Tag: Truth

Dear Men of God,

Today’s a new day! My apologies to all the ladies today. The following post is geared towards men and the importance of men having solid friendships with other men.

Today, I write from a position of painful experiences. Today, I believe God is calling me to be transparent as I share the following message.

I have tried for years to be involved in Christian men’s groups. Unfortunately, most have never produced much fruit. Several have caused pain, loss and mistrust. Even with that said, I am still open to being part of a Christian men’s group. But not one that is more concerned about a man’s social status in society than they are about the man’s heart. Not easy to find. I definitely do not want to be part of any men’s group that preaches we need to be a man’s man in the likeness of John Wayne.

In a society that celebrates rugged individualism, Christian men are often left searching for and craving connection, but unsure how to or where to find it. Men, the Bible calls us to community. In Ecclesiastes 4:9, we read that “two are better than one.” Yet so many men are struggling to forge deep, meaningful friendships with other men. I am one of those men.

The consequences are real. Loneliness among men are at their highest rates in decades. Loneliness can lead men to make some poor choices, which can ultimately lead to brokenness.

I believe for men to be better husbands, fathers and friends, we need to be surrounded by not just mere acquaintances, but by brothers who sharpen each other “as iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17).

The Bible is full of scriptures that tell us that we are all created for relationships. Even men. In Genesis 2:18 we read, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” While often shared at wedding ceremonies, this verse actually speaks about our need for companionship. Jesus himself modeled friendship, calling his disciples “friends” (John 15:15).

For Christian men, friendships should not be a distraction from our faith but a cornerstone of it. Men, we need to be surrounded by other Christian men offering accountability and encouragement.

Yet men often pursue other gods—careers, social status, or some type of hobby before seeking out true friendships.

True friendship are a beautiful gift and I believe, an important part of living a life that honors God. In Proverbs 18:24, we read those life changing words “a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” a bond that mirrors Christ’s sacrificial love. Such friendships require intentionality and spending quality time together. And not being afraid to leave the shallow end of conversations and dive into deep, sometimes hard conversations. True brotherhood is also about laughing together and enjoying life.

Men of God, the stakes are high. Loneliness and brokenness are stealing our peace, our joy and our witness. But I believe true brotherhood, rooted in God’s love, can restore each of us. ~OC

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The Joy Robber

Today’s a new day! The Challenge for the day is: Stop comparing yourself to others.

Living a life of comparison is tiring and a big fat lie. When we look at someone else’s life, all we usually see is the surface. We usually do not see what is behind that amazing smile or what we consider a perfect life.

When we compare someone’s outside appearance with our current situation we do them and ourselves a disservice. Living a life of comparison is hurtful to everyone. I am convinced that comparison is one of the biggest joy-robbers and dream-destroyer in a person’s life.

The Joy Robber wedges its ugly self right in the middle of what God is calling us to do: write a book, apply for a new job, go on that mission trip or start a Bible study. Nothing will kill a dream faster than looking at the life of someone who’s already living your dream, then believing it’s too good for you.

When we compare ourselves to others we forget the value of our own lives. We forget that God created each of us in a unique and beautiful way. There is only one you.

If we truly want to live a life full of joy and purpose, we have to stop comparing ourselves to others. Life is not a competition. Life is so much better when we’re living out the gifts and talents God has given each of us. When we’re living out our purpose and not trying to be someone else.

So today, make the decision to start living out the life God created just for you and stop comparing yourself with someone else. Make it a great day! ~OC

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No Limitations

Today’s a new day! As most of you know, I am using a walker these days to assist me getting around. The last two weeks were tough, as I went through multiple test and treatments at the hospital. As I was sitting here thinking about everything that’s been going on with my health the last few weeks, I had to stop and give God praise. You see, the enemy thought he got the best of me because of my limited ability to get around and having to deal with two weeks in the hospital. But the truth is, my limited ability to be get around does not effect my ability to continue serving God. Never allow the enemy or anyone else to shackle you with their limitations. Keep your eyes focused on God and finish strong. ~OC

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Heaven

Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk this crazy beautiful health journey, I sometimes think about the day I will actually see Jesus face to face. Of course, I hope that day is somewhere in the distant future, but thinking about that day brings me peace, comfort and hope.

