tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508426539823222792024-03-19T03:48:16.199-05:00Dino ChroniclesThis blog is named after my dog, Dino the wonder dog. Other than that, this blog doesn’t have a lot to do with him, except that some days, when I am just too busy or too tired or have a migraine, I let Dino write my blog for me. On days when he has not taken over the computer, I write about my life – the past, the present and the future - my travels far and near and my home. I would love it if you would follow along. Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.comBlogger2056125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-38418020054264882182024-03-17T07:55:00.000-05:002024-03-17T07:55:39.626-05:00Everything <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgw0hO5NrGRSjtHstK0oNQS7kfSpYzUP50Rx4QwMTRyWuV8RVRzUvKyXoXCARg2BxgmmbsVwzldwpc7caiGApQ_bEPpJH1-6Fy2wpXSKVRnOwAGFz29uQxVly9qwgeOEqH8XtmIphdnscxgk5X2JKi4rzLqZVuh7uTTgyOIb0E195tM6vw8Hl9M1tYA/s4608/3-4%20Pilgrim%20Center,%20Green%20Lake%202016.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgw0hO5NrGRSjtHstK0oNQS7kfSpYzUP50Rx4QwMTRyWuV8RVRzUvKyXoXCARg2BxgmmbsVwzldwpc7caiGApQ_bEPpJH1-6Fy2wpXSKVRnOwAGFz29uQxVly9qwgeOEqH8XtmIphdnscxgk5X2JKi4rzLqZVuh7uTTgyOIb0E195tM6vw8Hl9M1tYA/w419-h314/3-4%20Pilgrim%20Center,%20Green%20Lake%202016.JPG" width="419" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other
disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal
yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Jesus replied, “All who love me will
do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home
with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember,
my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I
am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father
sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach
you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can
you imagine living in that moment? Being one of the chosen twelve disciples? Being
one of the men whom Jesus entrusted with EVERYTHING about His life? And trying
to understand it all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
don’t realize how lucky we are. We have the entire Bible to study and learn
from. We aren’t living in the moment, two thousand years ago, being told by our
Teacher that bad things were going to happen to Him and then watching this Friend
die on that cross.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
we still don't know everything. All we have is the indescribable joy of knowing that He rose from the grave
on the third day. </span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-91365926152148759652024-03-13T07:17:00.000-05:002024-03-13T07:17:15.720-05:00The Tree of Knowledge <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwxy6tZvAMqePyMjHJ5lSRembN7WT6REONUwSvwU7C4xpNUY4E2LNluMwUBvHt5V377fA56bwiVVWKxBPXoGNUHS2au2gxFzpu8MmeXRRywtMrAZb6hzs05xDqEt_S3v5NTrfkDLetD7QBaSoguuuUse8RuKs__VWd_6JCZJX4Jl4AG9XCuUJD0ssCg/s2819/2019%2009%2023%20Nursing%20Home%20Kikuyu%20(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="2255" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwxy6tZvAMqePyMjHJ5lSRembN7WT6REONUwSvwU7C4xpNUY4E2LNluMwUBvHt5V377fA56bwiVVWKxBPXoGNUHS2au2gxFzpu8MmeXRRywtMrAZb6hzs05xDqEt_S3v5NTrfkDLetD7QBaSoguuuUse8RuKs__VWd_6JCZJX4Jl4AG9XCuUJD0ssCg/w378-h473/2019%2009%2023%20Nursing%20Home%20Kikuyu%20(8).JPG" width="378" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
bad things happen, everyone asks – why would God do this? Why would a loving Father
allow believers to suffer? Why would He let innocent little children die painful
deaths? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">People
search all over the Bible for answers to those questions, and they sometimes
find good ones. I’ve asked God all those things – and more – as I struggled
with pain and a list of other maladies over the past eleven months. And I’ve
found some answers in the Bible, too. But way back in the second chapter of the
first book of the Bible is the answer which works best for me.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then the Lord God placed the man in the
Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He told him, “You may eat the
fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what
is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do,
you will die the same day.” (Genesis 2:15-17, Good News Translation)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maybe
we just aren’t supposed to know why things happen. Maybe if we knew the answers
to those questions, we wouldn’t be able to handle it. Maybe we just need to
trust God that He knows what He’s doing. He has knowledge and that needs to be enough
for us. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-67808844461444532222024-03-10T07:49:00.001-05:002024-03-10T07:53:08.674-05:00Who Is the Holy Spirit? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0OmHQWdFm-r-0O7OTYlgXCmPh5YZDqnMvJswwpPSqBJMfkrt7cszZ2H-dhovZK7aKAOOjTQ02KXTAys2sGxKVwzuTDxkTt3t7Pi0WOcXGabaZ1A8UCkR5VC3UVbXElXeVFBqmUzkGCmZyNTToefeYz_PRnfnCh0OC9Gt9MiVdv2GEakiFTxexoq0fw/s1847/DSCN6329.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="1847" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0OmHQWdFm-r-0O7OTYlgXCmPh5YZDqnMvJswwpPSqBJMfkrt7cszZ2H-dhovZK7aKAOOjTQ02KXTAys2sGxKVwzuTDxkTt3t7Pi0WOcXGabaZ1A8UCkR5VC3UVbXElXeVFBqmUzkGCmZyNTToefeYz_PRnfnCh0OC9Gt9MiVdv2GEakiFTxexoq0fw/w392-h392/DSCN6329.JPG" width="392" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“If you love me, obey me; and I will ask
the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you.
He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large
cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But
you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">"No, I will not
abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm—I will come to you. In just a
little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with
you. For I will live again—and you will too. When I come back to life again,
you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. The one who
obeys me is the one who loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love
him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.” (John 14:15-21, Living
Bible)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once
again, the apostle John packs a lot into just a few verses. So, I’m going to
focus on just one thing here – the Comforter. Other versions of the Bible refer
to this as the Advocate, Encourager, Helper, or Counselor. But Jesus sets us straight when He says that this is the Holy Spirit.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
we think of God the Father, we can picture a grandfatherly man or another
older person with a kind yet strong demeanor. Everyone has pretty much the same
picture in their head when they think of God the Son – you know, that painting
of Jesus with shoulder-length brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard, eyes looking heavenward,
wearing a white tunic. (I’d share that picture here, but I want you to see it
in your own mind.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
what comes to mind when we say God the Holy Spirit. He’s a spirit, right? So maybe
He doesn’t have human form and maybe that’s why He’s the hardest element of the
triune God for us to understand.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
maybe He should be the easiest. Read what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit – </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
is with you forever and will never leave you, He lives with you now and later
will be in you</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. And remember, He is also your Comforter, Advocate,
Encourager, Helper, and Counselor.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
also, usually portrayed as a dove, and not the goofy bird above. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-45650795665797041962024-03-08T07:06:00.001-06:002024-03-08T07:06:49.461-06:00Another spin of the wheel, or of the merry-go-round <p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQbnr_FOhW7oqUUz_z31kr4qm-NRZfRhG4kvMjN8mHQmJh54_AeAFoulHObs9EjhCxcWj4ZGDqnKhsxYRqXUofOR2IRveYYuweJK-vxfU9WjR6PFvuW-oDcL9R2Twyya11zIjSh9n28A-dpZxjFEGEsgIkY7kmS9ABCvCX82kikcSZ2Nt2tA7MngqnA/s3100/Milwaukee%20Zoo,%20June%2011,%2016%20merry%20go%20round.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3100" data-original-width="2181" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQbnr_FOhW7oqUUz_z31kr4qm-NRZfRhG4kvMjN8mHQmJh54_AeAFoulHObs9EjhCxcWj4ZGDqnKhsxYRqXUofOR2IRveYYuweJK-vxfU9WjR6PFvuW-oDcL9R2Twyya11zIjSh9n28A-dpZxjFEGEsgIkY7kmS9ABCvCX82kikcSZ2Nt2tA7MngqnA/w323-h459/Milwaukee%20Zoo,%20June%2011,%2016%20merry%20go%20round.JPG" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only amusement ride I've ever liked. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
