Where I'm At

I'm not going to lie to you. Writing this blog post is going to be hard. I say that for a couple of different reasons. First of all, I'm not exactly sure how to approach this topic. I started off writing a summer re-cap, but I don't think that's the best use of this post. Really what I'm trying to get at in this post is not so much where I've been but where I am now, at this exact time. That's a little difficult to define and even more difficult to express, which is one reason why writing this post won't be easy. But I'm going to do my best.

The other thing making the writing of this blog post hard is that, honestly, where I'm at isn't 100% a good place. It's certainly not 100% a bad place either. It's not even mostly a bad place; I'd say the vast majority of it is good. But there's some bad stuff mixed in there, and I don't want to be dishonest about that. I want this post to be an honest, transparent look at where I am right now. That's what I feel led to write, so I'm going to write it even if it isn't the easiest thing to do.

Let's start with where I'm located. That should be easy, right? I'm back in Waco, which is where I've lived for over a year now. It's really hard to believe that I've been in Texas for that long. I spent a month traveling to different places this summer, and I was surprised to find that I actually missed Waco. I missed my apartment. I missed my friends and co-workers. I even missed my school. It's good to have a home that you can long for when you're away from it. Waco is that place for me now, so that's where I'm at in the most literal sense.

Next up, let's talk about where I'm at school-wise. I've just started my second of (hopefully only) three years at seminary. I've completed 30 out of the 93 required hours for the Master of Divinity program, and I'm starting to put a serious dent in my basic requirements. I'm taking 12 hours this semester, and all my classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that should be fun. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm really enjoying my classes so far—even Hebrew, surprisingly.

As far as work goes, I'm really happy with where I'm at. During the week, I work for Baylor Spiritual Life, where I serve as the Ministry Associate for Worship and Technology. (That's a fancy way of saying I create and run slides for chapel.) And on the weekends, I serve as a monitor at My Brother's Keeper homeless shelter. I think both of my jobs appeal to different—but integral—areas of my calling, so I'm feeling very fulfilled and energized by that.

Physically, I'm not exactly where I'd like to be. I got out of the habit of exercising over the summer because my schedule was just so sporadic. I've also fallen into the habit of eating the most convenient food I can get ahold of, which obviously isn't the healthy kind. But I'm on the up-and-up! I've been running five days a week for the past couple of weeks, and I'm starting to add some colorful foods back to my diet. Not only do I feel better physically, but I feel better about myself now that I'm putting forth the effort to actually take care of my body.

And now we get to the part that's not so fun. Feelings. Bleh. Emotionally, I've been pretty good, but not necessarily as good as I could be. This summer was really good for my emotional state in some ways and really bad for it in other ways.

Saying goodbye to Millie as she headed off to New York was difficult, but we've been rocking the long-distance thing and I visited her last month, so that relationship has been a real source of joy and fulfillment. Traveling with my friends and family was a blast and definitely made me really happy. I've made some memories that I'll cherish forever, and that's an emotional high that doesn't quickly fade.

But like I said, summer was a mixed bag. Most of you have probably heard or deduced that my family had a major change this summer. My parents have decided to go their separate ways, and obviously that's been quite a shock for everyone involved. Things were really stressful and confusing for a while, and they'll probably continue to be at least somewhat stressful and confusing for the foreseeable future, but that's the thing about life. It goes on. People adjust. Wounds heal. Things may be different, but life goes on.

And in the midst of the change and the pain, there is grace. There is a loving God who draws me to himself. There are friends who encourage me in ways that they'll never even know about, but that mean the world to me. There is my education, where I learn about what I'm passionate about, and my job, where I do meaningful work that ministers to others and to my own soul.  And there is always my family, no matter what it looks like, that always offers me beautiful moments and wonderful memories. 

So I guess you could say that's where I'm at. I'm in the midst of it all. It's a lot, but in the end, it's good. I'm thankful for where I am, I have hope for where I'm heading, and I cherish all the people who have joined me on my journey thus far. I'm also thankful for this opportunity to reflect deeply and share honestly about where I am right now.

