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Lessons Along The Journey

During my 17 year crazy beautiful health journey, I am often asked what lessons I have learned along the way. I could probably write a book on the lessons God has taught me, as I have walked this journey. I am not up for writing another book at this time, so I thought I would share a few with you. Here we go…..

Prayer. I knew the importance of prayer way before my crazy beautiful journey started, but this journey has only reinforced the importance and power of prayer. I can look back on multiple occasions when the prayers of many saved my life. Praying for others is a real honor for me. Prayer energizes me.

Choose to Thrive. Dealing with multiple health issues can be overwhelming. The journey can flat out be exhausting. It can be very easy to just survive. To just make it through the day. Who could blame me? But years ago, my wife and I decided Just Surviving was not how we wanted to live life. No, we decided to Thrive in life. That means not allowing my health issues to define us. Thriving means embracing life. Even on those rough days. Choosing to thrive is  a daily choice. Sometimes a moment by moment choice.

Finding Purpose. During this crazy beautiful journey, I had to find a purpose for it all. There had to be more to this journey than doctor appointments, unending test and hospital visits. During my 17 year journey, God has allowed me to become a Abolitionist, Missionary, Motivational Speaker, Author, Patient Advocate and Thought Leader. I made the choice to turn a perceived negative into an opportunity to make a difference in life. What a ride it has been.

Laugh Often. When you have been diagnosed with as many life threatening health issues as I have, you just have to laugh. My wife Laura and I have used humor, dark humor most of the time to get through some of the toughest days. I mean when your known as The Man Who Refuses To Die, you have to laugh.

Don’t Sweat The Small Things. Life is too short to worry about the small things in life. My wife often shares with people, “Todd and I do not argue over how one of us squeezes the bottle of toothpaste.” 

Find Your 3 am Friends. Who’s in your posse? Who are those friends that you can call at 3am when life becomes overwhelming? Do you have any? I truly believe God brings those 3am friends into our lives. I do not believe they can be manufactured by us. Also, I believe your posse can change over time. And guess what? That’s okay. I believe some relationships are just for a season. So don’t stress out when your posse changes.

Travel. I had never really traveled that much before my health journey. A few trips here and there. But after I started dealing with my health issues, my wife and I decided we wanted to travel more. Sometimes it’s just a day trip up the road and sometimes it is trips to Cuba and Alaska. Traveling has been a true blessing for my wife and I. So plan your next trip.

These are just a few lessons learned along the journey. I pray they will help encourage you, as you walk your own crazy beautiful journey. ~OC

 

 

 

 

 

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Be Intentional

Life can be hard. Can I get a amen?

That is why we have to make the choice to live an Intentional Life. What does that look like?

Intentional Living is making the choice to focus on what really matters in life and not becoming consumed by the things that really do not matter. Much easier said than done.

Intentional Living is about choosing to live a life of purpose. Definitely not always easy to do. But I promise it will be worth it.

How can you start living an intentional life? Here are a few suggestions:

Write down the things that are truly important to you.

Write down the things you can live without in life or at least stop being consumed by them.

Living the intentional life is not about a bunch of rules. Be flexible.

Practice, Practice, Practice. Choosing to live a intentional life will take some work. So don’t beat yourself up when you miss the mark.

Do not rush through the process. Take your time.

I hope you make the decision to live the Intentional Life. It’s a daily choice. But I promise you, it will change the way you live life and and interact with others. ~OC

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Are You Truly Available?

I often hear Christians say they want to be used by God. They are ready to serve God. Then when an opportunity comes up to serve God by helping set up the church for service, to serve in children’s ministry or a clean up day rolls around, suddenly they are not so available.

This is not a knock on my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This is just my observation. Some people love to serve when it is convenient for them. Or maybe when the opportunity to serve will put the spotlight on them. Let’s be honest, we are all guilty of take a look at me moments. Look what I am doing. It’s just human nature. But sometimes, God is looking for us to serve without any fanfare. To serve in ways we could never imagine. No spotlight.

As many of you know, my amazing wife and I went to Plains, Georgia a few weeks ago to hear former President Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. Such a cool experience. But you know what I enjoyed most about that trip? Meeting Mr. George. Who is Mr. George you asked? Mr. George is the man who greets everyone as they drive onto the property at Maranatha Baptist Church. What’s so special about that OC? Oh, did I fail to mention that people start arriving for President Carter’s 10am Sunday morning class at 5 or 6pm Saturday night. That’s right. People start arriving the day before to hear President Carter teach. And guess who is there to welcome each and everyone of them? That’s right, Mr. George. He is there all night and into Sunday morning welcoming everyone with a smile on his face and some great stories. Oh, then Mr. George volunteers greeting inside the church, doing some filming and singing in the choir. Did I mention that Mr. George is in his 70’s. Mr. George saw a need and stepped up. I can guarantee you, that anyone who has attended President Carter’s Sunday School Class will have fond memories of Mr. George. I know I do.

When I got sick almost 18 years ago, I never imagined my medical journey would last this long. But along the way, God opened the door for me to encourage and love on people at my many medical appointments and hospital stays. Not a very glamorous way to serve God. No spotlights. No fanfare. The people I have met over the past 17.5 years have blessed me tremendously. I could write a book just on those experiences. Would I have chosen this opportunity? Probably not. But I would not trade the opportunities God has blessed me with along this journey. I am thankful, I continue to be available to serve God during this crazy beautiful health journey.

