Team C4C Testimoniesنموونە

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

When I was a year old, my mom and dad got a divorce, and my mom never remarried throughout my growing-up years. I had two older brothers that were four and five years older than me. I had a lot of autonomy growing up. At the age of 12, I followed my brothers to a local teen center. This teen center had one pool table, and the winner stayed on the table. I was a pool-playing fool.

At the age of 16, I bought a car and made my way to the biggest and best pool room in the Chicago area. It was open 24 hours, and I began to play people for small amounts of money. It didn’t take long for me to elevate my gambling and play the best players in our area and bordering states. While being in the pool room, the people I hung out with had deplorable habits, and they rubbed off on me.

At age 21 I was at Illinois State University getting my undergrad in business management. I hit a very low point in my life and decided to go to the bowling & billiard center to play some pool. I met a girl there who shared that I can have a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭(NIV‬‬):“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

At that time I received Christ by faith into my life to be my Savior and Lord. From that point on, I prioritized getting in God‘s Word every day and seeking His will for my life. It took some time for me to recover from all of the bad habits and get out of debt. I married my wife Shellie in 1996 and we have had 12 children together. We have nine girls and three boys. I have raised them to know God and have taught them how to play pool.

Randy Tate