sorry that I didn’t write a blog on Wednesday, but the Wheel of Misfortune spun
a new one on me. This time it wasn’t pain, it was vertigo. Room-spinning,
floor-tilting, nauseating vertigo. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had one ER trip, one doctor’s office visit, and one therapy appointment, in
three days. If any of you have ever had this – medical term usually being Benign
Positional Vertigo, or BPV – you know it can be debilitating. We’ve all been dizzy
or off-balance, but this is like having had too much to drink and then stepping
on an amusement park ride, but there’s nothing amusing about it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
cure is simple – something called the Epley Maneuver. (I know BPV already
sounds a little sketchy and then you do some kind of maneuver? Creepy.) (Just
kidding.) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Working
in health care, I’ve heard of this before, but silly me, I was under the assumption
that this little maneuver would cure the vertigo after one hit. Nothing is ever
that easy, right? And certainly not that easy in my life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So,
I do this thing – turn my head and lay down and let the dizziness pass – twice a
day and it should get better in a few weeks. It’s all from crystals in our ears
getting into the wrong canal and this move makes them shift back to where they
belong. I still find it hard to believe that this is actual traditional Western
medicine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anyway,
wish me luck, once again.</span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-48774316398838110432024-03-03T06:58:00.000-06:002024-03-03T06:58:14.833-06:00Will Jesus Answer our Prayer? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCclurPEZX1ozIQcr8KJ2OColivHYkVRFvWGZl49yyfk1Annj5pnPwGaKlW0HqoxzS9QL8vbymielLtASslaDpIxNkP6ggYq9jUG91hRMm8-V-HYqKV4iA2nMJgprUqZLpk5jXoGgLz8VO_iT_iG97Mg-GYUUIGLvc9XlUaBBojQui8Tdf1JsURMebWg/s320/praying%20hands%201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="304" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCclurPEZX1ozIQcr8KJ2OColivHYkVRFvWGZl49yyfk1Annj5pnPwGaKlW0HqoxzS9QL8vbymielLtASslaDpIxNkP6ggYq9jUG91hRMm8-V-HYqKV4iA2nMJgprUqZLpk5jXoGgLz8VO_iT_iG97Mg-GYUUIGLvc9XlUaBBojQui8Tdf1JsURMebWg/w370-h389/praying%20hands%201.JPG" width="370" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes
in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am
going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do
it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in
my name, and I will do it!</span> (</i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">John 14:12-14)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
a great thought! Believe, do as Jesus has done, and then ask for anything; it
is as good as done!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So,
then, how come all our prayers don’t get answered? How come we can pray night
after night for a relative to be cured of cancer? Or for a loved one to come to
know the Lord? Or for safety during a tornado or other disastrous event? And
those prayers don’t seem to be answered?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">A
couple of things are happening in the short final sentence in the above Bible
verse. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">First, “Ask for anything </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">in my
name</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.” Did you ask in Jesus’ name? Sure, you said Christ’s name in your
prayer, but did you mean it? Did you feel it?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
do you know what it really means to pray that way? It means you have turned
your request over to Jesus, and it’s now his decision how he “will do it.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">God
isn’t a puppet on a string to do our every bidding. We must trust that both God
the Father and God the Son have our best interests and will take care of us and
our prayers.</span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-72682194461122710412024-02-28T06:40:00.001-06:002024-02-28T06:40:12.814-06:00Going over the Falls <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCL7gnVxaJAR9iCk5dfpLkuUTaQAdEJ0dABeEZDMQaGQUzMR9DZyYQzJ4u381EwZE2MLXiJigaZ7Fzi4lob9zPnm6P9cH3coq2Jp3mCPMatIXpKGPER9OpcriFGer3Q6jExEIRTSRiFMey2G5xavgPDRVe-QFyzLbwJBgG-PqgIVVSiywj5nR4drbrQ/s1401/1993%20okundekun%20falls.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="1401" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCL7gnVxaJAR9iCk5dfpLkuUTaQAdEJ0dABeEZDMQaGQUzMR9DZyYQzJ4u381EwZE2MLXiJigaZ7Fzi4lob9zPnm6P9cH3coq2Jp3mCPMatIXpKGPER9OpcriFGer3Q6jExEIRTSRiFMey2G5xavgPDRVe-QFyzLbwJBgG-PqgIVVSiywj5nR4drbrQ/w416-h294/1993%20okundekun%20falls.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><p>I shared this story before, and I’m not sure why I felt compelled to share it now. Perhaps I just needed to recall a time when I was young and daring and able to climb around and do crazy stuff. </p><p>In March of 1993, just thirty-one years ago, my sister Pat and I decided to start photographing all the waterfalls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I don’t remember how many we got, but I know we didn’t come close. </p><p>Our first one was O Kun De Kun Falls. This was the first time we had been there, but it quickly became one of my all-time favorite waterfalls. </p><p>Even though the sign at the start of the trail read 1.3 miles, we didn’t think that was very far. </p><p>As we tramped through the woods, the cool July morning turned into a warm early afternoon, and before long, we were sweating in our jeans. </p><p>Finally, we burst out of the pine trees at the river’s edge, just at the top of the waterfall. A series of several short falls ended in a plummet to the Baltimore River, some 20 feet below.</p><p>“Hey, there’s nobody around,” I told Pat as I stripped off my pants.</p><p>“Look,” Pat pointed, after she had laid down her freshly-shed jeans. “A ledge goes all the way behind the falls.”</p><p>“That would make such a cool picture,” I replied. </p><p>“I’ll hand you your camera after you crawl back there.” I had a flashback to a similar conversation many years before. Dad had brought home this huge safe, and Pat bet I could fit in it. Why did I always do the dumb stuff she suggested?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ggyAdlD-vb6pSJmL8IRnaZ9h5GtFGxoxqRzOT32VSrjLRsJ9E8GEE7q0LyxPF1X7Jy_NhF3_irenhhoaaOJlcLO_6Ax7F8mg0NegKtfpMDcNWwwa-5w48e39_ZM-mXeJwwymeXZ_Hd2EZ6ZKDnZEbXyWNWglqHZcUEI19tx-osWtdHfphf_cwNGj-A/s2829/DSCN0105.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2122" data-original-width="2829" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ggyAdlD-vb6pSJmL8IRnaZ9h5GtFGxoxqRzOT32VSrjLRsJ9E8GEE7q0LyxPF1X7Jy_NhF3_irenhhoaaOJlcLO_6Ax7F8mg0NegKtfpMDcNWwwa-5w48e39_ZM-mXeJwwymeXZ_Hd2EZ6ZKDnZEbXyWNWglqHZcUEI19tx-osWtdHfphf_cwNGj-A/s320/DSCN0105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, of course, I crawled behind the waterfall on a slimy eight-inch sheet of rock. Just as I was in position and about to reach for my camera, my foot slipped. I have no idea how I hung on, but somehow, I kept myself from going over the falls. The picture I snapped from behind the falls wasn’t really worth it. And the shot Pat took of me? This is the first time it has seen the light of day. <p></p><p>Maybe that’s why I decided to share this story again, along with the picture. I’m getting too old and have been through so much over the last year. There’s nothing left to embarrass me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPElDW0yRDPiJGlRXthPRYFwVI0arA98jYK8E15HemCstwzMqyQ8jb8sUv2AlIsCw5o0xaonnm0VvS-1yAq21kasN6_23q9HkRKw4JfvZ5RbJq-Q4w0FvfCYyQIPAG2nqd45cKp4MNbxj1O5CpyuL8Sh0tHM9O-8VTQD1dLVCiKQTxZEic69CifIbHsA/s2024/DSCN0099.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="2024" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPElDW0yRDPiJGlRXthPRYFwVI0arA98jYK8E15HemCstwzMqyQ8jb8sUv2AlIsCw5o0xaonnm0VvS-1yAq21kasN6_23q9HkRKw4JfvZ5RbJq-Q4w0FvfCYyQIPAG2nqd45cKp4MNbxj1O5CpyuL8Sh0tHM9O-8VTQD1dLVCiKQTxZEic69CifIbHsA/w397-h285/DSCN0099.JPG" width="397" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-48346807021218709682024-02-25T06:52:00.001-06:002024-02-25T06:52:19.070-06:00Three in One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMPvOBhHl_8_0aXEONBbCENwWLR_-hcZIC5dciLBjn4HUFKEGtsvUzA5S1C5krLAP7OPQKjHFYRkWxOuy3wEKAS_8cTjYh3ihirkeXA_o6lplgXV2f1IXtmtbXfRktp21RBiJpBm1gFpny-UnPeO1RuD2vRcNQHSEIZGTviE2DyJuIv0tnlId4kIoLw/s4000/DSCN6173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMPvOBhHl_8_0aXEONBbCENwWLR_-hcZIC5dciLBjn4HUFKEGtsvUzA5S1C5krLAP7OPQKjHFYRkWxOuy3wEKAS_8cTjYh3ihirkeXA_o6lplgXV2f1IXtmtbXfRktp21RBiJpBm1gFpny-UnPeO1RuD2vRcNQHSEIZGTviE2DyJuIv0tnlId4kIoLw/w330-h440/DSCN6173.JPG" width="330" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still