I'd like to end with some lyrics from a song you probably haven't heard before. They are from the class hymn of Baylor's class of 2018, written by our chaplain Dr. Burt Burleson, but I think they capture pretty well where I'm at right now. I hope that you'll read these lyrics and not only get a glimpse of where I am but allow the lyrics to meet you where you are so that you can experience the same grace that I do. Hear these words: 

In between the seeking and the finding,
Underneath the wand’ring and the winding,
All around the hearing and the seeing,
Deep within the changing and the dreaming…

There is Truth that will meet us.
There is Love that will lead us.
There is Light that will waken us,
And Grace to make us whole,
And Grace to make us whole.

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Now that you've heard where I'm at, I'd love to hear from you. Where are you at right now? That could mean in any area of your life: school, family, career, relationships, even just location. Whatever you think defines your current state, I'd really like to hear about it in the comments!

Blogging Is a Journey

From the time this blog was created until now, it has been a lot of different things. It started off as an accidental side-effect of my desire to have my own website. I bought a WordPress site when I was 19 in order to tell the world who I was, and I attached a blog to the end of the navigation bar just in case I ever decided to write anything meaningful. I wrote a few short updates when I felt particularly inspired by something I experienced or saw, but the blog wasn't really a priority to me.

When I switched the site from WordPress to Tumblr the next year, my enthusiasm for blogging was revitalized, and the blog became something completely new. Instead of consisting only of random text posts and a few videos, my blog became the hub that all of my social media accounts pointed to. It was also promoted to the main page of my website instead of a side one. I wanted to create a one-stop shop where people could check out everything I was doing at any given time. So I blew up my Tumblr with photos, Vines, YouTube videos, tweets, quotes, and short-form text updates. It was cool, but it was kind of a jumbled mess.

Fun fact: At one point, my blog became exclusively dedicated to counting down to the release of a feature-length film my friends and I made. Let's just say the movie took up most of my creative energy at that time.

But a couple of years ago, in the midst of a difficult time, I wrote an article called Feel Something, and it set the stage for the next phase of my blog. I found that I actually enjoyed writing long-form content, taking a theme or idea and expounding upon it over 600 to 1,000 words combined with a high-quality image. I started writing these types of posts every week, and it was really good for me. I took whatever I was thinking about that week and hashed it out on a keyboard. It was therapeutic, and people really seemed to enjoy reading what I had to say. This blogging routine became a central part of my identity and my online presence.

I even expanded into multiple posts per week. I started posting Stuff Devon Likes reviews on Saturdays to complement my deeper, more thought-provoking posts on Tuesdays. Things were going well. But over time, constantly having a writing deadline began to weigh me down. I went back to one post a week, but I struggled even to keep up with that. I would find myself scrambling on Monday nights to come up with something meaningful to say. I was rarely satisfied with the content I put out. And the technical limitations of the platform I was using were frustrating me and holding me back creatively. I got to the point where I wasn't even sure why I was doing this whole blogging thing anymore.

So I decided to take a break. Just for the summer. I thought it would be good for me to rest, recuperate, and spend some time re-thinking what I wanted my blog to be. I spent the first two months of my break ignoring my blog completely. I didn't even want to think about it. I dreaded going back to a regular writing schedule and kicked myself for ever promising to return to that commitment in the first place. It was starting to look like I might be done with blogging forever.

But then I started traveling for the month of July, and I suddenly had a strong urge to share my experiences with my online community. I started posting photos and tweets marked #WhereIsDevon as a fun way to keep people posted. And as I was taking pictures of the places I visited, I thought to myself, "This is going to look great on my website." By the time I got back from my first trip, I couldn't wait to start blogging again. So I sat down and wrote a blog post about my experience, and I had a ton of fun doing it. I did the same thing when I got back from my next two trips and found that I had eased my way back into my love of blogging.

