like I’ve done in the past.

Again, I’m sorry if this post isn’t something you relate to. But I have to think I’m not the only one who feels this way. And it’s time for it to stop. I’m choosing not to dread things anymore. It’s time to face the big challenges, to overcome them, and to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes after it. No more looming things. Who’s with me?

Star Wars: A New Dawn

I’m a relatively new Star Wars fan. I saw the movies for the first time three years ago, when I was 19. It’s sad, I know. But as soon as I saw the Star Wars movies, I was hooked, and I wanted to know more. I got online and researched all the questions I had about the characters, the worlds, and the story of the Star Wars. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the amazing universe George Lucas created. I wanted to read every book, to play every game, to subscribe to every comic. But there was just too much. The Expanded Universe was too big, and I knew I could never take it all in.

And then the Lucas Story Group made the announcement that they were resetting the canon. Now, the canon includes only the six movies, the Clone Wars TV series, and all future books, movies, shows, etc. I was ecstatic because now I have an opportunity to experience the whole story with no ambiguity or conflicting plot lines. And I fully intend to experience all of it. The first book to officially fit into the Star Wars canon came out last month. It’s called A New Dawn, and it’s the subject of my Stuff Devon Likes post today.

A New Dawn actually serves a prequel to the brand new animated Star Wars TV series, Star Wars Rebels. The book acts as an introduction to two of the main characters in the show: Kanan, a wandering loner who has forsaken his Jedi past, and Hera, a young pilot seeking to start a resistance movement against the Empire. A New Dawn tells the story of how these two characters meet and sets up the show. Seeing as the show (which takes place between the two movie trilogies) is considered the origin story of the Rebel Alliance, A New Dawn could be considered the very beginning (or dawn, rather) of the rebellion.

A New Dawn takes place on a planet called Gorse and its moon Cynda. Kanan, who is working as a miner on Cynda while living on Gorse, meets Hera, and they discover a plot by the evil Empire mogul Count Vidian to destroy the moon (and subsequently Gorse) for his own gain and that of the Empire. Along with their friends Skelly and Zaluna, Kanan and Hera attempt to stop Vidian’s evil plan and save the people of Gorse.

One thing I like about A New Dawn is that it really establishes the feel of the galaxy under the Empire. By the time this book takes place, the Empire has been running for a while. It seems to permeate the lives of its citizens, and resistance isn’t even an option for most of them. That’s what makes characters like Kanan and Hera so special. In their own small ways, they work to combat the oppressive system of the Empire and ultimately, we know that this will turn into a full-fledged rebellion in the form of the Rebel Alliance. But for now, this is just a story of a couple of brave souls who are willing to stand up in their daily lives against the evil Empire while also trying to avoid going too far and getting into trouble.

There are also some references to other aspects of the Star Wars universe that really establish the fact that this story is a part of the great arc of the Star Wars. While Darth Vader himself doesn’t appear, he is mentioned. Stormtroopers are all over this book. And the technology and terminology used in the book are borrowed from other Star Wars sources.

While Star Wars Rebels is geared towards kids, A New Dawn is definitely for adults. This isn’t a children’s chapter book. It’s intense, honest, and subtle at points. The themes of resistance, rebellion, oppression, and loss are clear throughout the story. And they make for a very interesting and compelling story.

If you’re into Star Wars and want to know more about the story between Episodes III and IV, I would highly suggest checking out A New Dawn. It’s very cool to be able to experience the Star Wars universe in written form as well as in movie form. Star Wars is a huge undertaking, and it has a lot of stories to tell. A New Dawn is one of those stories, and it’s worth a read. Thanks for checking out my blog post, friends! Have a great Saturday, and I’ll see you next week.

Baby Steps

Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of effort into being more healthy. And it’s been awesome. I feel better, I look better, and (as cheesy as it sounds) I actually enjoy life a little more. I think that is a direct result of shedding the “crappy” feeling one gets after eating junk food and keeping an inconsistent sleep schedule for four years. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I am living a completely healthy lifestyle just yet, but I’m a lot better than I was, and I’m happy with that.

But my healthier lifestyle didn’t happen all at once. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I’m going to exercise my body every day, eat foods that are good for me, and regularly get plenty of sleep,” and then just do it. Those were obviously the goals I set, and I feel like I’m doing pretty well in each of them now, but it was a process that took some time. I started off by cutting out soda from my diet. I know it sounds crazy, but I haven’t had a Mello Yello in almost five months. Then I started jogging a little bit in the mornings, and along with that, I started keeping a strict, consistent sleep schedule. Gradually, I started adding to my exercise regimen and switching out unhealthy foods I was eating for healthy ones. I got to where I am now by taking small steps and making seemingly insignificant changes that eventually added up to something huge: a healthier lifestyle. To put it another way, I took baby steps.

