Tag: Lessons

When Did Projects Become More Important Than People?

When did a ballroom and a reflecting pool become more important than affordable housing, groceries, and healthcare?

When did another beautiful building become more important than a struggling family trying to keep a roof over their heads?

When did a grand project become more important than a mother standing in a grocery store aisle, quietly putting things back because she can’t afford them?

When did a ribbon-cutting ceremony become more important than a senior citizen deciding which prescription can wait until next month?

And when did projects become more important than the safety of the American troops who put their lives on the line for this country?

These aren’t questions about whether beautiful buildings have value.

They do.

Infrastructure matters. Public spaces matter. Economic development matters. Investment in our communities matters.

But priorities matter, too.

Because behind every budget line is a human being.

A family wondering how they’re going to pay the rent.

A parent trying to stretch a grocery budget until payday.

A cancer patient worrying about the next medical bill.

A veteran struggling to get the care they were promised.

A young family wondering if they’ll ever be able to afford a home.

And somewhere across the world, an American service member is putting on a uniform and wondering whether the country they serve has done everything possible to bring them home safely.

People should never become an afterthought.

We can build beautiful things AND make sure people can afford to live.

We can invest in communities AND make sure families can put food on the table.

We can create public spaces AND make healthcare accessible.

We can dream about tomorrow AND take care of the people struggling today.

We don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other.

But we absolutely have to ask:

What comes first?

Because government isn’t supposed to exist merely to build monuments to itself.

It exists to serve people.

The measure of a nation isn’t simply the size of its buildings, the beauty of its reflecting pools, or the grandeur of its projects.

Maybe the measure of a nation is found in something much simpler:

Can its people afford a place to live?

Can they afford groceries?

Can they see a doctor when they’re sick?

Can veterans get the care they’ve earned?

Can our children imagine a future they can actually afford?

And can we send our sons and daughters into harm’s way knowing we’ve done everything possible to protect them?

I’m not against progress.

I’m not against beautiful spaces.

I’m not against investing in America.

I’m asking us to remember who America is for.

Because a reflecting pool cannot hold a family’s tears.

A ballroom cannot feed a hungry child.

A grand project cannot replace a missing loved one.

And no ribbon-cutting ceremony should ever be more important than the life of an American soldier.

BUILD THE FUTURE.

But while we’re building it, DON’T FORGET THE PEOPLE.

Because America isn’t ultimately about buildings.

America is about people.

And if we lose sight of that, we may end up with beautiful places everywhere—and still wonder why so many people feel forgotten.

Maybe it’s time we stopped asking, “What can we build?”

And started asking, “Who can we help?” ~OC

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Dear Christian, Please Stand Up

Dear Christian, please stand up.

I think it’s time for Good Trouble and to start flipping some tables.

For too long we’ve confused being nice with being faithful. We’ve stayed seated. Stayed quiet. Stayed polite while the temple filled with money changers.

Jesus wasn’t crucified for being nice. He was crucified for flipping tables.

He walked into the house of God, saw exploitation, saw corruption, saw people using the name of God for profit and power, and He didn’t write a polite letter. He made a whip. He turned over tables. He drove it out. John 2:15.

John Lewis called it Good Trouble. Necessary trouble. The kind of trouble that says love is not passive. Love protects. Love confronts. Love refuses to look away.

So I’m asking you, brother and sister in Christ:

Stand up when it’s easier to sit down.
Speak up when it’s safer to stay silent.
Flip the table of injustice in your part of the world.
Flip the table of corruption in your church, your neighborhood and politics.
Flip the table of lies in our political system. Regardless of party affiliation.

We were never called to fit in with this world. We were called to shake it.

My Friend, it’s time. ~OC

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A Letter To My Younger Self…

DEAR YOUNGER ME…

I wish I could sit down with you for just five minutes.

I would look you straight in the eyes and tell you something you desperately need to hear:

STOP WORRYING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU.

