Author: theblessedovercomer

Welcome! My name is Todd OC Shoemaker. The OC is short for Overcomer. That’s the nickname my medical team gave me many years ago. You see, for the last 22 years, I have battled several life threatening health issues. On multiple occasions, my bride Laura has been told I would probably not make it through the night. Our faith has helped us run this crazy beautiful journey. We live with hope. I encourage you to run with me as I share my thoughts along the way. ~OC

Dear Christians

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

I am concerned about the current state of America. If you are not, I am scared for you. The last several years, I have been asking myself the following questions. Now I will ask you the questions that have been haunting me for the past several years.

Are you more concerned about your serving a political party or serving others?

Are you more concerned about worshiping a President or worshipping Jesus?

Are you more concerned about loving your your political party or actually loving people? All people.

Who will you serve? Your political party or Jesus?

Dear Christians, I pray you will take more time searching your heart concerning these questions and less time attacking me. But if you choose to attack me that’s okay. I am a big boy. ~OC

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Jesus, Politics and Church

Welcome to Sunday. Like many other people around the world, I will be attending church this morning. It is one of the highlights of my week. I love the worship, the message and the interaction with my church family. The one thing I do not enjoy is when the conversations turn to politics. I did not come to church for a political rally. No, I came to worship and learn more about Jesus.

I bring this up because the political season is starting to heat up. The political conversations have started. Even in church. Heck, you can’t even go to a prayer meeting without someone bringing up their like or dislike for a certain party or politician.

I know this will come as a shock to some, but Jesus doesn’t belong to a political party. I know some people will argue that point, but I still haven’t found any scripture where Jesus talks about living in a Red or Blue State. No, I truly believe Jesus wants us to be more concerned about the gospel and less concerned about politics. I believe Jesus is more concerned about how we treat everyone (regardless of where they come from), than He is about what party name is on our voter registration card.

I think places of worship need to be careful navigating through the political seas. People who need Jesus come from all political and social backgrounds. The church should not be a barrier to the gospel. So pastors and leaders need to make sure all are welcome regardless of what side of the political arena they come from. Church should be a safe place for all. A place that is more concerned about the gospel that who is in the White House.

On a side note, if your church is praying for the current President, I hope you prayed for the previous President and will pray for the next President regardless of what party they come from. ~OC

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Not A Vending Machine

During this crazy beautiful journey, many friends have come and gone. I am thankful for the friends who have decided to walk this journey with me.

One of the lessons I have learned during this journey is to never allow friends to be like junk food. Offering little nourishment and robbing you of energy. ~OC

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Love This Photo

I love this photo a dear friend sent me. I am thankful for the amazing people God has surrounded me with during this crazy beautiful journey. ~OC

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Not A Political Issue

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested over the weekend.. This case is about a man who abused multiple girls. This case is about the rich and powerful receiving special treatment. This is a case of mass coverup. What this case is not is a political issue.

Over the weekend, I saw several post about how Mr. Epstein got his sweetheart deal to protect former President Bill Clinton. I actually lost count on how many people were so quick to invoke President Clinton’s name. I have no idea if the former president was involved in the Epstein case. Guess what? You don’t either. It saddened me that so many people were more concerned about President Clinton than they were about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Oh yeah, the victims. How quickly some people forget about them.

The victims, all teenage girls at the time. Their lives ruined by Jeffrey Epstein and everyone else who was involved in these horrible crimes. The victims are who I care about. Their childhoods were stolen by people who were more interested in satisfying their perverted needs, than they were about young vulnerable girls. I guarantee these victims do not care about politics. No, they are concerned about getting their lives back. They are concerned about making sure no other girl ever has to experience what they did. These young women are concerned about seeing real justice in this case and all cases of human trafficking.

So do me a favor. The next time you want to post or comment on the Jeffrey Epstein case, remember it is not a political issue. No, this is a criminal case that hopefully will see true justice served. ~OC

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Everyday

Everyday I see God keeping his promises to me. Not in a way I would ever have dreamed, but still so far and above what I could ever imagine. ~OC

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Social Justice Is Not A Dirty Word

Today, it seems many Christians are concerned about engaging in social justice issues. So many Christians believe if they speak out against social injustices, they will be labeled a bleeding heart liberal or progressive. Some Christians believe being involved in social justice issues is a dirty word. Not sure how we got to this point. Jesus cared deeply about social issues.

