HELLO!
First, I would like to thank you for visiting my page. I know many probably won’t, so the fact that you did shows that we have some intimacy between each other I greatly appreciate your desire to know my well-being ( or you clicked on the wrong link or something but please stay). It seems it has been quite some time since my last (formal) update, so I’ll update you with what is currently happening. After a year long desire and quest, I will be moving to Grand Rapids, MI this Thursday! Since my first few visits there last year (2015) I fell in love with the city, the community, the music scene, and especially Take Hold Church. I know God has called me here as a time for settling down (slightly), resting, writing, but pursuing community and further sonship with the Father. I’d like to thank everyone I met in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit that has made Michigan feel like home to me. You are the main reasons I'm moving up here. I love you all dearly and see you as family. Please don't be a stranger, my front porch is open to everyone. Lets please get coffee or a beer and talk about life, love, depression, music, existential wanderings and furthermore God (belief or non-belief). But if we talk about sportsball, I’ll just quietly listen to your rantings. If you find yourself reading this, wanting to talk and want to know where aforementioned Front porch is please message, text, slide into my DM’s or call me. My number/email is posted at the bottom.
Alright, now that you know where I'm headed lets take a look into what has happened this year. I spent the first half of the year I was living in Ohio with my parents working at Fedex. Not exciting of a life but God blessed me by allowing me to meet some incredible people at work. The first half hour of each shift was filled with talking of the universe, science, God, traveling, psychedelics, rawlmonds, mushrooms, and safe spaces. These conversations opened up my mind and I was given a perspective of what loving your neighbor truly meant. Sometimes it’s just listening. Even when you don't agree. But allowing yourself to truly understand where someone else has come from. I’m very thankful for this friendship.
Now during this time I was making trips up to Detroit and Grand Rapids quite frequently (every other week or so), attending shows, seeing friends, or just to get away. One of those times up to Detroit-ish (Taylor), Was to play a show with Zach Maas, Amessa, Inflamedtruth, Formerly Bodies, and Brother Symphony at the infamous Mozug residence.Not only was it an honor to be able to play here, but to be one of the last shows that Josh Mozug would host there. The show was incredible, we all had a blast! I was humbled to say the least, but since that show it opened up so many doors leading to future shows, festivals, and tours!
The first tour being with Brettan Cox and Bri England through a few cities in Ohio. All I can say is that they were the perfect people to go on my first tour with. They showed me so much love and kept a very relaxed setting the entire time; allowing music and worship to be about community and praise instead of competition and pride. While we stayed focused on the performing, God was always first. Before every show we isolated ourselves and prayed and spoke truth and encouragement over each other. We also allowed some room to have fun and more importantly getting to know the lovely and amazing people who housed, fed, and entertained us (prior and preceding when we hopefully entertained them haha) and getting to know and worship with each other.
So you know timeline wise where we are it is now June. I had decided to become a camp counselor at Springhill Camps in Evart, MI. Now, I have had little to no experience with working with kids, let alone, middle schoolers. I was very nervous go but equally excited to be challenged not only physically but mentally and spiritually. And trust me, going 100% camp counselor style 100% of the time was going to be a challenge. Little did I know that a lot of campers (and counselors) actually would appreciate my chillness. Anyone who has worked with kids weather it be as a teacher, counselor, nanny, or what have you, will say “Oh, you will learn more from the kids than they will form you”. Being as clichéd as that is, it is true. I learned some about myself but more importantly I saw how God loves us. Being thrown into taking care of between 5-14 kids a week, quickly learned what to do and not to do as a counselor. Sometimes yelling and fear works to get the kids under control but not only does that diminish the experience these kids are having but I lost a sense of relational intimacy I could have with these kids. Then there were weeks were I could be completely on the same level as the kids. Being there friend, but that didn't always allow for disciplinary action to ensue when need. So I needed to find a balance. Since it was my first time being a counselor, I didn't get it completely figured out. But I was lucky enough to have counselors that have been there for multiple years to show me the ropes. But back to God’s love. His love is a balance. He wants to be our friend, loving each other intimately, care free, and fun. But we have to realize His sovereignty. He is still our Lord and Creator. These two sides of God are two I seemed to find myself fighting constantly was the true God. It was until well into the summer that He showed me thatHe is equally both. Mighty and magnificent our Creator and lavishly and loving our friend. I have not fully grasped who He is and i may never will fully understand but that is very OK. God isn't a God if He fits inside our heads (a quote from someone I heard sometime, I will not take credit for that).
That brings us to that past few weeks. I have been working for my parents and saving up as much money as possible so I can actually pay rent. I think this is the least I have left the house since like high school. Currently, I'm sitting in this coffee shop (one of which is an hour away from my house and I had to very much contemplate whether it was financially smart to do so) sifting through the many things that happened through this year and deciding what should go here. I have left quite a bit out but thats only because words sometimes cant give experiences and God proper credit. I would much rather tell them in person. Plus this already over 1000 words, I'm sure your tired of reading as I am tired of typing. This has given me a bit of a kick in the butt to update this more so please keep me accountable of that (if this has been interesting at all to you).
If you want to hear some neat stories ask me about New York, Troy, OH or camper stories.
I’m extremely excited to start my life in this new city and to see what God has in store. I hope to meet many new people and invite them into my home.
Some final thanks you’s are in order.
Trinity United Methodist Church for supporting me SOOOO much financially and emotionally. I can not express how much that means to me.
Thank you Anchor Fellowship and Take Hold church for taking me in showing me love and giving me a home.
Thank you to everyone who has and will house, feed, and bless me. YOU are the true MVP’s.
And Thank you for reading this and I hope and pray God has revealed himself to you somehow in my rantings.
SO much love,
Evan
419-203-2636
[email protected]
[email protected]
frombreath.bandcamp.com
http://www.letgoddie.org
First, I would like to thank you for visiting my page. I know many probably won’t, so the fact that you did shows that we have some intimacy between each other I greatly appreciate your desire to know my well-being ( or you clicked on the wrong link or something but please stay). It seems it has been quite some time since my last (formal) update, so I’ll update you with what is currently happening. After a year long desire and quest, I will be moving to Grand Rapids, MI this Thursday! Since my first few visits there last year (2015) I fell in love with the city, the community, the music scene, and especially Take Hold Church. I know God has called me here as a time for settling down (slightly), resting, writing, but pursuing community and further sonship with the Father. I’d like to thank everyone I met in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit that has made Michigan feel like home to me. You are the main reasons I'm moving up here. I love you all dearly and see you as family. Please don't be a stranger, my front porch is open to everyone. Lets please get coffee or a beer and talk about life, love, depression, music, existential wanderings and furthermore God (belief or non-belief). But if we talk about sportsball, I’ll just quietly listen to your rantings. If you find yourself reading this, wanting to talk and want to know where aforementioned Front porch is please message, text, slide into my DM’s or call me. My number/email is posted at the bottom.
Alright, now that you know where I'm headed lets take a look into what has happened this year. I spent the first half of the year I was living in Ohio with my parents working at Fedex. Not exciting of a life but God blessed me by allowing me to meet some incredible people at work. The first half hour of each shift was filled with talking of the universe, science, God, traveling, psychedelics, rawlmonds, mushrooms, and safe spaces. These conversations opened up my mind and I was given a perspective of what loving your neighbor truly meant. Sometimes it’s just listening. Even when you don't agree. But allowing yourself to truly understand where someone else has come from. I’m very thankful for this friendship.
