Today’s a new day!
Prayer Warriors are needed to pray for a dear friend to experience a miracle. A group is meeting at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida this morning 11/7 at 9:30am. I know most people reading this cannot physically be there, but I ask that you would pray for my dear friend and her family at 9:30 this morning. Please feel free to share this with your family and friends. Thank you. ~OC
We’ve all had some rough days. Maybe your rough days have turned into rough years.
As I have walked through my own crazy beautiful journey, I have experienced my share of rough days. Days where nothing seems to go right. Days where I just wanted to crawl back into bed (in my case, crawl up in my recliner). Those days can seem overwhelming at times. They can be stressful.
A season of health issues, relationship issues, financial issues or unemployment can seem overwhelming. During my health journey, I have learned a few lessons about dealing with the challenges of life. I pray you will find them encouraging and helpful.
Your Character. We cannot always control what happens to us in life, but we can always control how we react to the circumstances we face. During the rough moments of my journey, I have made the choice to stop complaining and instead thank God for my many blessings. Choosing to stay positive during those storms of life. Not always an easy choice, but it can be life changing. Our character should always be stronger than our circumstances.
Struggle to Strength. God can use every storm in life to make us stronger. To strengthen our faith. I know sometimes that is hard to see during the storm, but hold on. Our storms have a purpose.
God’s Plans are always perfect. God’s plans are almost always different than ours. Come on, we all think our plans are perfect in the moment. Sometimes we believe God’s plans for us are moving too slowly. Come on God, hurry up! Has anyone but me ever uttered those words? I would encourage each of us to slow down and be patient. Oh, that word Patience. Remember, God’s plan for our lives is always the perfect plan for our lives.
God is always with us. I know that is sometimes hard to believe, as we are holding on for dear life as we face another storm. But the minute you asked God into your life, he is always with you. Walking by your side as you navigate the crashing waves. If you have not asked God into your life, I pray today would be the day you make that incredible decision.
I pray these lessons help encourage you, as you walk through those tough moments in life. I also pray you will never walk your journey alone. Reach out to family or friends when facing those tough moments in life. Most importantly run to God and allow him to wrap his loving arms around you. ~OC
Hello everyone. Last Sunday morning, God woke me up and shared this past week would be a week of Healing and Miracles. During the week, I also felt God calling for me to asked people to pray for my throat and stomach. As many of you know, I have not had an appetite for almost 4 years and have not been able to speak without the assistance of a voice amplifier for about 3 years.
Last night my wife Laura and I attended a Prayer and Healing Service. During the healing part of the night, God blessed me with an appetite and allowed me to talk without the assistance of my amplifier. God is so good. I am overwhelmed by His incredible love for me.
Since I had an appetite, a bunch of us decided to go celebrate Jesus. So the picture below is my first meal in 3 years. I was able to eat a little chicken salad and fries. I also had a few sips of sweet ice tea. I am thrilled to share, I did not choke or throw it up. That had been a major problem in the past.
I encourage everyone to never stop praying for Jesus to move in your life. You never know when the Holy Spirit is going to show up. Keep Believing in your Miracle. ~OC
I had to retire early from my career in the juvenile justice field. I was only in my early 40’s. Thankfully, God was not finished with me. In the past ten years, God has allowed me to take on several new roles. Here are some of the opportunities God has blessed me to be part of:
Abolitionist
Missionary
Blogger
Encourager
Author
Thought Leader
Speaker
Prayer Warrior
Health Advocate
Blessed Overcomer
Ten years ago, I could have allowed my health issues to become my identity. But God had other plans for me. I had to make the choice to keep living and thriving. I pray you will make the choice to look past your current circumstances and choose to keep thriving and making a difference. ~OC
Good morning! I am currently up watching the Rugby World Cup Finals between England and South Africa. I have never played rugby, but I have become a huge fan the last few years. I have so much respect for rugby players. Of course I was rooting for Team USA, but they went out early. So I will be rooting for South Africa in the Finals. If you have never checked out rugby, I would encourage you to watch the World Rugby Finals. ~OC
Today’s a new day! It is easy to point,yell & judge. I want to be a person who encourages, loves & makes a difference. ~OC
God woke me up this morning with the word Revival on my heart. I believe we are beginning to see revival happening around us. I also believe God is going to use some unlikely places and people to bring revival. Should we be surprised by that? I do not think so. God used Jesus to change the world. If we look at Jesus resume, he was an unlikely candidate. Let us look at Jesus resume in today’s light.
Jesus Christ was born in a cave. Not really a great start according to the world.
Jesus was a carpenter.
Jesus was not a college graduate.
Jesus was a refugee.
Jesus never owned a home. No MTV Cribs Show for him.
Jesus was not not hanging out with the rich and famous. He would never have been interviewed by Robin Leach (Young folks google that one).
No 401k or pension for Jesus.
Jesus was definitely not jumping off the pages of GQ Magazine.
That is what Jesus resume looks like. By today’s standards not too impressive. But yet, this one man changed the world forever.
So has I thought about what God shared with me this morning, I thought about all the unlikely people God has used to share his word over the years. Most of the time, God has used common people who chose to be available. That is the kind of person I want to be. Available to serve God in any way he chooses.
I am excited to see how God is going to use common, but available people to help bring Revival. ~OC 
We have all made mistakes and poor choices in life. Sometimes those mistakes and choices can haunt us. We can carry the shame of those mistakes and choices for years. Can anyone relate? Is anyone still haunted by those past mistakes and choices?
Sometimes those past mistakes and choices make us feel like second class citizens. We feel like damaged goods. I am hear to tell you that God still loves us in spite of those past decisions. Let me encourage you to stop living in the shame of your past. Those past choices might have knocked you down, but you do not have to stay down. Remember you are a child of God’s. He sent his only son Jesus down from Heaven to wash away all those past mistakes. God has a wonderful plan for each of us. We are more than conquerors. What we did in the past, is not who we are today. God can use those past mistakes to help us become the person he created us to be. Those past choices do not disqualify any of us from experiencing the love of God and the amazing plans he has for each of us. Today, release all that guilt and shame and start living in the victory of Jesus. ~OC
I might be dealing with some pretty serious health issues, but I refuse to allow my health issues to become my identity. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 