God's Touch

Have you ever felt like God was just working in your life. I've had this feeling lately. I feel like God's working in my life. I'm not sure what he's doing, but I feel his touch in the minor things going on in my life. I'm at a point where I'm trying to figure out where God wants me and what God wants me involved with. For this, I praise God. I've found myself lately humbled by God's grace and encouraged by His faithfulness. It's an amazing thing to be experiencing, yet confusing at the same time.

Christmas

So Christmas this year was a blessing. It was the first Christmas with my nephew Payce who is precious and the best part of 2008 for me. At my Grandma Koehn's house, every kid, grandkid, and great-grandkid was able to make the trip to Temple. My family is amazing and all the kids are so much fun. I hope Christmas was good to each of you and that you were able to spend time with friends and family like I was.

09-11-01

Who would have ever thought the significance of a single day on American culture and in American history? On a day like today, you can't help but be humbled by the amazing nature of humans and all they are capable of. I sit here tonight in the comfort of my home truly amazed at the blessings God has provided to this country we live in.

God's Love

The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing.
- Francis Chan, Crazy Love

How amazing is that thought? The God of the Universe, in all His glory, loves each and every one of us. I've been reading Francis Chan's Book Crazy Love. It is a book about God's love and has really made me think. God, who has our lives pinned down, takes care of each and every one of us. We each have a purpose and have certain gifts that come from Him. What an amazing thought. I, an obviously imperfect character in this play called Life, has a God that cares enough to want me in His life. Yes, it is an interesting and somewhat backwards thought. God wants us to want Him in our lives, but at the same time, He wants us to be with Him in His kingdom. Think about it. It is quite an interesting situation to find yourself in.

Back Home

Back home after a great weekend in Lubbock. I love my little nephew and am so glad Zach and Christy let me hang out with the three of them all weekend. It was also nice to see old friends from Levelland over the weekend. Christy's family is just as amazing as always too. God has blessed me with some truly amazing people in my life.

Payce's Little Laugh

So Payce seems to do this little laugh when he sleeps...Hilarious. Makes you wonder what's going through his mind. Probably his goofy daddy. Haha.

Lubbock / Levelland This Weekend...Weird.

Back to Lubbock this weekend. I can't wait to see Zach, Christy, and little man Payce. I love these guys. Plus, a wedding in Levelland. It's probably been 5 years since I've been to Levelland. Should be fun.

River Fun - Cuatro de Julio

Floated the river for the Fourth. New friends, river, fun times...

Taylor Boys

Hook Em Already?

Payce, Troy, and Zach

Payce

Made a quick trip to Lubbock to meet the nephew. Amazing little thing. I cannot express how excited I am. Who would have thought that just looking at and holding the little guy could be so relaxing. I could do it for hours. I sure hope Zach and Christy decide to keep him. haha. I'll post pics as soon as Zach and Christy post them or send them to me.

Uncle Troy Tomorrow?

Can't believe it...Tomorrow's a big day. I'm not sure the world's ready for another Taylor boy.

Self Improvements

So, the self-improvement thing continues. Now that I'm in shape again, I'm going to start lifting again. Should be interesting. Wish me luck.

Payce

Seriously, little guy...Where have you been all my life?

Happy Graduation to me...

I decided to get a new car for graduation.

Ahhhh Yes

It's almost time. Graduation hits Friday night at 6 pm. It's about time. I'm so glad to be done with school.

One Week

So I've officially broken the one week plateau. Next Wednesday is my last final of my college career, barring a Ph.D. somewhere down the line. I am looking forward to being done. It's amazing how much stress you put on yourself working on a degree like this. It will be nice to be able to just work and not have to worry about class after I get done with work each day. I haven't read a book for fun in a long time. I look forward to being able to just come home and relax at night. I can't wait.

PS Anyone who reads this is absolutely invited to come to graduation. It will be at 6:00 pm at Strahan Coliseum on the campus of Texas State University. Let me know if you think you can come. I mailed invitations this week and they should be out to many of you here soon. If you don't get one and you want to come, you're invited too.

Troy Taylor, MBA???

Just took a step closer. I've passed the MBA comprehensive exam required to graduate, effective this evening at 5:20 pm. Yay, fun!!!! I'm so excited. Thanks to all of you who have encouraged and supported me the last 3 years.

God > me

Tonight's quiet time ended with me examining a "little bitty" verse. I wanted to share the verse, but not give any commentary. Just think about it.

John 3:30 (NASB translation) - "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Interesting

Isn't it interesting when you think back to where you were, who you ran with, and what your priorities were just a few years ago or even further back than that? I was thinking today about how much I've changed since high school. Then I thought about how much I've changed since even just a few years ago. My career path has changed, my education level changes in a month, etc. It's crazy. Then, after thinking about the changes, you realize the things that haven't changed. Family (Z&C, parents, aunts, uncles, gmaw, cousins, etc) is still amazing, true friends (J&A, Rick, Steven, etc) are still amazing. It's funny how you begin to realize your true friends and your family are the only real constants in your life. Well...friends, family, and JC. I have been thinking about Matt Carter's sermon from Sunday and begin to realize it becomes easy to boast about yourself or your accomplishments. However, per Matt's sermon, you realize that as a Christian everything belongs to you and there's really no reason to boast.