I have noticed over the years, that so many Christians look forward to spending eternity with Jesus, but do not want to leave this earth to do so. They do not want to leave their loved ones. I understand that more than you know. Yet, during my long health journey, my suffering has compelled me to yearn for the relief I will find in the presence of my Savior. As I continue to walk through this season of health issues, I hang on to the hope that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. And in His presence, I will find fullness of peace and joy.

From threats of wars, division, health issues, and tragic accidents suffering is real. But as Christians we can rejoice while suffering. We can know and have confidence that suffering and death are not the end for us. We have an assurance of more. So much more. We have the hope of eternal life. And that’s what we have to hold onto when we’re suffering. My friend, if you’re currently walking through a season of suffering, know that God is with you. He has not forgotten about you. I encourage you carry the hope of heaven in your heart, knowing that God will deliver you in due season. Until then, keep living out your purpose and being a difference maker right where God has you planted. ~OC

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Lessons Along the Journey

Today’s a new day! As I spend the week in the hospital receiving treatments and recovering, I have been reflecting on my long health journey and many hospital stays. The lessons learned over the years are many. Here is one that came to my mind this week. ~OC

As I have run this crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned to set myself free from impossible expectations. To let go of my own agenda and not allow anyone to force their agenda’s on me. I have learned to let God do His thing while I learn to rest in Him. To lean into His promises and asked, “God what do you want me to learn from this health journey and how can you use me as I travel this road?”

The life lessons that God wants to teach us through the storms of life can be life-changing. Learning to release my own agenda was only the first lesson for me. I thought my plan was a good, even a God-honoring plan, but it turns out that God had a different plan. A plan that included chronic health issues. A plan for me to be a missionary at medical appointments and hospital visits. A plan that I never would have chosen for myself. But even in the pain and struggles of this health journey, I have learned a second lesson that I believe we would all be better off by learning.

The lesson is this: God is working everything out for our good in life, even when might not believe it or cannot see it.

Now, let me just say that this lesson is a hard one to believe when your life is filled with medical appointments, hospital stays and a crazy amount of pain. If you’re having a hard time believing it today as you read this, let me encourage you with the following words from God’s own heart:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28

I confess that in some areas it has taken me years to see the good that God can bring out of a situation. Sometimes our heads must choose to trust when our hearts cannot muster up the courage to do so. And that brings me to the next lesson I have learned.

Sometimes, God allows us to experience broken bodies so that we can realize we have an even greater need—a broken heart. A broken heart that needs Him. If we will let Him, God wants to take our broken hearts, and pour His love in. That is part of the “good” that He wants to work for us in the scripture verse above. He wants to heal our brokenness, and in so doing, bring good out of it. And then, as only God can do, He wants to work through us to show a world of hurting and broken hearts that He can do the same for them. That is part of what He means when He says that we have been “called according to His purpose.”

God actually has a purpose for us. No matter how broken our lives feel, God has a purpose for each and every one of us. God can take broken people and use them for His greater purposes. All He needs from us is a willing heart.

Maybe you feel your life is too messed up for God to accept. The truth is, God desperately wants us to turn to Him in the middle of our big old mess and lift our hearts and lives to Him.

As I continue to run this health journey, I have learned that all God needs is a willing heart. Because if you are willing, even though you may feel like you are a mess, God will honor whatever faith you can muster, and take your brokenness and turn it into something truly beautiful.

So today, I pray the following for each of us:

Dear God, I pray that You will take our pain and brokenness and use it for Your good. I pray that You will use our “I can’t “ situations to show us what You can do and want to do in our lives. God, we thank you for hearing our prayers today. It’s in Your powerful and matchless name we pray. Amen.

