Today’s a new day! Praying for those who stay strong even when they feel weak. Praying for those who feel tired and sad, but cannot say anything because the word’s just will not come out. Praying for those who hide all their pain just not to bother anyone and keep a smile on their faces all the time.
Praying for those who want to scream, but they stay calm to not rock the boat. Praying for the fighters, the survivors, the overcomers who keep pushing through every single day even though they may give up along the way but manage to get up again. Praying for everyone who continues to grind. Please do not run your race alone. Reach out. I am praying for you. ~OC
Taste
Today’s a new day! Dear Christian’s, imagine everyone we come in contact leaves with a little taste of what Heaven will be like. Will they walk away with a taste of honey or vinegar from their encounter? ~OC
Keep Pushing
Today’s a new day! Back in my running days, I had the honor of coaching a few runners as they trained for upcoming races. I challenged them to run further than they thought they could. To change up their diet. To push past what they thought they could do. My friends were not always happy with the way I pushed them until they crossed the finish line of a race. Then they could look back and see how all the training and pushing helped them achieve their goals.
There are some Christians, who are not always happy with my post. Some think I push the envelope a little too much. They’re not always comfortable with the way I push and encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to do better. To actually live out the scriptures we read in the Bible. To truly be the hands and feet of Jesus.
But just like I always pushed those runners to go harder, I will continue to push the Christian Community to do better. This race we’re running is more important than any 5K, half-marathon or marathon. A lost and hurting world is depending on us. Finish Strong! ~OC
Love is Choosing…
Today’s a new day! In John 13:35, we read the following words: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Yesterday, someone I know attacked me in a private message for sharing a post about how we should love and respect women in power. It was a post to encourage everyone to show love and respect to women. This friend decided my post was somehow a political statement and decided to lash out and end our friendship.
I chose not to respond to this friend’s message. Instead, I chose to pray for this person and anyone else who might have such hate in their hearts. I decided to show love and forgiveness.
Love should never be a debate. But sometimes we, even as Christians, can get so caught up in being right, that we forget what really matters. This is sadly evident on social media. It saddens me when I think of the ways so many people treat each other on these platforms. So many sides, so many opinions, yelling back and forth at each other, each claiming they are right. It breaks my heart seeing all the angry post and unkind comments.
Is all this hate worth it?
The only thing that matters in the end is not whether the other person was wrong or right, but that we showed them love, that we showed them who God is. Because the truth is, as Christians we have a freedom and a hope that is life changing. In the light of eternity, we do not have to prove ourselves right on every issue; instead, we can live our lives marked by love. We can never argue people into believing the Gospel, but God’s love can draw them to the Gospel.
Think about this: Jesus died for that gay or transgender person, Jesus died for that corrupt politician, Jesus died for the person who wrote that post that made you so angry or sad. Jesus died for them, because He loves them.
Now, don’t get me wrong, loving someone doesn’t mean you agree with everything they say, or that you just accept everything as right. Sometimes, loving someone means having tough, but constructive conversations. This can be difficult. But it’s all about how we express ourselves in our words and actions.
Instead of shaming someone for what they think, we can respectfully disagree. Instead of letting our anger or fear get the better of us on social media, stick to what you believe while letting others know that they are loved. Showing love in the middle of a disagreement can be a beautiful gift.
Let love be the attitude you show towards others. I may not agree with you, but I love you despite that, because God loves me despite all of my flaws.
If we make the choice to live a life of love, people will notice, and they will wonder why we are so different. Especially now, during these times of so much hate and division. We need to step up and let our light shine more than ever.
What is love? In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 love is described this way:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thing.”
What a beautiful picture of love. Patient, kind, not self-seeking. Ask yourself this: What do you want to be known for in this life? How do you want to live your life?
As we run this journey called life, will we mess up? Say the wrong thing. Post the wrong thing. Absolutely! But God never expects perfection from us. No, He only asks us to take one small step, one act of love, and trust that He will continue to grow us.
How do we grow in love?
First, and most important, we pray. If we ask God to grow us in any area of our lives, He is faithful to answer. Not always in a way we might choose, but in a way that’s best for us.
We can share love and hope in every area of our lives. Even on social media. We can choose to post encouraging messages on our pages. We can choose to scroll past the debates that stir up anger in us. We can choose not to get involved in the madness.
As we read 1 Corinthian 13:1-3, we see how love should be behind all of our actions:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
As we continue to grow and walk out this journey called life, we can choose to do the following:
Love is choosing to respect and serve others…
Love is choosing not to judge others…
Love is choosing to be a bright light in a dark world…
Love is choosing to stand up against hate and racism…
Love is choosing to embrace diversity…
Love is choosing to admit when we’re wrong…
Love is God’s heart for each of us…
I believe that love has the power to change both our hearts, and this broken world. I will always choose love. ~OC
God’s Plan
Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I keep my eyes on God. I continue to run the race God created me to run. I don’t get caught up in comparing or competing with others running their own race. I refuse to allow my health battle to become my identity. I continue to run with hope. I continue to lean into the promises of God. I continue to trust God’s plan for my race. I keep believing. I continue to believe in miracles. I continue to love and respect everyone God allows me to run with on this journey. I refuse to hate. I refuse to give up. I refuse to put a time limit on the beautiful hopes, dreams and promises of God. I continue to live. ~OC
Embrace Silence
Today’s a new day! As I walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, one of the issues caused by my health battle is with my voice. As I write this morning, my voice is becoming weaker and weaker. Over the course of this crazy beautiful health journey, I have experienced many hours without a voice. While my voice issues have made it difficult for others to communicate with me, I have found amazing peace in my own silence. I love having the time to sit quietly with my thoughts and to sometimes just be present without thinking at all. I also love quietly watching what is going on around me without having to connect to the conversations. During the course of this crazy beautiful journey, I have grown to love the silence in my life.
