Tag: Obedience

Hospitals Not Country Clubs

Today’s a new day! I was born and raised in South Florida. I am blessed to still call it home today. If you drive around South Florida, you will drive past one country club after another. In the same way, if you drive around South Florida, you will see a church on just about every corner. A church should look very different than a country club, but sadly some churches look and act no differently than the country club next door.

As I continue to walk my faith journey, I truly believe “The church should never be a country club for the healthy, but a hospital for the broken.” The church should be a place where broken people, from all backgrounds feel welcomed and loved. The Church should be a place of healing. Not a place of leisure.

As I read through the Bible, Jesus was never referred to as the Great Golf Pro or the Great Tennis Pro. No Jesus, was referred to as the Great Physician. In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus shared “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Jesus came for those that are so sick, that they cry out to Him for a healing touch. His prescription for all of us who are broken and sick, is to surrender everything to Him. On the other hand, Jesus rejected the country club culture of the religious leaders who believed they were already “well”.

I believe, if more churches would act like the hospitals God intended for them to be, there would be people all across the aisles crying out, “Finally, I can stop pretending I have it all together.” Broken people would experience true healing.

Is the church you attend closer to a country club or a hospital? Is everyone welcome to be part of your church? Does the congregation openly welcome everyone or just those who “fit” the part? Is your church really prepared to embrace the messiness of a hospital, to truly serve your community? Is your church equipped to be an emergency room for those broken people in and around your community?

As so many churches gather this morning, I pray that they will be places where everyone is welcomed. I pray they will be places filled with people ready to love and care for the broken. I pray today, that churches would actually be a “hospital for the broken” and not just a country club with nice amenities and a great slogan. ~OC

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A Call

Today’s a new day! As I watch tv or scroll through social media, I see so such suffering and injustice. And sadly, I see so many Christians adding to that suffering and injustice. It breaks my heart. More importantly, it breaks God’s heart. During those moments I reflect on the following verse:

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” ~Proverbs 31:8-9

As I reflect on those verses, I am thankful that God is different and He desires for those who call Him Father to be radically different.

God loves with a love far greater than any of us could truly ever imagine. He feels our pain and disappointments more deeply than we ever could. God will never force Himself on those who choose to live their lives without Him, even though He longs for those who are hurt and broken to take His hand. But He respects our choices.

But for those who choose to call on His name and call themselves Christians, God expects us to be a reflection of His character. To truly live out the words from Proverbs 31:8-9.

As I reflect on those words, am I truly living out those commands?

In a time where political power seems more important than the Gospel to so many American Christians, is the Christian community any different than the world so many of them like to judge?

As Christian, are we fighting against injustice? Are we speaking up for those with no voice? Are we taking the time to help the helpless? Are we truly seeking justice for those in need or just praying about it? Are we even attempting to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

As I pray and look around, I wonder why so many Christians appear to be just paying lip-service while ignoring the plight of those suffering in America and around the world. Why so many spend more time justifying ungodly prejudices against “others” than helping them. Why are so many American Christians so focused on what makes them comfortable and happy that they turn a blind eye to the suffering of those outside of their safe little bubble? Why are so many Christians walking through life ignoring the scriptures that command us to fight for justice and to love all of our neighbors?

Jesus shared the following warning in Matthew 7:21. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

I hope and pray that you do not see this as an attack on American Christianity, but instead a wake up call for Christians in America to step up and actually live out their faith and the scriptures that call us to be loving and radically different.

As I close, I want to pose the following question to my Christian brothers and sisters: Are you breaking God’s heart by calling yourself His child, but refusing to live a life of serving those in need and fighting for justice?

I know I for one, can and must do better. ~OC

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Hope and Joy

Today’s a new day! The following post is one that I have been writing and rewriting for months. I am not sure it’s exactly everything I want to say, but sometimes you just have to put it out there and not worry about the response.

What if I shared with you that when I look at this crazy beautiful health journey I am on, I do so with hope and joy in my heart?

In the midst of countless hospital visits, treatments, pain and surgeries there has been indescribable hope and joy that has surrounded my every step.

