Tag: Prayer

Learning To Live From Those Preparing To Die

Today’s a new day!

As I have walked this long and often difficult health journey, I have discovered something about myself that may seem surprising.

I love talking with people who know they are nearing the end of their lives.

It isn’t because I have become fascinated with death. It is because, in many ways, those conversations are more about life than death.

There is something profoundly beautiful about the honesty that often emerges when someone knows their time is limited. The masks begin to fall away. The need to impress others disappears.

The pressure to maintain an image no longer matters. They are no longer trying to convince the world—or themselves—that they have it all together.

Instead, they simply tell the truth.

They admit their fears. They acknowledge their regrets. They celebrate what mattered most. They talk about family more than finances, relationships more than résumés, and faith more than fame. They have come to understand that life is not about accumulating things or building a reputation. It is about loving well, living with purpose, and leaving behind something far more valuable than possessions.

One of the greatest lessons they teach me is humility.

They know the world will continue after they are gone. Businesses will keep operating. The sun will rise. New memories will be made. Life moves on. That realization doesn’t seem to make them bitter; instead, it often makes them grateful. It gives them clarity about what truly deserves their time and attention.

Walking through my own health challenges has changed how I hear these conversations. When your own body reminds you that life is fragile, you begin listening differently. You stop assuming there will always be another opportunity to say what needs to be said, to forgive, to love, or to pursue what really matters.

You begin asking different questions.

Am I living with integrity?

Am I investing in people more than accomplishments?

Am I chasing significance or simply seeking approval?

If I knew my time was short, what would I wish I had done differently?

My sincere hope and prayer is that everyone reading this enjoys a long, healthy, and productive life. I hope your years are filled with purpose, meaningful work, deep relationships, laughter, and joy.

But I also hope you won’t wait until the final chapter of your life to embrace the wisdom that so many discover only then.

Spend time with those nearing the end of life’s journey. Listen more than you speak. Their perspective is a gift. They have little interest in pretending, competing, or impressing anyone. They have learned that authenticity is far more valuable than appearance and that love always outlasts achievement.

The people I have met in this season have reminded me that the greatest measure of a life is not how much we accumulated, but how faithfully we loved, how generously we served, and how honestly we lived.

Perhaps that is the invitation for all of us.

We don’t have to wait until death is near to become honest. We don’t have to wait until our health fails to appreciate the gift of today. We don’t have to wait until the end of our story to begin living the life we were created to live.

If we are willing to listen, those preparing to leave this world may become some of our greatest teachers. Their final lessons are not really about dying.

They are about living.

And the wisest thing we can do is learn those lessons while we still have time to put them into practice. ~OC

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When We Chose Silence

History never arrives wearing a name tag.

It comes in headlines,

executive orders,

courtrooms,

classrooms,

detention centers,

empty dinner tables,

and neighbors who suddenly disappear
from the routines of ordinary life.

It asks no one,
“Do you agree?”

Only,
“Will you notice?”

While some argued over politics,
children wondered if they would see
their parents again after school.

While some celebrated victories,
others quietly packed backpacks,
unsure if tomorrow would still feel
like home.

While many said,
“It isn’t happening to me,”
the circle kept growing,
its shadow stretching farther
than anyone expected.

A journalist lost a voice.

A teacher lost a lesson.

A veteran lost a place to sleep.

A refugee lost hope.

A worker lost dignity.

A family lost certainty.

And every loss whispered
the same question:

Who will stand beside them?

Freedom was never meant
to belong only to those
who look like us,
pray like us,
vote like us,
or were born where we were.

Justice was never intended
to recognize passports
before people.

Compassion was never supposed
to require permission.

One day,
our grandchildren may read
the journals written in 2026.

They may ask why children
wrote about fear instead of dreams.

Why families described hiding
instead of celebrating.

Why so many adults
mistook silence for peace.

I hope they also discover
another story—

Of ordinary people
who refused to let fear
have the final word.