You are going to spend far too many years wondering if people approve of you.

You will replay conversations in your head.

You will worry about what they said.

You will wonder why they don’t understand you.

You will change pieces of yourself trying to make other people comfortable.

STOP.

You were never created to be a copy of somebody else.

You weren’t called to live your life according to somebody else’s expectations.

And you certainly weren’t placed on this earth to collect everybody’s approval.

Some people will misunderstand you.

Some will criticize you.

Some will judge your scars without knowing your story.

Some will walk away.

Some will talk about you behind your back.

LET THEM.

You don’t have to defend yourself to everybody.

You don’t have to explain every chapter of your life.

You don’t have to prove your worth to people who have already decided they don’t want to see it.

And here’s something I wish you understood sooner:

Their opinion of you does not determine your identity.

God does.

There will be seasons when you feel broken, forgotten, rejected, misunderstood, and completely alone.

But those seasons will teach you something:

You don’t need everybody to understand your journey when God understands every step of it.

So, younger me…

Dream bigger.

Love harder.

Forgive quicker.

Take more chances.

Laugh more.

Worry less.

And for heaven’s sake…

STOP TRYING TO BE EVERYTHING EVERYBODY ELSE WANTS YOU TO BE.

Be who God created you to be.

Walk in your calling.

Stand on your convictions.

Keep your heart soft.

Keep your faith strong.

And when the crowd says, “Who do you think you are?”

Remember:

You are a child of God.

That’s enough.

You don’t need their applause.

You don’t need their permission.

You don’t need their approval.

You need to keep your eyes on Jesus and keep walking.

Because one day you’ll look back and realize…

The people whose opinions you were so afraid of?

They weren’t writing your story.

GOD WAS.

And younger me…

He’s still writing it.

So keep going.

Keep overcoming.

Keep fighting.

Keep the faith.

And NEVER let somebody else’s opinion become the prison you live in.

YOUR LIFE IS TOO SIGNIFICANT TO SPEND IT TRYING TO BE ACCEPTED BY EVERYBODY.

—Your older self

~OC

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Our Neighbors Face

I BELIEVE THAT IN THE FACE OF EVERY NEIGHBOR, WE CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE FACE OF GOD.

Not just the neighbor who looks like us.

Not just the neighbor who agrees with us.

Not just the neighbor who votes like us, worships like us, speaks like us, or comes from the same place we do.

Every neighbor.

The hurting neighbor.
The lonely neighbor.
The immigrant neighbor.
The poor neighbor.
The forgotten neighbor.
The neighbor who is struggling.
The neighbor who doesn’t believe what we believe.

Jesus didn’t tell us to love only the people who were easy to love.

He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
— Matthew 22:39

And when Jesus described the Good Samaritan, He shattered the walls people had built between “us” and “them.”

Maybe that’s the challenge for the Church today:

Stop looking for reasons to separate people and start looking for opportunities to love them.

Because every person we encounter is someone made in the image of God.

So before you judge them, see them.

Before you condemn them, listen to them.

Before you walk past them, love them.

Before you ask, “What do they deserve?”
ask, “What would Jesus do?”

Because sometimes the person standing in front of us isn’t an interruption to our ministry.

They ARE the ministry.

Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
— Matthew 25:40

So today, look a little closer.

You may discover that in the face of your neighbor…

you are seeing a glimpse of the face of God.

Love your neighbor.
See the person.
Serve the hurting.
Welcome the stranger.
Feed the hungry.
Lift the broken.
And let the world see Jesus through the way we love.

Because the Gospel isn’t just something we preach.

It’s something we live. ~OC

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Would Jesus Do This?

STOP SCROLLING.

I have some questions for the Church and the Christian Community.

Would Jesus separate families from each other?

Would Jesus force children off food assistance or healthcare while they are already struggling to survive?

Would Jesus disrespect people, call them names, demean them, and then claim it was all being done in His name?

