You are Not Alone.
TK
For those of you who don't know me well, I must start out by saying that I am a gymnast. I'm on the team at Cal State Fullerton and this weekend we have conference championships.
Tonight we were practicing downstairs in the gym we will be competing in and were trying to get used to the fact that we will be standing in corrals (yes like the ones they put horses in) during this meet. There are usually only 2-3 teams competing at once but at this particular meet there are going to be 6. So in order to keep the chaos to a minimum, those of us not competing at the time are to be in a designated area cheering on the lone competitor out there.
When discussing this tonight, my coach said that it'll be a different feeling without the team so close and that "you'll be all alone out there."
My friend Shelly rebutted that you are never alone....
Thus the idea for my posting:
No matter what you are going through, God is always with you. He is there for you through thick and thin, good and bad. You are Not Alone.
Hebrews 13:5b - because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
I love being able to rely on this. The world is ever changing, turning around, upside down, inside out. Yet, God remains the one constant. No matter what else happens, He will always be there keeping His promises.
Psalm 55:22a- "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you."
God is with you. You are Not Alone.
This is not meant to be creepy. No eye in the sky, big brother status concept. But rather this should be reassuring. You do not have to go through life alone. Face the hard times, the mountains, the giants with God on your side. He is larger than all of these troubles. He can overcome all obstacles placed before you.
Romans 8:31b- "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Psalm 118:6- "The Lord is with me I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Be encouraged in the word. Stay strong in the Lord and lean on Him for You are Not Alone.
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Time Wasted.
TK
Life. So many components make up the essence of this word.
Religion? Politics? Popularity? Careers? Family?
Does any one thing describe where we are going. This path is not laid out. There is not guarantee of tomorrow. Nothing is certain nor do we know what is coming.
This somehow gives the norm a type of excitement. Of danger. So many accidents, unexpected endings, catastrophes.
Knowing this, why do we squander the time? The precious little span we are given here upon this earth?
I listened to a sermon on Sunday night about Taming the Tongue. The pastor stated that we say roughly ten thousand words per day.
What are you saying? Are the words you are using worthwhile? Are they slanderous or kind? Do they tear people down or bring them up? Are you leading people to the Lord or driving them away?
These questions are important. They need to be answered. Taken seriously.
Jesus spent 3 years preaching the good news of His coming. In those three years how many people did he lead to the Father? Hundreds, Thousands, Millions?
How many years have you lived? How many people could you have shared the gospel with?
I am guilty of my accusation. My time has been wasted. Regrets have formed and people have slipped away.
I am not saying these things to condemn you but rather to make you think.
In what ways can we use our words to better those around us? To add to the Kingdom of heaven? To bring glory to the Father? Our Almighty Creator.
In this sermon about James 3 the pastor also taught us an acronym that I have found very useful this past week. It is a reminder that your words are powerful and have an impact upon those who hear them.
The acronym is using the letters THINK. Before you speak you should ask yourself these five questions: Is it...
Truthful?
Helpful?
Inspiring?
Necessary?
Kind?

I have found myself straying from this even when it is at the forefront of my mind. Yet, be encouraged that if you ask God to help you He is faithful. Lean on Him and follow His Word.

The title of my blog is The Game of Life. Ironically though, life is not a game. It is serious. It has consequences. Repercussions. We will face judgement one day. Death is not the end.
The frame around my license plate states that everybody lives forever. One way or the other...
The truth of this matter is astounding. I know every one of you has friends who are unsaved. You may have discussed Jesus with them and they decided not to listen or you may not have even brought up the subject figuring it was too touchy. Discussing religion is taboo. Some may not even know that you are Christian. That would be too much. Cause too many problems. You might actually have to live up to the name. Alter your behavior.
Do me a favor and picture this: One day, hopefully far into the future, you die and have gone to heaven. You stand in from the the Almighty, All-powerful, Transcendent, Creator of the universe. And He looks you in the eye and welcomes you with open arms into eternity. At this moment you are truly complete. He is the reason for everything, holds everything together. The loving Father who sent his Son to die so that you may have life abundantly is there in all His glory and you get to spend eternity with Him.
So you now reside in heaven. You can be seen walking along the streets of gold, living in a mansion in paradise, constantly praising God, joining in with the angels. This place is beyond your wildest dreams. It is on another level entirely. And then you realize, you never told a single person about it. You let them live their lives uninhibited from the truth about Jesus. They continued to live in the world, lost and separated. You are going to wish that you had told every person you came into contact with about this. For...
They must now be sent to the fiery depths of hell. There is no sugar coating this. They are suffering beyond belief.
Your loved ones deserve to know the truth. They need a wake up call. Tomorrow is never promised.
Mark 16:15- He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
Jesus commands us to spread the news of His coming.
This news is so great why wouldn't we want to tell people about it? There is plenty of room in heaven so pray that God would use you to keep adding to it!

God Bless You.
-Taylor
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Light of the World
TK
Hey There.

My name is Taylor.

I am new to the blogging world and would like to start by introducing myself:

I am from California and have lived there my entire life. I grew up going to a private Christian school from K-12th so my first real world experience was not till I went away to college. Do not be mistaken, I by no means lived in a bubble oblivious to the world around me, but it was such that it was just the world around me. I was never completely immersed in it but rather viewed it from the outside looking in. The world was the fish bowl and I was the onlooker. I do not mean to say that I had a crazy experience when I college or that I abandoned my morals or beliefs, but simply that I was exposed to the truth head on for the first time.
This world does not belong to God. He created it, yet Satan rules the world. God warns in 1 Peter 5: 8 - "Be self-alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." This is some heady stuff. Do not be blind to the fact that the devil is constantly looking for opportunities to make you stumble. Remain strong in the Lord. He is the guiding light in this dark world.

John 3:19-21 - "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
John 9:5- Jesus said, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
I find this verse encouraging for He lives within those who have accepted Him as their Savior. He is still in the world and remains the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 - Jesus said of His people: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
I want to encourage all of you who know what I am talking about. I know that the depravity of the world definitely came as a shock to me, yet there are lights all around. You can be one of those lights for Jesus. Illuminating the way to those around you and shedding light on the goodness of the Father.


On a separate note:
I do not know exactly what I will be writing about in this blog. Some I'm sure will be serious. Others will be light-hearted. I don't even know whether anyone will read this. Yet, here I sit writing. Getting my thoughts down on paper.

God Bless You! Be encouraged in the Word and be sure to get your spiritual food as well as your physical!
- Taylor



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