Let me share some truth with you. It has not been my health journey that has that brought me this hope and joy. Far from it. The hope and joy that I live with comes from someone else. You see, as I have experienced my health declining over the years, I have become intimately aware of how fragile life really is. I have become more aware of how short, and how painful our time can be on this journey called life. This has led me to crave for a life that God promised to those who would follow Him. A life where there is no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death. 

As I have run this grueling health journey, I found myself more desperate for God’s word and the peace of heaven. There were days I fixed my eyes on heaven just to get through the day. But then something amazing began to happen. The more I focused on God’s promises and heaven, the more I felt alive and renewed. Even though my body continues to decline, I have experienced more hope in the promises found in the Bible than ever before. I started leaning more into those promises because that’s where I find my hope, peace and strength. I have to make a daily choice to totally embrace God’s promises or allow this health journey to consume me. To become my identity.

I began to see the scriptures in a whole new way. Verses like the following:

“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.”~James 1:2-4

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~Romans 8:18

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I know as some of you read this post, you’re facing major storms in your life. Life seems overwhelming at times. So, when some guy is telling you to “think of it as pure joy”, it might bring out feelings of anger rather than joy. I get it. But just for a second asked yourself, “What if these verses are true?” What if even during the toughest moments of your journey, the cancer diagnosis, the Parkinson’s diagnosis or some other challenge is actually being used to make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing? And that even the deepest hurt will someday be replaced with insurmountable love, peace, and joy.

The hope and joy I am writing about may not always look like happiness the way we understand it. The hope and joy that comes from following God and focusing on heaven is not the same as what the world defines as joy. I believe it’s far more rewarding.

The world connects joy to a moment, experience or circumstance. So, if life is currently full of sunshine, we have plenty of reasons to celebrate. But the amazing thing about God’s joy is that nothing in our life could be going right, but with God’s help, we can still find the strength within our soul to praise, to help others, and ultimately, still have hope and joy.

The darkest moments of my health journey are filled with hope and joy because I continue to cling to the beautiful promises of God. They are my lifeline. And as I continue to hold onto that hope, my head miraculously stays above the raging seas. The storms that surround me haven’t changed, but I know even the biggest battles in my life cannot take away my most precious gift in life, my relationship with God. And for that, I am forever grateful.

As I close out this post, I want you to hold onto the following truth: The hope and joy that comes from Heaven, far outweighs the trials we will face here on earth. ~OC

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Running On Empty

Today’s a new day! Here is another “Lost Writings From OC.” This was written in May 2023 during a hospital stay.

As I was reading and studying scripture this morning, the following came to my mind.

The Question of the Day: Do you find yourself at times, spiritually running on empty?”

Speaking for myself, I can say most definitely that there have been times when I was so focused on my spiritual destination and what I needed to do to get there that I allowed my spiritual gas tank to run dry.

Let’s take a moment to break that statement down:

– To begin with, there are a lot of “I’s” and “my’s” in that sentence – almost always a sure sign of trouble.

– My focus was on “my spiritual destination” – not on God’s intentions for me in that moment.

– My priorities were based on “what I needed to do” – not on God’s priorities for me.

– My spiritual gas tank was empty because I had neglected it; in my out-of-focus focus, I had left out the ONE who should have my utmost attention.

The Word of God gives us a beautiful comparison of two sisters with differing priorities.

Martha had invited Jesus into her home – an invitation that likely included Jesus’ twelve disciples. Luke writes, she “welcomed” Jesus. She was happy and excited to have Jesus in her home, she loved Him and wanted to serve Him well. But her focus quickly shifted from Jesus to the task of preparing the food and caring for her guests. Joyful service turned to resentment when Martha saw her sister, Mary, sitting at Jesus feet listening to Him talk.

Martha was running on “Empty” as she tried to guilt and manipulate Jesus into shaming Mary into helping her serve. Jesus kindly, but firmly, put Martha in her place. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Jesus told Martha that although she was stressed out over many things, she had missed the most important thing. Martha’s focus on the busyness of hosting and serving her guests had drained her spiritual tank and blurred her focus. She was operating on empty.

