Hello!  If you have have questions about my crazy/beautiful health journey or you need some coaching tips about your own journey, feel free to contact me. It would be my honor to help you if I can. I am also available to come speak at your next event. ~OC

This crazy/beautiful health journey is not about me. It is not to show you how strong I am, for my strength comes from God. It is not to show you how great my faith is, for my faith is a gift from God. This journey is not about showing you how courageous I am, for my courage comes from God, exactly at the time I need it. Anything you see in me that is good is not of my doing, it is from Heaven. ~OC

My heart continues to be broken by the division and hate I see around the world. All you have to do is turn on the TV, social media or just walk out the door. That does not mean I am giving up.

This is not an old man, letting out my long complaint. But I do remember a time, not so long ago, that you could sit down and have a respectful conversation, while  disagreeing on a subject. You might not change their mind and they may not change yours, but you walked away still being friends or family. That has changed the past few years. These days, families and friendships are being split apart because of a difference of opinions. No longer can you share an opinion on social media and not expect to be attacked by someone because they have a different opinion. Seriously? What can we do to stop all of this craziness?

We could stop having conversations with people in which we disagree. We could leave social media or just post photos of cute animals. I do like those post. We could keep our opinions to ourselves. I do not like any of those suggestions. Oh, please keep the cute animal post coming, though.

How about this wild idea? We start respecting others’ opinions, even if we disagree. We can stop having rude interactions, back and forth, on social media. Instead, we actually meet in person and have a respectful conversation, listening to each other. We can actually explain our opinions, in person, instead of posting on social media, ricking it being taken out of context. Let’s have a real conversation, in person. What a novel idea.

Can we stop all this division by sitting down and talking face to face? Probably not, but it is a start. We will never get anything accomplished by yelling at each other on social media. Plus you are not restricted to a 140-character conversation, in person. ~OC

Hello! I pray everyone is having a fantastic week. I have been praying for you.

If you would like to connect with me on social media, here is where you can find me:

On Facebook: Todd OC Shoemaker (Blessed Overcomer), The Blessed Overcomer and Team Blessed Overcomer.

On Twitter: Todd OC Shoemaker (@toddeshoemaker), The Blessed Overcomer (@TheBlessedOC) and Team Blessed Overcomer (team_overcomer).

On Instagram: ToddEShoemaker, The Blessed Overcomer and Team Blessed Overcomer.

Feel free to come by and say hello. Have a wonderful and blessed day. ~OC

How do you pray for someone with an incurable illness? I have been asked that question many times in the past 16 years. You see, I am that person with several incurable diseases.

We should pray without fear. Whatever we’re feeling, we can trust that God hears our cries. I am grateful for all the prayers offered up for Laura and I during this crazy/beautiful health journey.

Over the years, I have been asked, by many, how they can pray for me. I think people are surprised with my answer. I never ask for healing. No, my prayer has always been that God would use me during this journey. Now, I never say no when someone ask to pray for my healing, but I am more concerned how I walk through this journey.

Two of the most important things you can do for someone needing prayer is to Listen and Ask. Listen carefully to the concerns of the person. Remember, this is not about you. Secondly, ask them how they would like you to pray for them. The answers may surprise you, but remember this journey is their journey, not yours. By doing these two things,  you are showing support and honoring them.

Praying for someone dealing with a incurable disease is not about your will. Praying for someone is about crying out to a loving and powerful Savior, acting as a living testimony to God’s promises that a terrible diagnosis will not have the last word. ~OC

So many wonderful people have been praying for my physical healing for the past 16 years. Prayers have literally come from around the world. Over the years, I have heard comments like “I am so sorry God hasn’t healed you”, “Maybe you need more faith” and my favorite “What sin do you have in your life, that is keeping God from healing you?”. Those comments used to bother me, but thankfully God changed my thinking. You see, God has healed me. Let me explain.

God has healed me in many ways during this crazy/beautiful health journey. During this long journey God has kept depression away. Depression can be a major issue with Parkinson’s patients. Not that I haven’t had some tough moments during this journey, but they have never lasted. That’s healing.

God has kept my marriage strong during this journey. Laura and I have heard about so many couples divorcing during a prolonged health battle. Thankfully, God has strengthened our marriage during this journey. I have been dealing with major health issues the majority of our marriage. That’s healing.

God has kept me from anger and bitterness during this journey. I made the choice early on in this journey to live the most positive life possible. It has not always been easy, but God has truly blessed me. That’s healing.