As I read the Bible, I see that Jesus spoke out against injustice. He went out of his way to help the fatherless, the mistreated, the oppressed and the persecuted. Jesus was not silent when it came to social justice issues. If Jesus spoke out against injustice, shouldn’t we do the same? Isn’t that part of the Christian life? I think so. That is why I cannot be silent when I see injustice of any kind. I have to speak up.

You see, I am not a conservative or a liberal. I do not belong to any political party. I am not concerned about power, money, popularity or social status. I am a Christian who believes standing up for what is right and speaking out against injustice is what Jesus would do. I do not think social justice is a dirty word. ~OC

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White People! Let’s Talk About Racism

Hello my white brothers and sisters. My name is Todd “OC” Shoemaker and I am a white guy, who wants to challenge you to confront and talk about racism in America. I know most of you don’t want to discuss this issue, but we can no longer ignore it. Racism in America still exist and we must deal with it. We can no longer hide behind our gated communities in the suburbs.

I can hear the moaning and excuses. Todd, things are better in America since the Civil Rights Movement. People just need to get over the past. I am not a racist. I have several friends of color. My coworker is African-American. Good for you, but have you ever had a conversation about racism with your friends or coworkers of color? Does your church talk about racism and the effect it has on your church and community? Or do you only have those discussions when a African American man/boy is shot and killed? Ouch! I know, I am making you uncomfortable. Good! I hope reading this makes you uncomfortable. This is uncomfortable for me to write. But unless we are made to be uncomfortable, we will never take the steps to change things.

Todd, why are you so passionate about this topic? I am glad you asked. Every since I can remember, I have been passionate about civil rights in America. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a civil rights attorney. Of course that never happened, but my passion for civil rights, social justice and racial reconciliation never left me. Growing up, some of my best friends were African American. They always made me feel welcomed. More importantly, they pushed me to have real conversations about racism in America. These were not always easy conversations to have, but they helped me become the person I am today. The person I continue to strive to be. Most of the time, I just sat there and listened. I took the time to hear the pain, frustration and racism my friends of color dealt with everyday. I asked questions when appropriate. I learned about African American History. A history that I was not being taught in school. My African American friends taught me how to talk about racism and confront it. I am thankful these friends from childhood were patient with me. It is because of them that I am the person I am today. Never comfortable with the injustices I see around me. Never afraid to confront these injustices. Never afraid to have those tough conversations about racism and injustices in America. To never stop learning.

I want to encourage my white brothers and sisters to have the courage to have these tough conversations with each other, but more importantly to have these conversations with brothers and sisters of color. These conversations could be messy. That’s okay. Those messy conversations will help you and America be a better place for all of us. ~OC

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Freedom of Speech

Several days ago we celebrated the 4th of July and the freedoms we have in America. One of those freedoms is the freedom of speech. Most people would say they believe in freedom of speech, but I wonder if that is really true. Let me explain.

As I scroll through social media, I often see people posting about the importance of freedom of speech in America. They will post articles about the 1st Amendment to prove their point. I too, agree that everyone has the right to freedom of speech in America. What I find funny, is that those same people who flood their social media pages with articles about the importance of freedom of speech, are the first ones to demonize people when they disagree with what that person has to say. Hello! You cannot have it both ways. You either believe in the freedom of speech or you don’t.

There are a lot of things people say or post on social media that I disagree with, but I will always fight for their rights to express their opinions. That is what America was built on. I can make the choice to respond or ignore those opinions I disagree with.

Let me clarify something. If someone is posting hateful, racist or complete lies on their social media pages or anywhere else, I will confront you and try to educate you. Yes, you have the right to express those opinions, but I have a responsibility to confront anyone who spews hate, racism or actual lies. Thanks for allowing me to exercise my freedom of speech. ~OC

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