don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you
asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and
the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives
in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. (</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">John 14:8-11)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
it’s hard to comprehend that God is three persons in one – the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. What did Jesus mean when he said that his Father was in him and he
was in his Father? It didn’t make sense to the disciples who lived with Jesus; how
can it possibly make sense to us?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
was visiting Holy Hill Basilica in Southeast Wisconsin many years ago, when I
overheard a little girl asking her mother what it meant that God was three people
in one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
mother replied, “Well, your daddy is one person as your daddy, another person
as my husband, and a third person as the manager of where he works.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
little girl bought her mom’s story, but I think we all know that the Triune God
is way more than that. But as Jesus said, “Just believe.”</span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-32380716344683231842024-02-21T07:28:00.000-06:002024-02-21T07:28:08.099-06:00What Was Lost <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUtbhyphenhyphenv9jwkrg5XY_bzd2gKBb49LCJqgOnWjB4WUE5X091zczs7gNAq3ah1PUJMX82vxV1uImKXG19WZwqh5QBc44dxFSmr55s6WsoBIpjD93o1WxgCHHkJqYSYOKbt8uxZkJKVki4zkdrSXYuw0hjEAia7gz6h7G_h_PAwweIv1p21NlTCzaJMYnSg/s2048/cellphone%20lost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUtbhyphenhyphenv9jwkrg5XY_bzd2gKBb49LCJqgOnWjB4WUE5X091zczs7gNAq3ah1PUJMX82vxV1uImKXG19WZwqh5QBc44dxFSmr55s6WsoBIpjD93o1WxgCHHkJqYSYOKbt8uxZkJKVki4zkdrSXYuw0hjEAia7gz6h7G_h_PAwweIv1p21NlTCzaJMYnSg/s320/cellphone%20lost.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two
weeks ago, when I was taking my walk, I found a cell phone on the ground on the
side of our road. I picked it up and quickly discovered that it was locked. I
looked up and down the road as if the person who dropped it would still be in
sight. I debated a moment, then decided I needed to take it home, get it out of
the elements, and try to track down its owner.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
called or texted the people I know who live along our road, but it didn’t
belong to any of them. I called the local radio station and asked that they put
it on the air. Later that day, when I hadn’t gotten any response, I posted it
on my Facebook page.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
thought about turning it in to the sheriff’s department but figured they must
have better things to do. Then I remembered what a crime-ridden county I live
in – not.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anyway,
I left the phone on the dining room table and went to bed that night, hoping it
would somehow find its way home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hubby
and I never set an alarm to wake us up in the morning. We both have pretty
accurate clocks in our heads. If I have to be up at a specific time, I tell
myself to wake myself up at that time, and it works 95% of the time. My one and
only superpower.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
on the off chance my brain didn’t listen to me the night before, we have an
annoying cat who wakes us up crying and walking over our heads around four
every morning, 365 days of the year.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For
some reason, for the first time in her three years of life, she didn’t wake us
up the next day. Instead, at five a.m., we were awakened by music coming from
the dining room. The alarm on the lost cellphone was going off!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
were the chances the one morning that our brains fail us, the cat sleeps in,
and Hubby needs to get up at five for work, that someone else’s alarm wakes us
up?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
following morning, I still had the phone, and its alarm still went off at five
a.m. But we had already gotten ourselves out of bed. I did, however, feel bad
that somewhere out there was someone who might have slept in two mornings in a
row.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
called our sheriff’s department later that morning. I told them about the phone
and that I could drop it off in their lost and found that afternoon. Instead, a
friendly officer came by our house ten minutes later and picked it up. He
seemed confident that they could find its home, even though the battery was
dead by then.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Or take another illustration: A woman has
ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and look in
every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it?
And then won’t she call in her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her? In
the same way there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner
repents.” (Luke 15:8-10, Living Bible)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
hope whoever lost that cell phone had it returned, and he or she was able to
rejoice.</span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-47635505204518577902024-02-18T07:37:00.003-06:002024-02-18T07:37:43.662-06:00My Father's House<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6F3-pYEHKn_E6-QpKtWeLo4qg65GNxKrviv38M6IGbaJYMbbSrecJO_-wCV_DWUjrKNXNJ6SRZWg7V-Id9lpi60ydHnOyjkMqmzh4HctV0P98-YVFFeh-avOsn66bPKsBqrlm1Z5VhKC1UNfw2jv8BVwDsqpoONSPLzdNVvRT_ZXVr7qWt5OgBYo-w/s3900/04-07-88%20Rockcliffe%20Mansion.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2862" data-original-width="3900" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6F3-pYEHKn_E6-QpKtWeLo4qg65GNxKrviv38M6IGbaJYMbbSrecJO_-wCV_DWUjrKNXNJ6SRZWg7V-Id9lpi60ydHnOyjkMqmzh4HctV0P98-YVFFeh-avOsn66bPKsBqrlm1Z5VhKC1UNfw2jv8BVwDsqpoONSPLzdNVvRT_ZXVr7qWt5OgBYo-w/w412-h303/04-07-88%20Rockcliffe%20Mansion.JPG" width="412" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust
in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s
home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a
place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you
will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said.
“We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p>In 1993, the Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline released the song "Big House". Some of the lyrics are "Come and go with me, To my Father's house. It's a big, big house, With lots and lots a room." </p><p>In fact, God's house – the one in heaven and not here on earth today – is more than big enough for everyone alive now or who has ever been alive. And He wants everyone to live in His house one day. </p><p>Don't miss out on that! God offers us a fantastic invitation, and you'll want to live there with all the other believers. </p><p>And as far as the answer to Thomas's question, I answered that last week, so you'll have to go back to last Sunday. But hopefully, you already know the answer. </p><p><i>(I was trying to find the official music video of "Big House" to share with you, but didn't have much luck. You'll have to do your own internet search for it; the song has an upbeat sound which will get stuck in your head, and the words are easy to remember.)