People who crossed
political lines,
cultural lines,
and every invisible line
that divided neighbor from neighbor.

People who understood
that the measure of a nation
is not how loudly it celebrates liberty,
but how faithfully it protects
the vulnerable.

Because history remembers
more than what was done.

It remembers
who looked away,

and who,
at the right moment,

chose to speak. ~OC

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How Many Anne Franks Are Hiding Across America?

Today’s a new day!

“In the end, we’ll all become stories.” Those words, often associated with the power of memory, remind us that every life leaves behind a testimony.

Anne Frank’s diary has endured because it captured history through the eyes of a child. She didn’t write knowing the world would one day read her words. She wrote because she was afraid. She wrote because she hoped. She wrote because putting pen to paper was one of the few freedoms she had left.

Her diary asks every generation a difficult question:

What are the children of our day experiencing?

As I look across America in 2026, I can’t help but wonder…

How many children are quietly keeping journals they never intended anyone else to read?

How many are writing about watching a parent disappear after an immigration raid?

How many are describing the fear of hearing a knock at the door?

How many are documenting life spent wondering whether tomorrow will bring another goodbye?

How many families are being torn apart simply because they were born in another country?

These questions are not about comparing one tragedy to another. Every chapter of history has its own unique pain. Instead, they ask us whether we are paying attention to the people living through history right now.

One day, today’s children will grow up.

Some of them may publish memoirs.

Some may never share their stories.

Others may leave behind journals tucked away in closets, attics, or family boxes, discovered years after they’re gone.

What will those pages say about us?

Will they describe neighbors who chose compassion over fear?

Will they remember churches that opened their doors instead of closing their hearts?

Will they write about strangers who offered food, shelter, friendship, and dignity?

Or will they wonder why so many people looked away?

History has an unsettling habit of asking questions that cannot be answered once the moment has passed.

Future generations won’t simply read government policies or political speeches. They’ll read the stories of ordinary people. They’ll hear the voices of children who lived through these days. They’ll ask what the adults around them did when families were hurting.

As followers of Jesus, our calling has never depended on a person’s nationality, language, immigration status, or background.

Jesus consistently moved toward those on the margins.

He welcomed the stranger.

He cared for the vulnerable.

He challenged His followers to love their neighbors—not just the ones who looked like them or believed the same things.

Loving our neighbor doesn’t require us to agree on every political solution. Nations have laws, and citizens can honestly disagree about how those laws should be shaped and enforced.

But compassion should never become a casualty of politics.

A child is still a child.

A frightened family is still a frightened family.

A person created in the image of God is still a person created in the image of God.

Perhaps the question isn’t how many Anne Franks are hiding across America.

Perhaps the better question is this:

Will today’s children remember that someone saw them?

Will they remember someone who chose kindness over indifference?

Will they remember someone who reflected the love of Christ when they needed it most?

Because one day, the diaries of 2026 may be opened.

And when they are, may they tell stories not only of fear, but also of courage.

Not only of uncertainty, but also of hope.

Not only of suffering, but of people who refused to let compassion disappear.

History is being written today.

So is our legacy. ~OC

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Who Will You Stand In The Gap For?

Today’s a new day!

There is a question that every follower of Jesus should ask themselves from time to time.

Who am I willing to stand in the gap for?

Is it only the person who looks like you?

The one who thinks like you?

The one who votes like you?

The one who worships like you?

The one who believes exactly as you do?

The one who speaks your language?

The one who was born in the same country as you?

Or are you willing to stand in the gap for anyone God places in your path?

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus continually crossed the boundaries that people had built. He touched those considered unclean. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He spoke with Samaritans. He healed Roman servants. He welcomed children. He defended the outcast. He loved those society had rejected.

He never asked whether someone had earned His compassion before extending it.

Instead, He saw people made in the image of God.

That same calling has been given to us.

The world is becoming increasingly divided. We are encouraged to place labels on one another before we ever learn each other’s names. Political affiliation, nationality, race, denomination, social status, education, income, and ideology have become walls that separate people.