As a result of my blogging hiatus, I learned a few things about myself, my blog, and what I want this site to be going forward. First of all, I learned that I can't come up with creative, interesting, sharable ideas every week. My blog can't just be about the things going through my head. Secondly, I learned that what I'm really looking for in my blog is a way of sharing life with people. Yes, I want to share my thoughts, but I also want to share my experiences, my preferences, my inspirations, and more. And I want to hear about these things from other people as well. Finally, I learned that I couldn't deal with the technical limitations of the platform I was on any longer. I want to spend my time thinking creatively about my writing rather than trying to work around the limitations of Tumblr and writing new code for every post I write.

All of that to say that the blog is back, but it's going to look a little different from here on out, both aesthetically and content-wise. Here's what you can expect:

1. I moved my website from Tumblr to SquareSpace. It looks a lot better, and it's way more flexible. This switch will allow me to share more types of content in ways that are more enjoyable to read. For an example, check out the way I was able to integrate photos into my travel posts this summer and include a full gallery of other pictures from my trips below each post. SquareSpace will also allow me to use my Tumblr as what it was meant to be: a social network.

2. Even though I changed hosts, everything is still intact. All the old links still work, and every article I ever posted on my old site is still available. SquareSpace made the transition easy and compromise-free. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

3. My blog posts are going to be a little more varied. I'm creating different categories for different types of posts. Some of them will basically be tags from my old blog carried over with new names, but I think this new system will give me opportunities to share with you in new ways. This blog post is categorized under What I'm Making since it's in reference to content I create. I'm hoping to add some video content and some creative writing to this category in the future. The types of posts you're used to reading on my blog where I reflect on what's been going through my head will fall under What I'm Thinking. Stuff Devon Likes will now be split into What I'm Watching, What I'm Using (software/hardware), What I'm Reading, and the all-new What I'm Listening To. That's right. I listen to music now. There will be categories for What I'm Doing (life updates), What I'm Learning (mostly theology and biblical studies), and more as we go along. I'm really excited about this new category system because I think it will allow me to share my life with you in really meaningful ways that I've been missing out on in the past.

4. I will start with one blog post a week at first and see how things go. If I really get into it, I may try to do more than that, but I don't want to burn myself out from the start. As usual, these new posts will go up on Tuesdays.

5. From now on, every post on this site will include a comments section! This is something I've wanted for a long time, and I'm really excited about it. I hope you guys will share your thoughts on my posts either in the comments, through the Contact page, or on social media. I really want this site to be about engaging and sharing our lives with one another. I think that's what this whole social media thing is all about, and I hope you'll try it out with me.

I know that's a lot of information, and I apologize for overwhelming you, but I've put a lot of thought, time, and energy into this, and I want to do it right. I think I really am a writer at heart, and I want to put myself in a context where I can explore and share this passion in a meaningful way. To all of you who have been reading my blog for a while, thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus and giving this new incarnation of my blog a chance. To any new readers out there, welcome! I look forward to sharing my life with you and hopefully being able to share in your life in a meaningful way as well.

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That's all I have to say this week. I'll be back next Tuesday with a post entitled, "Where I'm At." It's my way of catching you guys up on what's been going on in my life lately and letting you know where I am on a lot of levels. Until then, I'd love to know: How do you feel about fostering true, meaningful online community? Are there certain things about an online community that make you feel more connected to it? Are you interested in sharing the deepest parts of your life with others online, or are you skeptical? Let me know in the comments!

Relaunch Video

Today, I officially announced the relaunch of my blog on September 1st! I made a little video to go along with the announcement, and I'm pretty proud of it, so I thought I'd share it on here. I've never really made a video like this before, and I was a little nervous about it (especially the narration), but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm excited about the relaunch next Tuesday, and I can't wait to see what's in store for this new phase of the site!

Branson

Hello, friends! I hope your summer is going well. Even though I’m taking a break from my usual blogging schedule for the summer, I’ve decided to write a few special blog posts to keep you updated on what I’m doing over the break. A couple of weeks ago, I did a post about my trip to Grand Rapids, MI, for Nationals. Now I’m here to tell you about my second major trip this summer: Branson, MO.