We can say and do foolish things when we are tired and running on empty.

– Martha’s efforts had depleted her spirit and left her empty.

– Martha’s joy had been replaced by irritation and frustration.

– Her sincere desire to serve had been replaced by feelings of resentment.

Then Jesus spoke words that convicted Martha deeply and likely changed her perspective forever, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Jesus was saying that Mary had made the best choice – she had chosen Him. (Luke 10:42)

“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Psalm 16:5

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

“The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep Your words.” Psalm 119:57

Right now is a beautiful time of the year: a time to celebrate graduations, vacations and more time to hang out with family and friends. It’s also a time to run ourselves ragged – decorating, shopping, stressing about everything we need to get done before we can rest and enjoy the moment. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves running on EMPTY.

Not just Energy Empty…Spiritually Empty.

How can we keep our spiritual tank filled?

– Remember the focus is on God’s Love and His Ultimate Gift to Mankind (Don’t focus on yourself)

– Follow God in the moment (Don’t over plan and obsess on the details)

– Make God’s priorities yours (Don’t neglect your daily devotions and prayer time, keep first things first)

– Choose Jesus, He is your best choice – your perfect portion

The amazing thing is this, when we choose God as our focus, we will be filled, and we will stay full.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭21‬)

Finally, I encourage us all to spend more time enjoying the journey and less time stressing about the outcome. ~OC

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Your Calling

Today’s a new day! Never believe the lie that your calling stops because you’re walking through a challenging season. Because your calling is your path to your own healing. You experience healing by continuing to walk in your God-given purpose. That does not mean you do not take time to rest. We all need rest. But I am encouraging each of you to not allow your current circumstance to take you away from what you were called to by God. Because when you keep pushing through the storms of life, you allow the healing power of God to flow through you. Keep walking out your purpose in spite of your current situation. ~OC

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Let Love Flow

Today’s a new day! Here is another “Lost Writings of OC.” This was written back in 2023.

“Love overlooks the mistakes of others, but dwelling on the failures of others devastates friendships.” ~Proverbs 17:9

Jesus said that “your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)

One way of showing love is forgiving people’s fault. Even if they chose to hurt you on purpose.

Forgiveness can be difficult, but when we consider what God did through Jesus Christ, in that He made allowances for our faults before we made them, we should be able to find a place in our hearts to forgive.

So today, let us take time to search our hearts and make the decision to let love flow. To let love prosper. To make the choice to forgive. Today, let love win! ~OC

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Walking Through The Unknown

Today’s a new day! Here is another “Lost Writings of OC.” This was written in 2018. I hope and pray it will bring you some encouragement. ~OC

Have you had moments in life, that you allowed fear to overwhelm you? Those moments where you just crawled under the covers because the fear had become too much for you to handle. I think we have all had moments of fear to some degree.

I remember when my health first started to fail me. Fear decided to pay me a little visit. Even though I do not remember it, my wife Laura shared I started giving some of my possessions away. The one thing I do remember about that period of time is, I opened my Bible and this familiar passage jumped off the pages:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1-2)

As I read each word slowly, God showed me something I’d never seen: My fears were like flames and my efforts to protect myself were like gasoline. Every attempt to ease my fears was like dousing fuel on the fire, and now it was consuming me.

Gently, the Holy Spirit reminded me of 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Suddenly, I knew the only way to overcome my fear and walk in faith was to walk through what most of us fear the most. The Unknown. At that time and even today, I have no idea what my future holds health wise, but thankfully I know who holds my future in his hands. I am often reminded of this scripture: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

I had to make the decision to put fear away and walk through this health journey trusting God, realizing that even if my worst fears came true, He would still be with me.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean I no longer have moments of fear creep into my life. I am human after all. But in those moments, instead of letting fear overwhelm me I open my Bible and allow God’s words to flow over me. I lift my prayers up to God and asked for him to help me overcome whatever fear is trying to steal my peace. As I do these two things, I begin to feel that fear wash away.

