Tag: Thankful

People

Today’s a new day! As we continue to walk through this journey called life, people will come in and out of our lives.

People will come into our lives to teach us life lessons

People will come into our lives to inspire us

People will come into our lives to share truth

People will come into our lives for just a season

People will come into our lives to stand with us

People will come into our lives to try and divide us

People will come into our lives to bring us laughter

People will come into our lives to cry with us

People will come into our lives to face tough moments with us

People will come into our lives to teach us to live out our dreams

People will come into our lives to encourage us

People will come into our lives to share hope

People will come into our lives to teach to think outside of our comfort zones

People will come into our lives to help us stand up for what’s right

People will come into our lives to help challenge us

People will come into our lives to be part of our journey.

There is a reason for everyone God brings into our lives. Do not miss out on these beautiful opportunities. ~OC

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My NYC Marathon Experience…Almost

Today’s a new day! The New York City Marathon is this morning. I will watch it on tv and root for each of the runners. I will also spend a moment reflecting on my NYC Marathon experience that never happened.

Back in 2010, I should have been in New York City with the other 45,344 runners competing that day. But on that Sunday morning, I was in the hospital fighting for my life. It would be another nine years before I would even have the ability to lace up my running shoes and attempt to run. Unfortunately, that would be a short lived experience as my health took another turn for the worse.

I still look back on my running days more with a smile than I do with disappointment, but I must admit missing that 2010 NYC Marathon is still one of my biggest regrets of my running career. The opportunity to be at the starting line with thousands of other runners, to experience the excitement of hearing the starting gun go off, to run through the streets of NYC with thousands of people cheering the runners on and crossing that finish line is a memory I miss from my running days. It is a moment I will always wonder about.

But this Sunday morning, like I have been doing for many years, I will be watching and cheering on each of the runners blessed with the amazing opportunity to run the NYC Marathon. There will also be a moment where I will imagine myself running through the finish line with my arms raised high. You can never really take the runner out of the runner.

Best wishes for all of the runners fulfilling your dreams of running in the NYC Marathon today. Embrace every minute of every single mile. I will be cheering you on. Go Get It! ~OC

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In the Boat

Today’s a new day! At one point during my beautiful life, my friendship list looked like a big cruise ship. Many people laughing and having fun. Life was great. Then I got sick and the boat began to get smaller. Of course that was tough to endure, but God gave me peace.

Then I experienced a beautiful miracle and all of the sudden the boat started getting bigger, but most of the relationships were not real. They were based on what God had done in my life. People cared more about the miracle than they did about me. Once again tough to endure, but God guided me through this trial. He even told me on a walk one early morning, that my inner circle would get even smaller. There would be fewer people sitting in my boat. This did not scare me. It actually gave me great peace.

Then a few months ago, I was diagnosed with dementia and more friends jumped off the boat. This time I was prepared for it. Less phone calls checking in or returning my calls or text. God had clearly prepared me for this time. That does not mean there was not some pain and disappointment. It hurt. Thankfully God continues to carry me through this season.

As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful journey called life, I cling to the friends who have decided to stay in the boat with me. The ones who actually reach out to me without any prompting and reassure me they are never leaving the boat regardless of how big the waves get. We will endure together. How blessed I am to have these people in the boat with me. Beautiful bright lights to travel with on this beautiful symphony called life. It brings me great encouragement as I move through the different seasons of life.

As I wrote the words above, I realized I have never needed rescuing from the boat. God has always been in the boat with me. He has never thought about abandoning me. Once again, I am thankful for those God has chosen to ride the waves with me in the boat. But more importantly, my hope and peace comes from God who created the boat and me. The One who can calm the raging seas with just a whisper.

As you walk through the storms of life, look around and see who’s still in the boat with you. When you find them cherish them. Never take your tribe for granted. During the storms of life, learn to sit in the boat with others. Embrace those in the boat. Encourage those in the boat. Empower those in the boat. Live life together in the boat. ~OC

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The Fabric of My Life

Today’s a new day! Woven into the fabric of my life is an understanding of what it is to suffer, and from that understanding flows compassion, love, mercy and grace. ~OC

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Take Heart

Today’s a new day! We may struggle with not totally understanding the journey God currently has us walking. We may have questions about what He is doing. But we can take heart and lean into His words: “So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts” ~Isaiah 55:9

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The Long Goodbye

Today’s a new day! As most of you know, I am in the twenty-second year of this crazy beautiful health journey. On more than one occasion, Laura and I have been told I only had hours, weeks or months to live. So my health journey has sort of become a long goodbye. I was diagnosed with dementia a month ago, so I have spent a little more time reflecting on my life and this journey. Sometimes, I feel like a rockstar or band that is on a continuous farewell tour. Here are some words that came to my mind.