Would Jesus terrorize an immigrant who is working hard to provide for their family?

Would Jesus use Scripture as a weapon to justify hatred?

Would Jesus turn His back on His neighbor because they were different, poor, undocumented, politically opposed, addicted, broken, or simply didn’t look like us?

When I read Scripture, study the life of Jesus, and look at the way He treated people, I keep coming back to the same answer:

NO.

No.

No.

No.

Jesus touched the untouchable.

Jesus welcomed the rejected.

Jesus fed the hungry.

Jesus defended the vulnerable.

Jesus showed compassion to the hurting.

Jesus loved His enemies.

Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors.

Jesus didn’t tell us to find reasons to hate people.

He told us to love God and love our neighbor.

And here’s the uncomfortable part:

We don’t get to put Jesus’ name on something simply because we believe we’re right.

If our politics make us cruel, something is wrong.

If our theology makes us hateful, something is wrong.

If our Christianity makes us dehumanize people, something is wrong.

If we’re screaming about protecting Christianity while refusing to show the love, mercy, compassion, grace, and truth of Christ…

we may be defending a religion while completely missing Jesus.

I’m not asking you to agree with me politically.

I’m asking something much more important:

Does the way we treat people look like Jesus?

Because one day, we’re not going to stand before Jesus and explain what our political party believed.

We’re not going to stand before Him and defend our favorite politician.

We’re going to stand before HIM.

So before we say, “I’m doing this in Jesus’ name,” maybe we should stop and ask:

“Jesus, would You do this?”

Because if the answer is no…

then don’t put His name on it.

BE THE HANDS.
BE THE FEET.
BE THE LOVE.
BE THE TRUTH.
BE THE LIGHT.

And above everything else—

BE LIKE JESUS.

That’s the Christianity this world desperately needs. ~OC

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A Letter to God

Dear God,

I look at this world and my heart breaks.

There is too much hatred.
Too much division.
Too much violence.
Too much fear.
Too many people hurting while the rest of us keep scrolling.

So, God, don’t just change the world around me. Change Me.

Give me eyes to see the people everyone else overlooks.

Give me ears to hear the cries nobody wants to hear.

Give me courage to stand up when staying silent is easier.

Give me compassion for the broken.

Give me grace for the difficult.

Give me strength to love people I don’t understand.

And God…

Don’t let me just talk about Jesus.

Let people SEE Jesus in me.

When someone is hungry—let me feed them.

When someone is hurting—let me sit with them.

When someone is lonely—let me show up.

When someone is afraid—let me bring hope.

When someone is pushed aside—let me stand beside them.

When someone has fallen—let me reach down and help them back up.

God, make me Your hands.
Make me Your feet.
Make me Your voice.
Make me Your love in action.

Because this world doesn’t need another Christian yelling about Jesus.

This world needs Christians who will LIVE like Jesus.

WAKE UP, CHURCH.

Stop asking God to send somebody else.

Maybe YOU are the somebody.

Maybe the miracle someone is praying for is supposed to walk through your front door.

Maybe the answer to someone’s prayer has your hands.

Maybe the encouragement they desperately need has your voice.

Maybe the love they’ve been missing has your name attached to it.

So, Lord…

SEND ME.

I’ll go.

I’ll love.

I’ll serve.

I’ll stand.

I’ll get into the Good Trouble that love requires.

I’ll keep showing up.

And I’ll keep pointing people back to You.

Not my name.
Not my platform.
Not my glory.

YOURS.

Because if I claim to follow Jesus…

then I better be willing to walk where Jesus walked.

Jesus, make me Your hands and feet.

AMEN. 

~OC

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Classroom or Coffin

Every one of us has made mistakes.

Some of us have made BIG mistakes.

We have said things we wish we could take back.
Made decisions we wish we could undo.
Trusted people we shouldn’t have trusted.
Ignored warnings we should have listened to.
Taken roads we never should have traveled.

