It’s Friday! Let’s take a trip back to the 1980’s in West Palm Beach, FL. You have had a long week at school. It’s time to relax and let loose. You spend a lot of time getting ready for a night on the town. Gotta look good! Ladies have to have that 80’s hair on point. Guys have to pick just the right cologne. You jump in a crowded car and see where the night takes you. First stop is the mall. Do you hit the Palm Beach Mall or the Cross County Mall? Maybe you scope out both. If you hit the Cross County Mall, you might check out what’s playing at the AMC Movie Theater. Then you might scroll over to the Arcade. Oh, everyone is getting a little hungry. You head down to Mamma Leone’s for a slice or two. You hang out for a while and decide what’s next. No one can decide on a movie, so you decide to head to Galaxy Skating Rink. You’re bound to find some friends skating to the amazing sounds of the 70’s and 80’s. You spend a few hours skating round and round, then you decide it’s time to head back to the Cross County Mall and get some ice cream at Swenson’s. By that time some new friends have jumped in the 🚘. Maybe you know maybe you don’t. It really doesn’t matter. After making yourself half sick on all the ice cream, you decide maybe you’ll hit a midnight movie at the theater. Maybe you have a friend working there who will let you in for free. After a night of fun, you head home with some amazing memories. Memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy your Friday night! ~OC
Soundtrack of My Life
Today’s a new day! I thought I would have a little fun with this post. How would my crazy beautiful journey sound if it was set to music?
As I open my eyes on this Beautiful Day, I Rise Up and thank God he always Stands By Me and I Raise a Hallelujah. With Every Little Step, I am Livin’ On a Prayer because these days my body Rattles. Some mornings I think about the Glory Days and remember my body was Born to Run, but today I Dream On because I have learned to Stand Tall and I choose to live life as a Overcomer. As I make my way around My House, I remember It Is Well With My Soul. As I think about Breakfast, I wish I was Hungry Like a Wolf. As I turn on the news, all I hear is Rumour Has It, and all this negativity is Killing Me Softly. Man, you gotta to Pray just to make it today. We all need to Come Together on this Yellow Brick Road and stop all this Jive Talkin’. All this Poison makes me get down on a Bended Knee and live with Gratitude at the Mention of Your Name. I stop and take a look at the Man In The Mirror and I think How Can We Mend A Broken Heart? But I will choose to live Like a Rock because that’s My Prerogative. Some days I just enjoy Rainy Days and Mondays. But Ain’t Nobody going to steal my Joy and I am going to Shake It Up and embrace the Good Times. I will continue to live in Amazing Grace. I wanna live With Arms Wide Open. I am a little Older, but thankfully I am Still Standing and feel Forever Young.
So today, be careful of Careless Whispers and Don’t Let The Sun Go Down without showing some Forgiveness. Today Relax, Because He Lives and took care of everything on The Old Rugged Cross. ~OC
Seasons
Today’s a new day! This journey called life is made up of many seasons
some seasons slip away, never to be seen again while other seasons look like they’re slipping away, but they have only just begun
Like the dim light on the road ahead on an evening run, we only get a glimpse of the secrets of the world
May never pass this way again
Noises all around us
the seasons come and go
May never pass this way again
The dreams we dream keep us moving forward in the difficult seasons of life, those dreams keep us flying like an eagle on a warm summer breeze
May never pass this way again
Like Dr. King in the olden days
we must gather all our courage and live out our dreams
May never pass this way again
So cast away your fears
Our dreams will ebb and flow
different seasons will come and go
May never pass this way again
I wanna laugh with family and friends
I wanna cry and not waste a tear
I wanna dream and live in the moment
May never pass this way again
I wanna dance with my bride on a cool summer night to the sounds of the 80’s in the background
I wanna drive down the highway with adventure in my heart and some Motown playing on the radio
May never pass this way again
On those tough days when my body is failing me, I want to look in the mirror and not see a life of washed out dreams, on those days when it’s hard to breathe, I wanna hear Journey in the background reminding me Don’t Stop Believing
May never pass this way again
As the season change, I’m still standing, maybe not better than before, but living as an Overcomer
I wanna keep dancing in the light
May never pass this way again. ~OC
Trials and Testimonies
Today’s a new day!
I look back and marvel how far I have come . . .
I don’t wonder how I’ve made it . . .
I already know the answer. . .
