Tag: Peace

Racism In America

The following was written based on the white guy from Arizona who traveled to Atlanta in May to start a race war in America. The story broke my heart. I wanted to take some time before commenting on this horrible incident. So here I go.

Anyone who believes racism is no longer an issue in America is lying to themselves. Some might say this is an isolated incident, but it’s not. This story just made the news. But every day, there is a good chance a person of color will face some type of racism. That’s not a made up statistic, a political statement, it’s a fact. As a nation, we can no longer keep our heads in the sand and hope racism away. We need to have constructive dialogue on the issue of racism in America. There can be no American Dream if we refuse to acknowledge and discuss this issue. We cannot experience unity if we refuse to have real conversations about racism. We cannot honestly say the United States of America, if we do not discuss the issue of division caused by racism in America. This is a conversation where everyone needs to be sitting at the table. Only by having real, raw and constructive conversations can we even begin to think about a country and world without racism. I hope you will take your seat at the table. I will be waiting. ~OC

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Love, Forgiveness and Grace

Today’s a new day! Attention to all Christians. Before you jump on social media and start posting, ask yourself a few questions before clicking the send button.

1). Is what I am about to post judgmental, gossip, hateful or even true?

2). Is what I am about to post going to unite or divide?

3). Is what I am about to post going to add or delete from someone’s life?

4). Is what I am about to post going drive people closer to God or push them further away?

Our conversations online and in person should be filled with love, respect and words that encourage people. We do not have to agree with people on everything in order to love and respect them. As Christians, we should be inviting everyone to the table. As Christians our friendships should be filled with diversity. As Christians, we should be building bridges; not walls. Remember as Christians, it’s not our job to judge anyone. As Christians, we should be the first ones showing love, forgiveness and grace. ~OC

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Dear Christian Community

Today’s a new day! Dear Christian Community,

As I scroll through social media, I shake my head at some of the things I read from the Christian community. A community I am part of, but often cringe at the post and comments of so many Christians.

As Christians we talk about the love, grace and forgiveness of God. We love to talk about redemption. We share stories from the Bible about amazing life changing experiences involving King David, the women at the well and Saul becoming Paul. The stories bring us hope. Unfortunately, I do not always see that lived out in the Christian community. Let me share.

Recently Carl Lentz a former pastor at Hillsong NYC and his wife Laura, started a podcast called Lights On With Carl Lentz. There have only been a few episodes, but I have been blessed by Mr. and Mrs. Lentz sharing their journey. Based on some poor choices, Pastor Lentz has been out of the spotlight for the past few years. But in their podcast, the Lentz’s share how they have spent the last four years working on their marriage, family and themselves. Rebuilding the trust that had been lost. To me that is something to celebrate. There should have been articles encouraging and Pastor Lentz and Laura as they continue to heal. Instead, I have seen post, articles and videos attacking Pastor Lentz for sharing their journey with the world. The Christian community cannot talk about and preach about second chances, but only when it meets their criteria. I thought we were supposed to celebrate second chances. God loves second chances.

I do not personally know Pastor Lentz or his wife Laura. Have never met them, but I am praying God uses them in a mighty way. Praying they use their life experiences to encourage and support others walking through their own storms. Praying they embrace the second chances in every area of their lives. I for one will be rooting for them. I think God will to. ~OC

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Come Together

Today’s a new day! God, you created all of us in your beautiful image. Open our hearts and minds to this truth. Help us to recognize that all of us, regardless of skin color are your children. Dear God, help us build bridges of community and hope and not walls of hate and separation. Teach us to love, serve and listen. Open our eyes to the sin of racism. Give us the boldness and courage to stand up against the evil of racism and all hate. Dear God, teach us to celebrate our differences and to see diversity as a strength and not a weakness. Bless us with grace and patience to work together to end racism and hate in our world. Dear God, give each of us the desire to truly live together as brothers and sisters. Amen. ~OC