PS Austin Stone Community Church is an amazing church that God definitely has his blessing on. Any of you in Austin should come check it out.

T Minus a Little Less Than 24 Hours

Tomorrow night at 5:20, I find out how I did on my comprehensive MBA Program Final. I'll keep you guys posted. Mark your calenders for May 9, 2008. That's graduation night and you're all coming to San Marcos to celebrate with me. Start making plans now.

One More Test

So down to one more test. I took the MBA comprehensive test today. Pass = Graduation. Fail = Suck at Life. Good times. :)

Two More Tests

So tonight I took one of the last tests for my MBA. Call me excited. So, now it's down to two. One that is basically the exit exam for the MBA program and one that's for my Portfolio Theory class. Pure craziness. I can smell the degree beginning to be printed and it smells pretty good.

Easter

Easter was great. Went to church this morning with the parentals and my grandma. Then, I got to spend time with other family. It's always fun to see family. Then, I ended the day at Austin Stone Community Church, which was awesome.

Running / Diet

From someone who's never really been much of a runner, I thought I'd share what's worked for me in terms of running. I've discovered I need something to keep my mind off of running while I run. The four letter word iPod has worked for me. I download new artists or songs I haven't really heard. I end up actually listening to the words. When it's a song I know, I tend to focus back on running. I also have gotten to where I run from my house until I get tired. Then, I turn around and run back. Not focusing on the time or distance has helped me run more than I would normally.

Food-wise, I eat what I'm hungry for. I just make it a point to not eat as much as I used to. If I want a burger, I get a burger. I just leave the fries at the store. Also, I've started snacking at more frequent times. Nuts, fruits, string cheese, cheese and crackers, apple sauce, etc. It works. It's a big help to keep you from getting to the "starving" point. From my understanding, if you get to the "starving" point, your body stores what you eat as fat. If you eat snacks more often, your body digests it better.

Just a few thoughts on what has helped me.

Healthy Living

It's funny how once you get into a habit of living a more healthy lifestyle you find yourself sliding into more healthy things a lot easier. One of the biggest things for me was not so much to "lose weight" as much as to just get healthier. 20 pounds and 2 months later, I'm under 200 for the first time in years. I can't tell you how much better I feel about myself. I end up not wanting to eat as much crap or near as much. I find myself willing to do things that just a few months ago I wouldn't even consider. I went rock-climbing at Enchanted Rock Tuesday. By rock-climbing, I mean up the side of a rock, not hiking around a rock. Since coming back to school 3 years ago, I'm down about 35 pounds. It's funny how once I got busier, I made it a priority. I had gotten so lazy just a few years ago. I'm now to the point where I'm thinking about the possibility of a 5K or 10K just to challenge myself. Who knows? It's an interesting situation, to say the least. I don't shrug off athletic events anymore. Perhaps it's God's way of helping me be more healthy. Perhaps it's working in the athletics industry. I'm not real sure, but I like it and feel better about myself.

Lazy Days

I love lazy days. Today, I have gone to church, worked on school stuff, gone running, and now I'm watching the NCAA basketball tournament selection show. I love days like this. Tonight, I'm drafting my fantasy baseball team. Love it. That is all.

Life is Charming

So I can't seem to come up with a better way to describe life than just plain charming. It seems like every time I get to that point where I'm not sure what God has in store for me, He places someone or something in my life. I love my friends and family more than I could ever put into words. I am blessed beyond what I could have ever dreamed up on my own. I have a great job, good friends, a great family, and a roof over my head. I've come to the realization over the last day or two that I have a lot going for me these days. Once I get through with my MBA in May, I can't wait to see what's in store for me. We all have our struggles, but with faith He will see us through.

Communion

This is a blog I started a while back, yet never finished. I've typed the finish now and thought I'd go ahead and post it.

Have you ever thought about the significance of something as "simple" as communion? It's a special time. It's our reminder that Jesus' blood and body was a sacrifice for all the things we really stink at. It's a moving time for me to have communion presented in a fashion of "come when you're ready." The interesting thing about this to me is that I'm not sure we're ever truly "ready." None of us are deserving of the sacrifice that was made for us. That being said, knowing that the power of God, through His son and the Holy Spirit has made it possible for us to be worthy. When you think about the significance of how many times we, as Christians, screw up, you begin to realize the true importance of the blood and body that was shed. Next week is Easter and it reminds us the sacrifice that was made for us. I've stopped calling myself a Christian and started referring to myself as Servant. If I'm not a servant to God doing his will, it doesn't do me any good to call myself a Christian. The percentage of Americans who call themselves Christian is disturbing when you think about how many of those who call themselves Christians don't live as servants to Jesus Christ. It's a thought that's not necessarily very politically correct, but a realization I've come to over the last couple of months. Don't get me wrong here. We all struggle with sin. Lord knows I do. It's our role to rely on God to overcome our sin.

If your friends jumped off a bridge...

Would you? Apparently. Everyone seems to be blogging so I might as well too.