Tag: Politics

I Have Decided

Today’s a new day! Here is another “Lost Writings from OC.” This was written in back in 2023. I am saddened that we are still talking about this in 2025. I pray you will take the time to read and reflect on the following words.

Christian Nationalists are busy attempting to build communities of delusion. Their false doctrine is pure fantasy and far from the love and common sense of Jesus and his teachings. Christian Nationalism is not true Christianity. I think it’s time for true Christians to stand up against this false theology and bring common sense back to the Christian community. It’s time to bring back the true teachings of Jesus.

It’s time for truth and love to stand up. A moment for the real Christian community to realize that Jesus has been forsaken by the false teachings of Christian Nationalism. To see how this false doctrine teaches power over people, the rich over the poor and nationalism over global freedom.

Think about the following words from Jesus, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” ~Matthew 25:35-40

Those truly serving Jesus will say “Yes and amen! We want to love and serve everyone.” Christian Nationalist will say “No, that’s woke. They need to take care of themselves.” You see, Christian Nationalism is a bad tree. Remember, Jesus said a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

It’s time for a radical vision and movement, where everyone is welcomed to the table. A time to say no to division and evangelical extremism. It’s time for the real Christian community to be defined by the openness of Jesus and his love and reverence for all. Something you will not find in the Christian Nationalism movement.

I encourage everyone who truly loves Jesus and His teachings, to let your conscience be decisive.

For me, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. ~OC

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A Prayer for America

Today’s a new day! Dear God, my heart grieves for America. Your word tells us that any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall (Luke 11:17). Our nation is so divided, and it pains me to think of our country falling. But I know we cannot stand without you at the center.

We know we must honor you, recognize you as Lord and Savior. We must acknowledge our shortcomings and failures. We must be willing to surrender to you, to follow the plans you have for us. As a whole, our country has fallen away, turned our backs on you.

But, for the sake of the faithful remnant, we call on you to be merciful to us. You know there are those who continue to choose you, who continue to truly seek your face. You know there are faithful ones who truly desire to honor you, to point the world back to you. For the sake of the faithful ones, hear our prayers and save our nation.

This world continues to grow darker. We know the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18), but we continue to cling to the old rugged cross. We know it is only because of the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we have forgiveness and can enter into your presence.

As the world grows darker, we have an opportunity to let our lights shine brighter, to let your light shine through us to illuminate the darkness. May we reflect your goodness and grace for all the world to see. May we be purified as silver so the world sees an accurate reflection of you.

America has become such a hotbed of dissension. I pray that we, as Christians, would lead the way in putting aside our differences and learning to listen to those with whom we disagree. My dearest brothers and sisters take this to heart: Be quick to listen, slow to speak. And be slow to become angry, for human anger is never a legitimate tool to promote God’s righteous purpose. So this why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. (James 1:19-21)

Help us to be wise in the way we conduct ourselves, in the way we live our lives. May we remember, it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11)

May we set our hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly temporal matters.  Because we are your chosen people, holy and dearly loved, help us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. May we bear with each other and forgive one another… as the Lord forgave us. And over all these virtues may we put on love, which binds us all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

I pray we would focus completely on you so your perfect peace will rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we were called to peace. And help us to be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among us richly, as we sing to God with gratitude in our hearts. And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, may we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17)

In this day and age where people freely say whatever they think, whatever they feel, I pray we as Christ-followers would remember the importance of speaking words of life and hope. Help us remember that if we consider ourselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on our tongues, we deceive ourselves, and our religion is worthless. May we show the world true religion that you accept as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. (James 1:19-20)

Don’t let our faith be dead. Instead, help us show our faith by our actions. May we reach out to those who are hurting, those who are in need. May we be the hands and feet of Christ, meeting the physical needs of those around us. May we share your love by giving to those around us, by proving our faith through our actions. Never let us be all talk with no action.

Father, we long to see your face, to see your hand of grace and mercy over us. See our hearts as we bow before you. See our longing to know you better.

May your remnant, your people, who are called by your name, humble ourselves and pray and seek your face and turn from our wicked ways, so you will hear from heaven, and forgive our sin and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Help us all to put away politics, and join together and pray your blessings over America. Pour out your spirit of wisdom and reconciliation to our political leaders. Give them a heart that longs to seek you, to follow you. Give our political leaders a desire to sit with those who think differently, who have different agendas, and to listen, to find common ground, to find ways to bridge the gap and move forward together.

