Dear God, today’s a new day, a chance for a new start. Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures we may have experienced. Today’s a good day to be glad and give thanks, and we do, Lord. Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, serve and be all that you desire us to be. Use us today to be peacemakers. We pray all this in the powerful name of Jesus. ~Amen
A Thursday Prayer
Good Morning! A Thursday prayer for my friends:
Dear God, I lift up my friends to you. I pray you would give their hearts rest in the things that are weighing heavy on their lives this morning. I pray you would open their eyes to see how amazing they are and how much they mean to the people that love them.
I pray you would bless their families, their homes, that their households would flourish and that they would have more than enough to meet all of their needs.
I pray you would bless them in their pursuit of their hopes and dreams and that you would open doors that they need opened to get there.
I pray you would bless their relationships: their friendships, their marriages, their connections with their kids and their family members.
I pray you would cover my friends with your presence and your peace, that you would draw them close to you and that they would feel your love.
I am so thankful for each of them oh Lord. Thank you for bringing them into my life. My heart is full. ~Amen
Wednesday Morning Prayer
A prayer for those dealing with health issues on this Wednesday morning. ~OC
Dear God, as you hear the cries of the needy, I pray you would bring peace, comfort and healing. I pray you would sustain those who feel weak and defeated this morning. I pray they would feel your presence today. Dear Lord, bless them with your strength and wisdom as they navigate through the difficult moments of their health journey. Reveal your purpose and beautiful plan for their lives. I pray all of this in the powerful name of the Healer and Sustainer. Amen
Seasons of Life
Today’s a new day! The seasons of life bring change.
They bring good. They also bring new challenges. But as each season before always prepares for the next…. So does the seasons of life. Storms and droughts will come. But so does Spring and sunshine and rain clouds.
It’s often darkest before the dawn. And although we won’t forget the dark and hard times… they are what get us ready for the next season.
The night gets ready for day.
And day gets ready for night.
Such is life.
Each season has a storm of its own kind. But it also has it’s beauty. Don’t miss either!
Such is Life. ~OC
A Greeting
Happy Sunday! A morning prayer as we welcome this new day. ~OC
Dear God, we greet this morning with a sense of awe and gratitude. Whether we woke up refreshed or with a little extra sleep in our eyes, we give You thanks for this new day. Dear Lord, we know you can refresh every part of our lives. You can revive us. You can give us new hope and sense of purpose. So on this new day, we give you thanks for new breath. We breathe in the fresh moments of this day. Dear God, we thank you for new opportunities. For new beginnings. Use us today to bring peace and love to our small part of the world. Dear God, thanks again for this new day. ~Amen
A Morning Prayer
Good Morning! ~OC
Dear God, Thank you for this beautiful new day. We thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives. Thank you for your goodness and for your blessings and protection over us. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your sacrifice so that we might have freedom and a full life. Forgive us when we do not thank you enough for who you are, for all you do, and for all you have given us. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh this morning. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you, and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! We pray all of this in the name of Jesus, the only One who can set us free for love’s sake. ~Amen
Unanswered Prayers
Good Morning! Here is another entry from “The Lost Writings of OC.” This was written in 2019.
Today’s a new day! As I reflect back on my life, I am thankful that God said no to some of my prayer request over the years.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, as the cross was getting closer, Jesus prayed to the Father: “He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”(Luke 22:41–42)
Never be afraid to pray the following: Not my will, but Yours be done. By saying that, you are simply saying, God I do not know all the facts. I do not know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously, but firmly say no.
I know this can be hard at times. Sometimes we do not understand why God doesn’t give us what we ask for. I am thankful that when I was single, God did not answer my prayers about some of the young ladies I was interested in at the time. If I would have said yes to any of those potential relationships when God was telling me no, I would have missed out on marrying my beautiful bride Laura so many years ago.
As we get a little older, we can look back with 20/20 hindsight, and say, Thank you God for not answering those prayers. Or maybe we can look back and be thankful for all of the prayers He did answer. The point is that God knows what’s best for our lives, even when we do not understand it at the time.
Have you ever forced something to happen? Maybe you even felt that God was saying no to it. You remember how that turned out. . .
Finally, I want to remind you of the words of Jesus and encourage you to remember them: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:32-33). Walk in that truth today. ~OC
My Life With Parkinson’s
Good Morning! I wanted to share a bit of my Parkinson’s experience with you today. I was diagnosed with PD in 2007. The disease is starting to take its toll on me, but I continue to live with an attitude of hope. I originally wrote this in 2019 and updated it the first of 2025.