Yet the Cross tears those walls down.

Jesus did not die only for people who would someday agree with us.

He died for the whole world.

Every refugee.

Every immigrant.

Every prisoner.

Every addict.

Every widow.

Every orphan.

Every veteran.

Every child.

Every elderly neighbor.

Every wealthy executive.

Every person experiencing homelessness.

Every believer.

Every skeptic.

Every person struggling to find hope.

Every person you may never fully understand.

The ground at the foot of the Cross is level.

Our assignment as Christians is not to decide who deserves our love.

Our assignment is to love.

Sometimes standing in the gap means praying for someone who has no one else praying for them.

Sometimes it means buying a meal.

Sometimes it means listening instead of arguing.

Sometimes it means forgiving when forgiveness feels impossible.

Sometimes it means speaking up for someone whose voice has been ignored.

Sometimes it means sitting beside someone everyone else has walked away from.

Sometimes it simply means reminding another person that they are not forgotten.

Standing in the gap isn’t comfortable.

It wasn’t comfortable for Jesus either.

His love carried Him all the way to Calvary.

The Cross reminds us that sacrificial love is rarely convenient, but it is always powerful.

Imagine what our communities would look like if Christians became known less for the people we exclude and more for the people we embrace.

Imagine churches where everyone knew they would be welcomed.

Imagine conversations marked more by grace than by outrage.

Imagine believers who loved so deeply that people caught a glimpse of Jesus before they ever heard a sermon.

That is what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ.

The next time you encounter someone who is different from you, don’t begin by asking whether they deserve your compassion.

Instead, remember this:

Jesus loves them.

Jesus died for them.

Jesus is pursuing them.

And perhaps He is asking you to stand in the gap for them.

May we be people whose love reflects the heart of Christ rather than the divisions of our culture.

May our hands be quick to serve.

May our words be full of grace.

May our prayers extend beyond those who are easy to love.

And may we never forget that someone once stood in the gap for us.

His name is Jesus Christ.

Because He stood in the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity, we have been offered forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life.

Now it is our turn to carry His love into a hurting world.

Who will you stand in the gap for today? ~OC

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Living A Life Of Significance:Day 3

Day 3: Salt and Light

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:13-16  

Reflection: Significance is influence. Salt preserves. Light exposes. Both are ordinary things with extraordinary impact in the right place.  

Application: Where is one room, one workplace, one family conversation where you can bring light today?  

Prayer: Jesus, help me flavor my world with grace.

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Healing Prayer

Jesus, Our Amazing Healer

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we come before You with grateful hearts, praising You for Your endless love, Your mercy, and the healing found through Your Son, Jesus Christ. You are Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals (Exodus 15:26), and nothing is impossible for You (Luke 1:37).

Jesus, throughout the Gospels You touched the blind and they received their sight. You spoke to the lame and they walked. You cleansed those with leprosy, restored the brokenhearted, raised the dead, and brought hope to those who had none. Your compassion never failed, and Your power was always greater than sickness, fear, or despair.

Lord, we stand on Your promises today. Your Word declares, “Praise the Lord, my soul… who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2–3). We believe that You still heal hearts, minds, bodies, and souls according to Your perfect will.

Father, bring healing where there is pain. Bring strength where there is weakness. Bring peace where there is anxiety. Restore what illness has stolen. Encourage those who are weary. Comfort those waiting for answers. Let Your Holy Spirit surround every hospital room, every home, every caregiver, and every person crying out to You.

Your Word reminds us in Jeremiah 17:14, “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.” We place our trust completely in You.

As James 5:14–15 teaches us, we pray in faith, believing that You hear the prayers of Your people. May every healing become a testimony that points others to Jesus Christ, bringing glory to Your holy name.

Lord, even in seasons when healing comes differently than we expect, help us remember that Your presence never leaves us. Your grace is sufficient, Your strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and Your plans are always good.