Dear God, we pray for unity within America. We don’t always understand why things happen as they do, but we do know you are still in control. May we commit to praying for each of our leaders, for our country, each and every day. May we commit to doing our part to bring unity wherever our journey takes us.

Dear God, we are yours. Hear our prayers, our pleas, for healing in our nation. We know it can only come through you, through your mercies which are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness! ~OC

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Simply David

Today’s a new day! I wanted to take a few days before responding to the irresponsible comments made by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. earlier this week.

Laura and I have a wonderful and loving nephew living with autism. I should correct myself and say that David is thriving in life. As a child, the doctors shared David would never talk, or be able to take care of himself. Oh, how wrong they were. Today David is in his mid twenties and will talk all day if you let him. He also works two jobs and pays taxes. David has won multiple Special Olympic Medals. He and his father volunteer weekly at their church. Everyone at church knows and loves our nephew. David is living his best life.

So when Mr. Kennedy stood before the cameras and declared that children like David “will never pay taxes, never hold a job and never write a poem, I looked on with horror. Mr. Kennedy then went on to claim autism is “a preventable disease” and promised a lightning-fast investigation to root out its so-called environmental causes. While we must look at every possible cause of autism, including environmental factors, we cannot ignore the decades of scientific research that has already been conducted.

And remember, this is coming from a man with no real medical background.

This coming from the man responsible for guiding the United States’ national health policy. Let that sink in for just a second.

What Mr. Kennedy did at that podium was spew misinformation. It was a new level of fear-mongering. It was the 21st-century version of a snake oil salesman promoting false promises with no credible science.

Let me share what autism actually looks like.

It looks like David playing tennis or pickle ball. It’s David being so excited to dress up like Spider-Man to bring some enjoyment to others. It looks like David always checking in on me during and after a hospital stay. It looks like David making Auntie Laura a sandwich or bringing her a fresh drink. It looks like David constantly looking for ways to serve others. That’s what autism looks like.

David is not a victim. He does NOT fit any of Mr. Kennedy’s cartoonish depiction of helplessness.

I realize autism looks different for every individual and family. But in my nephew’s case, he is kind, he continues to learn and he is thriving in life. David has already defied every negative prediction made about him when he was a child.

And if I have to listen to Mr. Kennedy or any other politician turn my nephew into a sound bite for political gain, I will keep using the power of my voice and the power of the pen to call out such blatant misinformation. And I will continue to encourage everyone to reject these false narratives by voting against them on election day.

My nephew is not a tragedy. And he is certainly not an epidemic. He is simply David. A young man with hopes and dreams like the rest of us.

I would encourage everyone to actually do your own research on autism and other health issues and not the words of a man who only cares about pushing his own twisted agenda. Thanks for reading. ~OC

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The Church…Lost Its Way

Today’s a new day! I miss the days when the Christian community was led by God’s word and not the words of a politician or political party. Oh how the Church has lost its way. ~OC

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Jesus and Power

Today’s a new day! Have you ever thought about or asked the question “Why didn’t Jesus ever use his power for personal gain?” I mean you look around today and sadly there are many examples of people using their power for personal gain.

Think about it. Jesus is stronger than the Strongest Person on Earth. He has more ups than Michael Jordan. Jesus is faster than Usain Bolt. He would dominate March Madness. Jesus had the ultimate power. There was simply nothing He could not do if He wanted to.

Could Jesus have used His power?

When I first started my relationship with Jesus many, many years ago, I often wondered why He did not use His power more. I mean, I knew He worked miracles. He walked on water, turned water into wine, and even raised Lazarus from the dead.

It’s not like He could not use his power at all. Clearly, God did not tell Jesus to hide His power. So if that is the case, why didn’t he use it more often? As a child, I could think of so many different ways He could have used it.

As a child, I thought Jesus could have used His power to defeat the playground bully. He could have won every sporting event he ever entered. Oh, the imagination of a child.

As an adult, Jesus did not have to be a simple carpenter. He could have been the most successful business person ever. Jesus could have risen to the top of the political structure of the time. He could have even defeated the Roman army single-handedly and taken over the world. But He chose not to.

As a child with a lively imagination, I could come up with endless ways Jesus could have used His power. As a child, I used to ask why didn’t Jesus use His power to escape the torture of the cross?

