Today’s a new day!
In this day and age, it is very easy to throw stones. All you have to do is scroll through social media for a few minutes and you will see all kinds of stones being thrown.
My prayer is that we will drop the stones from our hands and extend our open hands to those in need. To love on people instead of throwing stones at them. To throw some grace their way instead of stones.
Remember, the only one qualified to throw stones didn’t. Instead He gave His life on the cross for us. ~OC
Several friends suggested I should share my video. So here you go. This is part of my story. ~OC
If someone were to asked you what was your calling in life, would you be able to answer that question? Would you even know what the person was talking about? Answering the question of what is your calling in life is a pretty big deal. Nothing to take lightly. So what is a Calling?
According to the dictionary, a Calling is a vocation, profession, or trade; a call or summons; a strong impulse or inclination. A pretty simple definition, but a life changing decision we all make at some point in our lives.
As a Christian, I believe God has called each of us to live a life of serving Him and others. Of course that is going to look different for each of us. Some will be called into full-time ministry. Others will be called to serve in their given profession. I believe God has a specific role for each of us that will use our unique gifts, talents, experiences and connections.
As most of you know, I am a former long-distance runner. I ran cross country in high school, a little running in college, but had not run in years when I felt God calling me to start running again in 2003. Oh, did I mention that God shared that calling with me while I was having open-heart surgery to remove a nasty tumor from my chest? It would have been very easy for me to dismiss this calling as way too much anesthesia. I mean really, who has a vision of running marathons while having life-threatening surgery? But several days after surgery, I still felt that calling on my life. I could not escape it. So five months after major surgery, I went on my first run in years. Answering that call changed my life in so many ways. Let me share just a few.
When I heard God calling me to start running marathons, I also heard him share that I was not going to be running just to run. No, I would be running to share God’s story in my life. How He was walking me through this crazy beautiful journey. Of course back in 2004 when I started running again, I had no clue this health journey would last this long. I am thankful for that. As I started running marathons, I felt God calling me to run for those who could not run themselves. My wife Laura started making shirts with the names of people I was running for. It became a topic of discussion at my races. People asked me questions about the shirts and why I was running. During those discussions, I was able to share not only about the names on the shirts, but I was able to share my faith.
During my running career, I was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s. All the sudden, I was the cancer survivor and Parkinson’s patient running marathons. Then God woke me up on New Year’s Day in 2008 and called me to run a 1,000 miles in one year. Crazy I know. But with that calling came request for interviews and speaking engagements. More opportunities to share my faith with a larger audience. That was an amazing season of life.
The call to running saved my life. Really OC? How could running save your life? I am glad you asked. When my body started shutting down in March 2009, the prognosis was not great. Some medical staff were not sure if I would make it through the night. But of course I did. Then I made it through the month. Then I made it through the year. And ten years later I am still here. Almost all of my medical team shared I survived because I was in such great physical shape from running. That running had also made me mentally tough.
I often think back to 2003, when I felt God calling me to run marathons. What if I would have decided to ignore that calling? How different would my life be today? Even though I am no longer able to physically run, I still love running. I love talking about it, reading books on running, talking with other runners and coaching runners. Ten years after having to give up running, I still have the mentality of a runner. I believe my faith and my running mentality have kept me alive and thriving.
So how can you find your calling in life? Here are a few ways I found helpful.
Prayer. Being in prayer helps us discern God’s calling on our lives. If you are confused about the calling on your life, spend more time in prayer. God will make things clear. Never stop praying.
Obedience. Are you willing to follow through with the calling on your life, even when it forces you out of your comfort zone?
Trust. You may not understand the calling on your life at first. Others may tell you it’s crazy. I got some weird looks and responses when I told people God had called me to run marathons. Do not listen to the doubters. Keep your eyes on God and trust Him for guidance and direction.
What is God calling you to today? I pray that God will guide your steps as you seek His calling in your life. ~OC
In Luke 23:39-43 of the Bible, the scriptures discuss two thieves hanging next to Jesus on the day of His crucifixion. They were both guilty of their crimes, but they both took totally different approaches to their encounter with Jesus. Jesus who was innocent of all charges, but was taking on all of our sins.
We read in Luke 23:39, where one of the thieves looks at Jesus and mocks him by saying, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! This man who was guilty of his crimes, approached Jesus with contempt and doubt. How many times have we done that in our own lives? How many times have we challenged Jesus to prove himself for our benefit? Yet, Jesus never becomes angry. He never retaliates. Jesus just loves. He continues to show patience.
In Luke 23:40, we see the second thief takes a totally different approach to his encounter with Jesus. This thief is just as guilty as the first thief. Yet, he humbled himself before the Lord of Lords. The second thief rebukes the first thief saying, “Don’t you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence? We are being punished justly for our crimes. Getting what we deserve. But this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong.” Then we read in Luke 23:42, the second thief turns to Jesus and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into you kingdom.” This man could have been like the first thief and mocked Jesus. But he realized who Jesus truly was in that moment. We do not know a lot about this thief, but we know he admitted to his poor choices in life. In that moment this thief knew he needed Jesus. This man probably didn’t have all the scriptures memorized. He probably didn’t know any of the Christianize. He just came to Jesus warts and all. Jesus responds to this thief with the following words in Luke 23:43, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Wow! This verse wrecks me every time I read it.