I am not sure what God is asking you to be available for. Maybe it will be to share the gospel with millions of people from a stage. Maybe it will be to lead millions of people in worship. That would be awesome. But maybe God wants you to be available to greet people as the drive into church during the middle of the night or to love on people as they receive news that will forever change their lives. Just Be Available. ~OC

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Are They Welcome?

I love Sundays!!! That is a day of church for my wife and I. I enjoy seeing everyone and spending time worshiping together. It just energizes me.

As millions of people across the world attend church this morning, I have a question. When the doors of your place of worship open this morning, will everyone be welcomed inside?

Will the homeless person be welcome inside?

Will the addict be welcome inside?

Will the divorced person be welcome inside?

Will the unmarried couple who’s living together be welcome inside?

Will the single parent be welcome inside?

Will the person with multiple tattoos be welcome inside?

Will the person from a different political party be welcome inside?

Will the person from the LGBTQ+ Community be welcome inside?

Will the refugee be welcome inside?

Will the prostitute be welcome inside?

Will the person of a different faith be welcome inside?

Will the person dealing with a physical or mental health issues be welcome inside?

Will the atheist be welcome inside?

Will the lost be welcome inside?

I pray that everyone who walks into a place of worship today will feel welcomed. No judgement. No stares. No gossiping. No shunning. Just loved. I pray everyone will leave our places of worship feeling more loved than when they walked in. ~OC

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Stop Using Jesus

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

We need to talk. I need to share my concerns over the current state of Christianity in America. This talk is not meant to attack the Church or my fellow believers in Jesus Christ. But I feel, I need to share my concerns. Did you catch that? My concerns. My opinions. My thoughts.

When I study scripture, I see a God who is loving, forgiving and stern when the situation calls for it. I see a God who is full of grace and mercy. I think we could all use a little grace and mercy. As I study scripture, I see a lot of Love. There is even a chapter in the Bible called the Love Chapter (Check out 1 Corinthians Chapter 13). Jesus commands us to love. To keep no record of wrongs. To be patient. To not boast. To not be rude. If you check out the books of Matthew and Mark, they talk about not judging others. As I have studied the scriptures, I still have not found a section where it says we should be judging or hating others.

In some circles, Christianity as become more about what we hate and less about what we love. That breaks my heart. More importantly, it breaks Jesus heart. When did Jesus give us permission to start categorizing the levels of sin? Or to hate someone based on their brand of sin? Once again, I looked through scripture and did not find any giving us that permission. Sin is sin. Jesus  is not up in heaven categorizing sin. I do believe Jesus is shedding some tears because we judge people more harshly based on their brand of sin. I totally get why some people want nothing to do with this brand of Christianity and why so many people walk away from Jesus. Have you turned on the tv, scrolled through social media or walked  into some churches lately? Some people have turned Christianity into a bad Jerry Springer Show. I know the Church is full of broken people, but we must do better. We share we love Jesus and his teachings, but our actions and words show a completely different story. We cannot only talk the talk of faith, we must live it out. The Church and it’s people need to be a safe place for other broken people to come. In Mark 2:17, Jesus shares “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Did you catch that? 

I truly love the Church and it’s people. I have spent over half of my life in the church. I have spent over half of my life reading and studying scripture. That is why it grieves me, that so many professed Christians spend more time judging others than they do loving them. Jesus did not come down from heaven, die on the cross and rise three days later so we could judge others. No, Jesus came down from heaven, died on the cross and rose three days later to teach us the true meaning of love. So dear Christian brothers and sisters, lets stop using Jesus to judge and spread hate. Instead let us be a people of love, forgiveness and grace. ~OC

 

 

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One Minute

As we reach the end of another week, I would encourage each of us to take one minute and think about the people who have helped us become the person we are today. The people who invested time into helping us grow as a person. If those individuals are still alive, I would encourage you to reach out to them and say thank you. For those life investors who have passed away, I would encourage you to spend some time reflecting on the lessons they taught you. ~OC

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Purpose In The Pain

Today’s a new day! There is pain and suffering involved with this crazy beautiful health journey. To endure, I must stay focused on the purpose of the journey. My crazy beautiful health journey has given me clear purpose. That purpose is to love people without judgement and to serve God. ~OC

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I Am Wrecked

I am currently reading the book Something Needs To Change by David Platt. He is the pastor/author who brought us the incredible book Radical several years ago.

Something Needs To Change is Authentic, Raw, Challenging and Real. Pastor Platt’s book will move you to your core. I have never read a book like this before. My emotions are being moved deeply. God is opening my eyes and your heart in a new way. I know my walk with Jesus will never be the same. And guys, I am only a few chapters into the book. I cannot imagine what I am going to be like after finishing this amazing book.

If you decide to read this book, you might just encounter God in a new way. I pray as we read this book our compassion will be transformed into action. I pray you will be as wrecked as I am. ~OC

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Adopt A School Challenge

Good morning. How many of you pass by a school each day? Maybe you drop your child off at school or you pass by a school on your way to work. I am sure at some point in your day or week you pass by a school. Starting today as you pass by that school, I want you to adopt that school. Wait. What? Let me explain.

As you make your way to work or out running errands, I want to encourage you to pray for the school(s) you pass by each day. Just a small prayer of blessings and protection for the students, teachers, administrators and staff. We all know how tough school can be. Our schools need prayer. It doesn’t have to be a long prayer. Just spend 30 seconds praying for the needs of that school. I truly believe it could be life changing. Who’s up for this challenge?

The school in the photo is my old high school Twin Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. ~OC

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