In this long crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned that fear loses its power when we actively trust God more than what we fear.

Today, ask God to show you what you are afraid of. What is paralyzing your faith and keeping you from living confidently in His peace and freedom? And then make the choice to allow God to help you walk courageously through your fears, holding God’s hand and trusting His heart to lead, protect and preserve you each step of the way.

Dear God, help us walk through our fears by facing them instead of being paralyzed by them. We want to take Your hand and trust Your heart with all that is within us. Give us courage today to take the first step. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

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Lead Me Home

I wrote this piece back in 2019, but do not believe I ever posted it. The Lost Writings of OC continues.

Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk this crazy beautiful health journey, I’ve become comfortable in the wilderness moments. The ups and downs, the barren place is a place that I have spent so much time in that it has come to feel like home. I know how to operate there. I know how to encourage others that are in it. Because when you walk through enormous storms in life and God shows up in huge ways, you become changed by it. I see the beauty in the storms. The beauty that can be present even in suffering. That’s a message I believe in and will continue to share. I truly believe God is present with us in the pain and the struggle and the vast and dreadful desert. And that He uses everything–absolutely everything–for our good and His glory. Even when it doesn’t feel good in the moment. Even when it feels like a million shades of awful. The wilderness place is never where our stories end.

Over the years, I have been asked this question many times, but I often wonder if people truly want the answer. How could God allow it? Why? Why does God allow evil to happen? But when we know God and are following Him, we begin to see more of His character. This God of extraordinary love that comes through for us over and over again–in His way and in His timing and in a way that He knows is best for us. Do we want the answer if it means enduring pain is part of the process? If it makes us more like Him? If it strips us of pride and idols and all the junk that just continually brings us down? How could a good God allow it? We see the world through narrow eyes. We see the temporal things. We see just what is in front of our face at the time. And often what is there is so overwhelming–how could we possibly see anything else? But we have to take the time to look at the full picture. We have to think about how our story will ultimately end. Our God who gives us the choice of whether or not to love Him–because could we truly love Him if He didn’t give us that option? He is too big to accept that kind of response. He wants us. He wants us to love Him for who He is because He already loves us for all of who we are. And with the option to love Him also comes the option not to love Him. To travel our own path. Each of us have a will to choose, and we all at different points choose the wrong one. And the world is broken and full of pain and how do we even begin to reconcile it all? How do we accept that He is still good? He promises to be our God. Our deliverer. Our Savior. Our refuge. Our strength. God promises that we are held safely in His everlasting arms. So why doesn’t He move those enormous mountains in our paths? Why does He make us take the slow and sometimes painful climb to the top? The climb that eventually leads us up to the steepest point where we can look below and see the landscape that was always there but was just always over the next valley. This view from the mountaintop allows us to take it all in–the whole picture. The whole journey. To see both where we have come from and where we are going. The reality is, God doesn’t remove every single struggle in our path. He wants us to work through them. He wants us to put one foot in front of the other and feel our muscles trembling with every single step. Sometimes we feel like we are drowning in our struggles and our sorrows and we cry out to Him for rescue, and the tide just gets stronger. We forget that He already parted the seas for us. That our lives aren’t measured from one situation to another, but from His Son making the way for us and the forever that still awaits us. That there is another side to the mountain that we are climbing and the narrow road we walk is so much shorter than we could possibly believe. Every single step up the steep road strengthens our bodies to continue the walk home. It is hard, and it is painful, and at times we fall over and feel like we couldn’t possibly take another step. But it’s still the road home. Are we going to choose it anyway? Are you going to choose a road that is full of pain and sorrow and hurt? Because He says it is part of the path. That suffering was always a companion on our journeys. By following God’s way we are signing up for struggles and heartbreak. But would He ask this of us if it wasn’t worth it? This world is full of so much pain and sorrow, and it is far too much to bear. People all over the world struggling more than we could possibly fathom, and why does He allow it? But would we know His goodness if He didn’t? Because there is a difference between allowing something to happen and condoning it. Approving of it. And if you spend anytime in His word, you will know that God so wholly and completely disapproves. He doesn’t like it anymore than us when we are faced with a huge mountains to climb in our path–but He will use it. He will redeem it. He will show up and walk the journey with us. Because He is good, and He wants the best for us. He can see more than we can and sometimes that means the hard road. Sometimes the hard road is the only road. But I believe it’s worth it. Walking this health journey has not been easy, but I wouldn’t change it. I embrace the lessons learned. The losses endured. I will continue to walk this journey that will eventually lead me Home. ~OC

