Cheers, everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lucas Mattocks, and I am an electrical engineering major from Meadville, Pennsylvania. I am currently calling Parker Hall my home away from home. I’d like to give you a little taste of a typical day at Cedarville University, through the eyes of yours truly! Keep in mind that each year at school has looked different for me, but I will share my most recent daily schedule.
Morning
My best days begin between 6-7 a.m., when I hop out of bed (hopefully dodging the temptation to hit the snooze button on my alarm) and start up the electric kettle to make some in-dorm French press coffee. Sometimes I will make some the night before and set it in the fridge so that I can have some cold brew for the morning. This not only saves me a lot of time in the morning when I wake up but saves me the danger of waking up my roommate grinding the beans or firing up the electric kettle.
Devotions
After the coffee is made/obtained, it is time for the most essential aspect that should be a part of every believer’s day. You guessed it! Time spent with Yahweh our King and LORD.
I usually begin by writing out my conversation with Him in my prayer journal as I sip my coffee and listen to light instrumental, jazz, or nature sounds through my earbuds. (There isn’t much of a spiritual reason behind this other than it is relaxing and helps me stay focused/intentional in prayer.) Prayer journaling has been a great blessing that helps me see how God answers prayer, especially as I flip back through my past prayers later in the week or month and see visibly what He has done. Then I spend time studying Scripture.
Headed Out for the Day
After devotions, I pick a snazzy outfit — sweaters, waffle tees, New Balance 574s, and Birkenstocks are a heavy rotation for me — and head to Chuck’s (the dining hall) for breakfast. Sometimes I do my devos at Chuck’s during golden hour or shortly after the sun has risen. This is when Chuck’s is most beautiful and peaceful, and I would recommend experiencing this for yourself.
Also, the question of gym time comes up next. This is tricky. While I prefer going to the gym in the morning as it is less busy, I prefer night showers, so it is very important for me to consult my Google calendar and personal to-do list. I solidify my attack plan for homework, meetings, discipleship group, and/or see if I have scheduled a meal/coffee break with a friend that day!
These “one-on-one” meetings are very popular at Cedarville and are great for meeting new people or catching up with friends after a busy week.
Chapel
This year, I have no morning classes (this is nice), so after all of the above, it is usually time for chapel, so I head to the Dixon Ministry Center/Jeremiah Chapel. I sit with my girlfriend and her friends on Mondays and Wednesdays and with some other close friends on the other days! It’s great!
You will probably hear this a million times when you interact with Cedarville students, and I am no exception, but chapel here is phenomenal. I love worshiping with the student body and hearing from some of the world’s greatest speakers, like Trevin Wax and Sam Alberry. Cedarville’s faculty often speak in chapel too, and they are exceptional! They deeply care about their students and speak crucial truth into our lives. They show us this in the way they present themselves and teach us.
For a recent chapel message, we listened to Pastor Mike Fabarez of Compass Bible Church speak on the necessity of godly friendships and companions. Pastor Mike reminded us of the sad reality that too many friendships end simply because of conflict and a lack of resolve to restore the friendship. Instead, he reminded us that friendships are too valuable to let go of so easily, and we need to adopt the mindsets from Proverbs 19:11, Matthew 7:3-5, and Thessalonians 5 so that we may be gracious, overlook offenses, and remind each other who we are in Christ.
Class Time!
After chapel, I then head to my medical imaging class! This class is an elective that I chose in order to explore the overlap of engineering and the medical world. Dr. Tuinstra is incredibly brilliant, and, to emphasize this statement, he lectures via impromptu flow, using only the textbook (no lecture notes) as reference. Honestly it blows my mind!
Post-Class Fun
After lectures, I usually work on homework or projects and meet with friends for one-on-ones. For more information on the School of Engineering and Computer Science, check out the webpage!
D-Groups
In the evenings, I meet up with and lead the men in my discipleship group! What’s a discipleship group you might ask? Well, let me tell you. Discipleship Ministries, which includes “d-groups” as we call them, is a program that sets students up to meet regularly to study Scripture, pray for each other, and serve each other with community, intentionality, and fellowship. As we are called to make disciples of one another, these groups serve as a way of shaping us more into the image of Christ and helping us practice the lifestyle all believers must adopt of making and shaping disciples (Prov. 27:17, Col. 1:28).
My group is currently going through Colossians and discussing the centrality of Christ in our lives and the preeminence of His person. The time together has been rich, and I enjoy meeting with men from all different walks of life and seeing them come alongside one another in weekly encouragement, study, and prayer.
I hope this has given you a better idea of life here as an engineering student! Know that it isn’t always perfect and off days and struggles will still be had, that God is sovereign, and Christ has died for our sins so that we can be in relationship with Him. This is an awesome place that greatly emphasizes and celebrates this and reminds us of our purpose and worldview as believers! I pray that, as you continue to consider and read about Cedarville, that the Lord will lay your path, and that, if He wills, that you might be able to come, grow in Him, and bear fruit as we run toward the Kingdom and His return!
Year: Senior
Major: Electrical Engineering
Tags: #college, #experience, #studentlife
Posted in: College Life, Experience, Student Guide, Student Life