Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 159

Countdown to Christmas - Week 5

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 The Message Bible
Whenever I get to this part of the story, it puzzles me that Mary and Joseph traveled to the city of their ancestors, and no one in the village received them. Bethlehem was a little village; did they really have inns? It was not just off the interstate, and there was no Motel 6 to cater to the camel drivers. The word inn would be better translated inner room.
Joseph and Mary possibly found some relatives who would have given them lodging, but they already had house guests sleeping in their inner room or guest room. The only space left for company was the stable, which wasn’t a cave out back as usually depicted. Homes at the time often had an area for the animals in the same building. It made more sense that way; the animals would be kept safe, and they would throw off body heat to warm the house in the cold of night.
Yes, Jesus was probably placed in the manger – what a perfect crib that would make, don’t you think? But I picture that Mary was surrounded by female relatives along with the cattle and donkeys.
Why do we always see Mary and Joseph in this cave by themselves with the baby Jesus and the farm animals? Because Jesus was born in the most humble of places as foretold in Scripture. From these humble beginnings, He became King. At that time, you had to be born in a palace to ever become a king. So whether He was born in a cave or in the stable within the home of a common, working class family, He would never be able to rise to a position of ruling a kingdom. Of course, they did not realize at the time what it really meant to rule the kingdom – to rule the world.

If you have children, they were most likely born in a clean, bright hospital. Can you imagine giving birth any place else? Your bathroom floor? The back seat of a car? A barn? The women of the Bible never gave birth in a sterile environment. There were no such places back then. Why do you suppose God chose a stable for the birthplace of His Son when He could have chosen any other place? 
(Every Sunday from now until Christmas, I will be sharing an excerpt from “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. A friend of mine gave me a rubber duckie Nativity set to add to my rubber duckie collection. I went a little crazy taking pictures of these ducks, but hopefully, if you find my words boring, at least the pictures over the next six weeks will keep you coming back for more. And if you don’t find my words boring, don’t forget to get your copy of “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. If you order today, you will still get it in time for Christmas.)

"let there be light"

This month's photo challenge was the use of light. The assignment is to post two or three pictures where "light takes center stage and commands your attention". That leaves the door wide open for me, and also does not mean there is a chance that I can post only a few pictures. So sorry to continue to be non-compliant on the Personal Photo Challenge. 
The first two pictures were taken in my yard one evening a few years ago. Honestly, the pictures were not retouched. This is the way the eerie sky actually appeared following a late afternoon shower.
This next two pictures show how different the sky can look when the sun is behind the clouds. 

And finally these last two shots were taken out of two different windows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, at different times of the day. They certainly show what a difference the outside light or lights can make.

All of these photos were taken with my Nikon Coolpix digital camera. If I remember correctly, all of the automatic settings were on for all six pix.

This Week in Hatchet Creek

Sometimes I am so self-centered. For the past three and a half years, I have written about myself on this blog, a total of 702 posts! Sure, I’ve written about kids in Peru and Kenya and other places around the world, I’ve shared some sad stories and some uplifting stories about others. But generally it has been about me, my family, my travels, my dog.
I paged through my weekly hometown paper tonight and remembered that even when the world is so big and I want to journal about it all, there still is this little place in Wisconsin that I come home to.
So, in the spirit of Garrison Keillor, here is the news this week from Hatchet Creek.
Notification went out on Friday December 6 that Shopko had bought out the Stoxens Pharmacy. Earlier in the spring Shopko had bought out the locally owned and run Northbay Pharmacy. That alone caused quite a stir around town. Shortly after that first buyout, Shopko began construction of a building north of town, which opened just last month. Touted as Your Hometown Shopko, there isn’t a lot of feeling towards the store being about any hometown of ours. With the demise of the latest (and last) locally run pharmacy, sentiment is that our town is being sold out to big business.
Yet our hometown roots run deep. On Saturday, the 7th, there was a memorial service for our town’s biggest claim to fame. Jay Leggett, Hollywood actor, writer and director had died of a heart attack the opening day of deer hunting season. The irony is that just a few years ago he had produced a movie about the sacredness of the deer hunt in northern Wisconsin. What better way to go than by doing what you love.
One thing few of us love here in the Northwoods is the unseasonably cold weather we have been having this month. We know where we live, and we accept that the morning temperatures will be below zero come January. But the first week in December the thermometer shouldn’t register that low. The fear is what will January bring? Besides a plethora of ice shacks on the lakes.
Or what will next week bring for that matter? We’ll see if anything exciting happens in my hometown in the next week. Until then, that’s all that’s new in Hatchet Creek where all the women are stunning, all the men are burly, and all the children are addicted to their smart phones.  Just one of the sorrows in our town in the winter.

