I have walked alongside many people while they were caring for loved ones. I knew that it was difficult as I watched from afar. It was not until recently that I became a caregiver for three people that I am not kin to. As a pastor, you are called upon for anything. Other times you are called upon because of where you live or just who you are. However it happened, I found myself on a whirlwind journey with three people with three totally different sets of needs. I wish that I could share with you the details of these…

I was reading the Daily Business Plan, a daily communication from the battalion staff to the department, stating in a one-page document the operational plan for the day. One part of the document is a listing of the “significant” calls from the past three shifts. On this day, both shifts had been very busy, with two of the department’s specialty teams being dispatched for mutual aid to neighboring jurisdictions. The on-duty technical rescue team was dispatched to Amelia for a person who had fallen into a grain silo. The on-duty hazardous material team was dispatched to Richmond to assist with…

As most of you know, I have been the lead pastor at Bermuda Baptist Church since 2005. If I were to ask you why it was named Bermuda Baptist Church, what would you say? A while back, I received an e-mail from a gentleman who stated that he wanted to come to our church when his cruise ship docked at our island. I had to let him know that cruise ships do not dock in Chester. The lack of identity in our name led our leadership to begin a conversation about rebranding, renaming, and revisioning a church that has been…

Last week, a person in the county died in an early morning house fire. I have not seen the findings of the investigation, but I wanted to talk about three things that contribute to or lead to a fire fatality. One of the many purposes of the fire service is to prevent fires from occurring. Since fires are nearly impossible to prevent, then great emphasis is placed on preventing the loss of life. When loss of life occurs, due to fire, we need to talk about it. Smoke alarms are the early warning devices that wake us up or simply…

In 1989, I received my certification as a cardiac technician, and in 1991, I became a nationally registered paramedic. So, for over twenty years, I did Advanced Life Support as a firefighter. This certification required numerous hours of continuing education and the requirement to renew my certification through the Virginia Office of EMS every two years. I retired from active duty firefighting in 2010 and allowed all my medical certifications to lapse. I have been asked by some, “Why would you ever let your certifications lapse, after all that it took for you to obtain them?” My answer has been…

I heard a grandmother telling a story the other day about her granddaughter. She had been in another room, and when she came in the room where adults were,she had a red mark on her nose. When she was asked what happened to her nose, she said something to the effect of “I was checking the fireplace.” In other words, she had put her nose against a hot fireplace. Fortunately, she only received a minor, first-degree burn. This story prompts me to ask the question, how do we keep our little ones safe? This article will only skim the surface…

T hanksgiving is a time when families gather around a table full of turkey, dressing, and all the fixings. Unless you buy a fully prepared meal, someone is going to get to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. In other words, a lot of cooking normally takes place, during this time of the year. The number one cause of residential fires in America is cooking-related fires. Many of these cooking-related incidents are probably due to unattended cooking. Whatever the case, more time in the kitchen increases the probability of an unwanted kitchen fire. What will you do before…

For all the years that I have been writing this column, my primary task has been to emphasize fire safety. Considering the mass shooting at First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs Texas, I am going to attempt to talk about both. I am thankful for all police officers, but they cannot be everywhere at the instance that they need to be there. It is as important to have a security plan as it is to have a fire escape plan. The issue is to ensure that you are thinking of both, as you develop a comprehensive plan, whether in your home,…

Though it was fifteen years ago, I remember the second Saturday of the 2002 black powder season like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful, crisp morning. I got to my stand just before first light, and I had great expectations for that morning. It was a requirement of our hunt club that you had to be in an elevated stand or an elevated position to black powder hunt. My stand for that morning was a wooden stand that rose above a creek in what was known as Upper Malvern. I saw the seat on the ground, but did not…

M y wife and I just returned from an anniversary trip to Georgia. Our first stop, which was supposed to be our longest stay, was in Tybee Island, Ga. We left Chester immediately following church on Sunday, arriving at our motel shortly after 9 p.m. It was dark, but there were some things that concerned me even though I could not see everything. We checked in and went to our room. Room number 16 to be exact. The access to it was through an exterior wooden stairwell. On the first landing were two chairs with ash trays that were full…