I will always speak up against hate of any kind. Life is too short and precious to hate another person. ~OC 
Love Over Hate
Encouragement
For the past 17.5 years, I have spent countless hours at doctors appointments, treatment centers & the hospital. During those times, I have had the privilege to talk with hurting people experiencing life changing moments. I have had the honor to pray for people who wouldn’t see another year. I have rejoiced with those who experienced a miracle in their medical journey. I have never taken one of those moments for granted. None of those precious moments have been about me. God placed me in those moments to hopefully encourage someone. The truth is, most of the time I have been the one walking away feeling encouraged. Never miss the opportunity to encourage someone. It could be life changing. ~OC
God Don’t Make Junk
I apologize to all the English teachers out there. I just have to be real with this message. God Don’t Make Junk!
As we travel this crazy beautiful journey, sometimes we look at our current circumstances and think God cannot use our mess. Our junk. How can He use a man with a broken down body? How can God use the addict? How can He use the divorced person? How can God use the person that just keeps screwing up? Have you ever felt like junk? I know I have.
During those moments of brokenness, we need to seek after God. Because the world will tell us we’re worthless. That we are broken. That we are junk. Please do not believe the lies. God made each of us for a wonderful purpose in life. Our mistakes and brokenness make us stronger. Our past failures help us find our true purpose in life.
As you walk this crazy beautiful journey, I pray you will remember God don’t make junk- so we need to be living like our lives are masterpieces. There are storms we will face along the journey, but there are also many blessings. Keep striving to be the masterpiece God has created. ~OC
The Blessed Life
Today’s a new day! Do not ever feel sorry for me because of my crazy beautiful health journey. I view this journey as an opportunity to get life right. The blessings have far outweighed the negatives. I plan on Staying Focused and Finishing Strong. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer Meets The Tech Guy
Good morning! I had the honor of being on my friend Marvin Bee’s podcast last night. Marvin and I attended college together at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Thanks for having me Marvin. ~OC
***During the podcast I mistakenly said I completed my first marathon 4 months after surgery. I meant to say I started running 4 months after surgery. I actually completed my first marathon a year after open heart surgery. Sorry for any confusion.
Never About Me
As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I pray my journey will continue to encourage others to never give up. Even when the race gets overwhelming, people will inspired by my journey. But more importantly, I pray people will realize that whatever strength and insight I have comes from God. Only through God can I continue to walk through this marathon called life. Anything good you see in me comes from God. He is the one who has turned my health journey into a crazy beautiful adventure. I pray this journey never becomes about me. ~OC
God Is Bigger Than…..
As we walk through this crazy beautiful journey, remember God is bigger than…
Our Fears
Our Disappointments
Our Health Issues
Our Failures
Our Enemies
Our Relationships
Our Jobs
Our Social Media Pages
Our Successes
Our Churches
Our Standing In The World
Living In Peace
Along this journey called life, we all deal with fear. Fear can hit us during what we thought would be a routine doctors appointment. Fear can hit us when test result comes back with more questions than answers. Fear can hit us when we watch the news or scroll through social media. We have all experienced fear in our lives.
Back in 2003, one of my doctors called me early one morning and shared he needed to see me right away. Oh, make sure you bring your wife. A little fear hit me at that moment. Later when the doctor shared I had a tumor, the fear grew a little deeper. Fear, Worry and Anxiety. My wife and I experienced all those feelings sitting in that doctors office.
A few weeks later a biopsy revealed the tumor was the size of golfball. A few weeks after that, surgery revealed the tumor was cancerous. Once again, Fear, Worry and Anxiety smacked me in the face. Things seemed overwhelming at that point.
Then something amazing happened. As I laid in ICU hooked up to several machines, God took away the fear, worry and anxiety. Those feelings were replaced by peace, calmness and even joy. Yes, joy. What changed?
God reminded me of the week long fast I had done a year earlier during a missions trip. He shared the reason I had fasted was to prepare me for this very moment. Peace flooded my room and heart at that moment. At that moment, I completely turned my heart toward Jesus and trusted Him to walk me through this journey.
Even though I had been filled with fear, anxiety and worry, Jesus was right there with me. He welcomed me into His presence, even as I was filled with fear. He never abandoned me in my time of need.
During that moment, I still had to deal with life as a cancer patient. But that unknown did not overwhelm me anymore. Jesus reminded me that He was bigger than any health issue I would ever face. I am thankful, I did not know my future would be full of more health issues, test, multiple doctors appointments and hospital stays. No, at that moment I was just filled with peace.
Here I am in 2019, still fighting multiple health issues. Still fighting for my life every day. Still living in the unknown regarding my health. But I am still experiencing that same peace and joy, I experienced in that ICU room so many years ago. Knowing that Jesus is still bigger than anything life throws at me. Still living life with a thankful heart. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 