But here’s the truth:

Your mistake does not have to become your identity.

A mistake can become a Classroom when you are willing to learn from it.

But it can become a Coffin when pride keeps you from admitting it, repentance keeps getting postponed, and you continue making the same destructive choices over and over again.

Don’t waste your pain.

Don’t waste your failure.

Don’t waste the lesson.

Learn from it.
Own it.
Repent from it.
Grow from it.
Then keep moving forward.

You don’t have to stay buried in yesterday because you made a mistake yesterday.

Grace is bigger than your failure.

Mercy is greater than your mess.

And God is not finished writing your story.

The enemy wants your mistakes to bury you.
God wants to use them to build you.

So get back up.

Take the lesson.

Close the chapter.

Walk forward.

And remember:

YOUR MISTAKES CAN EITHER BE YOUR CLASSROOM OR YOUR COFFIN.

DON’T DIE IN A LESSON GOD INTENDED TO TEACH YOU.

Get up.

Learn.

Repent.

Overcome.

And keep fighting the good fight.

Your story isn’t over.

Jesus still saves. Jesus still restores. Jesus still redeems. And Jesus can take the broken pieces of your life and create something beautiful.

KEEP OVERCOMING. ~OC

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Human-The Soundtrack Of My ICU Battle

Sometimes God speaks through a sermon.

Sometimes through Scripture.

Sometimes through another person.

And sometimes… He speaks through a piano.

While I was lying in an ICU room at a local hospital, fighting for my life, Tommee Profitt’s new project, Human, was released.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

As many of you know, things did not look good.

This was the second time this year that I had been hospitalized and found myself fighting for my life. There were moments when the road ahead looked incredibly uncertain.

But while I was lying there in that ICU room, I put Human on repeat.

Over and over.

And over again.

Human is, in many ways, a simple project—beautiful instrumental pieces centered around the piano. There are no complicated words. No elaborate message being preached through lyrics.

Just music.

But somehow, those piano notes said everything I needed to hear.

That album didn’t just become background music in my hospital room.

It ministered to me.

It brought peace into a room filled with machines, monitors, alarms, medications, uncertainty and fear.

And something else happened that I didn’t expect.

It touched the people who walked through that ICU door.

Doctors.

Nurses.

Hospital staff.

Family.

Friends.

People would come into my room while Human was playing, and for a few moments, the atmosphere seemed to change.

The music became part of the story.

Part of the battle.

Part of the healing.

For me, Human will forever be connected to those ICU days.

Not because the album saved me.

God did.

Not because music performed a miracle.

God did.

Not because I somehow fought my way back on my own.

God carried me.

Today, I’m home.

I’m recovering.

And my new medical team is amazed at how far I’ve come.

After everything that happened, I don’t take that for granted.

All praise, honor and glory belong to God.

He never left my side.

Not in the ICU.

Not in the darkest moments.

Not when things looked impossible.

Not when I was fighting for my life.

And not now that I’m home.

He was there through every breath, every prayer, every tear, every medical treatment and every uncertain moment.

And I’m incredibly thankful.

I’m also thankful for artists like Tommee Profitt, whose music became an unexpected companion during one of the hardest battles of my life.

Especially Human.

Sometimes we don’t realize how powerful a gift we’ve been given until it finds us at exactly the moment we need it most.

For me, Human found me in an ICU room.

And I will never hear those piano notes the same way again.

They will always remind me of a battle I survived…

A God who never abandoned me…

And another chapter in this crazy, beautiful journey called life.

I’m home.

I’m still standing.

I’m still fighting.

I’m still overcoming.

And most importantly…

God is still writing my story.

May you have a beautiful, peaceful and blessed day.

And wherever you are today, whatever you’re facing, remember this:

You are not alone.

Keep fighting.

Keep believing.

Keep overcoming.

And never forget who is carrying you through the battle.

Jesus.