</i></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-88497570598075881242024-02-14T06:45:00.000-06:002024-02-14T06:45:00.981-06:00Two Holidays in One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolHvyJ28-TLYCqbGF9FqWe5HY2S88RQPgyp1jUgo_HMbqjFkz4Kz0oMn-0ORyOSyfAkEkl6txHtX4-VrGA7-jL3h7FY5gIHVSvUBomi3n9mZTEKJDHTPRFv7JZVliFgiJjR7MIn_UDEfMijLCxPcxypSkNq-0dDboMetypjT7gv9beQ4NVJ7a2qH3Yw/s928/Need%20chocolate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="927" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolHvyJ28-TLYCqbGF9FqWe5HY2S88RQPgyp1jUgo_HMbqjFkz4Kz0oMn-0ORyOSyfAkEkl6txHtX4-VrGA7-jL3h7FY5gIHVSvUBomi3n9mZTEKJDHTPRFv7JZVliFgiJjR7MIn_UDEfMijLCxPcxypSkNq-0dDboMetypjT7gv9beQ4NVJ7a2qH3Yw/w400-h400/Need%20chocolate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p> Everyone knows it’s Valentine’s Day today, and I think most of you know it’s Ash Wednesday as well. </p><p>We begin the observance of Lent today. After the Valentine’s roses are wilted and the candy is eaten, we still have the remaining weeks until Easter to solemnly remember what else this time of year is for. </p><p>When I was growing up, most of my friends were Catholic, and so they were expected to give something up for Lent – usually candy or swearing (not that any of us swore back then). Sometimes, this Lutheran friend would go along and give up something, too. And over the years, I’ve often continued that tradition. </p><p>This year is different. Back on November 28, when I saw the naturopathic doctor, and she prescribed a strict anti-inflammatory diet, I immediately gave up gluten, all processed sugar, almost all dairy, fried foods, fast foods, my morning honey-nut Cheerios, my nightly bowl of ice cream, my mid-afternoon candy bar, and so much more.</p><p>This diet has not eradicated my chronic pain, but most days, I feel a lot better than I had in the months prior to starting it. And once Easter has come and gone, I won’t be returning to any of those foods. I think this may need to be a lifelong diet change. </p><p>I think that’s how the spiritual side of Lent should be. Why should anyone make any sacrifices during Lent? Because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Though nothing we do or don’t do can ever compare to that, I think any little loss we choose to experience could be a good thing. And it should be for the entire year and not just the six weeks of Lent. </p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-27753605443283345762024-02-11T07:38:00.000-06:002024-02-11T07:38:03.506-06:00The Way, the Truth, the Life<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFID_kcbaagXleonUDO6JqBZt-NqK1JvP_yi_UImmW3I9X59M7cW3GN6H__-EkOzOKWtOxvt_irOMFmSW57SpoDpSUbwLTpGXiUWv4qZ-w95PLebBBl_9mV5l9XGgccyTpvXTui2jNBT6kPLpi85L5bUFn_mu0yQP775Jv8xmB_cr7pD-wf9qcLRCigg/s3999/John%2014%206.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2999" data-original-width="3999" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFID_kcbaagXleonUDO6JqBZt-NqK1JvP_yi_UImmW3I9X59M7cW3GN6H__-EkOzOKWtOxvt_irOMFmSW57SpoDpSUbwLTpGXiUWv4qZ-w95PLebBBl_9mV5l9XGgccyTpvXTui2jNBT6kPLpi85L5bUFn_mu0yQP775Jv8xmB_cr7pD-wf9qcLRCigg/w412-h309/John%2014%206.bmp" width="412" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Over
the last couple of weeks, I’ve tried to commit these Bible verses to memory –
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+19%3A21&version=NIV" target="_blank">Proverbs 19:21</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+12%3A12&version=NIV" target="_blank">Romans 12:12</a>, and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+11%3A28&version=NIV" target="_blank">Matthew 11:28</a>. They are in my head for now,
but I think I will have to keep refreshing that old mind of mine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s
another verse many of us are familiar with:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had
really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him
and have seen him!” (John 14:6-7, New Living Translation)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
included verse 7, not to memorize, but because I read through this entire
chapter of John 14 and thought it contained some good stuff. Okay. I know – the
entire Bible contains lots of good stuff. But this Wednesday we begin Lent and
every Sunday in Lent, I’ve tried to write a series of blog posts around one
theme. This year it will be this chapter from the book of John. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-29857202742672458032024-02-07T06:54:00.001-06:002024-02-07T06:54:45.559-06:00Wheel of Misfortune <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp39YGyQm9LOop2HMTbP95kJ1r5Ru6oVWSVkMdpeWzbG4WfUnyX-LKLjFCUqlPMGu_spwTlQS6auTjmzzn80SkhJVwH1uFa14GC-0nuZTqKrie1gLovqJaVox5WSYuHQIz2sqXUXjKO9PZwXt8T0nleBNHzEMJi1gDlBEyh42RggdQKFdGd0kxY2ugA/s1548/416019793_241734042320527_3712071105080585652_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1161" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp39YGyQm9LOop2HMTbP95kJ1r5Ru6oVWSVkMdpeWzbG4WfUnyX-LKLjFCUqlPMGu_spwTlQS6auTjmzzn80SkhJVwH1uFa14GC-0nuZTqKrie1gLovqJaVox5WSYuHQIz2sqXUXjKO9PZwXt8T0nleBNHzEMJi1gDlBEyh42RggdQKFdGd0kxY2ugA/w314-h419/416019793_241734042320527_3712071105080585652_n.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /> In my April 13 blog post of last year, I mentioned, in passing, that I had "tweaked my back and really threw it out of place a few days later." I'd been in a lot of pain and had mostly been lying around for two weeks. <p></p><p>Who knew? Who could have imagined? Here I am ten months later, still lying around more than I would like, with lists of things I wanted to accomplish these past ten months. Never in a million years have I thought that those simple missteps from the end of March and the first of April would throw my entire life into a tailspin. </p><p>I've tried to downplay how miserable I've been. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, even though I appreciate the prayers many of you have been saying. </p><p>But this is what it's been like. </p><p>On my worst days – many during the summer – I couldn't get out of bed without help from Hubby. I walked with a cane and had to have rails around the toilet so I could get up and down. I had several episodes of incontinence because I couldn't limp there in time. I was in the ER twice. I was on multiple rounds of prednisone and took lots of muscle relaxers but few Vicodin because they didn't even help the pain. </p><p>I spent many days on the couch on the heating pad. I watched more TV than I read books because I could barely hold a book (or my Kindle) in my hands because of the pain. </p><p>The medical field, where I worked for 37 years, where I thought I was making a difference in people's lives, sorely let me down. I don't want to go down that road. It is what it is. But to anyone in my boat – you are your own healthcare provider; no one else will fix what ails you; it's up to you to cure yourself. </p><p>And I'm trying so diligently to do that. I've had so many days and weeks where it was easier to lay around and feel sorry for myself, but I've been fighting since December to get better, to get back my strength and stamina, to get rid of this pain that pops up in a different spot every morning. </p><p>Every night, when I've finally gotten comfortable in bed and can fall asleep, the wheel of misfortune is spun. When I wake up in the morning and first move, I find out quickly where the wheel landed. One day on my right shoulder, the next my left hip, then both wrists. Even my clavicles have a spot on that wheel. By the way, there's no trip to Jamaica on my wheel.</p><p>And what is all this pain, stiffness, achiness, shortness of breath and misery? Is it Fibromyalgia, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lyme's Disease (though that blood test was negative in September), Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, or some weird Cancer, or some bizarre disease I picked up in Africa last time I was there?</p><p>Don't know. I am seeing a rheumatologist in June (the soonest I could get in), but I'm not counting on him to know any more than the rest of the providers I've seen. </p><p>But don't despair; as I've already written, don't feel sorry for me. Most days, I'd say I'm 50% better than I was six months ago. Taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen around the clock helps a lot, even though I hate doing that to my system. The anti-inflammatory – gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, processed-food-free, fried-food-free, anti-anything-I-crave – diet seems to be helping. Everything I've read says to keep as active as possible, and walking does ease the pain and boosts my spirits. </p><p>That's enough rambling. I've been awake since two am, and it's five now. I should either go back to bed or start making breakfast – fruit, granola, and coconut milk. </p><p>Hope your day goes well and 2024 brings you all you've wished for. And me? I still have my eye on a trip to Cambodia in September. We'll see.</p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-73876066175125454202024-02-04T06:58:00.000-06:002024-02-04T06:58:25.105-06:001 John 3:16<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdO3r2_-PrndfXCpedIB_XZQUwvV-rXapmdEvOU0xbXu9fxkp09CW7w4pmRLLLBWDCfwfVRpY4izDa4bj22p_OZTts38Xb_DG9g6d7EPUlq7Viap2cnqnKxMpxxPddrB8wiZDTGQ83wacxnSroDqsN_zEgN-Ph88FxNj7RLgDOK8hgWXviYhAjmupUQg/s3433/1%20john%203%2016.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2427" data-original-width="3433" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdO3r2_-PrndfXCpedIB_XZQUwvV-rXapmdEvOU0xbXu9fxkp09CW7w4pmRLLLBWDCfwfVRpY4izDa4bj22p_OZTts38Xb_DG9g6d7EPUlq7Viap2cnqnKxMpxxPddrB8wiZDTGQ83wacxnSroDqsN_zEgN-Ph88FxNj7RLgDOK8hgWXviYhAjmupUQg/w431-h305/1%20john%203%2016.bmp" width="431" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, New International Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think every believer has heard that verse, and most