These two thieves had the same opportunity to come to Jesus. One was more concerned about being saved from his current situation, while the other was more concerned about being with Jesus for eternity. Jesus gives each of us the same opportunities. In Luke 23, Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of the gospel. A true depiction of love and forgiveness.
We are all like the two thieves in Luke 23. We have all sinned. We have all made poor decisions in life. The great thing is, just like the two thieves in Luke 23, Jesus gives each of us the opportunity to come to Him. So, we have a choice to make. Which thief will we choose to be? ~OC
Dear God, today allow me to live with….
Love>Hate
Grace>Judgement
Forgiveness >Unforgiveness
Truth>Culture
Faith>Fear
Present>Past
~OC
I love Sundays!!! That is a day of church for my wife and I. I enjoy seeing everyone and spending time worshiping together. It just energizes me.
As millions of people across the world attend church this morning, I have a question. When the doors of your place of worship open this morning, will everyone be welcomed inside?
Will the homeless person be welcome inside?
Will the addict be welcome inside?
Will the divorced person be welcome inside?
Will the unmarried couple who’s living together be welcome inside?
Will the single parent be welcome inside?
Will the person with multiple tattoos be welcome inside?
Will the person from a different political party be welcome inside?
Will the person from the LGBTQ+ Community be welcome inside?
Will the refugee be welcome inside?
Will the prostitute be welcome inside?
Will the person of a different faith be welcome inside?
Will the person dealing with a physical or mental health issues be welcome inside?
Will the atheist be welcome inside?
Will the lost be welcome inside?
I pray that everyone who walks into a place of worship today will feel welcomed. No judgement. No stares. No gossiping. No shunning. Just loved. I pray everyone will leave our places of worship feeling more loved than when they walked in. ~OC
Today’s a new day! There is pain and suffering involved with this crazy beautiful health journey. To endure, I must stay focused on the purpose of the journey. My crazy beautiful health journey has given me clear purpose. That purpose is to love people without judgement and to serve God. ~OC
I am currently reading the book Something Needs To Change by David Platt. He is the pastor/author who brought us the incredible book Radical several years ago.
Something Needs To Change is Authentic, Raw, Challenging and Real. Pastor Platt’s book will move you to your core. I have never read a book like this before. My emotions are being moved deeply. God is opening my eyes and your heart in a new way. I know my walk with Jesus will never be the same. And guys, I am only a few chapters into the book. I cannot imagine what I am going to be like after finishing this amazing book.
If you decide to read this book, you might just encounter God in a new way. I pray as we read this book our compassion will be transformed into action. I pray you will be as wrecked as I am. ~OC
I have been blessed to hang out with Superheros for almost 18 years. I am not talking about Batman, Superman, The Black Panther or Wonder Woman. No, my Superheroes do not wear capes or have really cool toys. Well some of them might disagree with that statement. My Superheroes are some of the strongest and giving people I know. Let me share some of their stories.
Good Sam/Florida Cancer Specialist Heroes: These group of heroes from Good Samaritan Medical Center have helped keep me alive for the past 17 years. They are Nurses (Shoutout to 4 South), CNA’s, Housekeepers, Maintenance Workers, Patient Transport, Dietitians, Techs (from various departments), Therapist (from various departments), Food Services (they still check to see if I want anything), Admitting and the parade of Doctors. They each work long hours with little fanfare. If they were to read this post, they would be embarrassed. Because they didn’t choose to be super heroes for the applause. They definitely would not call themselves Superheroes. But I do. These unassuming heroes show up for work each day and save lives. Thank you.
My Medical Team: This list could go on for days. One person I have to mention by name is Dr. James Harris. He is definitely a Superhero. Dr. Harris was my oncologist for almost 17 years before retiring earlier this year. He was the type of doctor who gave you his personal cell phone number and told you to call him if you needed. Over the years, Dr. Harris received many phone calls from my wife Laura. He always answered. Dr. Harris truly cared for each of his patients. I saw him walking the halls of 4 South on many early mornings. When you mention the name Dr. Harris be prepared to hear some amazing stories. Thank you.
Fellow Overcomers: I have been blessed to sit next to or walk the halls with many patients over the years. I have been inspired by their strength and love for life. They have taught me how to navigate through my own crazy beautiful health journey. We have laughed. We have cried. We have shared stories. We have remembered those that fought a tough battle. We have become family. Thank you.
The OC Drivers/Visitors: These are the family and friends who have taken time out of their schedules over the years, to give me rides to treatment/appointments and have sat with me many times. The pressure they have taken off of my bride is amazing. It has been wonderful to hear their stories over the years. Thank you.
My Rockstar: My number one Super Hero is my wife Laura. She has been by my side from day one of this crazy beautiful health journey. Over the past 17.5 years, Laura has worn many hats. She has had to make a lot of tough decisions. She has been and will continue to be my Rockstar. Thank you. Love you.
Those are the Superheroes in my life. They are greater than any Super Hero Hollywood could ever create. I pray you have these type of Superheroes in your life. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 