God is good, July 23 and 24

    Again, I have become lazy as it relates to updating my blog, and I'm less than five posts in!

    These past two days have really given me a chance to reflect on God's faithfulness to those who trust Him.

    Last night I had the opportunity to go to a different care or small group, and was able to hear from some truly godly men. The topic of discussion was Sundays sermon, Philippians 4:10-13, which dealt with the concept of contentment.
    The nugget I came away with from this discussion was that discontentment, which is usually accompanied by grumbling and complaining, is a direct attack against God. We see in the old testament that God would kill thousands of people because they were thankless!
     I'm sure that at least once in your life you have complained that what you have isn't good enough, I know I have. We must take the time, and actively think and act out a life of contentment because as Paul says in Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
    Trust God in both the time of plenty, and the times of little. For the good and the bad. The health and the sickness. God is in control.

    Today (Tuesday), was not looking like it was going to be a  good day. Studying wasn't going well, my eyes were just running over the bible passage I was reading, and I wasn't in the best mood.
    I can;t say when it changed, but by 12 o'clock, I was in a much better mood. I was able to work out some software issues I was having, making excellent progress. The topic of my college studies, Middle Eastern history, was passing by like I was reading my favorite book.
    A friend was able to pick me up so we could go see The Dark Knight Rises along with a group of my closest friends, and to top it all off I heard excellent news that the car repair that would have cost me hundreds of dollars will be a fraction of that.
    Looking back over the day, I'm struck that even without a great quiet time or sense of direction, God guided me, and was gracious to me in my difficulties.
    I have only one thing to say, Thank You God.

Why, oh why? July 20 and 21

Hi there.

   It's been a couple of days since my last update, but I've been taking notes, so please bear with me.

July 20:
   The question has been asked of me many times now, "Why do you feel the need to go?", "What do you see God doing in your life?", "Why France?", many more. The "why" questions have forced me to look deeper into my bible, and also into myself. What is my motivation for going?
   The first scripture I came across was Matthew 28:16-20, The Great Commission, and it has really been a motivator. Jesus gave an express command for Christians to go and make disciples and followers of Christ. This is reason #1.
   My call for France started about three years ago during a conference and the keynote speakers said how there is a great need for men in the mission field in France, and everything from that point has led towards France. I've also had a sense of peace that is unusual for me, and I take this as a sign that God is with me as a prepare for this trip.


July 21:
   I met with David Ross, Sr. and he asked me some of the questions from above, along with, "what am I doing here at home to prepare to minister overseas? I have had the opportunity to work with my church, teaching Sunday School, and playing on the worship team, also volunteering with my family at the Lazarus House. It has been an amazing experience to work with people from my church in local community outreach, and look forward to doing it more.

Observations, July 19

   Today has been great. I took my first college midterm, War and American Society, and think I did fairly well despite having no idea what was going to be covered.

   I spent about an hour and half going through my French program, and making steady progress towards a better understanding of the language and how to speak it.

   Also got to spend some time with friends, catching up and just having a good time.

   I have started my study in Romans, beginning the day with reading the passage and then reading it again, this time taking notes. The section for today was Romans 2:1-16.

   Some of my observations were the tendency too judge others while being guilty of the same sin. Occasionally, I will look at the way other people dress, talk, or are living, will silently judge their actions. I need to look to myself first. "21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?"

    This was my application for the day, to look towards myself first to see what I may be doing wrong before approaching others about their problems.

   I just thank God that he will forgive my sin, and help me through it.

   This is key for my mission to France. How can I preach and spread the gospel when I myself am not a living example of Christ? With a lot of prayer and guidance, I can become the man God intends me to be. France will be a transforming event, both for the people who hear the gospel and for myself, and I look forward to what God's plan is for me.

Why Blog, July 18, 2012

Hi there,

This is a way for me to keep those that are supporting me in the loop as to what I'm doing in France.

I'm not there, yet but was advised by my pastor that it might be a good idea to start now so that you can keep up to date with where I am in the planning and prepping phase for this trip.

This will be linked to my Facebook mission page and will hopefully be able to update this blog on  daily basis.

I was reading today in Romans 1:11, Paul has a longing for the people of Rome, and is praying for them constantly. I pray that God will instill the same sense of longing and a consuming fire in my soul for the French people and that God would be glorified in all I do and say.

Thanks to all who are supporting me and I ask for your prayers during this time. That I would continue to pick up the language and primarily, that I would allow God to direct my path for this very special time in my life.

Taylor