Only with God’s help have I powered through. . .
For without His strength I am not sure where I would be.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
How comforting to know that God knows the plans He has for us, He knows what challenges we will face in life, what changes we will face, and because He knows He gives us the strength and the wisdom to face each one and to overcome. With God I can face all things.
In 2002, I started on a crazy beautiful health journey. As I sit here today, twenty-two years later I have been quietly reflecting on all of life’s journeys that God has placed before me. Like everyone else, my journey has been filled with adventures, challenges, losses and obstacles. It has also been filled with a lot of faith.
Our faith will be tested throughout life, but there is a reason for those tests. For me personally, my faith has grown through my trials, my faith has persevered through these trials and my faith has grown stronger through
my trials. Without the trials of life, our faith at best would be minimal, yet through the trials our faith grows endlessly.
Over the past twenty-two years, I have had many discussion about the life changing moments we face in life, and how the way we react to them is a testament, a witness for those around us, for those observing. I believe our testimonies have more of an impact in those moments in life, than all the words we say. Our trials produce our testimonies.
As I continue running this crazy beautiful health journey, I have countless stories how God has worked in my life, how He gave me strength beyond measure when I needed it most, and how He continues to guide
me and give me strength, peace and wisdom. For that I am thankful. ~OC
Old Friends
Today’s a new day! I woke up this morning, walked out on our balcony that overlooks my old high school (Twin Lakes High School / Palm Beach High School). It made me think a minute about some old friends.
Back in the day, I missed my friends on Summer Break. I loved a break from school. Loved getting to visit out of town family and playing sports all day. But a few weeks into the break, I would start missing my friends from school that did not live close by. Kinda felt like I wasn’t my whole self without them. No cell phones or social media back in the day. So between school and after school activities we would basically go from spending all day every day together to zero contact over the summer. Ouch. What was I gonna do call my friends on the phone that was attached to the wall several times a day and check in? Yes! That’s what a lot of us did back in the day. We made the effort to stay in touch. I fondly remember talking to some friends for hours on the phone.
As I reflect back on my high school years, I couldn’t wait for school to start back to see all of my friends. Yes, I was that person. Life was always better with friends around. I am thankful that God created me to be a person who really wants to connect with others. I can do the surface conversations, but I truly love having meaningful conversations. Always have. Of course being a teenage guy, that was not the norm. That’s probably why I have always had more female friends than guy friends. As I recall, there was not a lot of meaningful conversations with a lot of my guy friends back then. No real sentiments would be shared. I do not think we hugged back then. We would just be together, probably swap stories and just catch up. I am thankful for the few guys that were willing to open up and be real.
I look at my friends as family. I am blessed to still have friends from elementary school. I hope I have never taken my friendships for granted. But sadly, I probably have. For that I apologize. True friends are a beautiful gift. Especially when you’re young. Part of who we are today is because of the friends we had back in our younger days. Of course that could be a little scary. Haha!
As I continue walking through this crazy beautiful health journey, friendships mean a lot more to me these days. Every day is becoming more of a struggle for me at this time, but my days are brightened when I hear from a friend or a friend drops by. Especially when a childhood friend connects with me.
We were all created for relationships. Especially friendships. I believe in the old saying, you cannot pick your family, but thankfully you can choose your friends. My life has been blessed with amazing friendships. I am thankful for those friends who have chosen to walk with me through life. Especially those friends who have stayed by my side during this crazy beautiful health journey. You will never realize the difference you have made in my life. Thank you!
So today, take time to remember the beautiful friendships you have experienced over the years. Never take one for granted. Take time today, to reach out to a friend. You may just brighten their day. ~OC
Let Go To Grow
Several people have inquired about Todd taking an indefinite break from social media and sharing his daily thoughts. He wanted to share a few thoughts about his decision to take some time away from the world of social media.
Today’s a new day! When I hear God speak to my heart, I have learned that it serves me well to listen.
So a few weeks ago, I heard God share that it was time to take a break from social media. Then I started questioning the role of social media in my life, comparing and contrasting the pros and cons of it. I have taken breaks before so I thought about those times, too. Then it pretty much dawned on me as the following words were impressed upon me in a real way:
I was not created to spend so much time on social media. These platforms should not take away from time reading, journaling, praying and most importantly spending quality face to face time with real people.
