Chris' Christian Blog

March 19, 2020

"March 19, 2020" 

Prompt: "COVID-19. It’s affecting all of us in one way or another. Never in our lifetimes have we seen something of this magnitude and severity. So today, check in with yourself and your fellow competitors - how are you? Where is your head at? What’s worrying you? Let’s gather our WDC community around us and hunker down together.

I am not particularly worried about COVID-19. You see I know that Jesus has this all under control. Yes, I take the necessary precautions. In fact I voluntarily quit going into work before my facility went on lock down. I live at the West Virginia Veterans Home and we have people here that COVID-19 could very well kill. I respect and love these guys so I am going to do my best to protect them. In the end though I guarantee you that God will win this thing. His will is all that counts.

Prompt: "Tell us about the spring smells, sights, and tastes you are most excited for this year."

Spring has a lot of things that I am looking forward to this year. I always look forward to hearing the frogs chirping in the spring. They chirp because it is mating season and the bullfrogs try to attract mates that way. I also look forward to the first spring clovers. I noticed the other day right outside the sliding glass door to my building that the clovers are starting to bud. It won't be long until the bees are flying from clover to clover pollinating them. Of course the dogwoods are in bloom which means cherry blossoms won't be far behind. I love the smell of cherry blossoms.

The thing I am looking forward to the most however is starting back to college. I am a graduate student now. I'll be working on my M. Div, starting in May. I am starting the summer semester at Regent University. I hold an academic associate degree from Mountain State College and a regents bachelor of arts degree from Marshall University. I was going to go into the Master of Social Work program at Marshall University and had actually applied to the program. Then Holy Spirit led me to apply to the M. Div. program at Regent University because most of what I do anyway is chaplaincy. I am the chaplain already at the West Virginia Veterans Home and I also serve as Community Care Ministries Secretary for the Salvation Army. As such I do Bible studies in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers and I do prison ministry. Essentially I do chaplaincy. God told me to apply for a chaplaincy degree somewhere and the chaplaincy degree is an M. Div. Regent University offers an M. Div. with a specific chaplains concentration and God made it possible for me to be granted full acceptance within two weeks of applying. The program starts May 11, 2020 so I am gearing up for that. Spring is my favorite season of the year and starting college in the spring makes it even better. Now if we can just get this COVID-19 scare out of the way. Many of my chaplaincy duties are cancelled because of it. I think I am going to be creative though and hold my classes by email! I have the email addresses for the facilities I go to so I will type out the studies and email them to them. They can make copies and distribute them to anyone interested! That way we meet but don't meet. Then we can continue meeting regularly. I'm sure the activity directors will not mind. It will allow the people to have something to do and activities can go on. It's a win-win.

'Prompt: May you live as you want and never want as long as you live.
Irish Proverbs Write about this in your Blog Entry today."

I agree with this proverb in spirit, but in word I have to disagree. There are some people that I don't want to see live in whatever manner they want. I'd rather the bad elements in our society not have their way. I want to be safe from them. I want my world safe from them. I have to say though that the spirit of this proverb is good. I truly do wish the best for everyone and I believe that is what it is doing as well.