In my silence, I have learned or reinforced many lessons that I already knew.
1). Silence allows me the time to create a beautiful container for my own thoughts. Sometimes the chatter that I engage in takes away my ability to be present and to trust my own thoughts and desires. The silence has given me the space to allow what God put in my heart to resonate more fully within me. The silence has allowed me to hear and connect with God in an intimate and powerful way.
2). As a Speaker, my voice was often used as a tool to tell stories and to connect with people. Dealing with voice issues, forced me to trust God and others in new ways.
3). As my voice became more of an issue, my love of writing became stronger. I have been blessed to write two books and start a blog. Issues with my physical voice can never silence me.
4). Vulnerability is a reality of life. Sometime illness takes away our ability to function; it also makes me realize how we sometimes need to rely on others. That’s not a sign of weakness. No, it’s just part of being human.
As I have shared, my health journey is a gift. A gift that keeps taking away so many things, but also allowing me to experience so many beautiful moments. Losing my voice has given me time to reflect and to make some decisions for how I will navigate my life a little differently. Perspective has come from the silence. Instead of me just speaking the words that come to me, I have had the opportunity to stop and take the opportunity to reflect before acting too quickly. Much can be learned in the space between the words (spoken or written).
My hope is that I will create a little more silence in my life as I continue to navigate this crazy beautiful health journey. I hope you take the time to experience the beautiful gift of silence in your own life. ~OC
Pillars of Truth
Today’s a new day! To my brothers and sisters in the Christian community. I am greatly concerned and disappointed that so many Christians appear so willing to sacrifice the mandates of God to be pillars of truth by trafficking in lies for political gain. Something to think and pray about today. ~OC
Romans 8
In Romans 8:5-11, we see the difference between a Christian and the non-Christian, or as Paul says, those who set their minds on the Spirit and those who set their minds on the flesh. I think the difference between these two kinds of people, is like the difference between a fake flower and a real flower. The fake flower has no imperfections, it’s perfect in every way, and it does probably look much better than a real flower, though it’s entirely dead and void of all life. The real flower though, has imperfections to it that reflect its own uniqueness. The real flower might even be drooping and losing a few pedals but it’s truly alive. When you give water to the real flower, it’s likely to spring back up and grow healthier and stronger.
Such it is with those in the flesh and those in the Spirit. Those in the flesh might look like they’re thriving and strong, perfect in every way, but they’re dead. While those in the Spirit are fully alive even though they have imperfections and might droop just a little. Day by day the Spirit sees to them, nurturing them with resurrection life until the day they blossom fully at Christ’s return.
Romans 8:5-11, reminds us that we cannot have two masters. We cannot be in Adam and in Christ. We cannot be in the flesh and in the Spirit. We’re either under the hand of sin or walking in the freedom of Christ. It can be a constant battle.
Where are you today? Who or what has power over you today? I pray you’re living in the beautiful peace of God today. And may you be filled with His amazing Spirit. ~OC
Reconstructing Over Deconstruction
Today’s a new day! I have noticed a lot of articles and conversations about Christians Deconstructing from their faith. It seems to be a hot topic these days. Before I go any further, let me share that I am not deconstructing from my faith. Even though I can definitely understand why many believers are choosing to walk down that road. Have you noticed how some churches and Christians treat people? And the Christian on Christian meanness is unbelievable. It seems like these days if you do not walk and believe in the latest Christian talking points you might just get ostracized or ghosted.
I get it. I have been there. In 2019, after being given only weeks to live, I experienced a beautiful miracle from God. The man given the nickname “The Man Who Refuses to Die,” was given a beautiful gift from God. More time. After that miracle in 2019, I was the flavor of the month among many in the Christian Community. I was asked to speak and pray at churches and different gatherings. People from around the world wanted to hang out with the “Miracle Man.” I do not share this to brag. No, I share this because that part of my life was only for a short season. The “Miracle Man” had the audacity to get really sick again. Not something I wanted or prayed for. But some in the Christian community, decided my declining health issues must be from lack a lack of faith or unresolved sin in my life. Even though many in the Christian community have tried to put that on me and still do today, I never allowed those lies and poor theology get in my heart and mind. So just a few short years after the miracle of 2019, I went from being the flavor of the month to the man many forgot.
If I was ever going to deconstruct, that would have been the time. The same people who invited me to every spiritual gathering and get together, now appeared to have lost my number. Since my health has taken a turn for the worse, I have not heard from many who used to call me brother. Those who were so quick to use my story have chosen to stop walking with the man behind the story.