Baby steps often seem frustrating at first. It can be discouraging when you make a change but don’t see the results immediately. I’m not going to lie, I really wanted to see myself slim up a bit when I started running in the morning. But the truth is that the steps I was taking at first weren’t really steps toward weight loss. They were steps towards other steps that would eventually lead me into habits that would, in time, lead to weight loss and to me having a healthier shape. But even shaping up is a process that involves small steps. If I had given up when the first step I took didn’t have immediate, recognizable results, I would have never made it to the next step. Now, I’m starting to see some more tangible results of my work, and I’m extremely glad I stuck with it and took the small steps that led to other small steps that eventually led to my goal.

While taking baby steps can be frustrating, it also protects us from other dangers, like overloading ourselves. If I had set out on the first day and said, “I’m going to run five miles, have nothing but salad, and sleep nine hours a day,” I would have failed miserably and probably given up thinking that I was incapable of living a healthy lifestyle. But choosing to take small steps to improve my health actually helped me avoid trying to push myself too hard, and it kept me from giving in to burnout.

I’ve been using the example of my health, but the baby step approach applies to many areas of life. Another big area where I apply the baby step approach is in my spiritual walk. I believe in something called progressive sanctification. This is the belief that once a person becomes a Christian, he or she begins a process of gradually becoming more and more like God (and thus more and more like the person God is calling him or her to be) as his or her spiritual walk goes on. I believe that as I walk with God each day, he draws me closer to him and illuminates areas of my life where I need to improve. And if I’m open to his grace, he will come into that area of my life and make me more like him. This is progressive sanctification, or, if you prefer, spiritual baby steps.

I hope you haven’t read this post as me trying to brag about my health. I’m still far from where I want to be in that area, and I’m trying to take the steps to get closer to my goal. I was just contemplating my health journey this week and thought that it might helpful to you. I hope we are each being intentional and trying to take baby steps toward some kind of goal each day, whether it be improving your health, growing closer to God, or getting a promotion at your job. The thing to remember is that each baby step is getting you gradually closer to where you want to be, and that’s worth investing in and celebrating. So tomorrow, I’m going to try to eat some hearty, vegetarian soup instead of my regular meat at dinner, and I hope you’ll try to take some sort of baby step in your life, too. God bless, friends, and I’ll see you next week!

Believe Me

When someone says the term “Christian film,” you probably have an idea in your head of what they mean by that. They probably mean some kind of cheesy movie about a broken person who, through some strange series of events, realizes that Jesus is the solution to his or her problems. Most Christian films end in some kind of altar call where a character, along with the members of the audience, is invited to become a Christian. While I think there is a place for movies like this, they can also be seen as gimmicky. They rarely live up to the same standards of quality, acting, and storytelling of secular films, and therefore, their appeal is usually limited mostly to people who are already Christians.

And then there’s Believe Me. If Believe Me can be considered a Christian film (and I’m sure that is something that will be debated), it is certainly on the fringe, pushing the limit of what a Christian film can be. Believe Me isn’t about convincing people to come to know Christ. There is no altar call at the end. It’s a film, created by Christians, that seeks to positively criticize the Church by pointing out of some of the biggest issues within the Church today. And I love it.

Believe Me tells the story of Sam, a guy whose plans to graduate college and go to law school are crushed when he finds out he owes his school thousands of dollars. In order to pay off his debt, Sam enlists three of his friends to pretend to be Christians and create a fake charity in order to raise money. The ruse spins out of control when the four guys find themselves on a national Christian tour raising thousands upon thousands of dollars for a charity that doesn’t exist. Throughout the film, Sam has to come to terms with the implications of his actions and ultimate decide what he believes.

The film comes from Riot Studios, who some of you may know as the creators of the documentary Beware of Christians. Now they’re venturing into the narrative film genre led by writer and director Will Bakke, a Baylor alum. The fact that the film comes from Riot Studios is an indication of its Christian tendencies, and it’s also what got me initially interested in the film. I had seen the guys’ work before, and I was excited to see how they would do in transitioning from documentaries to fictional stories.

But what really intrigued me about Believe Me was the combination of the Christian production company with the cast. The cast features some surprising additions considering the fact that it’s created by a Christian film company. I didn’t know much about Alex Russell, Sinqua Walls, or Miles Fisher when they were announced as cast members, but I knew that Johanna Braddy was a professing Christian, so that wasn’t too surprising to me (although I am glad she’s in it because I’m a big fan of hers). The fact that Lecrae agreed to appear in the film was really cool, but again, not unexpected for a Christian film. The two cast members that really surprised me were Max Adler and Nick Offerman. I had seen Max Adler on Glee, and his performance on there made me wonder how well he would fit into a Christian film. And then they announced the inclusion of Nick Offerman (of Parks and Recreation acclaim), who I know is not a Christian and also very critical of the Church. So it made me wonder, “What kind of Christian film would feature this kind of cast?”

