Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 130

Visit from the Magi

Earlier this week, on January 6, we observed Epiphany. This holy day commemorates several events in the early life of Jesus, but one of the most common is the visit by the Wise Men, who by the way did not show up at the stable on the first Christmas Eve. They arrived to visit the Christ Child anywhere from several weeks to several years later. Also, no one knows how many there were, the number three is the traditional number based on the gifts they brought.
They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. (Matthew 2:11, The Message)
Was there any significance to the three gifts that the wise men brought? The gold is easy to understand. Gold stood for royalty. Kings throughout history have lavished themselves in gold, covering their palaces with it, gaining power by possessing it. Jesus came to earth as The King. A gift of gold would certainly have been appropriate.Frankincense is a tree resin. Burned as incense or used as a perfume, it was known to be quite fragrant. In the Old Testament it was used in offerings, and was also rather expensive. These were all good reasons to give it as a gift to the infant Jesus.Myrrh also had several uses in the Old Testament. It was used as a fragrance, in the purification of women, and as part of a holy oil. It was used in cosmetics of the time, and as a medicine, thought to contain a numbing agent. Perhaps the most interesting use was in embalming. Did the magi foresee Jesus’ entire life, giving appropriate gifts from His birth to His death?When we present gifts to the parents of a newborn, we give them practical items, such as clothing, blankets, and even diapers. Would you ever give new parents gifts such as Mary and Joseph received on behalf of their son? Think of something meaningful, but not necessarily useful, that you would like to receive on the occasion of the birth of your firstborn child. Perhaps a treasured locket from a grandmother, or a silver coin from the country of your ancestors. Some gifts have more sentimental value than monetary value. Those are the gifts which last. Isn’t Jesus one of those gifts to us?

(From “The Early Life ofJesus in 40 Days”. It's not too late to get a copy and find out what else happened to the Baby Jesus.) 

A productive 2015

In 2014, I came up with a list of "40 things to do in ’14". I did okay accomplishing those goals, so I shared them here last January. Since I wrote a similar list for 2015, I thought it was time to share those accomplishments here once again.
First the stats. Coz I am crazy like that.
Instead of jumping to “50 things in ‘15”, I came up with the odd number of 42 things. Of those 42 goals, I succeeded in 31 one of them, or 74%. That seems pretty good to me. I came close in 3 of them and failed at only 8.
So here it is:
            READING1.       Read the book of 1 Kings 3-10-152.       Read the book of 2 Kings 3-28-153.       Read the book of 1 Chronicles 12-12-154.       Read the book of 2 Chronicles5.       Read the book of Luke 05-28-156.       Read the book of John got to chapter 77.       Finish Kisses From Katie 1-21-158.       Finish Shantaram 11-30-15(I read more books than that - these were just my goals, books I really wanted to get through)WRITING9.       Finish writing Early Ministry of Jesus 08-13-1510.   Edit Tale of an American Woman 02-09-1511.   Submit 10 pieces of writing submitted 712.   Have 3 pieces of writing accepted 12-01-15 YES!13.   Attend a writers conference 08-16-1514.   Attend ¾ of the meetings of the writers group (the whole group has kind of dissolved)NONPROFIT 15.   Finish writing Business Plan 09-24-1516.   Do a large scale fundraiser for Tumaini 10-04-15 gofundme  campaign $165017.   Sell four items in Etsy shop  18.   Recruit and retain 3 board members 12-07 recruited one 19.   Take our first volunteer trip 10-18-15SEWING 20.   Sew winter scrub top 01-21-1521.   Sew Snoopy computer cover 02-01-1522.   Sew top from Ghana fabric 11-20-15HOUSE AND YARD23.   Clean Nick’s old bedroom   01-09-1524.   Clean under the basement stairs 02-07-1525.   Plant my garden and flowers 05-24-1526.   Route new trail in the woods 08-20-15TRAVEL 27.   Go to Texas in June 06-27-1528.   Go up north for a day 07-27-1529.   Go away in the fall CHURCH30.   Work on Easter Dinner 04-05-15 31.   Write children’s Christmas program 12-11-1532.   Do the Christmas program 12-19-15FAMILY33.   Move Val into her house 03-27-1534.   Take Ciaara horseback riding35.   Take Ciaara on a road trip36.   Attend Jacob’s wedding 06-27-1537.   Attend Val’s wedding 08-08-1538.   Attend Sara’s wedding 09-12-1539.   Host Thanksgiving dinner 11-25-15HEALTH 40.   Walk the rest of the streets of town 41.   Run in a 5K42.   Lose 5 pounds and keep it off 12-30-15
That's it for 2015. Makes me sounds awful ambitious, doesn't it? I think if I could pace myself I could do even better in 2016. I got a start on my list; let's see how it goes in the next 358 days. 
Have a productive year yourself.
At Jacob's wedding At Val's wedding At Sara's wedding With Dino up north  My top from my Ghana fabric In Kenya on the roof of the volunteer house

