Dear Friend

Dear Friend,

As I scrolled through your social media pages, I sense you are struggling. You seem tired. As I read your post, it appears you are being overwhelmed by the storms of life. I have experienced those moments.

So friend, I want you to know I am here for you. There have been times, I have watched other friends walk through storms from a distance because I was not sure what to say. I made their pain about me. I wish I had just showed up. Just listened.

As I have walked through my own storms, I realize how important it is to have friends walk with you. I am thankful for those who did not jump out of the boat when the seas got rough.

I am done letting fear keep me from staying close. I will not be perfect when I reach out to you. I may not always say the right thing. I am okay with that. The most important thing is, I will always be there for you. No judgment. No quick fixes. Just me standing in the gap.

Friend, you will get through whatever storm you are facing at this moment. It will not be easy. There will be some rough days. You might even feel like giving up. You might lose hope. When you lose hope, I will hope for you. We will get through this journey called life together. We will finish strong. ~OC

Life Moment Lessons

Today’s a new day! As we walk through life we will all face storms. As we walk through the storms of life, we make the choice what lessons we learn. Here are just a few lessons I have learned during my journey.

Life Moment Lesson 1: I could not do life without my faith. As a 10 year old boy, I gave my life and heart to God. There have been some ups and downs along my faith journey, but God has never left me. As with any relationship, I have taken the time to get to know Him better. I have taken the time to listen to God as he has spoken to me. l have seen God move mountains, perform miracles and heal relationships that people said were dead. I have felt the beautiful peace and presence of God in every area of my life.

Life Moment Lesson 2: Do not take any moment or person for granted. Life can change in a single moment. So share grace and forgiveness. Do not hold onto anger or grudges. Let it go.

Life Moment Lesson 3: Family and friends are a beautiful gift. Hug them often. Never miss a chance to say I love you. Treasure the time together. Cherish the laughter and memories. Be present.

Life Moment Lesson 4: Never make life about you. Make life about serving others. Every experience we encounter, has a beautiful God purpose if we only stop and embrace the moment. Stop rushing through life.

Life Moment Lesson 5: God is in every moment. But we must stop to see God’s beautiful presence. It doesn’t matter what storms we are facing. God is always there. If we look closely, we can see God’s fingerprints on everything. Slow down.

Life Moment Lesson 6: Be thankful and grateful in everything. I have learned when my focus is on God and everything He has brought me through, I can only praise Him and say Thank You. Take time to be thankful.

Of course there have been more lessons learned along the journey, but these are the ones God wanted me to share today. I am Blessed. ~OC

Wake Up

Hello. Here is a little something God put on my heart.

You spend your life running a race not created by God. Cause you live your life in a self created lane you keep running up against hurdles. You keep slipping. Look up and open your eyes, you’ll find a hand reaching down for you.

Wake up grab hold of the hand of God
Wake up and grab the hand of God

You keep running a race that has no purpose. It’s a dead end. It’s a race filled with shiny things, but no substance. No hope. It’s a fantasy. Look up and open your eyes, you’ll find a hand reaching down for you

Wake up grab hold of the hand of God
Wake up and grab the hand of God

Your race is full of money and a big house in the right zip code The world looks at you thinking you’ve got the American Dream. But your life is empty. Full of regrets and broken promises. Void of hope, Void of peace. Oh, if you only had some peace. But peace is not found in the race you chose. Look up and open your eyes you’ll find a hand reaching down for you.

Wake up grab hold of the hand of God
Wake up and grab the hand of God.

The race you run is full of comparisons and false images. Your race is full of lies that leave you empty. Look up and open your eyes, you’ll find a hand reaching down for you.

Wake up grab hold of the hand of God.
Wake up and grab the hand of God

Stop running your own race
Where’s it gotten you? God has a better race for you to run. A race designed just for you. Look up and open your eyes, you’ll find a hand reaching down for you.

Wake up grab hold of the hand of God.
Wake up and grab the hand of God.
(Wake Up Wake Up) ~OC

No Day Is Promised

Good morning. God laid this on my heart. The title is No Day is Promised.

As he wakes up his feet hit the floor, giving his Savior praise for another day. For him another day doesn’t come easy. Every breath is a struggle, but he keeps fighting. He takes one breath at a time and keeps praising his King. He is blessed with another day. Another opportunity for a miracle. No day is promised.

Sometimes when he shuffles down the halls of the hospital, he hears the enemy scream in his ears Dead Man Walking, Dead Man Walking. He refuses to listen to those lies. His body might be weak, but he is not finished fighting. His King has another day for the Man Who Refuses to Die. Another opportunity for a miracle. No day is promised.