There are some beautiful benefits about social media. They allow us to interact with old friends and meet some amazing people from all over the world. To stay in touch with loved ones. To read and hear about their life experiences. To pray for people. All amazing things. The problem is that social media always demanded more than I truly wanted to give.
The different social media platforms offer us endless opportunities to share our everyday lives, to pose questions, share world events, our opinions and photos of our favorite foods. There is always something to post or respond to. For me, it never stopped. If I missed a day of posting, I would have multiple people reaching out to me asking why I did not post. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a lot of pressure.
The good and bad thing with social media for me personally, is that I really tried to use my accounts to encourage and love on people. I could probably sit around all day long and just be corresponding with people. People feel comfortable sharing their life journey with me. So many people feel like they’re stuck or they’re hopeless. So they would reach out to me. I found myself pouring so much of myself out into so many people. Not complaining because it’s always my honor to connect with people willing to share their amazing life experiences with me. But a few weeks ago, I realized if I truly wanted to help and serve people, I needed to make sure that I was taking care of myself. Which was not always the case.
So, I have officially been off social media and not sharing daily thoughts for about a week. I have used that time to focus more on the truly important things in my life. I have enjoyed a quieter and less hectic week. Being off social media has given me the beautiful gift of rest and peace.
Will I return to social media at some point? I am not really sure. As I have taken a break from social media, God has given me this simple phrase “Let Go to Grow.” ~OC
Word for 2024
Today’s a new day! We have officially entered 2024. Happy New Year! As we celebrate a new year, I have been praying about what word God would give me for 2024.
While many are uneasy about the year ahead — whether that anxiety stems from family, health, finances issues or the political climate, I am going into the new year with anticipating and excitement. The word God has given me for 2024 is Passion.
As I reflect back on my running days, I attribute much of my success to being passionate about running. Putting in the daily training to be a successful runner was a grind. Most of my runs were filled with pain and discomfort. It would have been easy to give into the pain and give up. But running was not just a hobby for me. No, it was a passion and calling from God. As some of you know, God gave me a vision during surgery in 2003 to remove a cancerous tumor that He wanted me to start running marathons and sharing his love. As I shared earlier, the marathons and training were a grind, but the passion to share all God had done and was doing in my life gave me the desire to push through the pain.
I wholeheartedly believe to be successful in running and more importantly to be successful in life, we need to approach everything with a sense of passion.
I believe it’s difficult to be successful in this journey called life without enthusiasm, energy, dedication and a passion to achieve.
I pray in this new year, we choose to run after the things that are important in life with devotion and a sense of passion to help others and to make planet earth a better place for everyone.
As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I will stay the course and spread hope, love and encouragement to everyone God brings my way. I pray your 2024 is filled with peace, joy and passion. ~OC
Growing In God
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, God continues to share amazing lessons with me. I wanted to share some of those lessons with you.
During times of pain, aches, fear and the brokenness, God has been and continues to stay near (Psalm 34:18).
God continues to teach me the value of slowing down. The importance of saying no. The importance of patience. The importance of truly being present.
The importance of doing one thing at a time. (Because I used to pride myself in multi-tasking, something I am not great at these days).
The importance of being okay with not being okay.
God continues to teach me the importance of being silent.
The importance of excepting help from others. The importance of caring and unselfish family and friends. The importance of genuine friendships. The importance of embracing the miracles of daily courage.
God continues to teach me the importance of pausing long enough to have meaningful and life-giving conversations. The beauty of observing life at a slower pace. The importance of just laughing with loved ones and sometimes shedding some tears.The blessing of having a bride who shows kindness and demonstrates what in sickness and in health really looks like.
God continues to teach me how to be kind and compassionate to others and myself.
Do I want to continue struggling with the effects of my health issues? Absolutely not! Do I want to continue experiencing the goodness of God as I take refuge in Him? Absolutely! (Psalm 34:8)
As we prepare to say goodbye to 2023 and say hello to a New Year, I have no idea what 2024 will bring. None of us do. I want to continue encouraging and serving others. I want to be a better husband and friend. I want to continue to grow. What I do know is that my heart desires to continue praising God at all times; His praise will continually be on my lips this new year. (Psalm 34:1). ~OC
Memories Along the Journey
Today’s a new day! As I have traveled this crazy beautiful health journey, I see things differently than I used to. Some life experiences and hopefully a little wisdom. My physical memory can be a bit tricky with the neurological issues and Long Covid issues, but my heart memory is in great condition. While I often forget day to day things, I am constantly remembering things that are far more important.