Last Thursday, morning, my family and I loaded up our cars and headed for Branson. It was a great trip. We stayed in a beautiful cabin on Table Rock Lake (pictured above) and got some great quality time together. As most good trips are, it was exhausting, but I’m really glad I got to go.

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Best go-kart track ever. (Side note: It was rock-and-roll themed.)

The first thing we did when we got there was check out the cabin. It was awesome. It had a really cool layout with a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and two bathrooms downstairs and two loft-style bedrooms upstairs. I ended up on the pull-out couch in the living room, but I didn’t complain because I was the only one who got my own room. Ha! The cabin also had a really cool swimming pool, so we spent our first afternoon in Branson swimming. Aiden even jumped in a few times!

That night, we went into town. We always like to check out The Track when we visit Branson because there’s so much cool stuff to do there. We rode go-karts on the multi-story track, had frozen custard, and played laser tag. Gavin, Jenifer, and I even did the Superman, which is hard to describe but incredible to experience. The Track is always a highlight of our visits to Branson, and this time was no different.

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Aiden was my go-kart buddy! We're wet because we just finished playing bumper boats (Aiden's favorite).

Friday and Saturday, we spent most of the day at Silver Dollar City, the giant theme park in Branson. We rode a ton of roller coasters, ate some wonderful food, and got to take Aiden to the kids area where he had a lot of fun, particularly in the ball pit. Silver Dollar City is a really cool place, and the lines were really short, so we had a blast. Drew and I even rode Wildfire five times in a row. (I wouldn’t recommend it.)

We headed back Saturday afternoon, and by the time we got unloaded, we were all exhausted. But no one wanted to go to bed because we all enjoyed each other’s company so much. It truly was a great family vacation, and none of us wanted to see it come to an end. I had to leave the next morning in order to get back to Waco for work, but the rest of my family was able to have brunch together the next day before going their separate ways.

I’m sad that it’s over, but I’ll always cherish this special weekend I got to spend with my family. It’s trips like these that make summer so much fun, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Thanks for keeping up with me this summer, friends, and I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. Talk to you soon!

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Group shot at Silver Dollar City!

This is the second in a three-part blog series documenting my travels this summer. If you’re interested in shorter, more frequent updates, follow me on Twitter or keep up with my summer hashtag #WhereIsDevon.

Grand Rapids

Hello, friends! I know it’s been a little while, but I decided to take a break from my blogging hiatus to update you on what I’ve been up to this summer. My official summer break has only been going on for a few weeks because I took classes in May and June, but what a great few weeks it has been! As many of you know, I tend to do quite a bit of traveling during the summer, and this summer is no different. I just got back from the first of three major trips I have planned, and this one is going to be hard to top.

I spent the last week in Grand Rapids, MI, attending and serving at the annual National Association of Free Will Baptist conference and National Youth Convention. I’ve been working this conference for years and attending it for even longer, and it’s always a blast to get together with other people in my denomination from around the world to worship, see the kids compete, and talk about where our denomination is heading. But even though the conference was only four days long, I was gone for much longer than that.

Last Tuesday at 4:00 am, I set off with Johnny (the children’s pastor at my home church) and Mason (the church intern and Johnny’s right-hand man) in a church van headed to Goshen, Indiana. We made the thirteen-hour trip with only one stop. It was incrdible. There, we met up with Johnny’s wife Gail and spent a few days with Johnny’s sister Betty and her husband Fred. Everyone who goes to my church knows Aunt Betty. She is one of the sweetest people I know, and she and her husband were very hospitable to us when we stayed there.

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Rural Indiana is beautiful.

Side note: On the way , I received an email informing me that I had been awarded a scholarship that I’d completely forgotten about. It was a huge, unexpected blessing that really set the mood for the rest of the trip. I didn’t add this little note to brag or distract from the main point, but to keep you guys posted about something major in my life and give God the glory for blessing me in such a big way at such a critical time.

The few days we spent at Aunt Betty’s house were filled with wonderful homemade food, intense games of NERTS (a card game that’s so addictive you should probably avoid it if you’ve never played), and lots of laughter. I got to basically be a part of Johnny’s family as we met up with his relatives, shared meals, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. It was fun and relaxing, just what I needed in order to prepare for the intense week ahead.