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New Set of Clothing

Today’s a new day! As we walk into a new week, I want to share a little bit with you.

I encourage everyone this week to put on a new set of clothing. Instead of judgment, try on forgiveness… instead of hate, try on love… instead of retribution, try on grace… instead of war, try on peace… instead of following the crowd, why not lean into the promises of Jesus. Today’s world is so polarized and broken and it breaks my heart. The older I have gotten, the more I have come to realize what is important in life. What is important in life is how you live… to live with an attitude of love… to follow the words of the prophet Micah: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God… and, of course to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength while also loving our neighbor (all of them, even those who are difficult to love) as ourself. Have a blessed Holy Week. ~OC

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Live On Mission

Today’s a new day! Several weeks ago, someone online asked me with everything going on with my health, what keeps me motivated to keep writing and trying to be a positive influence?

Living out this crazy beautiful health journey is not easy. The journey has been full of twist and turns. Whether it’s multiple doctor appointments, test after test and too many hospital visits to count. As I have run this race, God has allowed me to share this health journey with multiple people and groups. Whether that’s through having one on one conversations, people reading our books, watching the documentary He used to share our story, this blog or by my postings on social media. I take the things God has called me to do seriously because it is my act of worship and service to Him. Since I started dealing with these health issues so many years ago, God has allowed me to share this journey with so many people. It has been a true pleasure, but also a major responsibility. A responsibility to not make this story about me. Most days, I am dealing with a lot of pain and discomfort as I write and share what’s on my heart. Also these days because of the diagnosis of Early Onset Dementia, finding the time and the words is becoming much harder. Plus, based on my health declining, I find myself sleeping much more these days. So creating new content is much harder than I expected it to be. Plus it takes a lot out of energy and vulnerability to share about everything that life brings me each day. It’s not always pretty. I spend a lot of time praying about what I should share and post. I create and write to encourage others and point people to God. That is one of my great desires.

What keeps me motivated is not about gaining followers or affirmation because those things will fade away and are not reliable motivations. The answer to the question posed to me several weeks ago can be found in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Because when I try to run this health journey or write on my own, I end up in a crazy mess of pride, but when I live and write for Him, life is much fuller and sweeter.

As I continue to run this health journey, I want to spend my time and energy making much of Jesus and living in the fullness of His presence. I do this by using the gifts and passions He has given me to create writings that will hopefully encourage others and help them as they walk through their own life journey and to begin seeking a stronger relationship with God. I believe this quote by Francis Chan sums it up pretty well, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” I want the things that God allows me to share to outlive me. I want my life to make an eternal difference.

When I look at the life of Jesus, I see a life on mission. He came and lived out a purpose driven life. Nothing distracted Him from His mission, and through the cross, He invites us to live on mission right where we are. Though most of my days are spent living with various health concerns, I want to meet with Him through it all. I do not want to waste the precious moments I have been given dreaming and wishing my journey looked different – I want to do all that I can with what God has given me. I want to use the time, energy, talents, and dreams God has placed in my heart to bring Him glory.

When I get to the end of each day, I want to be able to say “Lord, I did all I could to be your hands and feet. I want my legs to be tired, my body to be spent, and my mind to be at peace knowing that I am living for Him and not the temporary. Even if it means I have to get a little uncomfortable, or show some vulnerability, I want my words to be His tools with a purpose. More Jesus, less me, is my motivation to write, create and share my crazy beautiful health journey with others. I want to live on mission. ~OC

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