So, I understand why people walk away from their faith disillusioned. I understand how difficult it is to make sense of your faith when it appears life is falling apart all around you. I understand how difficult it can be to keep your faith in the middle of the storm.
And yet, here I am. My faith is stronger than ever. I have walked through counterfeit churches and Christians and held onto my faith. I have chosen not to deconstruct from my faith; but reconstruct my faith.
What are you talking about? I know, some of you are just learning about deconstruction and I am adding in a new phrase. What is Reconstructed Faith? I may have just created a new phrase.
Reconstructed Faith means God is bigger than any problem we will ever face in life. I believe many Christians put God in a box. We all think we have God figured out until life punches us in the face. But after life knocks you to your knees, you begin to ask more questions. You begin to examine your life and faith a little more closely.
The events I experienced after my miracle in 2019, did not lead me to reconstruct my faith. No, that started years earlier. I am still walking that process out.
As I continue to walk out my faith journey, I realize more and more how important it is to keep my focus on God; not on the Church or other Christians. The Church and Christian Community are filled with flawed individuals. All of us are flawed humans who fail at living God’s ways a lot of the time. But I pray you give both the Church and God’s people a second or third chance. God can and will answer your questions. God can and will heal us from all of the hurt and pain.
Instead of Deconstructing from your faith, allow God to pull you close to Him in the middle of your storm and hold you close. God desires to change us midst of our trials. Even though sometimes it feels easier to walk away from our faith, God desires for us to have an intimate relationship with Him. ~OC
Not Political
Good morning. Sorry this is a little long, but I wanted to share.
Today’s a new day! We are walking through what will be my least favorite part of 2024. The upcoming election.
Can I be honest for a minute? For me, the past few election cycles have felt like being the child in the middle of a brutal custody battle between two scorned parents. Just my opinion.
How many social media posts have you seen the past few years that went something along the lines of “If you vote for ‘insert candidate of choice here’ go ahead and unfriend me?” Or “If you believe ‘insert single issue belief here’ go ahead and unfriend me?” I have friends and family – people I love and respect – on both sides of the political aisle, and what makes this ongoing disunity even more difficult to watch is that a lot of these people profess to be followers of Jesus.
I have seen the religious vote (and the moral high ground) claimed by both the right and left. People from each political party claiming Jesus teachings as their own. But let me share some truth with you. No political party or politician has the market cornered on Christian beliefs. Despite religious rhetoric or faith-based endorsements, both the Republican, Democratic and Independent parties fall painfully short of the gospel.
And why shouldn’t they? All political parties are flawed organizations that are not tasked with carrying out the gospel. And therein lies the problem: too many people’s identities have become more wrapped up in their political affiliation than in their identity in Jesus.
As this election year heats up, I have heard people from both sides of the political aisle scream “You cannot be a Christian if you support this candidate or that candidate. “You cannot truly be a Christian if you vote for or against a certain amendment.
These statements and those like them should not be spoken from the pulpit or shared on social media. Because Jesus is not a Republican, Democrat or an Independent. Sorry to burst your bubble. Our salvation does not depend on a political party or who you vote for. Our salvation depends solely on Jesus. We cannot vote our way into (or out of) the Kingdom of Heaven. Since our salvation is not dependent on any political stance, that means that our beliefs on education, healthcare, immigration, LGBT rights, or any other hot topic issue does not make or break our identity in Christ. What Jesus did for us on the Cross is so much bigger than a political party, candidate or how we vote.
We are living in dangerous times when a group of people decide their worldview is the only legitimate Christian view. It makes me remember the Pharisees and religious leaders from the Bible who expected Jesus to come and overthrow Rome, and to show them that their way was the only true way. But Jesus never did that. If you truly study scripture, He often did the exact opposite to the dismay of the religious leaders.
As I study the Bible, I read scripture after scripture that commands us to love our enemies. That seems easy enough because we think we do not have any enemies. Right? But what about that person you stopped talking to because their political views did not match yours? What about that friend you unfriended because they support something you’re against? Let’s be honest, in this time of division we all need to check our hearts.
As Christians we talk a lot about winning souls for Jesus. To bring a little bit of Heaven to earth. But are we truly doing that? According to Jesus, the Kingdom he talked about was not about a political party. The Kingdom of God isn’t something we simply hope for when we die – It is something we are to make here on earth as it is in heaven. We are called to unite with other believers (even if we disagree with them) to help bring together a world that is divided, hateful and honestly a complete mess right now. As Christians we must realize that the Kingdom of God will never be fully realized through worldly governments and politicians. It will only be realized through the radical life changing love of Jesus.
We have been sold fear for so long, that we are afraid of anyone that is ‘other’ than us. For some, their identities have become so wrapped up in political parties that they have dehumanized those across the political aisle. But as I study scripture, I read that as Christians we are suppose to be the ones that welcome EVERYONE to the table. As believers we can no longer hide behind a computer or claim working for unity and what is right is too hard. We have to take a seat at the table and have constructive discussions with everyone. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 