of us have it memorized. So, it would be cheating to add it to my list of
verses to memorize. But I mention it because of the similarity to today’s verse. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is how we know what
love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our
lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16, New International Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s crazy to me how the first passage is just John
3:16 and the second one is from 1st John 3:16. Is that a coincidence? I don’t
think God makes coincidences and I think every word which the writers of the
Bible were inspired to write is exactly where it is meant to be in the Bible. To
me, it’s more proof of who God is. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And I don’t think God means that we have to sacrifice
our own lives for others. Jesus already did that. But I do think that we need
to make sacrifices in our lives – give up that expensive morning coffee from
Starbucks and donate that money to the homeless shelter, buy a few extra non-perishables
when you’re grocery shopping and drop them off at the food pantry, just even
get out of your comfort zone and share the word of Jesus with someone who is struggling.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-60753166929787765952024-02-02T06:22:00.000-06:002024-02-02T06:22:11.243-06:00A Minor Inconvenience <p> A couple of weeks ago, when we still had snow on the ground, I was expecting a package. Our mail hadn’t been coming until 5 pm or later, so I walked down to check the mailbox just as it was getting dark. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ILH2eEJxfQE7Fr0hzAVUwGpt9vJdtdTB_haSDVNdTQraA-ZTCNGN7ukCNhiUilSlLAKhIeAJn16HrBuYegEhexcjuDt5B33aPcMu2wZQuF8T-Cpyi8j9WhHFXLUA0vUWc4WwCIIYCF85ZBnJFTTrwNZ-KqjB7kITt-3y7h1qVpE6s2qm7l_ImiNTbw/s1548/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ILH2eEJxfQE7Fr0hzAVUwGpt9vJdtdTB_haSDVNdTQraA-ZTCNGN7ukCNhiUilSlLAKhIeAJn16HrBuYegEhexcjuDt5B33aPcMu2wZQuF8T-Cpyi8j9WhHFXLUA0vUWc4WwCIIYCF85ZBnJFTTrwNZ-KqjB7kITt-3y7h1qVpE6s2qm7l_ImiNTbw/w300-h400/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(3).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>When I reached the end of our long driveway, a car was coming from the west. I sighed and waited for it to pass before crossing the road. Then, I walked across the road and looked in the mailbox. Empty. So, I sighed again. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_ypL38CoyUS2xop1-7M3vg_0Fp7IsccLlbCwATaTXOHp2BWLUZX01hHg4C7K0GXW2z0uoA2UW2Oc0p0VoIC4fmVa-Z-UDOpdjuMrnurPhhv4CYK3QhESYfBkxTGVzE0aLsXkx0gHm2i41I_lEfqci2oZs96PekEz8uG4rO7JeHkkUF2bCM2p7uru0w/s1161/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1161" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_ypL38CoyUS2xop1-7M3vg_0Fp7IsccLlbCwATaTXOHp2BWLUZX01hHg4C7K0GXW2z0uoA2UW2Oc0p0VoIC4fmVa-Z-UDOpdjuMrnurPhhv4CYK3QhESYfBkxTGVzE0aLsXkx0gHm2i41I_lEfqci2oZs96PekEz8uG4rO7JeHkkUF2bCM2p7uru0w/w400-h300/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>But just then, a car came around the corner to the east, and I recognized our mail lady’s vehicle. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEY1l3agHzrMKFNUZFcPnObqs5G1evgPuLZR1wPh7QOe_6VwhrNOFQqSpXRiWEdBLdwnCoJcMNA0TLd0zSqDfg7IBiY_D8Ww9AvTjaoZsPgXmWrtB-uEa7s2nx2xx2rUzu3xdHlKIpkW8JhHniShJyJT0itlg3LAx7t-KIlDcCPLhSFYFp4_ohdV4-A/s1548/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEY1l3agHzrMKFNUZFcPnObqs5G1evgPuLZR1wPh7QOe_6VwhrNOFQqSpXRiWEdBLdwnCoJcMNA0TLd0zSqDfg7IBiY_D8Ww9AvTjaoZsPgXmWrtB-uEa7s2nx2xx2rUzu3xdHlKIpkW8JhHniShJyJT0itlg3LAx7t-KIlDcCPLhSFYFp4_ohdV4-A/w300-h400/our%20road%20and%20mailbox%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>She pulled up, handed me our mail (but no package), and said, “That was good timing.” </p><p>Good timing, only because that other car drove by; otherwise, I would have been almost back up to the house. </p><p>The point is you never know when a minor inconvenience will work in your favor. So don’t complain when things don’t go as smoothly as you had wanted. They will go smoothly when they are supposed to. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And we know that God causes everything to
work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to
his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28, New Living Translation)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><br /><p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-3027325911281469492024-01-28T06:54:00.007-06:002024-01-28T06:54:47.312-06:00Proverbs 19:21<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I struggled a bit with last Sunday’s Bible verse,
Romans 12:12. It included the words joyful, patient, faithful, hope, affliction,
and prayer. It took me a while to put the right words together; I always have
to use some tricks to remember stuff like that. Joyful and hope both have the letter
O, so they make “joyful in hope”. Faithful and prayer immediately remind me of - well - my faith, which leaves patient and affliction. That’s how my mind works.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 0.5in;">This week?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Many are the plans in a
person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21, New
International Version)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> I just have to get all those words
beginning with a P in the proper place. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwjdYdZutQtp_dzDL_z0n9rc5611vMudoxIVPDi4o7tziyiTJ3OcQasAxEPH3ZHDQ-OHyxUjM4xPqjPzYyHFZdvvKtJ9baqmmGs70yeP9jwNW1VpLULA4NzghSOysuNnKdlnFuZDqekjyeYdv9gls0xgYjMH_6AxMALwbrKQn-xcW_A-Cai9jr02b3w/s3788/7-23-197%20ontop%20Brockway%20Mountain.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2525" data-original-width="3788" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwjdYdZutQtp_dzDL_z0n9rc5611vMudoxIVPDi4o7tziyiTJ3OcQasAxEPH3ZHDQ-OHyxUjM4xPqjPzYyHFZdvvKtJ9baqmmGs70yeP9jwNW1VpLULA4NzghSOysuNnKdlnFuZDqekjyeYdv9gls0xgYjMH_6AxMALwbrKQn-xcW_A-Cai9jr02b3w/w446-h297/7-23-197%20ontop%20Brockway%20Mountain.JPG" width="446" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-33624217871090798552024-01-26T06:11:00.001-06:002024-01-26T06:11:42.289-06:00Flashback Friday, January 2014<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_I5riG_Tk70dHDuyHQLadzPI1VPMWAAyorIRJPwU2fNLpo0sAhL3BHM5j1tVkxNov-FCxmR1ouCkIgyfDlXOYfA2qPcPSKSJzQiyyvU-0UeAa0aFM0FoR-J3xXQeNk-7Ay2riPHoG96hP3tPjsmxXYS6z53PYL969lnBlA74CbCDX-tEZ1RZvzn47g/s2671/slide%2014-01-31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1885" data-original-width="2671" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_I5riG_Tk70dHDuyHQLadzPI1VPMWAAyorIRJPwU2fNLpo0sAhL3BHM5j1tVkxNov-FCxmR1ouCkIgyfDlXOYfA2qPcPSKSJzQiyyvU-0UeAa0aFM0FoR-J3xXQeNk-7Ay2riPHoG96hP3tPjsmxXYS6z53PYL969lnBlA74CbCDX-tEZ1RZvzn47g/w430-h303/slide%2014-01-31.JPG" width="430" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> As
often happens, I have so many ideas to write about and instead of writing about
them, I waste a bunch of time watching YouTube videos of puppies or clips of
the Friends sitcom. Last night, I wasted time scrolling through old photos, under
the guise of deleting those deemed dumb. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">January
2014, just ten years ago. I took a whole bunch of pictures of the snow in our
yard. There was even more snow in February and March, but I thought I should
focus on this month. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ten
years ago (and pretty much every year, from last year to 60 years ago), we had
more snow on the ground than we have today. I won’t take a picture of today, as
it is just too depressing. I can’t say I love having snow on the ground six
months out of the year, but we have to have some in the yard for at least a
couple months. We just have to. </span></p><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVEJm4eJgHcbZekMixf4sGiwuYYvHsvkyYZUvaGYZefvWHvC5KugOPi-4j8SNOPbrMBSi9knZYkQvHNhg7xBlF6f0HyAMjr9dImVNLGxR08_OV4J2O5UxXN5-Uluvp2xJ7LM0vcMf1gp6dJd-qrSbZHyUwUWCXtEiDPmKsPojL-3Xr5_yspcGAu4K3g/s3820/doghouse%2014-01-24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2742" data-original-width="3820" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVEJm4eJgHcbZekMixf4sGiwuYYvHsvkyYZUvaGYZefvWHvC5KugOPi-4j8SNOPbrMBSi9knZYkQvHNhg7xBlF6f0HyAMjr9dImVNLGxR08_OV4J2O5UxXN5-Uluvp2xJ7LM0vcMf1gp6dJd-qrSbZHyUwUWCXtEiDPmKsPojL-3Xr5_yspcGAu4K3g/w423-h304/doghouse%2014-01-24.JPG" width="423" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwObB-Jm3t_dqvFKuZ3N9aup0iThHjQ6HOg_fcZXASEmQqKbmfYb-CYDuHEMKA_F7oohyRKqWg-x7-XOd1WRxPD1HW1DnnbkP9s0tPqfPR0F_qckF8Mt8MetH_G2D-OktAS08aLYLzpEJBjnTu9q4M7UDS72gpTzVEriEOhorUjfa-2T0xaa-R8JyEw/s3754/well%2014-01-24%20a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3754" data-original-width="2638" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwObB-Jm3t_dqvFKuZ3N9aup0iThHjQ6HOg_fcZXASEmQqKbmfYb-CYDuHEMKA_F7oohyRKqWg-x7-XOd1WRxPD1HW1DnnbkP9s0tPqfPR0F_qckF8Mt8MetH_G2D-OktAS08aLYLzpEJBjnTu9q4M7UDS72gpTzVEriEOhorUjfa-2T0xaa-R8JyEw/w296-h421/well%2014-01-24%20a.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-46671076451649319082024-01-21T07:44:00.000-06:002024-01-21T07:44:50.994-06:00Romans 12:12<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaxtE6hlj8Cw9nJi2WxVUkE7H3lS64h-XZXTiHnjqnEIsYQfFyM64vtIvok-2ICk9B3dK5IoRtbOokHVYOIUWDIOUMoVkXZ8dt0hobdps3tyJQY-PNeyfo_Tv_IgjgMSjci27S5AEEG9ufukjJMUz5awZbsMNFgvKHQoVn30xpk3eBgL51JQhaogz-Q/s3311/romans%2012-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3311" data-original-width="3310" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaxtE6hlj8Cw9nJi2WxVUkE7H3lS64h-XZXTiHnjqnEIsYQfFyM64vtIvok-2ICk9B3dK5IoRtbOokHVYOIUWDIOUMoVkXZ8dt0hobdps3tyJQY-PNeyfo_Tv_IgjgMSjci27S5AEEG9ufukjJMUz5awZbsMNFgvKHQoVn30xpk3eBgL51JQhaogz-Q/w382-h382/romans%2012-12.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last Sunday, I posted Matthew 11:28 and went over it
several times a day. I have memorized it – for now. We’ll see if it’s still in
my head six months from now. How about you? Did you try committing it to
memory. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This week, let’s let our hope keep us joyful, let’s be
patient when we have troubles, and let’s pray at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12, New International
Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p>
</p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-82954476479610586372024-01-18T17:04:00.000-06:002024-01-18T19:54:07.396-06:00Flashback Friday to a Turtle <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This
blog post come up on memories on Facebook the other day, and I thought it was worth
sharing. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One
afternoon, while cleaning out the linen closet, I came across this great find.</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eFeriR9dvcs_OfBaRJUJI6aNAmPX3Kr7HOmb_ET2-kpIFiEd4llgpiJt_xXBlAPHQtfhl5zFreOk0A0nb0W-d6pRUHNQih4d0-7QbNT93S-4lgBvpXQ9Z5qaMmmpCzAV2wbaOb68pA/s1600/DSCN4265.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eFeriR9dvcs_OfBaRJUJI6aNAmPX3Kr7HOmb_ET2-kpIFiEd4llgpiJt_xXBlAPHQtfhl5zFreOk0A0nb0W-d6pRUHNQih4d0-7QbNT93S-4lgBvpXQ9Z5qaMmmpCzAV2wbaOb68pA/s320/DSCN4265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Her
name is Mrs. Tuttle. Yes, she is a little ratty but at 55 plus years old, I
think she is managing. The story, as I remember it, is that my sister Pat and I
were spending the night in Wausau with our much older sister. Judy is 15 years
older than me and was working at a bank and living in an apartment building which
is long gone. She bought me and Pat each a stuffed animal. Mine was the turtle
and Pat’s – well it really wasn’t a stuffed animal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was a hideous plastic snake. If you can picture a Hawaiian lei where the
flowers are four inches in diameter but flat and green, white or yellow thick
plastic, and when spread out this thing is five feet long, that is pretty close
to what that thing looked like. Hideous.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t remember what Pat named the snake, but it had many adventures
with Mrs. Tuttle and our other stuffed friends. </span></p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkhXlbDK1f0uafUxGNJtcvdwRgCjAHZZf5SWsHBbK4_N1Cw53uSHs69ZGavSy6KufUD8vzKQdJLI9uGBQM1d7BHYW3ekvKE3BE5W9mbTMar04O1LGPmv-gjS_bxmVtv5V9d1ha_Mxkg/s1600/DSCN4264.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkhXlbDK1f0uafUxGNJtcvdwRgCjAHZZf5SWsHBbK4_N1Cw53uSHs69ZGavSy6KufUD8vzKQdJLI9uGBQM1d7BHYW3ekvKE3BE5W9mbTMar04O1LGPmv-gjS_bxmVtv5V9d1ha_Mxkg/s320/DSCN4264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have a picture of that snake somewhere. I’ll have to try to find it. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-18114862987798301102024-01-14T06:55:00.000-06:002024-01-14T06:55:06.513-06:00Matthew 11:28<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw3rausDYS3fsg5-1eOrIHcmdIHxakVTOCErwRmvQYTOL_QzWmoMp3sxizxs2CmIIoXcv4lfrW6hWh4SkLuVPWE0sJIJv5fDMGfSdmLRqTQM1qyOSQ0GFhITcYk6XT9ZK8xtlsHYlRmrFdxSs8nR-8gkpBAg3PSuz_dgjn0sAnHd94kFwhzjcZ7-OPA/s4326/come%20to%20me%20all%20who%20need%20rest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3245" data-original-width="4326" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw3rausDYS3fsg5-1eOrIHcmdIHxakVTOCErwRmvQYTOL_QzWmoMp3sxizxs2CmIIoXcv4lfrW6hWh4SkLuVPWE0sJIJv5fDMGfSdmLRqTQM1qyOSQ0GFhITcYk6XT9ZK8xtlsHYlRmrFdxSs8nR-8gkpBAg3PSuz_dgjn0sAnHd94kFwhzjcZ7-OPA/w439-h329/come%20to%20me%20all%20who%20need%20rest.jpg" width="439" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">On Wednesday, I wrote a little bit about resolutions,
mostly about how people break them within a few weeks. And here we are two
weeks into the new year.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I can’t say that this is a resolution I’ve ever had,
but I’ve always wanted to memorize more Bible verses. Sure, I know the 23<sup>rd</sup>
Psalm and John 3:16. I know quite a few more, but I can never remember the
exact book they come from or which verse number they are. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Like “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or
terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you.” Probably a bad example as nearly the same verse is in four different
books of the Bible – Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, this is what I’m going to do for the next few
weeks. Share a Bible verse which you may be familiar with and work on
memorizing it over the next week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, New International Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ll let you know how I did next Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-31657743218024500342024-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:002024-01-10T07:00:23.993-06:00What do you resolve to do this year? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3lRXSFPQhNeLPEKTwPzSX4v37WrfvF_obK3N3EBOQtwk57vFTNa6p_N2psfb6MUf-Mt6faoKi9PTFYhI0dV1nVXphyxKO4MX9zu8507oKDIbdcCvT50GlR_lJPuZHIQGKMPVl6nuFuvGCVuJ0gzZHKLG4e8ZIUgU9UVFwgNAcvxPvWtYxqwdijbjMw/s4059/k%2080%2010-12%20washing%20up%20after%20planting%20tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3045" data-original-width="4059" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3lRXSFPQhNeLPEKTwPzSX4v37WrfvF_obK3N3EBOQtwk57vFTNa6p_N2psfb6MUf-Mt6faoKi9PTFYhI0dV1nVXphyxKO4MX9zu8507oKDIbdcCvT50GlR_lJPuZHIQGKMPVl6nuFuvGCVuJ0gzZHKLG4e8ZIUgU9UVFwgNAcvxPvWtYxqwdijbjMw/w409-h307/k%2080%2010-12%20washing%20up%20after%20planting%20tree.JPG" width="409" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Does anyone make New Year’s Resolutions
anymore? I haven’t seen any posted online from anyone, and no one has mentioned
theirs to me. Have those ol’ resolutions gone the way of the rotary phone and
rabbit ears on the console TV?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, maybe many of us could stand to lose some weight, exercise more and eat healthier. Maybe we
should watch our language and go to church more often. Are there any other
resolutions that are always broken by the tenth of January?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
about this instead – just be kind. Be kind to your family and friends, to your
co-workers, and to those who wait on you at the fast-food place (where you
broke your first resolution as quickly as Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes).
