Christ Reformed Church of Alexandria

Stuck inside, and want to make the most of your time?
Consider some of these options.

Here are some recommendations courtesy of Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship (URCNA).

Communicate- Flip social distancing into distant socializing!

• Write letters to each other, especially to the older men and women of CRC Alexandria, and other members of other churches you know and love!
• Call people. Not much of a writer? Pick up the phone! You don’t have to have a two-hour conversation — five minutes is plenty!
• Text people. “But I really dislike talking on the phone.” No worries — shoot someone a text. Nothing wrong with that. Just takes a moment.
• Email people. Its always fun to get an email from someone you love.
• Hop on a video call. Nothing beats a bit of face-to-face time. Zoom is a great service for video calls. Zoom is free to use. One-on-one calls are free and unlimited. Group calls are free for one hour, and then you have to start a new call! Consider also Google Hangouts.
• Use social media. Social media can be used productively to speak to your brothers and sisters. Consider a Facebook group chat.
• Play games together. Hop online and play video games together. Hop on a call and play a virtual board game together.
• Watch movies together. You can stream movies together by using things like Netflix Party (if multiple people use Netflix).

Inspect and pray.

• Pray aloud, whether you live on your own or have roommates. Go to the throne of grace and pray for or with your friends or family to our Almighty God. You can use Ligonier’s prayer guide, if you need a prayer guide. Or maybe you like the Valley of Vision?
• Journal your prayers. Some people might be more productive writing out their prayers to God. Write your prayers with pen and pad. Or if you are digitally inclined, you can use a text editor like Notepad (PC), TextEdit (Mac), Simplenote, or even Google Docs! Whatever makes it easier for you to write and get your thoughts down.

Get physical.

• Clean. You are home anyway.
• Exercise. Gyms are closed, but you can do stuff at home. You can find free stuff — with or without weights — on YouTube, like FitnessBlender.

Stretch your mind.

• Read Your Bible. As Spurgeon once said: “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”
• Study the Word. There are a multitude of free resources of solid Biblical study for the Word. Bible Gateway is an online source with numerous translations and solid commentaries. Ligonier has made their teaching series available for free until June, Monergism has a great selection of ebooks, articles, and more. Other resources include Sermon Audio. (Or you can finally read through Calvin’s Institutes!
• Read even more. The libraries are closed, but you can find public domain books at Project Gutenberg and Bartleby.com.
• Learn new skills. Whether you are a student or an employee, there are a lot of free ways to learn online. Khan Academy for a breadth of topics. Code Academy for programming. Duolingo for foreign language vocabulary. Emerson Collective listed a multitude of educational resources for displaced students. A lot of these may have special offers for students that cannot go to school due to governmental measures.
• Learn new crafts. Since you might have some time on your hands, use that time for training your hands! Consider learning embroidery, knitting, painting, drawing, or even wood carving! Crafting stores may still be open or perhaps you can order starter kits from Amazon: embroidery / wood carving.

Seek Work Opportunities.

• Fill in-demand needs. Outschool is looking for teachers to support online work. Amazon is looking for people to help fulfill orders. Consider the usual seasonal places like UPS, USPS, and FedEx, since more people are relying on deliveries at this time.
• Volunteer. The unbelieving world is terrified of the virus, but we should not be. To the extent that it is wise to do, and within your ability, consider supporting neighborhood support services, or do something on your own. Be aware of your neighbors’ needs, as much as you are able.

Rest.

With schedules disrupted, some may be prone to overworking as we recalibrate to the current state. Be sure to get sleep and generally rest your mind and body. The above are recommendations for making most of the time, but there is no pressure to squeeze every moment dry. Be productive and also rest.

 

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” — Ephesians 5:16-17

“Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.” — The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards #5