What's My Deal?

Who is Travis, and why should I spend my Mondays reading his Substack?

I hit the ground running last week with posts about how I believe Christians are to act in this political landscape and about writing in general. Usually when one starts a blog about religion, politics, literature, and life, it behooves one to begin with an introductory “about the author” post, but I chose to skip that step.

I apologize, and I will remedy this folly forthwith.

Now, you may be appropriately thinking to yourself that blogs about religion, politics, literature, life, and other “social topics” are a dime a dozen these days. Do we need another voice in the cacophonous chorus of crap (alliteration intended) to give his opinions on stuff?

Frankly, no.

I have noticed, however, that like any human being, I occupy a unique space within these topics that differs greatly from the stereotypes and generalizations. If you believe you can find something relatable or something of value in the conclusions formed by my particular context and setting, then I welcome you to this Substack!

Without further ado, here is a brief introduction to Travis Morrill.

Life

I am a card-carrying southern Californian millennial: I was born and raised in the OC, I like avocados in my burgers and burritos, and I would prefer to brew my own single-origin coffee (I personally like French press and AeroPress methods the best).

You could have probably assumed from the fact that I’m still blogging in 2024 that I was a millennial, but I just needed to make sure that was clear.

Being a millennial, I grew up with computers always present and am intimately familiar with tech, but for some reason I have a hard time dismissing or letting go of nostalgic forms of media. I love old movies (I majored in Cinema Arts), I still prefer to buy vinyl and CDs rather than download, and I’ve held off from getting an eReader for this long and have no plans of getting one soon. My life and my job require that I have a good grasp on progressing tech, but I’ve been called an “old soul” by more than a handful of people who know me well.

I contain multitudes.

I am married and have two dogs named Millie and Murph (who, I’m sure, will be featured in these posts). Being an introvert, I would probably love having a black cat, but alas, I am horribly allergic.

Some interests of mine are hippie music, heavy metal, the Chicago Cubs, Monty Python, reading books, and talking about God, all of which will make appearances in this blog at some point.

Religion

I have attended Christian church pretty much since birth. The first churches my family attended were Friends churches, and I find myself still attending them and embracing the Friends doctrine.

Friends, commonly known as “Quakers,” are known for our advocacy of pacifism, simplicity, abolition, integrity, and seeking to reflect what the first chapter of John’s Gospel calls “light of all people” (that is, Christ, the living Word of God). There was a point around college in which I partook in a time of deconstruction (more on that in a later post, stay tuned), but the light of Christ continued to beckon me, and I could not ignore it.

I have worked at a church for over six years, I received my Master of Divinity degree in 2022, and I am now a full-time commissioned Friends minister.

Literature

Earning my Master of Divinity degree was easily one of the most difficult and time-consuming things I’ve done, but it was all worth it. I find that studying and reading are my most life-giving hobbies.

I love fiction. Some of my favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Donna Tartt, Douglas Adams, and P.G. Wodehouse. As much as I admire the time and depth invested in works of nonfiction, I find that fiction storytelling is the best tool to express and absorb new ideas. Jesus Christ, the parable master himself, would probably agree.

As far as nonfiction, some of my favorite authors are Thomas R. Kelly, Richard Foster, David Grann, Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Bryson (I love fun facts, so At Home was a real treat), James Clear, and A.W. Tozer. I used to hate reading nonfiction, but I’ve come to love it in recent years, probably after reading a ton of nonfiction for my graduate program.

I believe wholeheartedly that God’s truth can be found throughout all forms of storytelling media. I’m a big movie and music enthusiast too, but books, with their inherently slow pace and low stimulation forcing you to take time and effort to digest the information, have my respect as the best way to exchange truths and stories. This blog will likely contain many book reviews (as well as movie reviews and the occasional album review).

Politics

And now for the “sexiest” part of this blog post: my political beliefs.

Let me start by saying that I hate that the way we vote has become central to our identities. From my point of view, Christ is my first love, the pinnacle of what makes me me. All of my being stems from Christ’s place in my life and my status as a redeemed reflector of his light.

I have also found that many of the issues I have strong opinions about cannot be contained in any of the major or minor political parties. As a result, I am registered with no political party and will never endorse any candidate on this Substack blog.

I know this makes many uncomfortable, and when I’m uncomfortable, I like to tell bad jokes: The joke I make all the time about this is that I belong to the same political party that Jesus and George Washington belonged to: none. (Before you make the claim that Washington belonged to the Federalist party, he never officially endorsed their platform and actually spoke out frequently against political parties in general.) I also just like making it harder for candidate staffs to market to me.

That’s not to say I don’t vote. I do vote. It’s just not any of your business, dear reader, for whom I cast my vote. Again, I hate that conclusions about whole personalities are drawn simply by how one votes. I have met people who enthusiastically voted for candidates while cheering their platforms, and I have met people who have begrudgingly voted for candidates while clenching their teeth. Contrary to popular belief, there aren’t just two kinds of people. When you work at a church, when you belong to a family, and when you interact with a community, you will meet hundreds (maybe thousands) of people, all different and unique. Just because I know someone voted for Bob Dole or Walter Mondale does not mean that I know everything about that someone.

While we’re at it, why do you want to know who I, some random person on the internet, voted for? I have no expertise in political science; don’t listen to people with no credentials.

If you, too, contain multitudes and have been searching for a blog that acknowledges that humans cannot be split into two or three opposing groups, I invite you to join me for a new post and discussion every Monday!