~OC

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The Day Before

SEPTEMBER 10, 2001.

Twenty-five years ago today, America went to bed believing tomorrow would look pretty much like today.

People went to work.

Parents kissed their children goodbye.

Kids went to school.

Planes crossed the skies.

People walked through airports without knowing that the world they knew was about to change forever.

Businesses opened.

Restaurants served dinner.

Families laughed around kitchen tables.

Friends talked about ordinary things.

Sports were played.

Life happened.

And nobody knew.

Nobody woke up that morning thinking, “This is the last normal day America will ever have.”

Nobody went to sleep thinking, “Tomorrow, thousands of families will receive the worst phone call of their lives.”

Nobody knew that the next morning would bring images that would forever be burned into our memories.

Nobody knew that the words September 11th would become more than a date on a calendar.

It would become a scar.

A memorial.

A reminder.

A day we would never forget.

That is what makes September 10th so haunting.

It was ordinary.

And sometimes we don’t realize how precious ordinary is until ordinary is gone.

So today, September 10, 2026, let’s remember something:

Don’t take today for granted.

Call the person you’ve been meaning to call.

Hug your spouse.

Tell your children you love them.

Forgive somebody.

Put down the phone and look someone in the eyes.

Thank God for another morning.

Because none of us are promised tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we will remember September 11th.

But today, let’s remember September 10th.

The last ordinary day.

The day America didn’t know.

The day thousands of people went about their lives completely unaware that history was waiting just beyond midnight.

Cherish today.

Love deeply.

Forgive quickly.

Live purposefully.

And never forget how quickly an ordinary day can become a moment that changes everything.

🇺🇸 God bless America.

🇺🇸 Never forget.

9/10/2001 — The day before. ~OC

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The Power of Prayer

Today’s a new day!

There are things in your life that money cannot fix.

Things doctors cannot explain.
Things friends cannot carry.
Things politicians cannot change.
Things you cannot solve by trying harder.

But there is something more powerful than your circumstances:

PRAYER.

Prayer is not the last thing we do when everything else fails.

Prayer should be the first thing we do because we know WHO holds everything in His hands.

I’ve prayed when I had no answers.
I’ve prayed when I was afraid.
I’ve prayed when my body was broken.
I’ve prayed when the night seemed endless.
I’ve prayed when all I could say was, “Jesus, help me.”

And sometimes God changed the situation.

Sometimes He changed the circumstances.

And sometimes He changed ME in the middle of the circumstances.

That’s the power of prayer.

Prayer doesn’t mean we will never walk through storms.

It means we never walk through them alone.

The Bible says:

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” — James 5:16

So don’t stop praying because you haven’t seen the answer yet.

KEEP PRAYING.

Pray over your marriage.
Pray over your children.
Pray over your health.
Pray over your enemies.
Pray over your church.
Pray over your community.
Pray when you’re strong.
Pray when you’re broken.
Pray when you have faith.
Pray when you’re struggling to find it.

Because prayer isn’t about convincing God to care.

He already cares.

Prayer is about bringing our hearts into the presence of the One who can do what we cannot.

So lift your head.

Get on your knees.

Open your mouth.

And PRAY.

Because the God who heard Moses, Elijah, Daniel, David, Ruth, Peter and Paul…

STILL HEARS HIS CHILDREN TODAY.

And when you don’t know what else to do—

PRAY.

When you think there is no way—

PRAY.

When the enemy tells you to quit—

PRAY.

When you have nothing left—

PRAY.

Because your circumstances may be bigger than you…

BUT THEY WILL NEVER BE BIGGER THAN YOUR GOD.

DON’T GIVE UP. DON’T GIVE IN. DON’T STOP BELIEVING.

KEEP PRAYING. KEEP TRUSTING. KEEP STANDING.

JESUS IS STILL ON THE THRONE.

And sometimes the greatest breakthrough begins with the simplest words:

“Father… I need You.”

~OC

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