We rejoice because You are our Savior, our Redeemer, our Great Physician, and our Living Hope. Thank You for every miracle You have already done and every miracle still to come.

A Short Closing Prayer

Jesus, thank You for loving us so completely. Fill us with faith, courage, and hope as we trust in Your healing power. Let our lives reflect Your goodness, and may everything we do bring honor and glory to You. We rest in Your unfailing love today and always.

We pray all of these things in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

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Could The Tate Brothers Arrest Be The First Domino?

Today’s a new day! Do I have my own opinion about Andrew and Tristan Tate? Yes. So as I write this article, I will do my best to stick to the facts that we publicly have at this point.

News that Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami, Florida, has once again placed two of the internet’s most controversial figures back into the international spotlight. Whenever high-profile individuals become the focus of criminal investigations, one question often follows:

Could this case lead investigators to uncover a much larger network?

Some have begun asking whether this arrest could eventually connect to the individuals whose names have been associated with the Jeffrey Epstein investigations. While there is currently no public evidence establishing such a connection, it is a question that many people are discussing.

Why People Are Asking

History has shown that major criminal investigations sometimes begin with one individual before expanding much further. Investigators frequently use evidence gathered from one suspect to identify additional witnesses, uncover financial records, expose communications, or reveal broader criminal activity.

This has happened in organized crime cases, public corruption investigations, financial fraud prosecutions, and human trafficking cases. One arrest can sometimes become the first domino to fall.

That does not mean every investigation expands in that way. Each case stands on its own facts, and conclusions should never be reached before evidence is presented.

The Epstein Files Continue to Raise Questions

Years after Jeffrey Epstein’s death, many Americans continue to believe that significant questions remain unanswered.

People continue to ask:

  • Who knew what was happening?
  • Who participated in criminal conduct?
  • Who helped enable it?
  • Who has yet to be held accountable?

Those questions have fueled ongoing public interest, regardless of political affiliation.

Could These Cases Be Connected?

At this point, there is no public evidence showing that the Miami arrest of Andrew and Tristan Tate is connected to the Epstein investigations.

Could investigators discover information that leads elsewhere?

Possibly.

Will it happen?

No one knows.

Criminal investigations often proceed quietly, and law enforcement agencies rarely reveal their evidence until charges are filed or cases reach court.

Because of that, speculation should never be confused with established fact.

Justice Should Be Equal

Whether someone is famous, wealthy, politically connected, or has millions of followers online should never determine whether they are investigated or prosecuted.

Justice should not have favorites.

If crimes have been committed, every person involved should be held accountable.

If someone has not committed a crime, they deserve the presumption of innocence and due process under the law.

Those principles are essential to maintaining confidence in the justice system.

The Bigger Picture

The real issue extends beyond any single individual.

Human trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable people remain global tragedies that affect countless victims every year. Every credible investigation that uncovers trafficking networks has the potential to rescue victims and prevent future abuse.

Rather than focusing solely on personalities, our attention should remain on seeking truth, protecting victims, and ensuring justice is applied fairly and consistently.

Whether this arrest becomes another isolated case or eventually leads investigators toward additional criminal activity remains to be seen. Time—and the evidence—will determine the answer.

Until then, the wisest approach is to follow the facts wherever they lead, resist jumping to conclusions, and continue advocating for justice for every victim. ~OC

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Living A Life Of Significance: Day 2

Day 2: Known and Called

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 1:5  

Reflection:Before you took your first breath, God knew you. Calling isn’t a job title. It’s belonging to Him first.  

Application: Spend 5 minutes in silence and ask, “Father, what do You say about me?”  

Prayer: Dear God, remind me that I am Yours.

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Living A Life Of Significance: Day One

Significance isn’t about being famous. It’s about being faithful with what God puts in your hands today. Over the next 30 days, I would like to share a daily devotional anchored in Scripture, Reflection, Application and Prayer. 

Week One, we will look at our Foundation – Who You Are. Let’s begin. 