Countdown to Christmas - Week 4

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. Matthew 1:18-19 The Message Bible
To be engaged to someone at this time was as legally binding as being married. The only difference was that the couple was not yet living together, and thus, unlike many couples today, not sleeping together. Joseph’s only option when he found out that Mary was pregnant was to cancel the marriage contract and divorce her. He could have done this publicly and given the masses the right to stone her. Or he could do it quietly in front of two witnesses, which would save Mary’s honor and her life.

Joseph had a lot to think about. When we are faced with difficulties, do we look at all possible solutions? Do we submit to God's authority? Or do we plunge in and do the first thing we think of? Next time you have a challenge to face, look at all your options before taking action. And most importantly, take time to pray.

(Every Sunday from now until Christmas, I will be sharing an excerpt from “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. A friend of mine gave me a rubber duckie Nativity set to add to my rubber duckie collection. I went a little crazy taking pictures of these ducks, but hopefully, if you find my words boring, at least the pictures over the next six weeks will keep you coming back for more. And if you don’t find my words boring, don’t forget to order your copy of “The Christmas Story in 40 Days” before the forty days is up.)

Winter Words

What’s your favorite “winter” word? You know, what word conjures up snow and hot cocoa, a cold wind blowing outside while you are curled up in front of the fire, the wood crackling and popping as it burns. Ice skating. Snowmen and snow forts. A warm bed after a cold day outside. Cuddles. Friends.
  



 Ok, here is my word. I love this word. It always makes me feel cozy as toast. I picture someone being strong and invincible wearing black and red plaid. But I also see someone who is small and vulnerable wearing a purple and pink nightgown when I hear this word.  Flannel. That’s all I can say about that.   

Late for the November Photo Challenge

The Personal Photo Challenge for November was "Layering Textures". Which means the assignment was to "expand and test your creativity skills. With digital editing, you will apply textured layers to photographic images to enhance them and provide a “painterly” effect."

I had one picture in mind, which I had taken in the late 1970's, which I thought would be perfect for this challenge. But I spent several hours looking for the picture without success. Then I looked at every picture I had scanned into my laptop, because I knew that a while back I had indeed scanned it. Again, no luck. 

This weekend, I was perusing some files on the desk top computer when lo and behold, there were three version of the picture, all already tweeked with different themes. 


I took the picture when I was in my teens, using my cheap old Kodak Instamatic camera. It is of my dad digging up potatoes on my mom's uncle's farm. I love this picture. 

 Better late than never, right?

Week 3 - Countdown to Christmas

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary.
… the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.” Luke 1:26-27, 29-31 The Message Bible
Notice the choice of words, “the angel assured her . . . You will become pregnant.” How assuring would that news be!
How often do we get news that we are less than thrilled with – that little clunking noise in the car will require major repairs, our employer is cutting back and we are going to lose our job, or the biopsy came back cancer. No matter how we try, we cannot see any good coming out of this news.
But God can make good out of anything. That clunk in the car would eventually cause the car to become dangerous to drive and could force the car into oncoming traffic if not repaired now. Maybe money will be tight, but if we aren’t working, we can spend time with our families. Every day, God is providing the medical field with new treatments for cancer. Even if our outcome is not a good one, the doctors may help someone else by what they learned from our illness.
No matter what news you receive today, let God show you the good in it. Thank Him even if the news is bad. In His own time and in His own way, He will see to it that everything will turn out according to His gracious will.

