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

As some of you know, for the last few weeks I had totally been off my feeding tube. I had been living off Ensures. My stomach was handling it pretty well. Some discomfort, but no severe nausea or throwing up. That was huge. Extreme nausea and throwing up had been part of my eating and drinking experience the past few years. But here I was taking in some Ensures and not spending the rest of the day in the bathroom.

Some of you will recall my trip to Emory in Atlanta back in July. My doctors had referred my case to Emory to discuss the possibility of having a procedure to help with the gastroparesis. It was during that trip that I felt God starting to heal my stomach or at least allow the gastroparesis to go into remission. I had a army of family, friends and strangers praying for my stomach to be healed or at least go into remission. As you can see from my first paragraph I believe that prayer was answered. Praise be to God.

Also during my trip to Emory, I truly believed God was going to allow me to eat and drink again. I felt that would be part of my stomach being healed or the gastroparesis going into remission. As I was drinking the Ensures the past few weeks, I was having issues with choking. I have dealt with this problem for a few years due to my Parkinson’s. It is called Dysphagia.  First, I thought since I had not really been eating or drinking for a few years, my muscles were weak and just needed to get stronger. I was so excited to be off the feeding tube, I didn’t want to believe it was my Parkinson’s causing the issues. It was such a relief to be off the feeding tube. But, as the choking continued I knew the cause was not from my muscles needing to get stronger, but my Parkinson’s causing the issues. I could not ignore it any longer.

So this past weekend I went back on my feeding tube full time. I am not going to lie, I am disappointed. As I shared earlier, it was great being off the feeding tube. If you have never been hooked up to a machine for any period of time, it is hard to explain the pure happiness I was experiencing. Several people have inquired about me using a thickening formula to help drink the Ensures and any food I might try. Sadly, based on me having several other medical issues the thickening formula has never worked for me. I have tried it on several occasions with poor results. So for now, I will stick with the feeding tube.

As I shared before this latest setback is disappointing, but it has not broken me or shaken my faith. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, I am choosing to look at the positives. I am thankful I did not get rid of my feeding formula and supplies. I am thankful I did not have my feeding tube removed. I am thankful I am able to get the nutrients my body needs. I will continue to do my best to fight my health issues with a positive attitude and grateful heart. I will continue to share my story in the hopes that it encourages at least one person. I promise to keep fighting and giving God the glory for all my blessings. ~OC

Yesterday was tough. After a 4 week break from my feeding tube, I had to go back on it. My stomach is doing fine, but I was choking on fluids or any solids I tried to take by mouth. The choking is due to my Parkinson’s and Myasthenia Gravis. Very frustrating. But I refuse to give up.

It would be easy to just throw my hands up and give up. Who could blame me? But giving up has never been my style. I have always been a fighter and optimist. That will not change based on this latest setback.

If you are currently facing a storm in life, I would encourage you to never give up. On the other side of the storm is greatness. It could change your life forever. The storm you are facing today is just temporary. So don’t even think about giving up. Stay Focused. Finish Strong. ~OC

I think most would agree our world is dealing with some difficult issues. If I tried to list them all, I would not have enough space or time. So how can we help overcome some of these issues? Glad you asked. I believe we need to stand in the gap. What? Let me explain.

I believe God is calling some men and women to stand in the gap for this hurting world. God has used men and women in the past to help spread His love and comfort to a hurting world.

God used Martin Luther King, Jr. to help bring peace and start a conversation among the races. Dr. King did this through love, listening and non-violence.

God used Mother Teresa to help those that society had casted out. Mother Teresa did through loving, feeding and comforting others.

God used the Reverend Billy Graham to spread His word to millions of lost souls. Dr. Graham did this by preaching God’s word to all people.

But OC, those are some heavy hitters. Those three are part of history. They helped change the world. Yes they did. Maybe you will never be a Dr. King, Mother Teresa or Rev. Graham, but you can still make a difference.

God is looking for some men and women to stand in the gap by mentoring young people that need positive people in their lives.

God is looking for someone to stand in the gap for victims of human trafficking. To help them begin a new life.

God is looking for someone to stand in the gap for their neighborhood. Do you know your neighbors?

Once again, I could fill this page with the many needs our world is facing, but hopefully you see my point. We live in a hurting world, that needs a lot of love, forgiveness, understanding and comfort.

I do not believe a political party is going to fix the problems our world is facing. They might help, but I truly believe it will take people like you and I to make a real difference.

I will leave you with this question. Are you willing to Stand In The Gap for this hurting world? ~OC

Today is National Book Lover’s Day. I personally love to read. Reading has been a passion of mine since I was a child.

I had trouble learning to read as a young child. It was pretty frustrating. Thank goodness I was blessed with a wonderful neighbor who was also a great teacher. So was her husband who looked like Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Speirs took it upon herself one summer to help me improve my reading. How fun I thought. What 7 year old active boy wants to spend his summer reading? But Mrs. Speirs had a secret weapon. Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas. Oh, I still remember those wonderful treats. Mrs. Speirs also knew I loved sports. So, as she was getting her daughters ready for summer camp, she would have me read the sports page. Chocolate Covered Bananas and sports. Maybe this daily class wasn’t going to be so bad after all. After Mrs. Speirs would finish her morning routine, we would discuss what I had been reading. We did this Monday through Thursday during that summer. I am forever grateful to Mrs. Speirs for taking time to help me. My life was forever changed.

After that summer, reading became a passion for me. I wanted to read everything I could get my hands on. I still have that same passion today. Reading has become a little more difficult with having Parkinson’s, but I still make it a priority to read as often as I can. Keeping my brain active is important with having several neurological issues. Reading has so many positive benefits. Here are just a few:

Mental Stimulation

Stress Reduction

Memory Improvement

Better Writing Skills

Vocabulary Expansion

Improved Focus and Concentration

Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills

So do yourself a favor and start reading a book today. It will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. Happy Book Lover’s Day! ~OC