Today’s a new day! We can choose to stand up for truth and justice or we can continue to walk in the excuses of “It’s always been that way.” Our choice. ~OC
Sometimes You Have to Speak Out
Hello! My name is Todd OC Shoemaker, I am a Missionary, Traveling Prayer Warrior and Storyteller. I use this blog to share about my health journey and thoughts that God puts on my heart. I write as a Christian, Husband and someone who cares deeply for America.
There is a time in each person’s life where you have to stand up and speak your truth. That can be difficult when you know there will be negative blowback from some family and friends. From a whole community. But I feel it’s time to take that risk. I want to share the following as America prepares for an election in November.
I do not believe that pastors and churches should endorse political candidates or political parties. I do not believe Voter Guides should be handed out by churches. I am happy that I attend a diverse church, full of people from all walks of life and political backgrounds. I believe people are smart enough to make their own decisions.
I am a registered Independent. I was a registered Republican until the party took a drastic turn in 2016. Neither party fully represents my Christian beliefs. Not even close. Both promise a lot, but rarely deliver. I tend to vote based on the issues and not the candidates.
All that to say, there is an issue I have decided I need to say something about. And that issue is former President Donald Trump. I oppose his election as President, and believe that his election could be harmful for America. I realize in the Christian community, I am probably in the minority. But I believe I must share the following.
I do not believe that Donald Trump has the best interest of our country in mind. He has shown on many occasions, that he cares more for himself than he does about America. His actions and language are dangerous. Do you realize that when he made the comment, “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes”, he was speaking at a Christian College in Iowa? The crowd laughed and clapped, and some in the audience shouted out love for the former president.
I find it hard to believe that people who claim to love Jesus, could support someone who holds and proclaims racist, sexist, and violent views. These are in direct contrast to the words and life of Jesus.
I believe that the former president has taken the name of Jesus in vain on multiple occasions. He continues to misuse the Christian faith by claiming to be “a great Christian” while not feeling the need to seek God’s forgiveness. And the sad part is so many pastors, Christian leaders and some in the Christian community continue to cheer him on and make excuses for him.
I also happen to disagree with the former President on some actual issues, but that isn’t the point. I disagree with all the candidates on various issues. My opposition to Mr. Trump is not about his political party or beliefs; this is about his character. Character should matter. Especially in the Church.
I did not vote for Mr. Trump in 2016 or 2020 and will not vote for him in November. I truly believe a second term under the former President would only cause more harm and division.
This is my choice, and I am not telling anyone who to vote for. This is still America and everyone is free to make their own decisions and follow their conscience.
I will continue to pray for this country and its leaders on both sides of the aisle. Once again, my name is Todd “OC” Shoemaker and I approve this message. ~OC
Sharing My Journey
Today’s a new day! I did not choose this journey. I didn’t choose to become an Overcomer or The Man Who Refuses to Die. But God, in His wisdom, has allowed me to live much longer than my medical team’s predictions. My blog is a peek into how I run this crazy beautiful health journey.
I am a journal keeping and scripture reading man. In the twenty-two years of running this crazy journey, I have learned to let God’s words flow through every area of my life. God has allowed me to become a traveling prayer warrior, a storyteller and missionary.
As I have run this race, God has taught me to not rush through the stories of life. He has shown me how to slow down and really listen to peoples stories and embrace the beautiful interruptions of life.
I am thankful God did not give me the whole story of this crazy health journey at once. No, in His wisdom God has only given me what he knows I can handle at that moment. Of course, without God I could never handle any of this. That’s why I choose to put everything in His hands.
As I share my journey, I try to be as honest as my heart allows. I want people to see both the pain of this journey and the faithfulness of God in the midst of the storms.
I will never minimize the darkness. Because light shines brightest in the darkness. ~OC
Storms
Today’s a new day! Living in Florida means we deal with a lot of storms. In the summer it can be sunny out, but around 3 or 4 o’clock a storm can come out of nowhere. Some days it can be raining hard in the front yard, but sunny in the back. Of course then there are the hurricanes. Some hurricanes move quickly through, while others just stall over us.
