Chris' Christian Blog

. June 15, 2020

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Prompt: Today's prompt comes from (111) (111) who in
by Mrs. Whatsit

Fifty things  (E) My list of things I want to accomplish before I croak. #1167975 by Mrs. Whatsit

has fifty things on a bucket list. Name ten things you would put on your
bucket list.

I would have quite a few things on my bucket list. First of all, I would want to write and finish a book. It would likely be a dissertation because my second thing would be to finish my Ph. D. The third thing would be to help as many addicts as I could to find recovery. It need not only be addicts though. There are all sorts of hurting people. I'd want to help them get past the hurt, so they could do the same for others. I'd want to make a difference and leave my mark on the world. I hate to think I could die without being remembered for something. Then I would want to visit some sights. The Grand Canyon would be nice for example and maybe Rushmore, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Notre Dame. and other sites. I'd also want to see the ocean. I'm fifty-nine years old. I've seen the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie. I was within half a mile of the ocean in Maryland and never went to see it. I have never seen it. I studied it in college but never saw it.

I'd also like to ride a Space X launch or some launch. Imagine sitting over top of all that raw power, moving at such incredible speeds! I understand that upon approaching Earth gravity for reentry the Apollo crews approached speeds of 36,000 feet per second! Imagine moving at a speed of 6 miles per second!

My bucket list would be pretty full. Then as Kåre เลียม Enga said in her list there are several things I would not want to revisit. Washington DC is one and New York, New York is another.

Prompt: "What I can say is that all my characters are searching for their souls, because they are my mirrors. I'm someone who is constantly trying to understand my place in the world, and literature is the best way that I found in order to see myself." Paulo Coelho
What do you think?"

I think he's partially right. I find myself in literature, but not all literature. I find myself in God's word and some self-help books that are based on the principles found in God's word. I identify well with the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous). It is a recommended read for everybody, whether alcoholic or not. Applying those principles changes any life. They are all from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

Prompt: “Loss sets its own clock. It distorts time and memory, makes days and years short and perpetual all at once.”
From How Fires End by Marco Rafalà

How does loss, any loss, affect you? Can we ever prevent losing something or someone?"

Loss is tough. When we lose things part of our life goes with it. Losing loved ones is particularly tough. I lost my wife in September of 2014. Five months later in January 2015 I lost my father. Then in July of 2015 I lost my mother. A year later in July of 2016 my brother was killed. I suffered tremendously. God reminded me that He too had suffered loss and He was there to comfort me. I never thought of God as a grieving parent but He is. Jesus death is constantly new to Him as He is there constantly since He transcends time and is omnipresent. That helps me with losses.

Prompt: Current Events

I am not a big one for watching the news so I don't really keep up with all of the current events. However, I did happen to see the news about the police shootings recently. I don't know that everybody will agree with my opinion but here goes:

I believe the police officer in Minneapolis should be charged not only with murder one but with a hate crime. It is obvious from the video that he murdered Mr. Floyd. There was no sense in such brutality. I hope they prosecute him.

The shooting in Atlanta was the result of the victim's stupidity. When a police officer is arresting you, the last thing you want to do is resist. Then the man actually grabbed the tazer and ran away firing the tazer at the officer and expected the officer not to subdue him? Was it excessive force. Perhaps. Perhaps the police officer could have hit him in the shoulder or even thrown a nightstick and tripped the man. The point is that the officer could not be sure in the heat of the moment what he had in his hands. Perhaps the officer did not realize the man had stolen his tazer and thought he had a gun? I think there is reasonable doubt. In Minneapolis no doubt it was murder. Atlanta? Reasonable doubt.

Your Bed: Describe where you sleep each night.

I live at the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville WV. I sleep in a dorm room, although I admit that I have the biggest room on the floor. I am the floor leader and one of the perks is that I am allowed to have a room by myself. I was the only man in what used to be a four-bed room. When I became floor leader they let me stay in it by myself so I have the entire room to myself. I love it though I get up at 4:30 to work.

Banana Bar Prompt: "In the spirit of saving the best for last, let's explore life's greatest mystery - What awaits us in the after-life? My spiritual being believes in eternal life, but scientifically speaking I struggle with the concept.""

I am a Christian and I believe judgment into either eternal life or eternal separation from Jesus awaits in the afterlife.
As Andre said in the prompt: "My spiritual being believes in eternal life, but scientifically speaking I struggle with the concept."

I went through a period in which I was an atheist and that part of me still exists. I am trying to snuff it out altogether, but the logical part of my being says that some things don't make sense. I know I have to take those things on faith. By faith, I believe and now as I grow closer and closer to Jesus my faith takes on new aspects. The atheist is slowly dying altogether.
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