For starters, I'm going into this semester after having enjoyed an awesome break! It wasn't all amazing, but for the most part it was great. I had a bunch of goals to have completed before this semester started, and, well.. let's just say that I have a bunch of goals to complete still. :/ I did finish a few though. For starters, I just finished an application for an summer internship position at EMI World. It's a Christian based non-profit organization that goes to third world countries and builds and designs hospitals, bridges, schools, orphanages, etc. for Christian ministries that can not afford to build them on their own. How cool is that!? It's like a mission trip and an architecture internship all rolled up into one! I think that I have a reasonable shot at getting the internship too! Please pray that I get it! I have a feeling that God is going to do something incredible in my life through this experience!
Back to this semester. I strongly desire to learn a lot in architecture school AND grow spiritually! Last semester, I felt like I barely survived school and didn't grow spiritually much. I want that to change this semester! I know that if I put God first daily, I can truly live up to the calling He has placed on my life! I'm stoked to see what God is going to do through my life this semester! Again, please pray for me! It's very difficult to stay focused on God through the craziness of architecture school!
Here's something random that I just remembered. A couple of weeks ago I was driving home from Snowbowl (ski resort up in Flagstaff) after a long day of snowboarding, and me and my friend were talking about how life is like a road-trip. Let me explain: It's super easy to stay focused on the road and drive safely when you are alert and have someone to talk to/encourage you, but when it's dark out and you are tired and your friend is sleeping, it's so easy to lose focus on the road and veer off to the side. Or, when you get hungry, it is so easy to just pull off to the side of the road to get a snack and take a break from driving. It's the same with life. When you have others around you to encourage you and keep you going it is easy to stay focused on God's plan for your life and to stay on the straight and narrow path. But, when you start to feel drained (i.e. architecture school), it is easy to start to lose focus on God (the road) and focus on other things in your life. It's easy to just hit the pause button on your walk with God and just take a break from it all - just going through the motions without meaning and purpose in your life. But, just as God is with you while you are driving across country on a road-trip at night, He is with you when you start to feel drained and want to take a break. Instead of hitting the 'pause button', just ask God to fill you up. He WILL! Getting back to the analogy, God is like having a portable gas station in your car so that you never have to stop, and can always keep going towards where He has called you to! - BUT HE IS EVEN BETTER! (haha, I'm funny, I know) The analogy didn't even end there, we had taken it a lot farther, but it was kind of ridiculous so I don't want to put it all on here.
I hope that makes sense because it is really encouraging to me to think of this semester as another part of the great road of life that God is leading us through. He will always be there for us and will always help us when we are weary and tired and just want to give up and turn around. But, He won't let go of us that easily! He'll slap us when we fall asleep (not literally) at the wheel and He'll be that friend in the passenger seat to keep us company. He won't be a back seat driver and comment on all of the mistakes you make, because He already forgave you for your past mistakes and future mistakes 2000 years ago. He just wants to encourage you to help you drive better and to stay on track. GOD IS THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL COMPANION ON YOUR ROAD-TRIP!
Anywho, this blog has sorta changed topics dramatically, but I like it. I hope that this analogy hasn't completely confused you, and I pray that you can look over its many errors and my grammatical errors. I really hope that you are encouraged as we all begin this next stage on our great road trip called life! If anyone needs prayer or wants to talk about anything, just email me at tim.berry@asu.edu! I'd be super happy and privileged to hear from you!
Cheers!