The Long Goodbye

This long goodbye brings with it many different emotions

This long goodbye is filled with moments of crying out to God; some days are filled with questions, but most days are filled with praise and thanksgiving

Praise and thanksgiving? How could that be?

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to live. I mean really live. From skydiving to meeting a former President, my life has been filled with amazing moments

This long goodbye, has given me the opportunity to love my bride longer than the experts predicted

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to spend more time with friends, make new friends and reconnect with some old friends

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to make more mistakes and learn some valuable lessons from those mistakes

This long goodbye has given me the beautiful opportunity to realize life is not all about me

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to serve others

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to receive and share the beautiful gift of forgiveness

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to grow as a person

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to become a runner, write two books, have a movie made about my life and write a song that is on an actual album

This long goodbye has given me with the beautiful opportunity to meet some amazing people

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to share and receive hope, love and encouragement

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to laugh, cry and reflect

This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to share the story God gave me so many years ago

I am thankful for this long goodbye and the beautiful gifts it has given me. ~OC

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Live Out Your Legacy

Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, here are some lessons I have learned along the way. I pray you will spend some time looking them ever.

Do you truly know yourself? Spend some time in self reflection. As a person of faith, I spend a lot of time in prayer asking God to reveal the good, the bad and how I can be the person that created me. I encourage each of you to find out what works for you.

Our words and actions make a difference. I personally want my life to be full of encouraging words and life changing actions. It’s simple to share a kind word or smile. Forgiveness is a beautiful gift for all parties. It brings freedom and healing.

What is the legacy you want to live out? As I continue to fight for my life, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life. I really do not care about career or finances, even though those are important things. But as I move into the 4th quarter of my journey, I think about the time spent with my bride, family and friends. The memories made. I think about the many conversations with fellow patients as they walk through their own health journey. The encouragement, the laughs and tears. That is the legacy I want to live out. I encourage everyone to spend some time to reflecting on what legacy you want to live out.

Remember to laugh? Stop taking life so seriously. Do not allow yourself to get so caught up in work, school, ministry or life that you forget to laugh. When’s the last time you really laughed?

Sometimes there are no laters in life. People spend a lot of time saying “I will do it later.” What happens when they’re no more “Laters.” I encourage everyone to make sure your time on earth counts. Take in the amazing life around you. Not just the screen in front of your face. Stop focusing on quantity and spend more time on quality. Live well now. Let me asked you a few questions: 1). Do you have any “laters”that if you could do life over would become now’s? 2). Do you have some “laters” that have turned into “never’s”?

Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’ve living?” ~Bob Marley

Here is my last question: How are you living? ~OC

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Experiencing Peace

Today’s a new day! Along this journey called life, we all deal with fear. Fear can hit us during what we thought would be a routine doctors appointment. Fear can hit us when test result comes back with more questions than answers. Fear can hit us when we watch the news or scroll through social media. We have all experienced fear in our lives.

Back in 2003, one of my doctors called me early one morning and shared he needed to see me right away. Then he made the comment “Oh and make sure you bring your wife.” A little fear hit me at that moment. Later when the doctor shared I had a tumor, the fear grew a little deeper. Fear, worry and anxiety. My wife and I experienced all those feelings sitting in that doctor’s office.

A few weeks later a biopsy revealed the tumor was the size of golfball and was cancerous. Once again, fear, worry and anxiety smacked me in the face. Things seemed overwhelming at that point.

Then something amazing happened. As I laid in ICU hooked up to several machines, God took away the fear, worry and anxiety. Those feelings were replaced by peace, calmness and even joy. Yes, joy. What changed?