We left Aunt Betty’s Friday after lunch and made the relatively short drive to Grand Rapids, MI. We stayed the first couple of days in the beautiful Amway Grand Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids, where there was plenty to do and even more to eat. We spent Friday night familiarizing ourself with the convention center and the area, and on Saturday, we set up the room where we would be holding children’s services for grades kindergarten through three.

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Our children’s service team: Gail, Johnny, Mason, Karinda, me, Ken, and Karen.

The theme of our services this year was “Give God a High Five.” Using five fingers as a visual learning tool, we taught kids five different ways that they could grow closer to God. I got to run audio and video for the services, as well as put together all the presentations. It was great to work with several different speakers to create a cohesive visual theme that was used to reinforce what the kids were hearing. All of the speakers did a great job, and I was honored that I got to work with each of them.

The other big thing I did at the conference was run audio and video for the children’s choir. Each year, Karen Brown directs a group of kids through three rehearsals followed by a performance in front of the entire convention. I got to help teach the kids the songs by playing the music, presenting the lyrics, and consulting Karen on the best ways to utilize the time, space, and technology we had to create the best performance. It was a blast working with those kids and seeing the progress they made in such a short time.

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Children’s choir practice was one of the highlights of my trip.

Sunday was probably our longest day. We had three different services (Sunday School, Sunday morning, and Sunday night). On top of that, we attended a huge luncheon for all the youth conference volunteers, and Mason and I moved our stuff from the Amway, where we had been staying with Johnny and Gail, to our own hotel room at the not-as-nice-but-also-pretty-nice Marriott Courtyard. It was definitely nice to have our own room where we could kind of spread out and do our own thing. And once all the Sunday services were over, we were able to get into more of a routine.

The rest of the conference involved watching competitions and attending lectures during the day, helping with crafts and choir rehearsal in the afternoon, and running services at night. It was a hectic schedule, but it was also a lot of fun. It’s great to see kids work hard and then show their Bible knowledge off in front of their friends and families. I only attended a couple of seminars, but they were definitely informative, and I’m sure that the ones I missed were great as well. The children’s services are really energetic and engaging, so there’s really never a dull moment. And each night once everything died down, I got an opportunity to spend time with my friends at the conference, which was also really meaningful to me.

Wednesday night, we had a combined worship service with everyone from the youngest kids to the oldest adults worshipping together in one big room. It was incredible to see so many people representing so many churches in the denomination coming together to worship God. Dr. McCullough’s sermon on the globalization of God’s word and the need to avoid privileging one’s own culture over another was extremely convicting. It made me proud of my denomination and hopeful for its future.

After service, the children’s choir performed (and did an incredible job!) and the awards for the various competitions were given out. I had the privilege of watching Johnny receive the Jim Lauthern Legacy Award for his work with kids over the years. He really deserved it, and I’m glad I got to be there. After the awards were given out, I spent a few more hours eating and playing cards with my friends. We knew we had an early morning and a lot of traveling ahead of us on Thursday, but we stayed up late anyway because that’s what you do at these sorts of events.

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Traveling is fun, but it’s always nice to see a familiar sight.

Yesterday, I got in a car with Ken and Karen, and we made the journey back to Arkansas. We did the entire drive in thirteen hours, which was pretty impressive. I was exhausted but glad to be home with my family for a few days before I have to head back to Waco. I’m so thankful that I was able to go to Nationals this year, and I am grateful for all the people who made it such a wonderful experience. It was long, and it was stressful, but it was wonderful. Now is the time for recuperating, reflecting, and preparing for what’s to come. Thank you for reading this little update, and I hope you’ll continue to join me as I document my travels this summer. Have a great day, friends, and I’ll talk to you soon!

This is the first in a three-part blog series documenting my travels this summer. If you’re interested in shorter, more frequent updates, follow me on Twitter or keep up with my summer hashtag #WhereIsDevon.