Today’s a new day! Do not ever feel sorry for me because of my crazy beautiful health journey. I view this journey as an opportunity to get life right. The blessings have far outweighed the negatives. I plan on Staying Focused and Finishing Strong. ~OC
Finding Beauty In The Mess
I wanted to share a little about my Season of Suffering. I pray this video will encourage you, as you walk through your own season of suffering. ~OC
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
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
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
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
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
Hanging Out With Superheroes
I have been blessed to hang out with Superheros for almost 18 years. I am not talking about Batman, Superman, The Black Panther or Wonder Woman. No, my Superheroes do not wear capes or have really cool toys. Well some of them might disagree with that statement. My Superheroes are some of the strongest and giving people I know. Let me share some of their stories.
Good Sam/Florida Cancer Specialist Heroes: These group of heroes from Good Samaritan Medical Center have helped keep me alive for the past 17 years. They are Nurses (Shoutout to 4 South), CNA’s, Housekeepers, Maintenance Workers, Patient Transport, Dietitians, Techs (from various departments), Therapist (from various departments), Food Services (they still check to see if I want anything), Admitting and the parade of Doctors. They each work long hours with little fanfare. If they were to read this post, they would be embarrassed. Because they didn’t choose to be super heroes for the applause. They definitely would not call themselves Superheroes. But I do. These unassuming heroes show up for work each day and save lives. Thank you.
My Medical Team: This list could go on for days. One person I have to mention by name is Dr. James Harris. He is definitely a Superhero. Dr. Harris was my oncologist for almost 17 years before retiring earlier this year. He was the type of doctor who gave you his personal cell phone number and told you to call him if you needed. Over the years, Dr. Harris received many phone calls from my wife Laura. He always answered. Dr. Harris truly cared for each of his patients. I saw him walking the halls of 4 South on many early mornings. When you mention the name Dr. Harris be prepared to hear some amazing stories. Thank you.
Fellow Overcomers: I have been blessed to sit next to or walk the halls with many patients over the years. I have been inspired by their strength and love for life. They have taught me how to navigate through my own crazy beautiful health journey. We have laughed. We have cried. We have shared stories. We have remembered those that fought a tough battle. We have become family. Thank you.
The OC Drivers/Visitors: These are the family and friends who have taken time out of their schedules over the years, to give me rides to treatment/appointments and have sat with me many times. The pressure they have taken off of my bride is amazing. It has been wonderful to hear their stories over the years. Thank you.
My Rockstar: My number one Super Hero is my wife Laura. She has been by my side from day one of this crazy beautiful health journey. Over the past 17.5 years, Laura has worn many hats. She has had to make a lot of tough decisions. She has been and will continue to be my Rockstar. Thank you. Love you.
Those are the Superheroes in my life. They are greater than any Super Hero Hollywood could ever create. I pray you have these type of Superheroes in your life. ~OC
Why A Christian?
I am a Christian. A lot of my family and and friends are Christians. There are 2.18 billion Christians worldwide. That is a lot of people. But why do so many people call themselves a Christian? Have you ever spent time asking yourself that question? I think it’s a pretty important question to not only ponder, but to have an answer. Here is a little of my story answering this very important question.
I grew up in a home where everyone believed in God. We were taught to treat people with respect. To love our neighbors. And don’t you ever take the Lord’s name in vain. But we did not attend church on a regular basis. Not that my parents had anything against church. We just did not make it a priority. My brother and I were baptized at the local Baptist Church as children. I considered myself a Christian at that time, but could really not tell you why. That started changing in 1985.
I graduated from Twin Lakes High School in 1984. Yes, I am that old. After high school, I was not really sure what I wanted for the rest of my life. Then in 1985, a group of cheerleaders from my old high school were involved in a terrible car accident on their way home from a competition. Several were injured and one young lady was tragically killed. I did not know this young lady very well, but I knew her. Her father was actually one of my middle school teachers. We called it Junior High back in the day. That accident rocked a lot of people. Including myself. At Debbie’s funeral several people shared how short life was and how were we choosing to live it. I walked away from that funeral with a lot of questions. How was I living my life? Was my life making a difference?