Wellness Wednesday - Massage Therapy

Haven’t seen one of these in a while – “wellness Wednesday” – so I thought it was time  to throw one in.
Back in November, when I was at a craft show selling my Kenyan crafts, a massage therapist was offering chair massages at a dollar a minute. I scared up five dollars, left my table in my sister’s capable hands and took at a seat in the chair. The woman told me something I already knew, “your shoulders are so tight.”  
I told her where I worked and that I was under a lot of stress. She gave me her card and a brochure and told me I should call for an appointment.
Later that weekend, I gave the information to the hubby and said how nice a massage would be for a Christmas present. I made it even easier on him, telling him that I didn’t work on the 4th or 5th. (hint, hint)
He didn’t wait til Christmas morning. When I got home from work next, there was the appointment time and day. January 5, 1:00 pm. For an hour. A full hour-long massage. What a treat! I couldn’t wait.
Sigh.
The traditional medical community sees many alternative health care practices as quackery. I would have to agree in some cases. Ear candling? Have you heard of that? I don’t have a clue how anyone thinks that is a good idea. Chelation therapy? I don’t think so. Acupuncture? Maybe. I had dry needling done on my hip and even though the practitioner stressed that it is not acupuncture, it sure looked like it to me. Chiropractics? On my back, you bet. The only thing that helps. But you will never convince me it can do anything for ear infections.
And massage? I couldn’t find much controversy there. Sure, just like anything else (including conventional medicine) there are people and circumstances when it should be avoided. But in general, a good massage can only relax those muscles, increase blood flow, and relieve pain.
So I had my massage yesterday. It was a great experience and I was ready to schedule another one. I was also ready to schedule the hubby for his own massage. But like the typical blue-color Wisconsin male, he was like, “no”. Anyway, so if you need to just relax and pamper yourself, call and make an appointment. 

"All things are possible"

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23b (NIV)
If you read my blog post from yesterday, you know that I have a word for the year. Possibility. When I opened my Bible yesterday morning, asking God to grant me my word, this is the story my Bible fell open to.
A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit from the devil in him. This spirit stops him from talking. The spirit attacks him and throws him on the ground. My son foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they couldn’t.” Jesus answered, “You people don’t believe! How long must I stay with you? How long must I go on being patient with you? Bring the boy to me!” So the followers brought him to Jesus. As soon as the evil spirit saw Jesus, it attacked the boy. He fell down and rolled on the ground, foaming from his mouth.             Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening?”The father answered, “Since he was very young. The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.”             Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ All things are possible for him who believes.”            Immediately the father cried out, “I do believe! Help me to believe more!”            Jesus saw that a crowd was running there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit, saying, “You deaf and dumb spirit—I command you to come out of this boy and never enter him again!”            The evil spirit screamed and caused the boy to fall on the ground again. Then the spirit came out. The boy looked as if he were dead. And many people said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him to stand up.            Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why couldn’t we force that evil spirit out?”            Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can only be forced out by prayer.”( Mark 9:17-29International Children’s Bible)
Whatever inspiration I have already posted about that word, or will post in the future, this is where it came from. Yep, because God is so ridiculously good to me, this is the word He gave me.
May your year be filled with inspiration from God as well. 
It's even possible to survive this waterfall in your kayak. Though not possible for me. 