Jesus had an eternal perspective.

Now, many decades into my walk with Jesus, I can see how silly my questions were. What seemed so elusive at the time is an answer that is all too obvious to me now.

You see, Jesus had an eternal perspective. He came from heaven to earth for only thirty-three years and with a very specific purpose. Jesus knew before He came that He would return to heaven. He knew that anything material He gained on earth would be left behind upon His return to His throne.

Jesus Purpose Was Bigger

Jesus never used His power to win fights or contests because those things did not align with His purpose. He never spent time seeking wealth, success and power because He knew all those things were fleeting. Jesus knew it was worthless in eternity and promised little comfort during His time on earth.

Jesus always avoided political and military entanglements because His perspective was even bigger than those around him could imagine. And most of all, He submitted to the cross because the lives of those He would save as a result were infinitely more valuable than the value of His additional time on earth.

I Continue To Be Humbled

When I reflect on my life and look at all the time I sought after things that truly didn’t matter, at the expense of eternal gain, I just shake my head. Maybe you are different, but I am almost embarrassed to put these thoughts out here on the blog…and would not, except for the hope that someone else will gain from my weakness and transparency.

We should be exchanging what this short-term world has to offer for the eternal reward that Jesus offers us. We should be sacrificing our comfort today for the promise of our future in heaven.

So many of you are doing this very thing. You are actually being the hands and feet of Jesus. At the same time, others are silently thinking about how they could be more committed.

It’s Never Too Late, The Time Is Now

I want to encourage everyone to never quit. Do not give up simply because you feel you have failed in one area or another (or in multiple areas). Today, take the time to ask Jesus for renewed strength and wisdom to trust Him to lead you. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Keep leaning into all that He has for your life. ~OC

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Not the Gospel

Today’s a new day! When political power becomes more important than the Gospel of Jesus Christ for some pastors, churches, ministries and Christians you can no longer claim to be doing God’s work. No, you’re now doing the work of a politician or political party. ~OC

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African American Librarians

The following information was provided by the Portland Public Library. We can never stop learning and being thankful.

Black librarians have played a vital role in preserving generations of Black literature and bringing new resources and opportunities to libraries for decades.

Before emancipation, Black people in the South were punished for reading or teaching others to read. However, during the Harlem Renaissance, a movement emerged to provide access to reading material on Black history.Women were the institution builders.’

Many Black women who were the first to attend library school created their own methods after learning ones that weren’t suited to Black books and ideas.

“In many ways, it is these women who were the institution builders,” Joy Bivins, the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, told The New York Times.The outlet reported that while library services for Black citizens were unavailable in the South and limited in the North, branches that did serve them often had few books geared to their interests and sometimes lacked card catalogs or reference collections.

This began to change in 1924 when Vivian Harsh became the first Black librarian to lead a public library branch in Chicago. In 1932, she led the city’s first branch in Bronzeville, a Black neighborhood, welcomed Black history study groups and established the nation’s second public library collection dedicated to Black life and literature, according to the Times.However, according to the outlet, Harlem captured the transformations of the era more when, starting in 1920, a white librarian named Ernestine Rose hired four young Black librarians at the 135th Street library.

Improving faulty Dewey decimal categories

For Black librarians, cataloging often meant “countercataloguing,” per the Times.

As Black collections moved from private homes to institutions, quirky personal systems no longer sufficed, and the systems used in most libraries proved inadequate as they allowed limited space for non-European subjects.

Dorothy Porter, a librarian at Howard University, and others adjusted the Library of Congress’ standard subject headings, adding ones for topics such as passing, Pan-Africanism and the blues. She also addressed the racism embedded in the Dewey decimal classification system.This system, created in the 1870s, categorized knowledge in ways that marginalized Black experiences, confining them to narrow numerical slots.

Despite warnings that she might face copyright infringement for her modified system, an unauthorized version was adopted at the Schomburg Center and other places.

Today, as the field of library and information science has seen calls to ban more books, change the way the field selects material for public library use, and, in many ways, minimize the importance of librarians in their communities, it is more important than ever to remember those who challenged oppression, racism, and erasure. The percentage of Black librarians in the United States remains in the single digits. However, we will continue to push for representation, access to information, and lifelong learning as a right for all. The African American librarians who fought to preserve that right are among the many reasons we acknowledge and celebrate Women’s History Month. ~OC

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My Covid Story

On March 13, 2020, America shut down because of Covid. Five years later, Covid still plays a major part in my life. Here is my story.