Today The Man Who Refused to Die is living out his miracle. His breathing comes easier these days. He no longer is a Dead Man Walking. He keeps praising his King because he knows no day is promised. Today the Dead Man Walking is the Dead Man Running. ~OC

Whisper from God

Today’s a new day! The same fight from when I was a walking through my almost 18 year crazy beautiful health journey continues today. The devil wanted me gone then and he still wants me gone today. And he continues to do everything he can to try to stop me from getting where God wants me today. There has been a lot of heartbreak, a lot of sicknesses, and a lot of struggles from my first health battle in 2002 until my healing miracle in 2019. The enemy tries to put doubt in my mind that my healing is real. Did I really deserve my healing? Of course I rebuke those thoughts, but that doesn’t stop the enemy from trying. But, that doesn’t change my mindset about God. God is still God. He is still the King of Kings. God continues to give me His strength. I can overcome all through Him. One thing that I’ve come to learn is that the enemy is going to continue to try and take me out. The enemy sees what God has done and continues to do in my life. The enemy fears me because he knows I am an Ambassador for Christ. The enemy cowers knowing that my strength comes from God, who is so much stronger than him. The enemy is going to continue fighting for me, but God continues to whisper to me, “I have you; together we can change the world.” ~OC

Coming 11/17/21

Hello. As some of you know, a documentary was done on my almost 18 year health battle with multiple life threatening health issues. It will be released this Wednesday 11/17 at 8pm. It is being released on several platforms, but the free option will be shown on our YouTube channel Dead Man Running The Todd Shoemaker Story (@deadmanrunningthemovie). For more information check out our website http://www.deadmanrunningmovie.com Here is the official music video for the documentary. ~OC

Walk Out Your Story

Today’s a new day! When you go through moments of wanting to quit, remember the pain you feel at this moment will be replaced with God’s amazing strength and a powerful testimony. As you walk through a season of storms, God is building a stronger you, a stronger body, a stronger mind, and a stronger character. So as you walk through the storms of life, allow God to use that pain and discouragement to grow you. Walk out your story. ~OC

Scars vs. Wounds

Today’s a new day! Are you scarred or wounded in life? There is a huge difference between the two.

You see, your scars tell the story of everything God has brought you through in life. When I look at my own physical scars, It’s a reminder of the storms I have faced in life. I have a personal story for each scar. But those scars also remind me of the beautiful healing God has done in my life. Healing from the darkest storms of life.

Wounds are a different battle. When we are wounded, that usually means the healing is not complete. We are still walking through the storm. The wound still needs care. Most of the time those wounds are deep. They may be physical wounds, but most of the time they are deeper than just physical wounds. They are emotional wounds. Relationship wounds. Spiritual wounds. Wounds that go deep and need more care. Wounds that are repeatedly opened. But I have good news. Amazing news in fact. God can heal the deepest wounds in our lives. Not only can God completely heal those wounds, He desires to bring complete healing to our deepest wounds.

So today I encourage everyone that is wounded, to lay those wounds down at the foot of the Cross. Allow God to begin healing the deepest wounds in your life. Stop holding onto those wounds. Stop allowing them to be your identity. Today, let God begin to turn your deepest wounds into beautiful scars. Allow those scars to become testimonies. ~OC

Godly Friendships

Today’s a new day! As we walk through life we need true friendships with no secrets or hidden agendas. We need Godly friendships filled not with condemnation; but instead filled with grace. Godly friendships filled with forgiveness when one of our friends let’s us down. Godly friendships so strong we do not run away at the first sign of trouble. Godly friendships were we can tell our complete stories. Stories filled with failures, struggles, heartbreak and temptations. But also share stories filled with success and adventure. Godly friendships where we can freely share our deepest hopes, fears and dreams. Godly friendships where we will still be deeply loved and accepted even when the mask is taken off. Godly friendships where our true friends believe in us. God created each of us with a desire for relationships. It’s part of our DNA. We cannot escape it. We were created to be in deep meaningful friendships. God did not create us to be alone. If we try walking this journey alone, we are missing out on one of God’s greatest gifts. The gift of true friendship. So stop making excuses. Stop allowing past hurts to keep you from finding true Godly friendships. Step up and step into Godly Friendships. ~OC

Surrender

Most people do not like the word Surrender. For many the word means giving up or losing. This is especially true in the me first culture of today. But if we want to truly walk as a disciple of God’s, we cannot skate over the beautiful truth of surrendering.

When our bodies are out of alignment, we can definitely feel it. If we do not have our doctor check things out, our bodies will continue to decline. Not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We will start experiencing more defeats than victories.

Until we bring our thoughts and actions into proper alignment with God, we will continue to wear out. We will continue being out of alignment. But when we completely lay everything at the foot of the Cross, we become properly aligned with the will of God. Our hopes and dreams stop being centered around us and start being centered on the will of our Heavenly Father.

When we get caught up in the culture of the world, it can be tough to get realigned with the will of God. But surrendering everything to God is the first step to living a victorious and abundant life. I pray you take that first step today. ~OC

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