Maybe be kind to strangers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Open
doors for people you don’t know, offer to shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk, and
shop locally to support small businesses. Umm? What else? Mail a
thinking-of-you card to someone you missed on the Christmas card list.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
stop talking smack about other people, whether they are someone who personally
did you wrong or someone running for public office. I think we all could make a
resolution to avoid listening to the news until the presidential election is
over. Don’t even get me started.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So,
be kind. Be gentle. Be loving and caring. And not only towards others, but
towards yourself as well.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">May
the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. (1 Samuel
24:19, New Living Translation)</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because
your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. (Philemon 7, Living
Bible)</span></i></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-54528505605896382902024-01-07T07:24:00.000-06:002024-01-07T07:24:15.962-06:00A Visit from the Wisemen<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPif-DIVCo4uO-LzGfILuq3sxet2lJozBtrvHq19U15CdXGJChyphenhyphen96jlmejYy1fg1eNMFRBbr8dZVI8Uf9z5C8Vl8r1zPhr780I84uCOYD5ukf_CpZ8pbms5MZKpXw3lbvSShhyphenhyphenBsS7gJlU5Ff5mgSCKDEvKQHUIJgOEdrHQigrjU-_U10BtplXWXKSgg/s4000/wisemen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPif-DIVCo4uO-LzGfILuq3sxet2lJozBtrvHq19U15CdXGJChyphenhyphen96jlmejYy1fg1eNMFRBbr8dZVI8Uf9z5C8Vl8r1zPhr780I84uCOYD5ukf_CpZ8pbms5MZKpXw3lbvSShhyphenhyphenBsS7gJlU5Ff5mgSCKDEvKQHUIJgOEdrHQigrjU-_U10BtplXWXKSgg/w416-h312/wisemen.JPG" width="416" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> After the wise men heard the king, they
left. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped
above the place where the child was. When the wise men saw the star, they were
filled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him with
his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their
gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11,
New Century Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the Christian church, January 6 commemorates the
visit of the Wisemen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We always picture these men arriving on camels and
wearing exotic clothing and robes. There’s always three of them, and they show
up at the stable along with the shepherds. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bible scholars pretty much agree that the Magi didn’t
arrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. It could have been anywhere from a few
weeks to a few years before they showed up. They had followed that star all the
way from somewhere in the East and who knows how long that took them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Everyone assumes that because they brought three
gifts, there must have been three of them. There could have been twelve wise
guys coming to visit Jesus, or only two. It doesn’t matter. What matters is
that they brought gifts and bowed down to worship the young Christ child. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the Wisemen were not Jewish, their visit is more
important than just the gifts they brought to the Savior. They represent the Gentiles
– the non-Jews – so they signify that Jesus came to save everyone, not just the
Jewish people.</span></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-3584808581516645672024-01-05T06:47:00.000-06:002024-01-05T06:47:00.850-06:00Two and a half months later <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wasn’t going to write a blog today. Still recovering from the Holidays. Then I
looked back and realized that I never told you anything else about the few days
I spent at an AirBnb with my friend back in October. And here we are two and a half months later. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
first day we bombed around Ladysmith, as I blogged about a while back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our
second day at the cabin it rained a lot, but we were still able to get out and
explore a bit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chequamegon
Waters Flowage. It was gloomy and foggy that morning, but I still used the creative
setting on my camera for this one.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wwtnJral2lFm79ZnVoQyhLBelIp7LO5KxYEc2BVrECjzZqBOUGm0Zlc9_VJyfVwRWVkzxOjCLefajGS-UObajgd76KU9GrDc8awJGaXHct9NEM-Vmh9njcPFJpI0MjvgnEOdv6kbVoZ-yQ5rHXi9c2bTZfzIazLGqOJn1CHeo5bP8tRcJkULrjOSdw/s4608/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wwtnJral2lFm79ZnVoQyhLBelIp7LO5KxYEc2BVrECjzZqBOUGm0Zlc9_VJyfVwRWVkzxOjCLefajGS-UObajgd76KU9GrDc8awJGaXHct9NEM-Vmh9njcPFJpI0MjvgnEOdv6kbVoZ-yQ5rHXi9c2bTZfzIazLGqOJn1CHeo5bP8tRcJkULrjOSdw/w416-h312/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(2).JPG" width="416" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next
we drove to Gilman, explored this park, crossed all three bridges, walked past
the Gilman Cheese Factory (the only place happening in this town), drove
through the campground, and tried our best to figure out what was going on with
the garbage can. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwJlO9H3gNSRJycgCpZY5j0hchrfSQxmYWLJ8xdsB_ftgtGsBbg0_rOL8drAh9hlK214Pc3hOUJhQ18BL3gcr0fXM71cx2tF9Xz556AXcg8kj4DpwDeJ04AF3HMcGTbloCuiKDjuXb0_MSASDw5HBSTKgADsLjpDQ903BwO3qEOj_I5Jcx-GbP3alDQ/s4608/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwJlO9H3gNSRJycgCpZY5j0hchrfSQxmYWLJ8xdsB_ftgtGsBbg0_rOL8drAh9hlK214Pc3hOUJhQ18BL3gcr0fXM71cx2tF9Xz556AXcg8kj4DpwDeJ04AF3HMcGTbloCuiKDjuXb0_MSASDw5HBSTKgADsLjpDQ903BwO3qEOj_I5Jcx-GbP3alDQ/w418-h314/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(8).JPG" width="418" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT8jQYsI4e3mompfSxUs-qDWJCs-iD49FnqtAYHIjrs0OYdZS4Y_xGiH8AFNormMDYwqJpnQFSveQCfKurTknZkCXxxYUKtZOEtUSf2tXTSaXMUn0Hl2wo0d6vu-1S0eZQx-2wIfQ45IgI0cJve6kKjJVv4pcDOfR85i7SjB-KtEHhp7aUW_9UxIQTg/s4608/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgaYZw1qf7VvNRR1expendqoja-cDA28-q1hEh-ZfNQMzc6MtMBmRVwUssPSMs9FlGSyshtr10rwV6JZ1lKDSsI-Hb7ZBQj7gw40Tl-8RJ4VSs7ZLD6-QE6T7Kyi6YNewXPvGGNA6JyiWeWKmbcKF85OecSAAb4kLFqHTJSMEVyFGbQ0QyJtUd-sBtw/w314-h419/2023%2010%2024%20Gilman%20(16).JPG" width="314" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then
the gloom and mist turned to a torrential rain and we were done exploring for
the day. We still had a lot of fun.</span></p><p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-18717990161209900902024-01-03T07:32:00.002-06:002024-01-03T08:25:04.788-06:00Inflammation and the Diet to Subdue It. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIYvbhmrs22rtPRfSZC5U1JzlR7UUeZ25ZvJACUROeWGcY9UX2C0y_qJiZr07_8jatyx_fRew_NFp6FVRViTVMCGqwViSN_aEbmtY7ya_iavVmewS4v7dqTHBG-rD0ZEJJYw_ARLfZvQz5IcBaqhmJHQJ6ok2fDhOIxMVtq4Ml16UrvgQVfmKtCO6oQ/s4608/04%2006%20hell's%20gate%20(342).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIYvbhmrs22rtPRfSZC5U1JzlR7UUeZ25ZvJACUROeWGcY9UX2C0y_qJiZr07_8jatyx_fRew_NFp6FVRViTVMCGqwViSN_aEbmtY7ya_iavVmewS4v7dqTHBG-rD0ZEJJYw_ARLfZvQz5IcBaqhmJHQJ6ok2fDhOIxMVtq4Ml16UrvgQVfmKtCO6oQ/w429-h322/04%2006%20hell's%20gate%20(342).JPG" width="429" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my blog post this past Sunday, I
mentioned I had started an anti-inflammatory diet. Two of you commented that
you’d like to hear more about that, so I would like to oblige you. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will try to keep the background
information to a minimum, but I need to share where this idea came from. Well,
that’s easy, the internet, of course. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, when I told my massage
therapist about all of my problems, she agreed that inflammation could be the
source. She gave me the name of a naturopathic provider two of her other
clients had seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enough background. And a quick
disclaimer – none of what I will tell you is medical advice. Even though this
practitioner gave me most of this material, you can find it all on the internet
as well. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inflammation starts out as your
body’s way of fighting infection, injury, illness, etc. It’s supposed to swoop
in and help your body heal from these things. But sometimes, for whatever
reason, once that inflammation is roaming around inside of you, once it has
done its job, it hangs around like a creeper in a bar who has been trying to
pick up women. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there are certain foods
that inflammation loves and certain foods that are like throwing a fire on