For most, the year 2020 was one to forget. The Covid Pandemic turned most of the world upside down. We watched in horror as we witnessed so many people and families suffer tremendous suffering and lose. As my wife and I watched all this unfold, we were thankful that Covid19 had not touched us. Until it did.

On Super Bowl Sunday 2021, I woke up a little tired. It had been a long week so I did not think much of it. I took my temperature and thankfully it was normal. I headed off to church excited for the day. You see, I am a life long Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and they were playing in the Super Bowl. After church, I headed home and took a little pregame nap. When I woke up everything had changed. I woke up with my shirt soaked in sweat. I took my temperature and it was at 103.6. I immediately went and had a Covid test. Of course this was on a Sunday, so my results would take a few days. I went home and basically slept through the Bucs winning the Super Bowl. Go Bucs!

On that Monday morning, I woke up feeling much worse. My temperature was now at 104.2. I also had a terrible headache, body aches, terrible cough and did not want to move. Later in the day, it was determined I needed to make my way to the ER. Once inside the ER, test revealed I did indeed have Covid and double pneumonia. I was headed to the Covid floor.

During my stay at the hospital, I received Blood Plasma, Steroids and Remdesivir. Being isolated on the Covid floor was tough. When I had been hospitalized in the past, I was used to having visitors and walking the halls. This hospital stay was filled with staff in protective covering and closed doors. Complete Isolation. After more than a week on the Covid floor, I was released. Time to recover from Covid and double pneumonia.

After being released from the hospital, I had to spend a week isolated away from my wonderful bride, since she continued to test negative for Covid. But unfortunately, my wife would soon experience the effects of Covid. Thankfully, her symptoms were a little milder and she does not suffer from any longtime effects. After finally arriving home, I waited to feel better. Surely I would feel better in a few days. But that was not the case. After two months my symptoms had not gotten much better. My CT Scan showed my lungs were still filled with Covid. I was still dealing with headaches, breathing issues, cough, no appetite, hoarse voice, fatigue and brain fog. Most of my days felt like the movie Groundhogs Day.

My medical team officially classified me as a Covid Long Hauler almost six months after my original diagnosis. Not a club anyone wants to be part of. Everything was wait and see. So, what do you do with that news? When you cannot rely on anything that was once reliable. When you have taken every step you know how to take-what then? You Hope. You Never Give Up.

My life is totally different than it was on that morning in February 2021. In 2025, I still stand up having no idea where I am going. Trying to process new information is still a challenge. Breathing continues to be a struggle. Constant fatigue. I could go on and on about the different symptoms I still deal with on a daily basis.

So as I continue to walk this journey, I still lean into Hope. I still do my research. I continue to try to encourage others walking through their own Long Hauler’s battle. I will continue to pray with great expectancy to wake up one morning with no Covid symptoms. That day when I am renewed physically. But until that day, I will live in Hope. ~OC

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Sunday Bloody Sunday

Today’s a new day! On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, approximately 600 peace loving advocates set out to march to Alabama’s capital, Montgomery, to demand voting rights for Black Americans in the face of unfair, discriminatory laws and practices.

Sixty years ago, black voters faced numerous obstacles when trying to register to vote, including literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation and brutal violence. Civil rights leaders organized this march to demand an equal opportunity to participate in American democracy.  

As the marchers peacefully crossed Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, local police, vigilante groups and state troopers violently attacked them.

Many marchers were hospitalized as a result of these brutal attacks, which was televised nationwide and became known as “Bloody Sunday.” In addition, the events leading up to this day and the weeks after resulted in the deaths of three civil rights advocates.

The brutality of Bloody Sunday highlighted the urgent need for change and galvanized support for the Civil Rights Movement across the country. Two weeks later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 3,200 civil rights protesters completed the 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.

Thanks to the efforts of those brave freedom fighters, historically disenfranchised Americans were able to fully participate in the democratic process for the first time.

Sadly sixty years later, there is still a lot of work to do across America to protect and expand the freedom to vote. The fight is not over. We, the Freedom Fighters of today must continue to speak up and fight for justice.

So on this 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, let’s remember the legacy of all those who fought for a truly inclusive democracy and pledge ourselves to supporting the continuing fight for the freedom to vote and for equal rights for all Americans. ~OC

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