Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I believe God allows us to walk through trials and storms to prepare and strengthen us for a greater purpose in life than we could otherwise fulfill. ~OC
Come Together
Today’s a new day! God, you created all of us in your beautiful image. Open our hearts and minds to this truth. Help us to recognize that all of us, regardless of skin color are your children. Dear God, help us build bridges of community and hope and not walls of hate and separation. Teach us to love, serve and listen. Open our eyes to the sin of racism. Give us the boldness and courage to stand up against the evil of racism and all hate. Dear God, teach us to celebrate our differences and to see diversity as a strength and not a weakness. Bless us with grace and patience to work together to end racism and hate in our world. Dear God, give each of us the desire to truly live together as brothers and sisters. Amen. ~OC
Me Without You
Running this morning and got caught by the red light. Saw a homeless man staring at me
He was holding a sign that read Need A Little Help and God Bless
A sign of the times
As the light changed and I started running again, I looked back and couldn’t help but think I knew that man
That thought pierced my heart
Later that day on my way home
I noticed another man sitting on the side of the road talking to himself
He looked lost, sad and angry
He was not in a good state of mind
As I drove by, I looked back
I couldn’t help but think I knew that man
That thought pierced my heart
In the middle of the night as I tossed and turned, I thought about those two men, then truth hit me and pierced my heart
I sat up and cried out to God
That could be me without You
Only by the grace of God am I sleeping in a comfortable bed and not under a bridge or wondering around in a lost state of mind
God, I praise you for your blessings and grace
I saw a man on the news
He looked like a regular guy, but his life had taken a different turn, he was going to spend the rest of his days locked away surrounded by prison walls
As the story ended, I couldn’t help but think I knew that man
That thought pierced my heart
All day, I thought about that man from the news and wondered what led him astray
Then it hit me straight in my heart
I looked up to Heaven and cried out to God
That could be me without You
Only by the grace of God am I living in freedom and not locked away in a prison cell
God I praise you for your blessings and grace
As I travel around town and see all the pain and broken dreams, I close my eyes and realize how different my life would be and I look up to Heaven and give praise
Dear God, those could be my stories without you
Thank you for saving me
And praise You for your blessings and grace ~OC
Reading and Traveling
Reading and Traveling
Today’s a new day! I encourage everyone to read all types of books and travel to all kinds of different places,
If you choose not to read or travel, you may end up believing your story is the only story,
If you choose not to read or travel, you may end up believing
that your skin color is the only one
that matters,
that your language
is the one everyone else should be speaking,
that your opinions are the only ones that count,
Reading and Traveling,
allows our hearts and minds to be moved, challenged and changed,
Reading and Traveling,
allows us to experience the beautiful diversity of the world,
to experience the beauty of another culture,
Reading and Traveling,
allows us to learn that people from around the world are not that different,
We all dream and want the best for our families,
Reading and Traveling,
allows us to experience truth for ourselves instead of believing everything someone tells us or we see online,
Reading and Traveling,
allows us to see what people are capable of beyond our borders,
Reading and Traveling,
teaches us to go beyond what we think we’re capable of,
to keep dreaming,
Reading and Traveling,
unites us beyond our differences,
Keep Reading and Traveling. ~OC
White Christian Nationalism
Today’s a new day! I believe one of the biggest threats to America and the American Church is White Christian Nationalism. This false doctrine has been around for years, but since 2016 White Christian Nationalism has become a major problem in the American Church and the Christian community. Sadly, I have seen it separate churches, families and friends. White Christian Nationalism, has definitely made it difficult to be a white Christian who does not believe in the teachings of this cult like community.
White Christian Nationalism is far from the teachings of Jesus. Christian Nationalism is a political movement cleverly wrapped up in religious language. The movement is more concerned about spreading the American gospel and less concerned with sharing the love of Jesus. The movement wants control over people and issues they do not agree with -which is the exact opposite of what the Gospel teaches us. The Bible shares Jesus came as a servant who sacrificed lhis life for all of us, whether we’re gay, transgender, straight, rich, poor, black, white, refugee, different languages, backgrounds or faith.
Those who have been corrupted by White Christian Nationalism do not reflect the teachings of Jesus and how He lived his life. The theme of the Bible is God’s amazing love and sacrifice for all of us – regardless of our skin color, political affiliation, economic status or sexual identity. As a Christian, I believe God’s love is for ALL people. The Gospel is a beautiful gift. This life changing gift should never be used as a weapon against people or issues we disagree with.
What can Christians who disagree with the false teachings of White Christian Nationalism do? We can continue to pray. We must become more educated about this false and dangerous movement. We must speak up about the dangers of White Christian Nationalism. As Christians, we must earnestly pray that the false teachings of Christian Nationalism come to light in churches and in the hearts of those blinded by the lies of this cult. That truth prevails.