Now during this time I was making trips up to Detroit and Grand Rapids quite frequently (every other week or so), attending shows, seeing friends, or just to get away. One of those times up to Detroit-ish (Taylor), Was to play a show with Zach Maas, Amessa, Inflamedtruth, Formerly Bodies, and Brother Symphony at the infamous Mozug residence.Not only was it an honor to be able to play here, but to be one of the last shows that Josh Mozug would host there. The show was incredible, we all had a blast! I was humbled to say the least, but since that show it opened up so many doors leading to future shows, festivals, and tours!
The first tour being with Brettan Cox and Bri England through a few cities in Ohio. All I can say is that they were the perfect people to go on my first tour with. They showed me so much love and kept a very relaxed setting the entire time; allowing music and worship to be about community and praise instead of competition and pride. While we stayed focused on the performing, God was always first. Before every show we isolated ourselves and prayed and spoke truth and encouragement over each other. We also allowed some room to have fun and more importantly getting to know the lovely and amazing people who housed, fed, and entertained us (prior and preceding when we hopefully entertained them haha) and getting to know and worship with each other.
So you know timeline wise where we are it is now June. I had decided to become a camp counselor at Springhill Camps in Evart, MI. Now, I have had little to no experience with working with kids, let alone, middle schoolers. I was very nervous go but equally excited to be challenged not only physically but mentally and spiritually. And trust me, going 100% camp counselor style 100% of the time was going to be a challenge. Little did I know that a lot of campers (and counselors) actually would appreciate my chillness. Anyone who has worked with kids weather it be as a teacher, counselor, nanny, or what have you, will say “Oh, you will learn more from the kids than they will form you”. Being as clichéd as that is, it is true. I learned some about myself but more importantly I saw how God loves us. Being thrown into taking care of between 5-14 kids a week, quickly learned what to do and not to do as a counselor. Sometimes yelling and fear works to get the kids under control but not only does that diminish the experience these kids are having but I lost a sense of relational intimacy I could have with these kids. Then there were weeks were I could be completely on the same level as the kids. Being there friend, but that didn't always allow for disciplinary action to ensue when need. So I needed to find a balance. Since it was my first time being a counselor, I didn't get it completely figured out. But I was lucky enough to have counselors that have been there for multiple years to show me the ropes. But back to God’s love. His love is a balance. He wants to be our friend, loving each other intimately, care free, and fun. But we have to realize His sovereignty. He is still our Lord and Creator. These two sides of God are two I seemed to find myself fighting constantly was the true God. It was until well into the summer that He showed me thatHe is equally both. Mighty and magnificent our Creator and lavishly and loving our friend. I have not fully grasped who He is and i may never will fully understand but that is very OK. God isn't a God if He fits inside our heads (a quote from someone I heard sometime, I will not take credit for that).
That brings us to that past few weeks. I have been working for my parents and saving up as much money as possible so I can actually pay rent. I think this is the least I have left the house since like high school. Currently, I'm sitting in this coffee shop (one of which is an hour away from my house and I had to very much contemplate whether it was financially smart to do so) sifting through the many things that happened through this year and deciding what should go here. I have left quite a bit out but thats only because words sometimes cant give experiences and God proper credit. I would much rather tell them in person. Plus this already over 1000 words, I'm sure your tired of reading as I am tired of typing. This has given me a bit of a kick in the butt to update this more so please keep me accountable of that (if this has been interesting at all to you).
If you want to hear some neat stories ask me about New York, Troy, OH or camper stories.
I’m extremely excited to start my life in this new city and to see what God has in store. I hope to meet many new people and invite them into my home.
Some final thanks you’s are in order.
Trinity United Methodist Church for supporting me SOOOO much financially and emotionally. I can not express how much that means to me.
Thank you Anchor Fellowship and Take Hold church for taking me in showing me love and giving me a home.
Thank you to everyone who has and will house, feed, and bless me. YOU are the true MVP’s.
And Thank you for reading this and I hope and pray God has revealed himself to you somehow in my rantings.
SO much love,
Evan
419-203-2636
[email protected]
[email protected]
frombreath.bandcamp.com
http://www.letgoddie.org