Today’s a new day!
Happy Friday! Here is a prayer for the day. ~OC
Dear God, you are the true hope for this world. I pray in the darkness of this hour, that you would speak a word of hope to our anxious hearts, so that we might wait faithfully for the fulfillment of your promises in our lives and may hope renew us in our hour of need. I pray all of this in the name of the One who is trustworthy in all things and faithful in all that He does. Amen.
Good Morning! Here is another entry from “The Lost Writings of OC.” This is from 2021.
Today’s a new day! It has been my experience that God uses what seems to be our weakest moments to propel us to the next chapter in His plan and purpose in our lives.
During this crazy beautiful health journey, God has given me the strength and motivation to take steps forward each day. Here are three takeaways.
1). Pray – This is sadly usually the last resort. We as believers usually pray; however, we pray after we have done everything that we can do in our own strength. In Matthew 6:33, it says seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Go to Him, talk with Him and invite Him into your situation.
2). Listen – Over the years, I have spent a ton of time telling God what my next steps are, and sometimes I picture Him looking at me, shaking His head and saying… “Are you done yet?” I have historically been terrible at this. I’ve wanted my relationship with God to be very transactional. However, I have learned over time that this isn’t how He tends to work. We must lean in and listen. I also try to write in my journal what I feel God is speaking to me at the time and what the next steps are in my situation that I am struggling with. Pausing to write has been a very important way for me to allow God to work in my life.
3). Act – What if we truly walked out the Scriptures that look good on a t-shirt or bumper sticker, such as Matthew 19:26…with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. What would happen if we lived with the mindset of “do the next right thing?” Today, just take one step forward. Just a small applicable steps in the right direction allows roots to take hold, grow and build a strong foundation rooted in God.
I am not sure what season you might be walking through right now. It could be something as small as what cereal to buy, or it could be some huge life-altering situation that you just don’t know what to do with. Give them to God and let His strength shine in these moments. I know that this is counterculture but remember another promise from Scripture in Matthew 11:28-29…
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Hello again. I am loving going through old journals and finding these writings that I have entitled “The Lost Letters of OC.” I wrote this back in 2019.
Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,
I have wanted to write this letter for a long time, but I wasn’t sure it would do any good. Like you, I’m on my own journey.
I have been frustrated because it feels like Christians have stopped listening to the needs of others, unless it fits their agenda. Do you really care what non- Christians or people from other faiths really think or care about ? Do you truly care about your neighbor or coworker that feels like their life is filled with roadblocks? How about the neighbor who is struggling to just pay their bills? How about that neighbor who votes differently than you?
You talk about truth and the Bible in such a way that it seems like you’re shoving your faith down people’s throats. You often judge those around you. What you believe in appears more important than what the scriptures have to say. You make living out the Christian faith seem like an impossible task. I doubt anyone including other Christians could ever measure up to your standards.
To be honest, your religion seems to make you angry all the time. It’s a real downer when you continuously point out everything you find to be wrong in this world. You seem so against everything, it’s hard to believe you could really have anyone’s best interest in mind. Your complaints don’t exactly inspire anyone to give their life to Christ.
Dear Christians, stop rolling out this angry type of religion, and ask that neighbor or coworker about their life. People want to know you truly care about them. People are looking for Christians to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Life is tough. Some people are feeling empty and lonely. They’re feeling excluded by a group of people who should be making them feel loved and welcomed. So when you say, “Jesus is the answer,” your words ring hollow. People do not want to want hang around people who are always judging them or trying to set them straight.
What people really want to know is if you care about them as a human being. They need real friends who stand by them when they’re alone, afraid, or hurt. If you want to influence people, just act like a decent, kind and caring person.
Your Brother in Christ,
~OC
Good Morning ! Here is another “Lost Writings from OC” from 2018. I believe it still has some meaning in 2025.
Today’s a new day! Indulge me for just a moment. If you were God and you were planning on coming to earth. What kind of role would you take on in society?
Would you be a wealthy CEO?
A powerful politician?
A celebrity with social media influence?
Or would you choose to become a poor child, on the run from violence and oppression?
I believe there is something profoundly significant about the fact that God’s own son walked this earth as an undocumented child refugee.
This was no accident.
It was part of the divine plan all along. Jesus could have been born and lived as a prince, a wealthy landowner or the Chief Priest. But instead He chose to become a refugee – forever linking himself with the most vulnerable people on earth:
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. ~Matthew 2: 13-15
So, God’s heart is very much for the refugee. His own Son chose to become a refugee. To the point where Jesus proclaimed that, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me in.”
Whatever you do for refugees you do for Him.
Your posture towards the “caravan” of refugees is your heart’s posture towards Jesus.
God even calls them his “brothers” as a reminder that those who suffer should be considered as family members that you woud invite over for Thanksgiving or a BBQ (Matthew 25:40).
