Chris' Christian Blog

May 12, 2020

"Day 2734: May 12, 2020 Prompt: “Writing is exposing yourself to strangers”― Bangambiki Habyarimana, The Great Pearl of Wisdom What do you think?"

I would agree. I believe writing takes a certain degree of vulnerability as in a sense we are letting strangers into the inner workings of our minds. Poetry is an especially vulnerable area because poetry is often an expression of what we are feeling deep in our souls. I write some poetry for no other reason than the challenge of writing it, but I also write a lot that expresses what I feel. In doing so I am expressing those feelings openly and making myself vulnerable. This takes a certain degree of humility and trust. So yes I agree that we are exposing ourselves to strangers.

"Prompt: “Writing is a struggle against silence,” says Carlos Fuentes. What do you think he means by silence, internal or external noise or something else?"

I have no idea what he is talking about. I always wrote because I wanted to quiet the muse that rose within me. I would have to mimic the words of Jeremiah the prophet. He said that he wanted to be quiet at times when He was preaching but that doing so would be like a "fire" in his bones and heart, Jeremiah 20: 9. I feel the same way about writing. There are days when the well seems to run dry and I write little. Then there are days when it overflows and I can't write enough. If this is what Carlos meant by "noise" then I fully understand.

Prompt: "Write about a fork in the road in your life, and how you made the decision to go the direction you did. What would have happened if you chose the other path?"

Up until just a few months ago I was certain that I was going to pursue a professional degree in social work. My whole life has been geared toward serving others and my heart has always been in therapy and counseling. I thought I was going to be a mental health/addictions therapist and I did everything I could to make that happen. I am still very interested in the field but I ended up going at it from an angle I did not expect. I moved here to the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville WV back in 2017. I became involved in both the chapel here and the Salvation Army Huntington Corps in nearby Huntington WV. Shortly after I got here I realized that the chapel service here had no chaplain. I am an ordained minister through the National Association of Christian Counselors and a community chaplain through the same. I decided to pursue becoming the chaplain here and obtained that position and have been the chaplain since. During that time I completed my RBA at Marshall University and became a soldier at the Salvation Army Huntington Corps. I have an extensive background in the psychology field including 78 credit hours toward a BS in psychology and an academic associate degree in Dependency Disorder Technology. I also worked as a peer support specialist having 11 years and some months in recovery from addiction. I thought social work seemed the ideal fit for me and applied to Marshall University's Social Work program.

Shortly after I became a soldier in the Huntington Corps our Community Care Ministries Secretary retired from her position due to health issues. The commander suggested I become the Community Care Ministries Secretary since I was already unofficially serving in that capacity by being the chaplain of the WVVH. I accepted and was soon commissioned as a local officer or basically the equivalent of a military non-commissioned officer. I began developing chaplaincy opportunities in the various nursing homes in the community.

Then one afternoon it occurred to me that as a chaplain I might qualify for licensure. I inquired by going online. The first thing I always do is check my email when I go online. My email had only one thing in it that day: an advertisement from Regent University about their chaplaincy program. I requested information and the next day I was enrolled in their Master of Divinity chaplain's concentration. I was certain up until that point that I was going to be a social worker.