God reminded me of the week long fast I had done a year earlier during a missions trip. He revealed the reason I had fasted was to prepare me for this very moment. Peace flooded my room and heart at that moment. In that moment, I completely turned my health situation over to Jesus and trusted Him to walk me through my unknown future.

Even though I had been filled with fear, anxiety and worry, Jesus was right there with me. He shared hope, love and peace even as I was overwhelmed with so many different emotions. God never abandoned me in my time of need.

During that moment, I still had to deal with life as a cancer patient. But that unknown did not overwhelm me anymore. Jesus reminded me that He was bigger than any health issue I would ever face. I am thankful, I did not know my future would be full of more health issues, test, multiple doctors appointments and hospital stays. No, at that moment I was just filled with peace. A peace that has never left me.

Here I am in 2024, after overcoming so much, but still dealing with so many health issues. Fear and worry try to overwhelm me at times, but I am still experiencing that same peace and joy I experienced in that ICU room so many years ago. Knowing that Jesus is still bigger than anything life throws at me. Still living life with a thankful heart. ~OC

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S.T.O.P.

Today’s a new day! This morning I need you to STOP!

S: Seek God in prayer about everything.

T: Trust God through prayers of thanksgiving.

O: Open your mind to that which comes from God.

P: Practice the Word of God.

Praying your day is filled with amazing moments and God’s blessings. ~OC

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The Legacy of President Jimmy Carter

Today’s a new day! Yesterday, I had the honor of being in Plains, GA to celebrate former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday. It was a wonderful day seeing old friends, meeting new friends and reflecting on the life of a man who has truly lived a life of honor.

As we are in the middle of another election, I spent some time reflecting over the legacy of past American presidents. The debate over a president’s legacy begins the moment they leave office. Sometimes sooner. I am sure everyone can make their case for who is or was the best and greatest president in the history of America. We could debate their contributions, records and everyone could weigh in with their memories and opinions. But I personally do not believe anyone can argue that the greatest post presidency does not belong to the 39th President of the United States from Plains, Georgia Jimmy Carter.

When President Carter and Mrs Carter left Washington, DC in 1981, the so called experts were in agreement that President Carter had failed and would be forgotten. That was not to be the case. Not even close. President and Mrs Carter would leave a major life changing legacy behind.

Upon leaving the White House, one of the first things the Carters did was to become closely identified with a nonprofit volunteer project, Habitat for Humanity. During its initial two decades, owing in large measure to the Carter’s involvement, Habitat became a household name in communities across the US, helping over 59 million people build or improve a place to call home. Well into their 90’s, President and Mrs. Carter were still spending one week each year volunteering with Habitat. The Carters became so identified with Habitat that when thinking of them, more Americans probably called to mind the Carters in denim with hammers in their hand more than the Carters dressed up for a formal dinner at the White House.

In 1982, just two years after leaving office, Carter further burnished his credentials as a great leader when they created the Carter Center, which described its role as “waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope.” Many of the Carter Center’s initiatives were led by President and Mrs. Carter, including monitoring elections in dozens of countries; negotiating peaceful resolutions to conflicts in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; under the leadership of President and Mrs. Carter the Center took on programs to help eradicate multiple diseases around the world including guinea worm. According to the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, In 1986, the disease afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people a year in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. Today, thanks to the work of The Carter Center and its partners — including the countries themselves — the incidence of Guinea worm has been reduced by more than 99.99 percent to 14 provisional* human cases in 2023. Working tirelessly to address multiple global concerns, the Carters have established a legacy as the greatest of our former First Families.

My wife and I had the honor of meeting President and Mrs. Carter in 2019, as he taught Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA. It was one one of highlights of my life. I had no idea how profoundly that day would change my life.

Yesterday, at the 100th birthday celebration, a group of us who all attended President Carter’s Sunday School class at different times, sat around a table reflecting and celebrating the life of the man who brought all of us together yesterday not as strangers, but as friends. That is one of the beautiful legacies of President and Mrs. Carter.

With all these wonderful memories flowing from my heart, I recall the words of President Carter from back in 2019, when sharing about his health, “I didn’t ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death.”

This is the legacy of our 39th President Jimmy Carter. A humble man who has taught us how to live a life for others in service. As President Carter approaches the end of his life, he is teaching us another lesson about not only living a life with grace, but maybe more important how to die with grace. ~OC

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