On this crazy beautiful journey called life, we will face many different storms. Sometimes there will be a light rain that comes and goes in a minute.
Then there are storms that blow in, causing havoc for everyone and everything in its path.
We don’t like walking through the storms of life. Who does? We love the sunny beach weather. But unfortunately that is not the world we live in. We will all walk through a storm or two during this life. We will all face days of blowing winds and flooding rain. But stop for just a minute and be still. In that minute, I am sure you can think of one person who is currently walking through a storm. The storms of life are hitting them from every direction. Maybe that person is you. I often hear pastors share we are either walking in a storm, just coming out of a storm or about to walk through a storm. How true. If you are currently walking through a storm, I encourage you to take hold of the strong hand of God. He will lift you up as you face the raging seas.
When we walk through a storm, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us or isn’t listening to our prayers. On the contrary, the scriptures tell us in this life we will all face troubles. We like to skip over those scriptures. But that doesn’t change the fact that we will all face trials in life. Even when we walk through a storm, we can take heart because God has overcome this world. That means He will never leave or forsake us. That should bring peace and comfort to everyone.
I have walked through many storms in my life. I have come to learn these storms have a purpose. That may not always be clear as we are walking through a raging storm. But if we will take the time to listen, God will reveal the lessons he has for us as we walk through those turbulent storms. I have learned God never wastes a storm. God can use a storm to show us the purpose for our lives or to reconnect us to our true purpose in life.
Hopefully this will bring you peace as you walk through your storm. Especially if you have walked through a storm for many years. You have been praying and crying out to God, but it appears he is not listening. Believe me I have been there. I have been walking through a stormy season for the last 22 years. I have been hit by one storm after another. So I get it my friend. Life can be hard. But in the mist of my storms, I have seen God grow my faith in a life changing way. God has allowed me to share His story with many as I walk the halls of the hospital, during treatments and medical appointments. As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, God continues to show me that my worth and value are not tied to my health, career, success or whatever I might achieve in life. No, my value and worth are found in being a child of God. In being chosen by him, called by him, and equipped by him for a purpose. Even during the storms.
Sometimes our lives are rocked by the storms of life, so that we can rebuild on a stronger foundation. On the firm foundation of God. ~OC
Love Our Neighbors…No Exceptions
Today’s a new day! In the age of social media and partisan cable news, one of the most common questions I get as a Christian is how do I stay in relationship with the family member or friend who believes differently than I do? It can be difficult when we are all firing off text and social media post without giving it any thought or even taking a breath. Things can get nasty and personal real quick.
I recommend that each of us get in the habit of never posting a quick reply to another person’s post or text we disagree with. This can be difficult. We so desperately want to share our opinions. If something someone has posted or shared really bothers you, take a day to think about it and then message them. Maybe you need to type something out to get your feelings on screen. If you’re like me, once you get your feelings out, you realize there is no real need to push send.
Sometimes you may need to adjust the settings on your email or social media to “mute” a certain person’s messages. They don’t have to know you aren’t reading the stuff they are sharing and forwarding to you. You can spare yourself and them the awkward discussion of why you “unfriended” them.
Other times you may have to take the hard step of “un-friending” someone or maybe just letting that person know you need to communicate with them in other ways besides social media, text or email, because you can’t keep your emotions in check. I’ve had to make this move with some close friends, because what they share or post provokes a reaction in me I don’t like. I’m pretty sure the stuff I share and post has caused that same kind of reaction in them. I’m definitely sure that what either of has posted has never changed their mind or mine.
Finally, there are those people who share such negative and personal things that it may amount to emotional abuse. In such cases, setting firm boundaries is necessary for your own well-being and health. Loving your neighbor can only happen from a safe distance with some people.
Remember the biggest companies with the smartest minds are working non-stop to keep us glued to our phone, tablet and computer. They make money and lots of it, the longer we keep using their app or watching their channel. The easiest way to keep us making money for them is to keep us outraged. There are genuine things to be outraged about in the world, but few of them are ever changed by a shared social media post, a forwarded email or text.