I remember the day I met my bride and how life has never been the same since. So many amazing memories.
I remember the beautiful friends God has blessed me with since childhood. So many amazing memories.
I remember that I need to be… want to be…. a man of honor and integrity. Hopefully a man of compassion and generosity. Because one day, I will become a memory in the lives of those that I love and I want those memories to be ones they will cherish.
I remember that the pursuits of this world… fame, fortune, power, position, success (whatever that means)… are not at all important. They’re just not.
I remember that I need to tell Laura and other loved ones every day that I love them. Not just tell them but show them because life is short. I never want to miss an opportunity to let my family and friends know what they mean to me.
This health journey is not an easy one. People often tell me how well I handle all that has been thrown at me, but the journey has not been easy. This journey has been and continues to be filled with tough moments. My health journey has definitely been an inconvenience in so many ways. It is something I would never wish on anyone. But while I continue to walk through the challenges of this health crisis, there are good things that can be taken from it. Lessons learned and hopefully more lessons to come. Some amazing memories made and hopefully many more memories to be made.
As I continue to walk this journey, I will never allow it to consume me. It will never become my identity.
I love the words in Genesis 50:20:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now – life for many people.
I have an opportunity in front of me that most people rarely get. I have had the opportunity to reclaim life from a place where there is usually death.
That makes me one of the most blessed individuals on earth. ~OC
Hallelujah
Today’s a new day! As I have walked this crazy beautiful health journey for over 20 years, I’ve had a lot of time to think about the journey. These thoughts have been like a blueprint for my journey. A journey that is radically different to the one I envisioned 21 years ago.
When I received my first diagnosis back in 2002, I was told after the shock of the diagnosis I would deal with anger and depression. Those well meaning health professionals were wrong. As crazy as it may sound, I feel like this health journey is quite possibly one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Yes, the journey has not been easy. All the surgeries, treatments and hospital stays have not always been pleasant. It’s not the blueprint I would have written for my life. But it has made me really re-evaluate a lot of the things I once held close. It’s made me appreciate my family and friends so much more and realize that possessions mean nothing when you’re faced with the real possibility of dying. Most importantly, it has made me so very aware that the God I believe in and serve is so much bigger and so much closer to me than I ever could have imagined.
Throughout history God has had many names, one of them being Immanuel, meaning ‘God with us’. I have never known that to be more true than I have the last 21 years and counting. Sometimes I wonder why I was chosen to walk this journey. But then God blesses me with a beautiful interruption and I am reminded that God has a purpose for my journey.
I know that God’s ways are higher than my own and there has been immense good that has come from this crazy beautiful health journey. God has used my health journey to bring me and others closer to Him. To bring encouragement. As I walk through this journey, woven into the fabric of my life has been an understanding of what it means to suffer, and from that understanding has flown love, compassion and mercy.
During this journey, I have continuously leaned on Psalm 139:15-16, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and Hebrews 13:5. I will let you research those scriptures on your own. While this health journey and everything that has come with it may seem chaotic, I know there is purpose in this crazy journey. Not my purpose, but the purpose of a God who holds the universe in His hands… who knew me from the moment I was conceived in the womb…. who has walked beside me every day of my life. I may not understand everything that has happened along this journey and maybe on this side of Heaven I never will, but I know that whatever happens, God is in control and he has promised he will never leave me or forsake me.
I don’t know about you, but that gives me a tremendous amount of confidence that everything is going to be alright.
Because of God’s goodness I will sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Singing Hallelujah because I am living a blessed life. Singing Hallelujah because my bride who loves me and is standing strong with me in this journey. Singing Hallelujah because I have amazing family and friends who continue to stand with Laura and I during this unending journey. Singing Hallelujah because God walks beside me and fights the battle for me. He commands his angels concerning me and they guard me. God is my fortress, my hiding place while the battle rages around me. He stands between me and my health issues that would seek to take my life and says to the sickness “no further… you will not harm him”.
Singing Hallelujah because I am still alive…. and hopefully will be for many years to come.
There are so many reasons to sing Hallelujah…. so many…. and as long as I have a heartbeat you will hear my Hallelujah.
Whatever you see in me that you think is good comes from Heaven.
It’s not my doing…. it’s His. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 