"... An architect who is not out there to change the world, is not an architect. But merely one who makes buildings..." Eric Owen Moss declared as his thesis of the Southern California Institute of Architecture graduation speech this past weekend.


As my brother graduated I felt such joy, seeing people around him who loved him, supported him, and became his allies throughout his four years of schooling. It's always fun seeing someone you love in such a great spot in life...

As I sat there, attempting to decipher the message Moss was trying to unfetter, I naturally could not help but relate that benevolent idea to us everyday folk.

A ________ who is not out there to change the world, is not a _________.

(please fill in with occupation, belief, goal, identity.)

A barista who is not out there to change the world, is not a barista. But merely one who serves coffee.

A teacher, a mother, a father, an artist, a singer...

A Christian who is not out there to change the world, is not a Christian. But merely one who follows a moral code.

Are we out to save the world!? How are we doing it? What else can we do?
I fail miserably at this seemingly abstract pursuit.

If I am led by the spirit of God in my everyday life, I should constantly be thinking of God's coming kingdom, and how I affect that. How am I making this a better world, how am I bringing the love of God to each day I live in this spectrum of life?

I tell you, I forget, daily, minutely, this core belief that is apart of my faith, so when Moss resonated the importance of changing the world I was humbled and filled with grace, as I was overcome with grief that I do very little daily to make a difference. But as grace took its course, my heart was softened to see the beauty of not being on my own. I am simply a vessel for God's use, *though a willing vessel, and He is on my side. He is helping me make a difference once smile at a time, one car-ride home, one dishwasher unloading, one test...

Thanks be to God, who knows my faults and still wants me on his team of architects who are not merely builders, but world changers.