POSSIBILITY

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
For the last two years, about this time of year, I have chosen a word to inspire me and keep me focused over the next 365 days or so. Two years ago the word was acceptance, last year anticipation.
There are a few dates on my 2016 calendar - a camping trip, Lifest, my kids returning to Kenya for two and leaving me behind.  I want to finish the final round of edits on my novel set in Africa and start writing my second novel. I hope to write my second memoir about my last two trips to Kenya. I’d like to get my third devotional published. I need to finish walking all of the streets of my hometown and it would be nice if I could run in another 5K.
There are so many more things which I could do in the New Year, things I probably haven’t even thought about. Anything is possible!
And so my word has been chosen for me. My goal for the year – the focus in as many endeavors as I can muster, is to greet each item with an open mind and an open heart, anticipating and accepting that the possibilities for this year are endless.

possibility

The End of Another Year

Here it is another New Year’s Eve and though I always hate being conventional, I guess I still should reflect on this past year.
The word that I chose last January to be my “word of the year” was anticipation. Because I had so much to anticipate in 2015. The Eagles tribute band concert, the nephew’s wedding in Dallas, an overnight trip to Lake Superior just to unwind, the daughter’s wedding in August, the cousin’s wedding in September and my third trip to Kenya in October. And wrote and organized the children’s Christmas program at church. Yes, it was a full-year. Lots of travel, lots of memories made, pictures taken. Oh, yes, and a new camera bought.  
Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it, some of those things already seem to have happened eons ago instead of only months. Sometimes I remember childhood events as well as I do what happened last summer. (I think that may be a sign of Alzheimers. Yikes.) Good thing I have those pictures.
Don’t tell my mom this, but maybe I do indeed do too much. She’s always telling me that I am so busy and that I need to take time for myself. Which I don’t get, coz with all the things I do, the only thing that isn’t for me is the day job (which I guess is for me if I want to contribute to paying the bills). I enjoy all the things I do and don’t know what else I would do. Watch TV? Seriously? I rather put in more hours at the day job than watch an evening of TV.
That would be all I know for sure at this point. I’m not going to take up television-viewing in the New Year. So what will it be? What will I do new and different in 2016? What adventures will I have? What travels will I take? What stories will I write? What lives will I touch or what lives will touch mine?
And what will my “word of the year” be? Stay tuned. The New Year is right around the corner. 
Happy New Year from the hubby and me 

Breaking it down - Tumaini Tuesday

Tumaini Volunteers is continuing with plans to return to Kenya next spring. Hopefully this week, we will have the dates pinned down and get plane reservations for our four team members.
Two weeks ago I shared what these volunteers will be doing, along with projected costs. If you have been considering making a donation and want to specify what it will be used for, here is a breakdown of the needs:   $10 will buy 100 fertilized eggs. Once these eggs are hatched and those chickens able to lay eggs of their own, the school at the SIDP camp can sell those eggs at ten cents a piece. Granted, some of those chickens hatched are going to end up being roosters and not every hen will lay an egg every day. In the long run, though, on average, your original investment of $10 can be making between $150 and $200 per month for the school.
$20 will feed these chickens for one month. Once these chicks are fully grown and laying eggs, the cost for their feed will come out of the profits of sale of the eggs, making this project self-sustainable.
$50 will train staff in how to properly raise these chicks. The healthier and happier these chickens are, the more eggs they will lay, so it is important to get them off to the right start. One woman at the school is caring for the chickens they already have, but she is willing to learn more to make this project a success. She also needs a second person to help her out and keep things running in the event she is not available.
$100 will purchase some of the building materials to expand the chicken coop and shed already in place at the school. Our volunteers and other volunteers from the SIDP camp will supply the labor.
$100 will purchase part of the incubator. Or you can so kindly donate the entire $1000 to get this out to the school right away.
$200 will purchase part of the generator. Or a single donation of $2000 will buy it. At one of the chicken projects we visited in October, the power had been out for a few days so all of the eggs in their incubator were no longer viable. Also, the weather had been warm that week so that the younger chicks survived without a heating lamp, but the weather cannot be counted on, no matter where anyone lives.
Send your donation in any of these areas to Tumaini Volunteers, PO Box 726, Wausau, WI  54402 and specify where you want your donation to be used. Also any donations of $20 or more mailed out before the end of the year will get you a print of one of the beautiful cats we saw on safari. Click on this link for more details about that. You can also click here to learn more about Southern Cross Academy and the chickens they already have. 