(Every Sunday from now until Christmas, I will be sharing an excerpt from “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. A friend of mine gave me a rubber duckie Nativity set to add to my rubber duckie collection. I went a little crazy taking pictures of these ducks, but hopefully, if you find my words boring, at least the pictures from now until Christmas will keep you coming back for more. And if you don’t find my words boring, don’t forget to order your copy of “The Christmas Story in 40 Days” before the forty days is up.)

Happy Thanksgiving

Pictures of just a few things that I am thankful for.  Family The Hubby Yet another "daughter" Wildlife in our yard Our yard Desssert!!! Lake Superior - my favorite vacation spot My favorite vacation activity - camping Can't forget Dino

Untitled, on purpose

At the beginning of the month, when I realized that the 22nd was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John Kennedy, I thought I would blog about that last week. I knew that I didn’t want to tell you about the events of that day in Dallas – haven’t we all heard enough about that. I sure didn’t want to tell you about any new conspiracy theories. I thought I would tell you what I was doing when I heard the news. It didn’t take long for me to realize that wouldn’t work. I was just shy of two years old.
At least I thought someone in my family would know. Surely I was home with Mom and she melted down over the news and being the loving daughter I was at even that tender age, I would’ve offered her comfort. That wasn’t the case. Mom was in Milwaukee in an apartment across the street from the hospital where they had just admitted Grandma. Mom seems to think that my sister Pat, who would have been four, was with them, but she didn’t remember where I was. My oldest sister Judy had been in school that day, and remembers clearly hearing the news, but has no memory of where I was. Pat and my dad could give me some clues as to my where abouts, because I am sure that they would have kept track of me, but neither one of them has sent those clues from heaven.
Which leaves me wondering if anyone in the family ever knew where I was. I do have a few memories of each of them. But the reality is that it doesn’t really matter. I remember what I was doing when I heard that Elvis had died and I had to talk to Pat about it. I remember where I was when I heard that Princess Diana had died and even though I knew that I should tear my daughter Val, only seven at the time, away from the TV coverage, I couldn’t do it. I remember hearing that Michael Jackson had died, and that neither my husband nor I were surprised, and we both agreed that it was ok to push Farrah Fawcett’s death the same day to the background, because why are we publicizing any of these deaths anyway.
So all of these thoughts were going through my head this weekend, as I kept thinking that I was behind on writing about this topic anyway, so why bother now, when my husband hollered from the living room that JayLeggett had died. What? I thought, no way. My hometown’s biggest claim to fame. And the nicest guy. His poor family.
I guess we never know. Whether it is an assassin’s bullet, cancer, poor choices, poor genes or a fairy tale gone horribly wrong, life can be cut short at any time. So don’t spend so much time looking back, spend time living for today.  
My sister Pat, 1959 to 1999, and our dad, 1915 to 1993.

Week 2 - Countdown to Christmas

But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John.” Zachariah said to the angel, “Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman.”But the angel said, “I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news.”  Luke 1:13, 18-19 (The Message Bible)
Zachariah, a descendant of Aaron and Moses, was one of the priests of the temple. He and his wife Elizabeth were quite old and had never had any children. An angel came to him to tell him he and his wife would finally conceive a son. Zachariah certainly wanted to believe this, but then he had a reality check. He opened his mouth and said exactly what was on his mind. “My wife and I are both so old.”
No one is too old, too young, or too anything for God. God is able to use anyone of any age, shape, or form. Throughout the Bible, God used people who didn’t think they were worthy. Remember Moses? He had a speech impediment. Or how about David? He was a young boy when God called him to slay the giant. David would go on to be one of the great men of his time.
God is even able to use us. We may think that we are too old, or that we don’t have enough money, or that we are not smart enough or pretty enough. It doesn’t matter to God what our shortcomings are. In fact, to Him they are not shortcomings at all. He made us the way He wanted us to be, so when the time is right, He can use us for His work.


(Every Sunday from now until Christmas, I will be sharing an excerpt from “The Christmas Story in 40 Days”. A friend of mine gave me a rubber duckie Nativity set to add to my rubber duckie collection. I went a little crazy taking pictures of these ducks, but hopefully, if you find my words boring, at least the pictures over the next six weeks will keep you coming back for more. And if you don’t find my words boring, don’t forget to order your copy of “The Christmas Story in 40 Days” before the forty days is up.)