Day 1: Created On Purpose

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:10  

Reflection: You are God’s workmanship, not an accident. Significance starts before performance. You were designed for good works that were prepared in advance.  

Application: Write down 3 ways God has shaped you: a gift, a story, a passion.  

Prayer: God, thank You that I don’t have to earn my worth. Show me the good works You prepared for me today.

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True Difference-Makers

Today’s a new day!

We live in a culture that often celebrates the loudest voices, the biggest platforms, and the wealthiest people. Every day we are bombarded with stories of people chasing power, fame, influence, and money, as though those things alone define a successful life.

But I have discovered something far more inspiring.

There are still people quietly changing the world.

They may or may not trend on social media. They may or may not become household names. They may or may not receive the recognition they deserve. Yet every single day they choose compassion and truth over applause, service over status, and people over personal gain.

I wanted to take a moment to recognize just a few individuals whose lives have encouraged me.

Ricky Aiken- Inner City Innovators:

Ricky Aiken has dedicated his life to investing in young people and underserved communities through Inner City Innovators (https://innercityinnovators.org/). Rather than asking, “How can I become successful?” he asks, “How can I help someone else succeed?”

His work is about creating opportunities where others see obstacles, building hope where many only see despair, and reminding people that every life has value.

That kind of leadership isn’t built on ego.

It’s built on love.

Bryan Stevenson-Equal Justice Initiative:

Bryan Stevenson has spent decades standing beside people whom much of society has forgotten. Through the Equal Justice Initiative (https://eji.org/), he has become a powerful voice for justice, mercy, and human dignity.

One of his most memorable statements is this:

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

Those words reflect a truth Christians 

understand well. Every one of us stands in need of grace. Every one of us has been offered redemption through Christ.

Justice without compassion becomes cold.

Compassion without justice becomes incomplete.

Bryan Stevenson reminds us that both matter.

Benjamin R. Cremer:

Benjamin Cremer (https://benjaminrcremer.substack.com/ ), consistently challenges Christians to look more like Jesus than like the culture around us.

His writing encourages believers to choose humility over arrogance, love over outrage, and faithfulness over political power.

In a time when Christianity is too often associated with division, Benjamin continually points people back to the heart of Jesus.

Not everyone agrees with him.

That isn’t the point.

His willingness to speak with humility, compassion, and conviction is something our world desperately needs.

Suleika Jaouad:

Suleika Jaouad (https://www.suleikajaouad.com/), has shared her deeply personal journey through illness, uncertainty, hope, and resilience with remarkable honesty.

Instead of allowing suffering to define her, she has used it to connect with countless others walking through their own difficult seasons.

She reminds us that healing isn’t always about becoming who we once were.

Sometimes healing is becoming someone entirely new.

As someone who has spent many years navigating serious health challenges, I deeply appreciate voices that speak honestly about pain while refusing to surrender hope.

A Different Kind of Legacy

These four people come from different backgrounds.

They may have different beliefs.

They may serve in different ways.

Yet they share something that seems increasingly rare.

They have chosen to live for something bigger than themselves.

They remind us that changing the world doesn’t always happen from a stage.

Sometimes it happens in a courtroom.

Sometimes it happens in forgotten neighborhoods.

Sometimes it happens through honest conversations.

Sometimes it happens one person at a time.

What Will Be Said About Us?

When our lives are over, people probably won’t remember how many followers we had.

They won’t remember how much money we accumulated.

They won’t remember how famous we became.

They will remember how we treated people.

Did we lift others up?

Did we stand beside those who were hurting?

Did we speak truth with grace?

Did we leave the world more compassionate than we found it?

Jesus never told His followers to seek fame.

He told us to love our neighbors.

He never instructed us to chase power.

He taught us to become servants.

He never measured success by influence.

He measured it by faithfulness.

Perhaps that’s the kind of legacy worth pursuing.

In a world obsessed with being noticed, may we become people who quietly notice others.

Because those are often the people who change the world the most. ~OC

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