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Grounded in Hope

Today’s a new day! I am temporarily ending my break from social media and my blog to share the following. ~OC

I was admitted into the hospital this past Monday. After not feeling well for the past few weeks, my medical team shared I was in the middle of a Myasthenic Crisis. This can be very dangerous and deadly for a patient with Myasthenia Gravis. So I am spending the week in the hospital receiving treatments. This week and everything leading up to it have not been easy, but I have found Hope in the midst of the storm. The following is what God has been sharing with me this week.

As we walk through this journey called life, we will face moments on the mountaintop and in the valleys.

We will experience moments of peace and days of trials and tribulations.

There are some things in life we can control, but there are a lot of things in life that are totally out of our control.

I cannot control that my body is being destroyed by multiple health issues, but I can choose to live with Hope as the waves crash around me.

I am not sure what kind of storm you’re currently experiencing, but it does not have the final say. Jesus does. Each day He gives up a Hope that will never fade.

This week as I sit in this hospital room, I am reminded of these beautiful words:

When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

His oath, his covenant, his blood
Supports me in the ‘whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

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Trust in God

Today’s a new day! Here is another writing from the vault. I pray it brings you some encouragement.

I am always amazed and saddened when I hear Christians teach the false doctrine that because we are children of the Most High, that makes us exempt from suffering. This is simply just not true.

Nowhere in scripture do we read where God promised any of us that this life would be easy. But God does make this promise: That He is bigger than any storm we will ever face in life. God does promise He is always working for our good, even during the raging storms when it can be hard to see Him. God does promise to never leave or forsake us, even during the biggest storms of our lives.

Each of our storms may look different, but they each have the opportunity to change us. To make us stronger. To help bring us closer to God. He is the only one that has the power to take the toughest moments of our lives and turn them around for the good. It usually never happens as quickly as we would like, but life lessons and blessing will come from it. The good will eventually shine through the darkest moments of our lives.

As I have walked through this crazy beautiful health journey, I have learned the power of praying God’s words back to Him. The words of God have the ability to soothe our souls and help us rise above the pain and challenges we might be facing.

And even if our circumstances are not immediately changed, God’s word reminds us to set our eyes on Him. To lay our burdens at the foot of the Cross. And believe me when I tell you, that’s the best place for them to be.

So as we walk through whatever storm we’re facing, we can be confident that God sees our pain. He has not forgotten us. God is still at work, through the most difficult moments of our lives. Today, lean into God and place your storms in His hands. Trust in Him. ~OC

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Hope and Joy

Today’s a new day! The following post is one that I have been writing and rewriting for months. I am not sure it’s exactly everything I want to say, but sometimes you just have to put it out there and not worry about the response.

What if I shared with you that when I look at this crazy beautiful health journey I am on, I do so with hope and joy in my heart?

In the midst of countless hospital visits, treatments, pain and surgeries there has been indescribable hope and joy that has surrounded my every step.

Let me share some truth with you. It has not been my health journey that has that brought me this hope and joy. Far from it. The hope and joy that I live with comes from someone else. You see, as I have experienced my health declining over the years, I have become intimately aware of how fragile life really is. I have become more aware of how short, and how painful our time can be on this journey called life. This has led me to crave for a life that God promised to those who would follow Him. A life where there is no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death. 

As I have run this grueling health journey, I found myself more desperate for God’s word and the peace of heaven. There were days I fixed my eyes on heaven just to get through the day. But then something amazing began to happen. The more I focused on God’s promises and heaven, the more I felt alive and renewed. Even though my body continues to decline, I have experienced more hope in the promises found in the Bible than ever before. I started leaning more into those promises because that’s where I find my hope, peace and strength. I have to make a daily choice to totally embrace God’s promises or allow this health journey to consume me. To become my identity.