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Leave It At The Cross

Today’s a new day! Stop allowing the mistakes of the past and regrets to steal your joy, peace and hope. When we allow fear and our past to overwhelm our lives; we’re essentially telling Jesus that His suffering and death on the Cross wasn’t enough to take away our past mistakes. Today’s a new day; it’s time to let go of your past regrets and mistakes. Leave them at the foot of the Cross. ~OC

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Lessons Learned

Today’s a new day! I have learned a few lessons as I have run this crazy beautiful health journey. I thought I would share a few with you. This journey called life is not easy. It never has been. Embrace the challenges of life and learn from them. Never stop learning. I do not care if you have multiple doctorate degrees, there is always more to learn. Never stop dreaming. I do not care how young or old you are. Keep dreaming! Find your purpose in life. I have learned when you find your purpose you find your peace. And never let anyone or anything steal your peace. Finally, be kind. This is one of the most important lessons we can learn in life. Just being kind can totally change your life and the lives around you. ~OC

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A Gift

Today’s a new day! Believe it or not, this crazy beautiful health journey is a gift, and I do not intend to waste a day of it. Have I experienced tough moments? Yes, I have. Multiple surgeries, multiple near death experiences, hours of treatment and too many hospital stays to count. But during this long journey, God has allowed me to hear the stories of some amazing people and share my own story. If I had allowed my health issues to become my identity, I would have missed out on so many beautiful moments along the way. Does my life look different than what I had dreamed of? Yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I no longer rush through life. I embrace every moment. My life is not dictated by meetings and deadlines. I make it a point to connect with at least one friend a day. My goal is no longer to climb some corporate ladder, but to build bridges of love and encouragement. A time clock has been replaced by a get to clock. This health journey that the world would deem a negative, has become a story of hope and overcoming. My body might be broken, but I will allow God to pick up the pieces and create something beautiful. I invite everyone to come along and run this beautiful journey with me. ~OC

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Pacesetter

Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, God is my pacesetter. I will not rush through the race set before me. I will rest when God calls me to rest. He will restore me daily as I run this race. God will lead my steps as I run through the darkest moments. He gives me a calm mind and fills my heart with peace. Even when this journey becomes overwhelming, I will not fret because I am running in the presence of God. His presence is timeless. God will keep me balanced as I continue to run this race. He anoints my every step. My cup of life overflows. I will continue to run in the pace of my Lord and dwell in His house forever. ~OC

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True Identity

Today’s a new day! What are you attaching to your life? As I talk with people or scroll through their social media pages, I see so many people associating negative thoughts to their story. Too many people allowing negative thoughts to run through their head, telling them they’re not good enough or they do not measure up. After a while people begin to internalize these negative thoughts and allow them to become their identity.

My hope and prayer is that instead of believing the lies of not being good enough or measuring up, people would be reminded how amazing, unique and loved by God they are. That they are a masterpiece in His eyes. That’s your true identity. ~OC

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Be Still

Today’s a new day! Do you ever just sit still, with no distractions except your thoughts?

I believe this is one way to truly know God and experience His true peace.

In those quiet times with God, we experience the stress of the world fade away and feel the hopeful peace only He can provide. You may also discover that God uses that time to provide answers to those difficult situations in life.

What a joy it is to just rest in the peace of God. It reminds me of the beautiful scripture Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

I believe that it’s vital for us to rest in the presence of God. Life is crazy with family, careers, phones that never stop buzzing , a world filled with constant distractions and countless decisions to make on a daily basis.

These are not necessarily bad things, and they are all a part of the world in which we live today. But, it can be difficult to tap the brakes and slow down when we try to spend quiet time with God. So many times we rush through a short passage of scripture and our list of prayer requests, keeping one eye on our phone to make sure we don’t miss that text or social media post.

I think it’s awesome if you’re spending time in the Bible and lifting your prayers up to God, but I would encourage you to spend more time being still and truly listening to the voice of God.

I believe God wants us to share our praises, struggles and victories in life with Him, but I also believe God wants us to move beyond that and into a place where we simply sit with Him, resting in His presence. In His peace.

As we begin to do this, I believe we will find the stress and distractions of the world diminishing in the hopeful peace of God who saves, and we might just discover that He uses that quite time to provide answers to the difficult moments in our lives. ~OC

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