Today’s a new day! This crazy beautiful health journey, has opened my eyes to seeing the amazing, ordinary, everyday gifts of life. As my body continues to waste away, inwardly I am being renewed day by day. Experiencing life with new eyes. With a new perspective. ~OC
It’s Time
Today’s a new day! As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I wanted to share the following with you. ~OC
Today, It’s our calling to support our friends, colleagues, and family members and to stand against senseless acts of violence and systemic racism. We need each other now more than ever if this nation is to ever truly move forward and heal the broken systems established years ago.
It’s time we stand in solidarity as individuals and communities to change a system that has been filled with racism for way too long.
It’s time we educate ourselves.
It’s time we change our broken systems.
It’s time we respect our black brothers, sisters, and People of Color.
It’s time we demand equal rights for all.
It’s time we allow the destruction for powerful reform to take place.
It’s time to accept and respect each other regardless of our differences.
It’s time we stopped using hate to conquer hate.
It’s time we truly love our black brothers and sisters. And not just for the month of February.
It’s time we bring real change to America and beyond.
Life
Today’s a new day! Our wrinkles mean we have laughed and cried in life. The gray hair or lack of hair means we have cared for someone. The scars collected over the years means we have truly lived. Celebrate Living! ~OC
A Friday Prayer
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
The Blessed Overcomer 