Take Action

Today’s a new day! This morning I woke up to news of another mass shooting in America. More innocent bloodshed. Of course, our elected officials shared their thoughts and prayers for the victims. But that’s not enough anymore. Where is the action behind those thoughts and prayers? If we truly want to see real change, we must look at reforming our current gun laws and putting more money towards mental health care. We must take action.

My faith has always taught me that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. In James 2:26 scripture shares “Faith without works is dead.” I am not dismissing the power of prayer. We must always pray. But I just know that there are times when we are waiting on God to act, and God is actually waiting on us to take action. When we get frustrated and cry out to God “Why don’t you do something?”, if we stop and listen closely, we might hear God softly whispering to us, “I did do something. I created you.”

But that doesn’t take anything away from the power of prayer. You know what I did this morning when I heard the news of another mass shooting in America? I prayed for the victims and community. I prayed for smarter gun laws. I prayed our elected leaders would do more than just offer their thoughts and prayers. It’s past time to take real action. ~OC

End Racism

Today’s a new day! God is calling each of us to actively engage in the work of racial justice by eradicating racism, white nationalism and working towards racial reconciliation. There is no room for racism in our world. Will you take a stand? ~OC

What does the Lord require of you but to do Justice. ~ Micah 6:8

The Old Is Made New

Today’s a new day! God has already set us free from our past. Today our identity is no longer connected to our past mistakes. Now our identity is connected to what God has done for us. You are now washed, set apart and made right. The old is made new. Walk in that truth. Live out that freedom. ~OC

God’s Promises

Today’s a new day! As we begin a new week, remember these promises.

God has a glorious destiny for your life.

Your current or past circumstance does not alter the fact that He has a plan for your life.

God gave you the right personality, talent, gift, passions, and designed you the way you are, with His purpose in mind and your destiny in mind.

God has a destiny for everyone, not just a select few. It is God’s desire for us to walk in it and that is why we are destined to overcome.

No storm can rob you of God’s destiny for your life.

God will use the storms in order to change us and redirect us. Sometimes we feel that we are being blown off course but in fact God is using the storm in order to put us on the right path.

Whatever you give to Jesus, he resurrects. Give Him all the broken pieces of your storm battered life and He will breathe new life into it. The storms may be strong but God is stronger.

Remember, you are an Overcomer.

Have a wonderful and blessed week. ~OC

You Are In My Heart

Today’s a new day! I’ve looked back on it a thousand times. It plays on rewind in my mind. When did we become so divided? Family and friends divided over things that really don’t matter at the end of the day. Words spoken that have divided us and caused pain. Opinions over relationships. When did we become so divided? You are in my heart.

All this division has me praying and hoping for better days. Believing in healing days. Praying for those who choose opinions over friendships. Love keeps no record. You are in my heart

Would you love me across the political aisle? Would you love me if I worshiped in a different style? Would you love me if I thought in a different way? Would you love me if I chose a different lifestyle? Love keeps no record. You are in my heart.

What do we do with all this division? All this negative space between us. How can we come together and erase all that separates us? I am praying for better days. Believing in healing days. Love keeps no record. You are in my heart.


As I replay all this negativity in my head, I have nothing but love for all. I choose to look past the differences and embrace the beautiful diversity all around me. I choose to listen and learn. I refuse to hate and judge. Love keeps no record. You are in my heart.

I will not allow all this division to steal my joy. I will continue to pray and work for better days. Believing in healing days. Love keeps no record. You will always be in my heart. ~OC

God and Justice

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

Keep Moving Forward

Today’s a new day! Never give up. This crazy beautiful journey will have some difficult moments, but get ready for the victory. It’s coming. Keep moving forward. ~OC

Hope

Today’s a new day! To be honest, there are moments when I would like nothing more than to walk away from battling the storms of life. Walking away can sound so much better than this journey of building endurance, character, and hope. How many storms do I need to face in life? But in those tough moments, hope reminds me that I am not its source. The hope I walk in does not come from me, but from God who is compassionate, loving and faithful.

Opening up my eyes, God encourages me to look at the world with more hope. To look deeper and see more than what is and more of what could be. To hope.


Taking a deeper, more honest look at the realities of a hurting world can also become an act of hope. I believe in the power of love and peace. My hope is in God who is filled with love, mercy and compassion. My faith always leads me back to hope. This hope is real and available to each of us. Today, I encourage you to take a step towards Hope. ~OC

Hope

Today’s a new day! As we walk through the storms of life, hope is something we must continue to hold onto. Hope is not based on our circumstances. It is a firm conviction, a way of living out this journey called life. Hope sustains us through difficult times. We know God is always walking beside us, regardless of what our current circumstances might lead us to believe. We trust suffering is temporary and that God will use our storms for good. Even during our biggest storms in life, we boldly proclaim that God is in control. He never leaves the boat.

Many times in the last 21 years, I’ve found encouragement in reading in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, where Paul talks about the thorn in his side. God responded by saying these powerful words, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Those words give me hope. Those words give me strength. Those words guide me to encourage others as they walk through their own crazy beautiful journey.

I do not know what my future holds health wise, but I do know who holds my future in His strong nail scarred hands. I will continue to believe God’s love and grace is sufficient. It’s enough for me. I pray it’s enough for you. ~OC

Faith Over Fear

Today’s a new day! With every storm we face, we have the opportunity to focus on the fear or learn to trust God. We have to make the choice to let our faith be bigger than our fear. I pray we learn to surrender our fears at the foot of the Cross and totally trust God in the face of the storm. ~OC

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