I began to see the scriptures in a whole new way. Verses like the following:

“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.”~James 1:2-4

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~Romans 8:18

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I know as some of you read this post, you’re facing major storms in your life. Life seems overwhelming at times. So, when some guy is telling you to “think of it as pure joy”, it might bring out feelings of anger rather than joy. I get it. But just for a second asked yourself, “What if these verses are true?” What if even during the toughest moments of your journey, the cancer diagnosis, the Parkinson’s diagnosis or some other challenge is actually being used to make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing? And that even the deepest hurt will someday be replaced with insurmountable love, peace, and joy.

The hope and joy I am writing about may not always look like happiness the way we understand it. The hope and joy that comes from following God and focusing on heaven is not the same as what the world defines as joy. I believe it’s far more rewarding.

The world connects joy to a moment, experience or circumstance. So, if life is currently full of sunshine, we have plenty of reasons to celebrate. But the amazing thing about God’s joy is that nothing in our life could be going right, but with God’s help, we can still find the strength within our soul to praise, to help others, and ultimately, still have hope and joy.

The darkest moments of my health journey are filled with hope and joy because I continue to cling to the beautiful promises of God. They are my lifeline. And as I continue to hold onto that hope, my head miraculously stays above the raging seas. The storms that surround me haven’t changed, but I know even the biggest battles in my life cannot take away my most precious gift in life, my relationship with God. And for that, I am forever grateful.

As I close out this post, I want you to hold onto the following truth: The hope and joy that comes from Heaven, far outweighs the trials we will face here on earth. ~OC

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Jesus Never Said…

Today’s a new day? As I study the Bible here are a few things that stand out to me. ~OC

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors who agree with you.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors that make you feel comfortable.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors that worship like you.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors that speak like you.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors who look like you.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors who are citizens of your country.

Jesus never said, Love only your neighbors who vote like you.

Here is what Jesus actually did say:

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” ~Matthew 23:37-40

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Truly Living

Today’s a new day! Are you just merely existing in this journey called life?

As I look around me, I see so many people who are just walking through the motions of everyday life, but they are not truly living life. They are not embracing it. For whatever ever reason they have stopped living before their hearts stopped beating. 

As I have walked this crazy beautiful health journey for the past twenty-three years, I have learned that living a meaningful life has nothing to do with how much money you have in the bank or the materialistic things that you may possess. To truly live has nothing to do with your status in life.

To truly live life is to appreciate everything that you are. To live your life being aware of all your shortcomings but still loving yourself. To understand that those imperfections are part of who you are. To realize that you do not need to change anything about yourself to just impress others. Make changes because they make you a better person. To understand that you are far from perfect but you are unique. There is only one of you walking on this earth. To truly live is to be happy with the person that God uniquely created…You.

To truly live life means to take that trip now, instead of waiting for the right time. The right time is now. A lot can happen in life between now and the right time. Choose to embrace adventure now.

To truly live life means to be in the present, to live in the moment and not waste your time dwelling on the past, or what could have been. To let go of what has happened and focus on what you can do right now to live a better life. To be a better person.

To truly live means to appreciate everything around you. To take time to watch the sunrise or sunset, listen to the birds singing, sit by the ocean or call up some friends to get together to just celebrate living.

To truly live life is to be okay expressing your feelings. To accept that sometimes we need to laugh, cry or scream. To allow yourself to grieve and heal.

To truly live life is to appreciate each moment. To find awesomeness and wander in every day life. To make the choice to get up every day and try to make the best of every day because you don’t know if you’ll be here tomorrow. To try and learn something from each of your life experiences.

To truly live life is to spend time with friends and loved ones. To surround yourself with those that encourage, challenge and inspire you to live your best life.

To truly live life is to find your purpose and live it out. To chase after your hopes and dreams and then go out and accomplish them. To never give up!

To truly live life is to be kind and respectful to others. To buy breakfast for the person in line behind you. To reach out to family and friends to let them know how much they mean to you. To smile at a stranger. To take time to do one selfless act, big or small, on a regular basis. To truly live is to try to make a difference in your part of the world. 

To truly live life is to make the world a better place for the next generation. This one life is a beautiful gift. Embrace it! ~OC

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