All of this took place before I really knew anything about the plot of Believe Me. And then the first trailer came out, and it became very clear that this was not your typical Christian film. The story is something unheard of in the Christian film genre, featuring non-Christians pretending to be Christians for personal gain. The marketing of the movie was unlike any Christian film before it. T-shirts featuring slogans like “F Satan” and “I’ve been to Africa. Twice.” showed up on the Believe Me store, and I started to wonder if this was really a Christian film at all. And the fact that I couldn’t tell if Believe Me was a Christian movie or not actually got me really excited to see it.

After seeing Believe Me twice, I’m still convinced that it’s a Christian film. It’s got some inappropriate language and lots of drinking, it doesn’t offer an altar call, and it is highly critical of the Church, but I think the film is still trying to do and say something positive for the sake of the Christian message. It has a broader appeal than any Christian film before it, and it overtly challenges people (including Christians) to really think about what they believe and who it is they are putting their faith in. And to me, that sounds like a Christian film.

Despite the language, I think this is a film Christians, especially ministers, should see. It tackles so many issues that I see within the Church today that we need to be talking about, including Christians who are just mean people, Christian leaders who put their own ministries and programs before the cause of Christ, and “Christians” whose faith is really in their spiritual leaders and not in Christ. The movie is funny, it’s well-made, and it makes you think. I really enjoyed Believe Me, and I suggest you check it out.

Change Can Be Good (Or Bad)

If you’ve lived on this planet for very long, you’ve probably noticed that things never stay the same. Everything changes. Our bodies change. Our families change. Our communities change. Even the earth is changing at this very moment, though at a slow rate. One of the fundamental truths of life is that everything—and I mean everything—changes.

Everyone has an opinion on change. Some people really like change. They jump at it every chance they get. They like change just because it keeps things interesting and new. Other people hate change. They don’t care if the change is good or bad. They want things to stay the same no matter what. Of course, both of these are extreme reactions to change. The truth is that change can be good or bad, depending on what kind of change it is and the motive behind it. While contemplating change and its value, I’ve compiled a list of what I would consider good and bad kinds of change.

Changing for the Sake of the Change

Some people are thrill-seekers. They are attracted to new things simply because they’re different and they offer a rush. This may be acceptable when it comes to small things like the way you wear your hair or your computer background, but if you look for change simply for the sake of change on major things, you can get yourself into trouble. Not being able to stick with a job for long or maintain a healthy dating relationship for an extended period may be signs of seeking change for the sake of the change, and this kind of change is bad. The truth is that some of the less interesting things in life may be the greatest if you’re willing to invest time in them. You may just have to accept sameness for a bit first.

Changing to Fit Someone’s Expectations or Preferences

When it comes to dating, people always say, “You shouldn’t change for anyone.” I partially agree with this statement. If you’re changing things about yourself just to fit someone else’s preferences or what they expect of you, this is a bad kind of change. It is true that everyone changes, but in that process of changing, you have to stay true to yourself. Changing just to please someone else is unhealthy, and it could end in a serious identity crisis, which would be disastrous. We must each learn to be ourselves as we grow and change.

Changing for the Worse

I know terms like “better” and “worse” are subjective, and it’s up for debate what changes may be for the better and what changes may be for the worse, but I’d say there are some changes that are universally for the worse and that should be avoided. If you find yourself going against your own moral standards or acting in ways that are offensive and hurtful to others, these are probably changes for the worse. Most of these are temporary and due to out-of-the-ordinary circumstances, but one-time things can quickly become habits if we don’t stay on top of them.

Progress

This is the argument that I use when talking with people who hate change just because it’s different. I tell them that change isn’t always good, but it can be good if it’s progress. Changes in technology and medicine that improve people’s lives are good changes. If a church decides the update the look of the sanctuary or incorporate some more modern worship songs in order to be more relevant, that’s progress. Change for no reason is bad, but it’s just as bad to resist change just because you don’t like change. If a change is a step in the right direction, then it’s a good change, even if it’s uncomfortable.

Self-Improvement

This is the flip-side of that “You should never change for anyone” argument. I think that sometimes changing for someone is good, if it’s done the right way and for the right reasons. I believe that God puts people in our lives who inspire and encourage us to be better, and I think that’s great. You can still be yourself while working to improve yourself. That’s really what the Christian life is all about: slowly but surely becoming more and more like Christ. We all have areas that we need to improve (or rather, change) in, and these self-improvements are the very best kind of change.

I don’t really have an overarching point in this blog post other than this: Embrace the good kinds of change and resist the bad ones. Change is both good and bad, depending on the circumstances and what kind of change it is. Don’t resist change just because it makes you uncomfortable, and don’t embrace change just because you’re looking for something different. Let’s take a reflective, middle-road approach to change so that we can improve and progress while keeping the things that don’t need to change. Thanks for reading, friends, and I hope you have a great week!