There are few themes repeated in Scripture more than the call to care for the orphan, the widow and the alien (or foreigner):
“So you, too, must show love to FOREIGNERS, for you yourselves were once FOREIGNERS in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:19
“Cursed is he who distorts the justice due a FOREIGNER, orphan, and widow. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’“ Deuteronomy 27:19
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment…against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the FOREIGNER and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:5
So, how then should you and I respond, practically speaking, to what seems like an overwhelming refugee crisis?
There are four actions, I think, that would be Biblical, Christ-like responses to the humanitarian crisis that is currently unfolding. These are the ways I would want folks to respond if my own child or spouse were caught up in this refugee crisis:
SPIRITUALLY:
We must not lose hope. We must not despair. We must continue to to have Hope, because our world is not a closed system. God continues to infuse our world with hope, and Divine Love seeps through the cracks in our broken world. Let’s continue to pray together for peace, for provision. Let’s continue to petition and plead for, “On earth as it is in heaven….where there is no more pain or death or crying, and every tear is wiped away.”
1. Make them feel safe.
As refugees, they were forced to flee their country, leaving everything behind and running for safety with just the clothes on their backs. They’ve experienced much trauma. We should do whatever we can to make them feel welcome and safe.
2. Offer hospitality.
Perhaps the best thing you can do for refugees is to open your home to them. You can have them over for meals, or game night. You can invite them to social and family events so they can experience American culture at a Fourth of July cookout, a Thanksgiving dinner, or an Easter play.
3. Ask good questions.
When spending time with our new friends, we’ll have opportunities to ask them questions about their culture. We should be genuinely interested in them and their families. We can ask about their holidays and traditions, the things they do or don’t do, and why or why not. We might even try to learn some words in their language. Asking good questions shows them we care.
Christians should understand what it means to have someone care for you when you’re a stranger and foreigner. It’s what Jesus did for us.
4. Respect Over Fear
As we become friends with refugees, it’s imperative that we show love and respect. Not Fear.
Has Jesus not called us to love our neighbors, no matter the cost?
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. (1 John 4:18)
Yes, this can be a difficult calling. Only love can overcome fear. And that is why I appeal to you on the basis of relationship and familial ties. What if that refugee child were your own flesh and blood? What if they were your own son or daughter? What mountain would you not climb? What politician would you not lobby? What price would you not pay to see them brought to safety.
Only the kind of love we usually reserve for family can overcome the fear and selfishness that teaches us to close our doors and turn away from the refugees plight. But Jesus calls us to a different way, the way of peace, radical welcome and laying down our lives for others.
Will you allow that love to compel you towards action today?
I pray you will take time to reflect on this post. How would God want you to treat the vulnerable? How can God use you during this crisis? ~OC
Today’s a new day! Our hearts and treatment of immigrants and refugees should be rooted in and reflect God’s heart for the vulnerable. ~OC
Today’s a new day! When the response to a sermon is outrage and a desire to censor takes root, there is a strong possibility truth has been spoken but rejected. ~OC
Dear God, As we wake up this morning we pray for the end of violence and hatred and discord. Steady the tongue that rushes to spread painful words and the fingers poised to pull the trigger of disunity. Bring justice to the downtrodden, restoration to the marginalized and abused, hope to the hopeless. Guide all those in positions of power—whether that power is political or physical or social—and give them wisdom to use their power wisely. Give them, and all of us, the grace to admit when we are wrong and to seek forgiveness. We pray You would give us the grace to forgive.
Dear God, help us see your face in the faces of everyone around us. Give us courage to love one another even when love seems like a risk. Give us compassion for those who are unlike us. Teach us to listen to those we disagree with, to hear stories that make us uncomfortable. Heal the hatred around the world and let it start in our own hearts first. Amem. ~OC
A Morning Prayer. ~OC
Dear God, we lift before you the needs of our hurting world, knowing full well that your heart is already grieving for all the loss, the destruction and death in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and the needs around the world.
We pray for those who are hungry with no hope of being filled,
for those who are sick with no hope of medical attention,
for those who are fearful with no hope of rescue.
We come to you on their behalf asking for provision, for you are the Hope that does not disappoint.
God, raise up leaders in our nation and world who are courageous to stand against the evils of the world.
We wonder, Lord, sitting in our privilege and comfort, arguing about first world problems, if it’s even possible to serve you faithfully without running water or basic freedoms, so we pray that you would protect our brothers and sisters in Christ whose lives may be threatened because they have chosen to set their hope in your unseen Kingdom.
Enlarge our compassion, Dear God, for we are a distracted people who scroll past misery and then complain about our slow internet speed. Thank you that you are a God who can hold and respond to the pain of every nation, every man, woman, and child as if they were the only voice in your ear. Hold us in faithful prayer for our hurting world, for we dare not look away from the suffering of others lest we become callous, deaf and blind to your calling upon our lives. In Jesus’s precious name, AMEN
Today’s a new day!
Character is revealed by how those who hold power exercise that power. I can’t help but be reminded of the film “Schindler’s List” when Oskar Schindler confronts SS Officer Amon Goeth about what is power. Schindler believes it is demonstrating mercy while Goeth believes it is exerting extreme force. ~OC
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 