New Opportunities

I had to retire early from my career in the juvenile justice field. I was only in my early 40’s. Thankfully, God was not finished with me. In the past ten years, God has allowed me to take on several new roles. Here are some of the opportunities God has blessed me to be part of:

Abolitionist

Missionary

Blogger

Encourager

Author

Thought Leader

Speaker

Prayer Warrior

Health Advocate

Blessed Overcomer

Ten years ago, I could have allowed my health issues to become my identity. But God had other plans for me. I had to make the choice to keep living and thriving. I pray you will make the choice to look past your current circumstances and choose to keep thriving and making a difference. ~OC

Revival

God woke me up this morning with the word Revival on my heart. I believe we are beginning to see revival happening around us. I also believe God is going to use some unlikely places and people to bring revival. Should we be surprised by that? I do not think so. God used Jesus to change the world. If we look at Jesus resume, he was an unlikely candidate. Let us look at Jesus resume in today’s light.

Jesus Christ was born in a cave. Not really a great start according to the world.

Jesus was a carpenter.

Jesus was not a college graduate.

Jesus was a refugee.

Jesus never owned a home. No MTV Cribs Show for him.

Jesus was not not hanging out with the rich and famous. He would never have been interviewed by Robin Leach (Young folks google that one).

No 401k or pension for Jesus.

Jesus was definitely not jumping off the pages of GQ Magazine.

That is what Jesus resume looks like. By today’s standards not too impressive. But yet, this one man changed the world forever.

So has I thought about what God shared with me this morning, I thought about all the unlikely people God has used to share his word over the years. Most of the time, God has used common people who chose to be available. That is the kind of person I want to be. Available to serve God in any way he chooses.

I am excited to see how God is going to use common, but available people to help bring Revival. ~OC

A Complete Day

Here are a few things I do everyday:

Pray

Study the Bible

Listen to Music

Read

Spend Time in Reflection

Give Thanks

Makes for a complete day. ~OC

Faith

Dear God, I continue to pray for those who are hurting, that you will use the storms they are facing to strengthen them from a “What If” faith to a “No Matter What” faith. ~OC

Where Is The Love?

In the past 24 hours, I have read about a Christian Speaker attacking another Christian Speaker and a Christian Author attacking another Christian Author. Both have saddened me. When did it become okay for Christians to attack other Christians? Oh wait, that has been going on since the beginning of time. It still breaks my heart. Where is the love?

There is amazing power when Christians are united. I would encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to read the Book of Acts again. It is a beautiful blue print on how Christians should treat other Christians. How we should be united.

I pray we will stop these petty attacks. Let us be aware that the world is looking at us and shaking their heads in disgust. We must remember that the enemy will use the temptation of pride and self-righteousness to divide the Church. We must stand united for Jesus.

Please know, I am not saying there cannot be disagreements within the Church and among Christians. When there is a clear disregard for the scriptures and Jesus teachings, we must speak up. I welcome healthy dialogue among Christians. What I don’t care for is publicly attacking fellow Christians over petty disagreements. God created each of us with unique differences, but still in His beautiful image. We should celebrate those differences and not let them divide us.

My prayer is that God’s children will stop looking for ways to attack each other and start truly living out the Book of Acts. That the world will see a united Church and not a divided  one. I pray you will join me on this journey. ~OC

 

 

 

Emanuel

I received this dvd in the mail yesterday. It is a powerful story of faith and forgiveness. A must see. ~OC

The Hands And Feet Of Jesus

As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I have been blessed to see those around me be the hands and feet of Jesus. It has been a wonderful experience to see God’s people actually living out His teachings.

Several years ago, I had to stop driving. My health got to a point where driving was a dangerous undertaking. I could not put other people or myself in danger. This was not an easy decision. Part of my freedom was taken away. It also put a lot of pressure on my wife. She had to take on the role of being my chauffeur. That is a huge job with all of my medical appointments. So for a number of years, Laura would drop me off at my treatments/appointments and pick me up afterwards. So basically, she had to work around my schedule. Then last year, Laura and I joined a Bible Study at our church. During one of the gatherings, Laura mentioned my treatment/medical appointments schedule to a one of the lady’s at the study. Without missing a beat, this young lady shared the group could help out with rides to treatments and doctor appointments. She asked Laura to send her my schedule and she would put together a team to take and pick me up from my appointments. And she did! Within a few days, people from our Bible Study had signed up for all the time slots. Laura and I were blown away. So for the past year, people have been signing up to take me to my treatments. What a huge relive and blessing that has been for my wife and I.

That is just one blessing from our amazing small group at church. Our Bible Study includes dinner before the study. The group always has extra food to send us home with, so Laura does not have to worry about cooking. What a beautiful blessing that has been for Laura. A simple act that has meant so much to us. Laura and I have been so blessed by this amazing group of people. Our small group has become our family. So blessed.

So how can each of us become the hands and feet of Jesus? Here are just a few ways we can help serve others.

Rides. Who in your circle might need rides to medical appointments, grocery store or mall? Take the time to find out and help set up a schedule.

Meal Train. Who in your circle might benefit from having meals delivered to their home. That new family to the neighborhood, that family with a new baby, that family dealing with some medical issues.

Mission Trip. Step out of your comfort zone and go on a mission trip. You can start off with a short-term mission trip and work yourself up to a long-term trip.

Volunteer. I guarantee you there are endless possibilities to serve in your community. Take the time to research and find out where you can serve.

Brown Bag. Make some lunches or dinner for the homeless people you pass by every day. That simple act could make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Hygiene Kit. Put together some hygiene kits to pass out to the homeless.

Gift Cards. Buy some gift cards and pass those out to a single parent, college student or homeless person.

Visitation. Take time to visit a person at the hospital, treatment center or the person who is homebound. I can tell you from my own personal experience, visits mean so much. I have some friends who just sit with me during my treatments and hospital stays. It makes a huge difference.

Prayer. We can all pray. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Join the prayer team at your place of worship.

These are just a few ways we can be the hands and feet of Jesus. There are so many more. I encourage each of us to find a way to serve others in our community. ~OC

 

 

 

 

 

 

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