Sadly, our culture does not reward maintaining relationships with people different from ourselves. It rewards outrage and remaining in your own bubble. Yet, if we are really going to “Love our neighbor. No exceptions.” it has to cut both ways.
Nobody ever said this Christian life would be easy. ~OC
I Choose…
Today’s a new day!
Even if you look different than me…I will still choose to love you.
Even if you came from a different country…I will still choose to love you.
Even if you worship differently than me…I will still choose to love you.
Even if you speak a different language than me…I will still choose to love you.
Even if you live a different lifestyle than me…I will still choose to love you.
Even if you vote differently than me…I will still choose to love you.
As I continue to run this crazy beautiful journey, I will always choose love over hate. ~OC
Love Your Neighbor
Today’s a new day! Back in the day, Jesus made both the right and the left mad. The Zealots were mad because they wanted a political revolution, and he made the Pharisees mad because he wasn’t religious enough. The Romans didn’t get him either. I personally believe we’re at a pivotal moment in our history and I think it’s important to stop and get to know and love our neighbors. All of our neighbors. To stop and love those with different opinions. To truly listen first and respectfully speak second. ~OC
Thoughts on Friendship
Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I have seen many of my friendships change. More than ever, I have looked for my friends to stand by me and catch me before I fall and break, like Humpty Dumpty.
But like a “trust-fall” exercise gone wrong – right when you need their safety net the most – a lot of friends aren’t there. And sometimes the fall is hard.
The pain and disappointment of slowly losing friends can be overwhelming. It’s a blindsiding blow that you never see coming.
Since my health journey started way back in 2002, I have been hurt by the unpredictable disappearance of a number of friendships that I truly thought were solid.
As I have walked through this loss, I initially reacted the way most who are rejected and took it personally, adding insult to my health journey.
The following questions have flooded my mind at different times during my health journey:
Was it my fault somehow?
Was it something I did or said, or didn’t do or say?
How did I not see this coming?
Those questions never had any real answers and just kept me spinning in an unresolved circular loop. That began to shift when I learned that many people dealing with chronic and longtime health issues deal with the very same issues.
I began to realize that many times the friends who left were the very people I believed I could count on the most.
I began to realize the issue was not me, but was those friends. They either lacked compassion, a willingness to be uncomfortable or they just couldn’t handle watching a friend decline day by day and year by year.
I guess I just assumed some friends would always be there for me. I thought wrong.
Maybe they excused themselves by rationalizing that they were “too busy”?
I have had some friends share they don’t want to bother me. That I need my rest. You can only rest for so many hours in a day.
I have friends not think to invite me to some function because “I did not think you would be up for it.” You never know unless you ask.
Other friends have mentioned they just figured my house is always full of company. Not the case.
Or, maybe for some, it’s because they are still able to hold onto the illusion that they maintain a level of control – something I have clearly lost in many ways. No cold, hard reality has come along to shatter that for them yet.
Who really knows why some friends chose to leave.
I have wondered if it’s realistic to think we can really know or count on the staying power of our friends until we encounter and work through adversity together.
Things that we believe are shared between us – unique connection, loyalty, understanding, tolerance, mutuality, honesty, trust, humor, etc. – are much easier when they are not put to any serious test.
Since there are no friendship vows, I have had to get clear about my boundaries and the friendship qualities that matter the most.
During this health journey, I have had Christian friends question my faith and asked what sin am I living with? Our one of my favorites, everyone is going to die; you just know what your dying from. Another favorite is “Well you have lasted this long.”
Once I got past the sting of some friendships fading like a sunset, I started focusing on the friends who have stuck around. They are more important than those friends that have chosen to fade away.
Those friends who have decided to run the race with me are like a healing balm that constantly renews my weary spirit. Thank you.
These wonderful souls in my life, show me that there are still many compassionate people out there who truly understand how to be a true friend.
Friendships lost is an experience that I didn’t ask for and didn’t want, yet it woke me up to not settle for anything less than solid, real and caring friendships. ~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
The Blessed Overcomer 