Unfortunately, when we think of healing we only think about physical healing. God is so much bigger than just physical healing. My prayer is that we will look at all forms of healing and rejoice when God meets those needs. ~OC

For the past 16 years, I have spent countless hours at doctors appointments and hospital stays. During those times. I have had the privilege to talk with so many hurting people experiencing life changing moments. I have had the honor to pray for people who would not see another year. I have rejoiced with fellow patients who had experienced a miracle in their health journey. I have never taken one of those moments for granted. None of those precious moments have been about me. I truly believe God has placed me in those moments to hopefully encourage someone. The truth is, most of the time I have been the one that was encouraged. I was the one who walked away feeling blessed. My prayer is that we never miss the opportunity to encourage others. It could be life changing. ~OC

One of my former pastors gave me the nickname “The Man Who Refuses to Die” years ago. Some people are shocked, angry or sad when they hear this nickname. Most of the time they have no idea what I have been through the past 16 years. They do not know my story. I love the nickname. I embrace it. The nickname means I am still here and overcoming all the odds. It means I am thriving. This crazy/beautiful journey has been a struggle. A lot of ups and downs. Some days worse than others. I mean, I have lost the ability to work, run, eat, speak or write. Thank goodness for technology. I do not say this for anyone to feel sorry for me. I urge you, please do not ever feel sorry for me. I am living the most blessed life I could ever imagine. A life of adventure. A life with true meaning. A beautiful life. I am still thriving because God still has purpose for my life. A life to love and encourage others. May “The Man Who Refuses to Die” continue to beat the odds. ~OC

We all have tough days. You might be currently facing a storm or rejoicing that you just survived a storm. Life is is tough.

For the past 16 years, I have been facing a health storm. There have been moments of relief and days I did not know if I would survive. That moment when your wife is told her husband will probably not make it through the night. That moment when doctors and nurses were fighting to bring me back. The past 16 years has sometimes felt like the wildest roller coaster you could ever ride.

You may not be dealing with a health crisis, but I am sure you have been smacked in the face once or twice by the storms of life. Maybe your storm has been unemployment for a long stretch, marriage issues, financial issues or the loss of a loved one. These events can feel overwhelming. I would like to share some life lessons that have helped me during my crazy/beautiful health journey.

1), Your Storm Always Leads to Strength. Every storm we face in life, whether big or small, is something God can use to strengthen our faith, relationships and make us better people. Before I got sick the first time, I took a spiritual gifts test. To my surprise my lowest score was Compassion. How could that be? My job at the time was working with young people in the juvenile justice system. I volunteered in the middle school department at my church. I was totally blown away by this news. Fast forward a few years after being diagnosed with cancer, I took that test again. My highest score was Compassion. God allowed me to grow leaps and bounds during that time. I am still letting Him help me grow all these years later.

2). God’s Timing is Always Perfect: God’s timing and plans are usually different than ours. We want everything that minute and we want it to be perfect. When I got sick the second time, I was given a lot of prednisone. I went from my running weight of 150 to over 200 pounds in a very short amount of time. It was frustrating, because I could no longer go running or workout to bring the weight down. I remember praying, please God let me lose this extra weight. I didn’t feel God was listening to me. Then I started having some stomach issues. Those issues continued to get worse. In just over a year, I lost almost 90 pounds. In 2017, when the doctors had to insert a feeding tube, my weight was down to 112. If I did not have that extra weight hanging round, I definitely would not be writing this post today. It is hard, but we have to learn to be patient and wait on His perfect timing.

3). God Will Never Leave You: At times you may feel all alone during the storm. Maybe you feel God has left you. If you have asked God into your life, you are never alone. During the darkest moments of your storm God is right there with you. This 16 year health battle, I have faced many dark moments. Some family and friends have left my side, but God has never walked away. He has been right there holding my hand and wrapping me in His loving arms like a warm blanket.

I do not know what storms you are facing today, but I hope these tips, lessons or whatever you want to call them will help encourage you during your storms of life. ~OC

This crazy/beautiful journey has taught me many lessons. One of those lessons is to be available. My health issues have slowed me down over the years. I had to retire very early based on my multiple  health issues. But being forced to slow down helped me to be available. I should say, it gave me the opportunity to be available. We have to make the choice to be available. To make the choice to slow down and see the amazing opportunities. Making the choice to be available has been life changing. I encourage each of you to slow down and make the choice to be available. It could be life changing. ~OC