AS Iron Sharpens Iron
Sometimes it’s not what we have but what we do with it, that reveals our heart. Fortunately for Tai, he has shown himself to be a good man. One that disciples can go to for advice on how to be righteous.
Chief Editor~ Ricky Jean
Ricky: Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, stage in life, working, going to school, are you from DFW originally?
Tai: I was born here in Arlington, Texas. But during my childhood, my family decided to move to Boston, and that’s where I spent most of my childhood. I graduated from the University of Texas Arlington in December of 2020. I have a degree in Information Systems.
Which ties into my career. I’m a Systems Analyst now at American Airlines. It’s a very good position. I get to do a whole lot of things with developing applications, managing databases, and then helping out engineers.
Ricky: Is it scary?
Tai: Not necessarily. But it does require a level of knowledge, and great customer service as well, when you are working with other individuals, resolving their technical difficulties.
Ricky: Is it a lot of pressure?
Tai: Sometimes. Mainly whenever I’m developing applications, there’s always timelines. For myself, this is my first technical job out of college. It’s the first job that impacts my degree.
Ricky: What are some of your favorite hobbies and/or something you would consider unique about yourself?
Tai: I consider myself an outdoors person. I love nature. Whether it’s going on hiking trails, traveling, plus I work for an Airline so there’s a lot of benefits when it comes to travel. I get to travel to different parts of the States and the world. I love getting to see God’s creation all around me. What I find intriguing is that in the book of Genesis, God is first introduced to us as the creator; he created the sun and the earth.
He created the birds in the air, he created the sea, and all the land. All of it is beautiful, all of it is perfect. As it says in scripture, “God was pleased with what he saw.” (Genesis 1:4-7). For me, getting to admire all of his creations while traveling amazes me.
Ricky: Tell me how you were met/invited to Church?
Tai: I was met on campus (UTA). The crazy thing is, before I ran into the Evangelist at the time– Tyler Sears, who invited me to study the Bible, I was going through a rough time in my life. I was dealing with a lot of depression, suicidal thoughts; then one night I finally had a breakdown, and I stuck a gun to my head and thought about killing myself.
That whole night I cried to God, “Help me.” He answered my prayer. I was able to study the Bible and I was able to walk through what it means to truly be a Christian, and what it means to really follow Christ. Previously, I considered myself a Christian. I grew up in a religious household, we went to church often, but I never had an in depth understanding of what it means to walk with Christ.
I’m very grateful to my dear friend Tyler Sears, he’s an amazing brother, and I’m very grateful for him.
Ricky: Describe your relationship with God prior to studying The Bible and how it has changed?
Tai: I used to call myself a Christian but I was living more like an Atheist. I really didn’t have God in my life, and my life wasn’t centered around him at all. It was centered around me. This type of lifestyle led me into darkness, it led me into sin. That’s how I became depressed and suicidal. After coming out of that it’s the most freeing thing, there’s so much joy to be had, and so I’m very grateful for God saving me.
Ricky: What is something that has helped strengthen your relationship with God?
Tai: Whenever I am studying the Bible with someone I always emphasize the Quiet Times (reading the Bible), it needs to be your bread and butter. It’s when you get to pray to God you get to speak to him, you get to pour out your heart. You wake up in the morning and you get to greet our mighty Father, you pray to our Lord and you petition him. He listens to us.
The great thing is His word provides answers to us, whenever we do have questions. It consoles us, it gives us advice, wisdom when we need it. It’s amazing how God works. And so, I encourage people to have Quiet Times. It is what will help sustain you spiritually.
Ricky: Which Bible story or book relates to you the most and why?
Tai: In a lot of ways– the story of the Prodigal son. For those who don’t know me too well, after I was baptized and received the Holy Spirit, a few years later, I became obsessed with my own ambitions. I wanted to pursue my own dreams; and I ended up falling away (leaving church) from the Kingdom (DFWICC).
During that time I walked away from God’s plan for my life. I chose my plans over it. I chose my career in order to make more money. I pursued what the world had presented me, and in doing so, I squandered my inheritance. But at the end of it, God helped me to see where I was during that time.
Even though I was going back to my old habits, and started to get back into depression, God showed me that he is willing to welcome me with open arms. Once again. It’s for that reason I’m eternally grateful. I truly am. Since then, I’ve been striving day after day to make sure I’m walking in step with the Lord.
Ricky: What do you love about the Kingdom?
Tai: It truly is family, that is one of the biggest things– the unity. God doesn’t call us to walk alone on our path to save others. If you look in Genesis God created Adam, but he didn’t want him to walk alone. So he created Eve. In the same way Jesus brought up disciples. He didn’t just pick one person he picked twelve. Later on he had over one hundred disciples following him during that time.
The fact that now we have a family (DFWICC) that we’ve grown, and continues to grow, that we actually pursue God’s mission– making disciples, helping to save the lost, that amazes me.
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