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, first, here are the foods on
which inflammation thrives: anything with gluten, like wheat, rye, barley;
anything that has been processed, such as white sugars, refined carbs,
lunchmeats, and most anything out of a box; dairy, including cheese, yogurt,
butter; fried foods; almost any snack you reach for while watching an episode
of Stranger Things, like potato chips, cookies, cakes, etc.; most anything the
family served over Christmas, you know, like the cheese and sausage tray or
anything made with gravy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, so inflammation likes pretty
much every food which gives us a reason to live. And I mention the show
Stranger Things because I feel like the Demogorgon is crawling around inside of
me, and every time I eat anything on the bad list, he gets all excited and
grows more limbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry for the warped and overactive
imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what can I eat? From the list
above, you may realize that this diet is gluten-free, dairy-free, and
sugar-free. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, load me up with oatmeal,
spinach, kale, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, chia seed, flax seed, almond
milk, almond yogurt, honey, maple syrup, olive oil, coconut oil, walnuts and
most other nuts except not peanuts, legumes, tomatoes, fruits especially
berries, pineapple, and fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few things like potatoes, eggs,
and popcorn are kinda neutral, but you can’t put anything from the bad list on
them, such as butter or anything else which makes them palatable. (Remember the
air poppers from the ‘80s? You can have that popcorn without the butter.) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh, boy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been taking Glucosamine
Chondroitin with MSM for years but never really felt it was doing much. A few
months ago, I started a Joint Health and Mobility supplement which includes
those as well as Curcumin, Omega-3, Collagen precursors, Hyaluronic acid, and
Bioperine. I still haven’t noticed much difference on all of that. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, this naturopath started me on a
higher dose of Curcumin. She also has me on some anti-inflammatory drops, low
back pain drops, and a probiotic/prebiotic, which has all the good bacteria
people talk about and then some. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of that is well and fine, albeit
expensive. Except for the apple cider vinegar she recommended I take. That
stuff is the worst. Oh, my gosh, there are no words. But I mix it with some
honey and water, chase every sip with more water, and get it down. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly, every morning, I drink a cup
of warm water with the juice from half a lemon in it. She recommended I drink
lemon in my water all day, but I like my water plain. And, yes, of course, drink plenty of water. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether any of that is working or
not, I can’t tell. I have a few more good days than before, but there are still
too many bad days. Over the weekend, I had two full days where I needed to walk
with a cane, so those were bad days and were not acceptable to me at my age.
When I’m pushing 80 and all of my hair is white, I’ll use that cane with pride,
but not now. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been five weeks, so I think
it’s reasonable to give it another week when I have another appointment with
the naturopath. Then I can either give her a piece of my mind or be over the
moon happy that by then, my pain, stiffness, achiness, and shortness of breath
will magically be gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there you have it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh,
and the picture is from when I was at Hell’s Gate in Kenya in 2017. That day, I
hiked for miles and climbed up and down treacherous terrain, something I could
never do today. But that’s my goal, to go hiking and climbing again. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-73718305969853480272023-12-31T06:43:00.000-06:002023-12-31T06:43:07.905-06:00Word of the Year - Comfort<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi5AzJMhcA6fdRn1ga3DoITOiGiUHf9UdrItTOvX2eLR35GasYP4f9RT3VwJqzHiZevjFXV4VLHp9AmCWb-hn0rqiBhO-VU_Zde2drmJ-lSbzdfwKNWwe_NfQUOYicnaBC-jCuIYr1nHKW6P7jndxuAOD1ScB-NTEdf-V7Rd5rIHX1oSVDdH6l2XRVg/s3403/meme%20Psalm%2094%2019.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2552" data-original-width="3403" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi5AzJMhcA6fdRn1ga3DoITOiGiUHf9UdrItTOvX2eLR35GasYP4f9RT3VwJqzHiZevjFXV4VLHp9AmCWb-hn0rqiBhO-VU_Zde2drmJ-lSbzdfwKNWwe_NfQUOYicnaBC-jCuIYr1nHKW6P7jndxuAOD1ScB-NTEdf-V7Rd5rIHX1oSVDdH6l2XRVg/w423-h317/meme%20Psalm%2094%2019.bmp" width="423" /></a></div><br /> <i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Whenever I am anxious and
worried, you comfort me and make me glad. (Psalm 94:19, Good News Translation)</span></i><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On top of the back pain which migrated to pain all
over my body for most of 2023, I started having chest pain in November. After a
week of it, I finally saw my primary care doctor, who ran all sorts of tests
and set me up for a nuclear stress test. The night before that appointment, as
I lay in bed with over-the-top anxiety, I randomly opened my Bible and read the
above verse. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I ran those words through my head like a mantra until
I fell asleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The test went well. I didn’t pass out walking on the
treadmill and my heart didn’t freak out to the point they had to send me to the
ER. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A few days later, my doctor called to say that <i>most</i>
of the stress test was normal – in his words, my plumbing was all good. But one
of the numbers was elevated, which he didn’t think meant anything bad, but in
light of my symptoms and family history, he thought I should see a
cardiologist. That appointment isn’t until January 24, but I am seeing the
primary care doc the week before that and having some labs repeated. I haven’t
had any more chest pain, just shortness of breath with activity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I also have been seeing a naturopathic provider, who
started me on an anti-inflammatory diet. It makes sense to me – something is
going on in my body and inflammation can cause most of my symptoms. So far, no
one seems to know if that can cause my heart concerns, but hopefully the
cardiologist can tell me. And hopefully, with this diet I’m on, the
inflammation will be settled down by then so that she says, “What are you doing
here? Your heart is a rock star.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the meantime, all I can do is watch what I eat, take
the recommended supplements, and pray. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God is good. He will comfort me in all of my troubles.
He will take away my anxiety and grant me comfort and joy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50842653982322279.post-61534854425765728942023-12-24T05:52:00.000-06:002023-12-24T05:52:48.261-06:00Zion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziSMnlM3M8wp_rhU1HuX8CQ7b2HhCKAerjv66DSZVLuReoogkxR1s4ES1fG6bMOCpEUSCXZqKS1j75YDvJnc7EaswKM5MoWfE5CHu0uWIzaqq_UP8Urw6oPoidJJhYjXxlNY6LbsaXrBijxiZAGYc1m2B5HOV2aTM8SsOgNGHkbtAIIz6nrUQPcSpng/s737/A%20to%20Z%20letter%20Z.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="514" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziSMnlM3M8wp_rhU1HuX8CQ7b2HhCKAerjv66DSZVLuReoogkxR1s4ES1fG6bMOCpEUSCXZqKS1j75YDvJnc7EaswKM5MoWfE5CHu0uWIzaqq_UP8Urw6oPoidJJhYjXxlNY6LbsaXrBijxiZAGYc1m2B5HOV2aTM8SsOgNGHkbtAIIz6nrUQPcSpng/w302-h433/A%20to%20Z%20letter%20Z.JPG" width="302" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O Zion, messenger of good news, shout
from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be
afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in
power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as
he comes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He will feed his flock like a
shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. (Isaiah 40:9-11, New
Living Translation)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Born
of a virgin, in a lowly stable, Jesus our Savior is born!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, New King James Version)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Chris Loehmer Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16831717125652627898noreply@blogger.com0