Several months later, I truly accepted Jesus into my life and was baptized. I wish I could tell you that I turned away from my old life and everything was full of sunshine from that day on. Sadly that was not the case. For several years, I walked in between my old life and my new life in Jesus. Then one of the greatest things in my life happened. My parents moved away from West Palm Beach, FL. Wait. What?
In 1988, my parents house was bought by the airport and they decided to move away from West Palm Beach. At the time, I was attending Palm Beach Atlantic University and living at home. With my parents moving, I decided to move on campus. A life changing decision. I was blessed to have some great roommates in Tim Tate, Ben Starling, Pedro Linares and Bruce Speers. They were patient with this young guy who had a lot of questions about faith. Besides my roommates, Tim Moffett Jennifer Vaughn, Julie Tyler and Babs Tate decided to pour life into me. Never any judgement. Just a lot of understanding and a bunch of grace. It was during that year that I fully surrendered my whole life to Jesus. I have been far from perfect since making that decision, but I have continued to seek after Jesus.
Today as I walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I am grateful for those people who built into me all those years ago. They helped me become the person God created me to be. Thank you.
Because I saw firsthand people living out their faith and sharing it with me. Because I have seen God use a broken person (me), to help encourage many as I walk through this crazy beautiful health journey. The only answer I have for any of that is Jesus. That is why I am a Christian. ~OC
Purpose In The Suffering
Who wants to go through life without any pain or suffering? I think most of us would sign up for that life. Nobody wants to suffer or see a loved one suffer. Unfortunately, as long as we have breath in our lungs we are going to deal with some type of suffering. Thanks for that reminder Todd. Sorry. Just sharing some real truth. Since suffering is part of life, can we find purpose in the suffering?
I do not believe our suffering is random. I believe every storm we face in life has purpose. Sometimes that purpose takes time to reveal itself. But as a Christian, it brings me comfort that even Jesus suffered. He suffered for us. The purpose behind Jesus suffering was to take our sins. Think about that for a moment. Jesus came to earth knowing His purpose was to die for our sins. That wrecks me every time I take the time to truly reflect on that ultimate sacrifice.
At the beginning of my crazy beautiful health journey almost 18 years ago, I did not see the purpose for my pain. All I saw and felt was the pain. The uncertainty. I definitely did not see any purpose. How could God take my pain and turn it into a crazy beautiful journey? I was about to find out.
As some of you know, I spend a lot of time at medical appointments and plenty of time in the hospital. When my crazy beautiful health journey started almost eighteen years ago, those appointments and hospital stays were an annoyance. I definitely did not see the purpose early on. But as I started talking with fellow patients and listening to their stories, I began to see the purpose behind all those appointments. When people are scared and dealing with a life changing diagnosis, they just want to talk with someone who can relate to their story. Enter Todd “OC” Shoemaker. I know a little about dealing with life changing diagnosis. I do not say that to put the spotlight on me. Believe me, I never wanted to be in this position. I was happy with my life before I started walking this health journey. But here I am almost eighteen years later and I would not change a thing. It has been my honor to walk beside countless individuals as they started their own crazy beautiful health journey. Some were already friends before they started their journey, but so many strangers have become friends during the journey. I have rejoiced with friends as they celebrated a positive report from their doctor. I have held the hands of many as they faced the end of their journey.
I continue to be overwhelmed that God has allowed me to walk this journey for almost eighteen years and counting. I am humbled that God gave me purpose in my crazy beautiful journey. I am thankful that I listened to God and decided to embrace the purpose for my pain.
I do not know what pain you are dealing with today. Maybe the storm you are facing seems overwhelming. You wonder how there could be any purpose in your current circumstances. I get it. I have been right where your standing. Confused. Angry. Overwhelmed. Lost. I have walked through everyone of those emotions. But please believe me, there is purpose in the pain. It might take time to find it, but if you will hold on and seek God’s direction you will find the purpose for your suffering. And when you find that purpose, life will never be the same. I promise. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 