Those First Few Days

 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. (Luke 2:21 New International Version)
Today is December 27. Just a few days ago, we celebrated the birth of Jesus. We picture Him with His parents in a cramped, dirty barn, where cattle and sheep slept. We wait for the visit from the shepherds, and most people imagine those three wise men from the East showing up, even though they never made it to that stable. They visited Jesus many months, even up to two years later.
Then when the Baby was eight days old, He was taken to the temple to be circumcised (Yikes.) But what about that week in between? Did Mary and Joseph stay in Bethlehem for a few days while Mary recovered from delivery? Were they stuck in that stable? Or did someone take them into their home? Or did they take off for their own home on Christmas morning?
I like to imagine that after those shepherds went back to their fields that Mary got a few hours of sleep while Joseph kept watch over her and the Baby. Maybe in the morning, whoever owned that stable went to get their animals and was surprised to find the new family resting in the hay. Or more likely, the owner had already showed up in the night, aroused by the racket from the shepherds. If that were the case, perhaps he ran home and got his wife or other women from his household, who took over the care of Mary and Baby Jesus.
I don’t know. I don’t think anyone else knows either. So what do you think? What do you picture took place in those first few days after the first Christmas?
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us Your Son that first Christmas. Thank you for allowing us to get to know Your Son and to accept Him into our lives and be our Savior. Amen.

Who is the Light?

 
Christ Comes to the World Before the world began, there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  All things were made through him. Nothing was made without him.  In him there was life. That life was light for the people of the world. The Light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overpowered the Light.
 There was a man named John who was sent by God.  He came to tell people about the Light. Through him all people could hear about the Light and believe.  John was not the Light, but he came to tell people about the Light.  The true Light was coming into the world. The true Light gives light to all. (John 1:1-9 International Children’s Bible)
The writer of this book of the Gospel, the Apostle John (and not John the Baptist who he writes about here), writes in a cryptic manner. His words are beautiful and poetic, sometimes to the point where you wouldn’t know what he’s referring to unless you are already familiar with the Bible stories.
Here of course the Light that John writes about is Jesus. And there’s not much more I can add to that. Jesus is the Light and shines His Light on us all. 


The theme for our Christmas program at church last night was "Jesus is the Light." Though our number of kids is small, they did a great job, sharing the Light of Jesus with us. 

Flashback Friday - My Childhood Best Christmas Gift

Hard to believe that I posted this story five years. Not much has changed since then. This dollhouse is still in my basement, neglected but no less loved. 

I can’t remember the year, I’m just not that good, but I was probably five or six years old. Or maybe I was only four. Sometime that particular fall, my sister Pat and I were banished from the garage. I remember trying to peak in the window, but I just wasn’t tall enough. I remember wondering, wondering, wondering what could be going on in there. What was Dad doing in the garage late into the evening. Why wasn’t he spending nights on the couch watching TV with us like usual.
Christmas morning there was a note on the tree. Pat read it and her eyes grew larger. She ran for the basement stairs, and I naturally followed.
There it was at the bottom of the stairs. This wondrous dollhouse. a three-story A-frame with real stairs and built-in kitchen cabinets. Mom had made curtains for it and cardboard living room furniture, upholstered in real upholstery fabric. The kitchen floor was covered in the same linoleum as our kitchen upstairs.
And the adventures we would have. Or I should say, the adventures our dolls would have. We were only interlopers, giants manipulating their lives during the day. At night, we truly believed, their lives went on without us.
It’s in my basement now, and hasn’t been played with in years and years, as you can tell by the dust. Much to my dismay, Val never really played with it. Maybe because she didn’t have an older sister showing her the way. Or maybe coz Super Mario Brothers was just more exciting.

I don't know if any other little girls will ever play with my dollhouse. But as much as my husband gives me a hard time about getting rid of it, it's not going to go anywhere.