Today’s a new day! Living with Parkinson’s takes hope, persistence and a strong will to live. Because Parkinson’s never takes a day off. Parkinson’s is a daily battle. In the presence of Parkinson’s, one must have courage, the strength of character, and for me a strong faith.
While there’s life, there’s hope. Each morning when I wake, I do a full-body inventory, thinking ‘Okay body, what awaits us today?’ I remain hopeful that my just-completed sleep has re-fueled my brain and re-stocked my body. Of course that’s on the nights I actually sleep. Cloaked around every fiber of my body is my unwelcome guest named Parkinson’s; however, the day has started anew, and there is much to accomplish. I use hope as an anchor to secure my body and mind against the slowly rising tide from Parkinson’s. There is still time while staying hopeful.
Living with a positive attitude makes a big difference. Before I get out of my recliner, it can be easy to feel sorry for myself. I have Parkinson’s, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. And that’s the negative mindset Parkinson’s has provided but I try to never allow myself to stay there for very long. There are days that are going to be difficult; yet staying positive and focusing on the plans God has for my life is where I choose to place my focus. I choose to look at my life with a positive attitude. That is completely opposite of how this disease wants me to feel and live.
I have found living this journey and sharing my story has been a privilege of a lifetime. I start each day with a prayer to focus on what plans God would have for me on that particular day. I choose to stay engaged with the everyday activities of life. Things are starting to get much tougher these days, but I make the choice every day to embrace life to its fullest. I remind myself there is much left to accomplish in my life even in the presence of Parkinson’s. I will close with a prayer I lift up to God every morning:
Dear God, thank you for another day. Simply use me today. This is going to be a good day. I remain hopeful not hopeless, positive not negative, happy not sad, and driven not complacent. Thank you for Your strength, wisdom and courage as I walk through this day. Amen. ~OC
Thank You, MLK
Good Morning! I could not let this special day go by without sharing something. I have spent the last few days working on this, so I hope it will convey what’s in my heart.
Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose life and words continue to inspire and make a difference today.
As I continue running this crazy beautiful health journey, one of my prayers over the years is that this journey would encourage and inspire at least one person.
I mean truly inspire: to provide real hope where none previously existed and help turn that hope into positive action, maybe even positive change, that may otherwise never happen.
It’s so much harder than it sounds.
What, then, do we say about a man who inspired not just one person, but an entire generation of people?
And generations beyond that?
And who will inspire generations beyond this?
On this day, we say thank you … to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose dreams, words, and actions remain as inspiring today as they were almost six decades ago.
Today we celebrate that legacy, the legacy that Dr. King left behind without ever fully leaving.
For he was true to what he said on paper, and he was true to what he said out loud. And so his words live on, some of the most meaningful in history. An everlasting testament to one of the most meaningful and inspirational lives that has ever been lived. Thank you Dr. King. ~OC
A New Day. A New Year. A New Perspective.
Today’s a new day! As we walk into a new week and are still navigating a new year, I want to share the following thoughts with you. Peace and blessings to each of you. ~OC
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 2:38
Today the Holy Spirit is calling you. He is saying, “I am here my child. I am the Resurrection and the Life. I want to appear Myself to you today in a way you never have encountered me before. I want there to be a collision between Heaven and your world.”
Maybe you are disappointed with church, with pastors, the world or even with God. Maybe you have prayed and nothing changed. Maybe you used to be in love with God but things happened and now you are disappointed, discouraged, and angry. Maybe you had a bad church experience or were hurt by a person who misrepresented God’s heart to you. Forgive them. The Holy Spirit is calling you today. Return to the Lord with all your heart. He longs for there to be a collision where everything in your life crashes with God’s Kingdom and you are forever changed. You will never be the same. I encourage you to pray this dangerous prayer today and mean it if you want all of God:
“Holy Spirit, today I surrender my life totally to Jesus Christ. I am done running and living life for myself. I make a fresh decision to follow hard after You. I give you all of my life. I receive forgiveness for my sins and I release forgiveness to those who have hurt me and betrayed me. Heal my heart. Today, show me Your truth. Break every stronghold and addiction. Flood my life with your power and presence so that I will never ever be the same. Fill me with a fresh touch from You. I want to draw nearer to you with all I am. In Jesus name Amen”
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit “-Titus 3:15
