Chris' Christian Blog

January 4, 2021

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We have been in Proverbs 10 for the past few days. Today we will move ahead a little. Perhaps we will do a few proverbs out of one chapter each week for a while? Proverbs 11:12 says "A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue."

I see this play out every day here at the veterans home and will be using this scripture to attempt to keep it in check. Some of the people here are very conservative, old school Christians who cannot tolerate anything that does not fit their preconceived notions. Those can be educated that their beliefs may be distorted. Then you have the die-hard conservatives whose minds are like Master Locks. Once they close you can't pry them open. One of the guys here seems to deliberately choose to pick fights with the guys he knows are ultra-liberal just to argue with them. I am going to present him with some of these scriptures and see if he curtails his behavior accordingly. There is no point in arguing about politics or religion. It only turns people off. We want to build relationships, not tear down people.

Prompt: "I was cruising the galaxy with Yoda and we found this planet:

Treadmill  (E) A poem regarding the treadmill we call life. #2229723 by Sumojo

Do you ever feel like your life is on a Treadmill?"

There has been a time or two I felt like that. I am a person who likes to stay active in my life. If I am not looking at deadlines and running an hour ahead of schedule or at minimum coming in just under the wire I am not happy. 17 and 18 hour days are the best for me. It keeps my mind occupied and my hands busy. I am just starting another semester of school this week and I have a ton of work to do in it. Much of the work I will not have the actual instructions for until the first day of the term, which is next Monday. In the meantime, I will knock out the first weeks reading assignment.

I am also starting some other responsibilities. One of those is a peer support group for the veterans I live with. COVID-19 has us all couped up like everybody else and the stress level is high. I am starting a group called Vets for Vets which will meet once per week and be a general education/rap session just to let the guys vent. There will be an educational element with handouts as well. I have nine men currently interested and am signing up more guys every day.

On top of this, I am also offering individual counseling to anybody who wants it. As an RBA in psychology and a certified peer support specialist and M.Div. student, I am qualified to offer counseling sessions. I am looking for a part-time position as a drug and alcohol counselor, either volunteer or paid. So yes, my treadmill keeps me busy but I would prefer to be busy as opposed to being bored.

"Prompt: On the first Monday in 2021, I look forward to ..."

Starting classes again at Regent University. I am an online student. Classes do not officially start until January 11, 2020 but the assignments typically become available on Blackboard about a week early. They are on Blackboard now. I try to knock out all of my writing assignments right away so that I can spend my time concentrating on lectures and reading assignments for the discussions. The writing assignments for this class will not be available until the first day of class though. I'm bummed over that but I have plenty to do.

"Prompt: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants,” said Isaac Newton.
On whose shoulders do you stand or who are some of the people who have influenced your life in a positive way?"

Jesus Christ is my giant. He supports me and carries me through all sorts of troubles. He has never let me down nor will He ever do so.