Today’s a new day!
Today’s a new day! We all need the love, forgiveness and grace of God because:
We fail,
We lie,
We hide things,
We get mad,
We gossip,
We’re impatient,
We’re not thankful,
We’re selfish,
We feel entitled,
We’re unloving,
We hold grudges
We refuse to forgive,
We’re greedy,
We think other peoples sin is worse than ours,
Bottom line: We all need love, forgiveness and grace. ~OC
Today’s a new day! As I study scripture, I have come to the conclusion that faith in God and a desire to do His will goes hand-in-hand with standing for social justice. Honestly, I do not believe you can have one without the other. You cannot fully walk with Christ without serving the the least of these and you cannot fully serve the least of these without an understanding and faith in Christ. Without Christ, you will never fulfill more than the surface-level needs of those you are trying to serve.
This is where Christians needs to take a stand. We should be a fortress for social justice. If we were truly following the scriptures, Christianity would be synonymous with social justice. I think our faith and social justice should be so intertwined they cannot be separated from each other. As Christians, we truly need to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We cannot just talk about the different issues that plague our country and world. We cannot continue to deal with every tragedy by just expressing our thoughts and prayers. No, as Christians we need to stand up for what’s right. Even if that means being challenged by society or other Christians for our beliefs. I believe social justice is close to the heart of God. ~OC
Today’s a new day! I am still standing. On 3/20/09 after having what doctors thought was a cold, my wife Laura was informed she needed to take me to the emergency room. I was having trouble breathing and was extremely weak. My cold actually ended up being Myasthenia Gravis. I was in a Myasthenic Crisis. Some doctors were concerned I would not make it through the the night. Most thought I would not make it through the year. Here we are 14 years later and I am still standing. Still fighting. Still thriving.
This twenty-one year crazy beautiful health journey has not been easy. On more than one occasion, Laura has been told by doctors that my condition was critical and things did not look promising. Throughout this journey, Laura and I have looked to God for guidance, strength and wisdom. He has never failed us. We do not know what the future holds for me health wise, but we know who holds our future. Laura and I will continue to make beautiful memories. We will continue to encourage people with our story. I will continue to fight. After all these years, I am still standing. Still praising God. ~OC
Today’s a new day! I would encourage everyone to search our hearts and ask ourselves, “Have I totally surrendered every area of my life to Jesus?” I am not talking about the time we asked Jesus into our life. No, I am not talking about our salvation. I am talking about living a completely surrendered life to Jesus. Living a life that is willing to be honest and raw. Living a life willing to believe and live out the scriptures. Living a life willing to believe that when Jesus went to the cross He paid our sin debt in full. Living a life trusting Jesus has a beautiful plan for each area of our lives. Living a life acknowledging that Jesus has the right to expect us to say, I Surrender All. ~OC
The following words are from Jesus:
Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple. Luke 14:33
Are you truly willing to surrender it all to Jesus? I encourage each one of us to spend time in prayer with Jesus before answering this most important question. ~OC
Dear God, please teach us to truly love our neighbors. Teach us to reach out to our neighbors in need. Teach us how to show grace to our neighbors. Teach us to show respect to our neighbors. Teach us to bless our neighbors. So, who is our neighbors?
The Homeless
Those With A Different Opions
The Refugee
The Person Who Speaks a Different Language
Those Of A Different Faith
The Single Mom or Dad
The Republican
The Democrat
The LGBTQ Community
The Addict
The Atheist
The Convict
I encourage everyone to spend time reading and studying Psalm 91. ~OC
How many of us want to live a life of hope? I pray everyone raised their hands. But with all the suffering and pain in the world, how can we possibly live in hope? Here are some steps we can take that will help us experience a life of hope.
Choose to Hope. I know this might be difficult for many, but we have to make the choice to live in hope. But OC, you have no idea the storms I am facing in life. How can I possibly live in hope with everything I am facing in life? I get it. I did not say it would be easy, but God desires for us to live in hope. But only we can make the choice to look past our current circumstances and choose to live in hope.
Prayer & Worship. I don’t know about you, but when I am praying and worshipping God I am filled with peace. Prayer and worship connects us to the timeless truth of God’s word. Spending time in prayer and worship, will fill our hearts with praise, encouragement, thanksgiving, grace and hope. So when your life is being tossed around like a crashing wave, I encourage you go to God in prayer, turn up the praise music and allow hope to wash His amazing hope over you.
The Word. The word of God was given to us that we might be filled with encouragement and hope. When we start our day with God’s word, it is like breathing in hope. The scriptures teach us how to navigate through the storms of life. So I encourage you spend more time in God’s word. That might mean getting up a little earlier or turning off social media for a few minutes. The Bible is filled with hope.
I pray you will not allow the storms of life to keep you from living a life of hope. Making the choice to live in hope will not always be easy, but I promise it will be life changing. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 