During this election year, Christians against White Christian Nationalism cannot be misled by self-serving politicians or Christians who are promoting false teachings. We cannot be silent like the Churches and Christians in Germany were in the days of Hitler. As Christians who truly believe in the teachings of Jesus, we must continue to live lives of love and respect for ALL of our neighbors regardless if we agree with them or not. ~OC
Love and Prayers
Today’s a new day! Love and prayers have no boundaries. They can be heard and felt in every part of the world. Love and prayers can be instantly translated into any language. ~OC
A Gift
Today’s a new day! Believe it or not, this crazy beautiful health journey is a gift, and I do not intend to waste a day of it. Have I experienced tough moments? Yes, I have. Multiple surgeries, multiple near death experiences, hours of treatment and too many hospital stays to count. But during this long journey, God has allowed me to hear the stories of some amazing people and share my own story. If I had allowed my health issues to become my identity, I would have missed out on so many beautiful moments along the way. Does my life look different than what I had dreamed of? Yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I no longer rush through life. I embrace every moment. My life is not dictated by meetings and deadlines. I make it a point to connect with at least one friend a day. My goal is no longer to climb some corporate ladder, but to build bridges of love and encouragement. A time clock has been replaced by a get to clock. This health journey that the world would deem a negative, has become a story of hope and overcoming. My body might be broken, but I will allow God to pick up the pieces and create something beautiful. I invite everyone to come along and run this beautiful journey with me. ~OC
Faithful Friend
Today’s a new day! Sadly, as I have run this crazy beautiful health journey, several friends decided to walk away. But this is not about them. No, this letter is for you.
Dear Faithful Friend, I want you to know you are one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me. Coming from a person who has watched many friends walk away, I am thankful that I never had to see what it would look like as you walked away. You have been a constant. You have been persistent. You have been faithful. You have constantly showed me that people are capable of caring unconditionally. Friends like you are hard to find these days, even in people who call themselves Christians.
I am thankful that you have never left, as I have run this crazy beautiful health journey. You haven’t just stayed during the good times, you have decided to run with me even as my body has went through one trial after another. You care for me even when I have nothing to offer.
You have seen the worst parts of this health journey. You know the good and not so good in this season. You know God gives us things exactly when we need them… that’s proven to be true because of the fact that He has blessed me to call you friend. Our paths crossed because God saw that I needed a faithful friend. He was right. I needed someone who intercedes in prayer on my behalf without me asking. I needed someone who would sharpen me as I walk through this journey.
I have studied the Bible to see what it means to be a good friend and most of the things I have read are qualities that you possess. I have seen you run with me at my weakest moments. You have been an honest voice. I have seen you build me up and encourage me. You have had my back in ways I will never be able to truly thank you for.
I am so thankful for your friendship.
I can only pray that I have had a small impact on your life. You have helped me become a better person as I run this crazy beautiful health journey. I pray for you and your family on a daily basis and I hope you know that I am here in all seasons for you, just like you have been there for me. I do not write any of this lightly. Thank you for being a faithful friend. I am thankful for your friendship in my life. ~OC
Be Still
Today’s a new day! Do you ever just sit still, with no distractions except your thoughts?
I believe this is one way to truly know God and experience His true peace.
In those quiet times with God, we experience the stress of the world fade away and feel the hopeful peace only He can provide. You may also discover that God uses that time to provide answers to those difficult situations in life.
What a joy it is to just rest in the peace of God. It reminds me of the beautiful scripture Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
I believe that it’s vital for us to rest in the presence of God. Life is crazy with family, careers, phones that never stop buzzing , a world filled with constant distractions and countless decisions to make on a daily basis.
These are not necessarily bad things, and they are all a part of the world in which we live today. But, it can be difficult to tap the brakes and slow down when we try to spend quiet time with God. So many times we rush through a short passage of scripture and our list of prayer requests, keeping one eye on our phone to make sure we don’t miss that text or social media post.
I think it’s awesome if you’re spending time in the Bible and lifting your prayers up to God, but I would encourage you to spend more time being still and truly listening to the voice of God.
I believe God wants us to share our praises, struggles and victories in life with Him, but I also believe God wants us to move beyond that and into a place where we simply sit with Him, resting in His presence. In His peace.
As we begin to do this, I believe we will find the stress and distractions of the world diminishing in the hopeful peace of God who saves, and we might just discover that He uses that quite time to provide answers to the difficult moments in our lives. ~OC
Three Steps
Today’s a new day! As I walk through this crazy beautiful journey, I continue to notice so many people making a simple relationship with God much too difficult. In my personal experience, I have discovered if I do these three things daily everything else seems to flow properly.
1). Pray. Each morning I wake up giving God thanks for another day. I thank Him for the many blessings in my life. I pray for others. Then I listen. Each day I want to improve on making sure my prayer time is centered more and more on gratefulness and listening.
2). Time in my Bible. As I pray, I seek guidance on what book and chapter I should read in the Bible for that day. Sometimes, God has me reading through a certain book of the Bible, but I always seek His guidance as I spend time in the Word. Then I reflect on what I have read that morning. Sometimes it leads me to journal and sometimes it leads me to just listen.
3). Do what God says. As I finish my time of prayer and reading, I do not rush off to complete the days agenda. No, I spend more time just listening to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then I simply do what God wants me to do for that day. When I choose to live this way, I am able to be part of the bigger God story. That is the most amazing gift in life.
This three-step approach is as complicated as my faith gets. The hardest part of this faith journey is learning to slow down. We tend to have this false narrative, that if something is going to happen, then we must make it happen. But as I slow down in life and try to live out this three-step approach, God continues to teach me that’s not how our faith works at all. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 