Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 43

The Greatest Commandments

    “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”                                                 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40, New King James Version)

We all know about the craziness that is going on in this world. I’ve written about those things quite a bit over the last few months, so I’m not going to repeat them.  

Just stop and think about one thing that you’ve read about in the news or that is even happening to you in your personal life. Next study the Bible verses above. Would the situation you are thinking about be different if the people involved lived by the commandments which Jesus taught his disciples? Or if they at least tried to keep the ten commandments that God gave to the Israelites in the Old Testament?

If you know your commandments at all, you realize that those original ten do boil down to the two which Jesus taught. By keeping the first three commandments we show our love towards God, while the remaining ones show our love towards others.

   Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19, New King James Version)

But maybe I should back up. How well do you know the ten commandments? A better question is how do they apply to our lives today?

Hold on to those questions. I don’t have time to answer them right now, but follow along over the next weeks as I plan on sharing details of each of the commandments. During that time, I hope you think about why these laws from God apply to all of us, even the nonbelievers. I hope you come to realize that you should take these rules to heart, whether you are a Christian or not. And why we shouldn’t be rushing to take them out of our courthouses and other public spaces.

God knew what He was doing when He wrote those decrees in stone.

Hope you come back to this blog next Sunday. In the meantime, have a joy-filled week. Chris 

Flowers in Spring

     Wednesday of this week was another beautiful day in North Central Wisconsin. And a great day to get out of the house, drag my sister out of her house and go visit a garden. 

A few years ago, I heard of the Monk Botanical Gardens on the north side of Wausau, Wisconsin and have wanted to tour it since then. The Gardens sit on 30-acres and are named after the late Robert W. Monk, who donated much of the land with the intent of the development of a public garden.

It was such a beautiful place.

And even though it is still early in the season, many flowers were blooming.

I wish I knew the names of all of them, or that at least they were all labeled for those of us who are botanically challenged.

If you live anywhere in the area, it is worth the visit – it’s easy to find, less than a mile east of Fleet Farm on Campus Drive.

And maybe you will know all the names of the flowers and other plants.
Check out their website - https://monkgardens.org/ 

Or their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MonkBotanicalGardens

 

Start by stopping the hate

    In the spring of 1999, I spent nearly all of my free time with my sister Pat who was dying from cancer. One of the few things which shook me from that vigil was the news of the mass shooting in April at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. At the time, it was the worst school shooting in US history. Thirteen people died and 20 were wounded when two teenagers descended on the school, intent on killing as many people as possible.

For me, it wasn’t just the number of fatalities, the horror of it all, but the location. I had lived just south of Denver in the mid-1980s. I had driven through Littleton, nearly passed the school, every night when I was going to Medical Assistant school in 1986. You can watch things like that on the news, but sometimes, it doesn’t seem real unless you know someone or have been there.

The closest I’ve ever been to Uvalde, Texas, is when Dad was working at the paper mill in Orange, Texas, when I was in kindergarten. Most of those kids killed last week were only twice the age I was at that time. 

I cannot imagine what those parents, grandparents, friends, and family are going through. Those poor kids who lived through it and will keep living it for the rest of their lives.

Every time there is a shooting like this, whether at a school, a church, or a grocery store, the debate on gun control comes up. So many people think that is the answer – take away our guns.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who rationalize that guns don’t kill people; people kill people. Which is true. But certain types of firearms were designed to kill the most targets in the shortest amount of time, and why are those available for sale? The real reality is that the bad guys will always get the guns they want, and the law-abiding citizens may end up without the most basic pistol to protect themselves.

But we still can’t blame it on guns or lax gun control laws. There have been mass killings with bombs, moving vehicles, you name it. Remember what planes did one September morning twenty-some years ago?

You cannot take away every type of weapon imaginable. I have an active imagination – there is an object right now within your reach as you’re reading this which could be used to kill someone. Ever watch MacGyver?

So, what can we do to stop these shootings, these deaths? How about start by stopping the hate. Learn to love one another, learn to accept one another. Learn to keep your eyes open for those who are struggling and reach out a helping hand. Put others first. Teach your children that.

I could do a lot of preaching here, but I try to avoid it. I sometimes think I am such a Pollyanna (many of you probably don’t know who that is, so I propose that it’s mandatory in our schools that every student watches the movie once a year. This article seems to support my suggestion - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-forward/201906/the-real-story-pollyanna-and-her-secret-happiness-game.).

Okay, back to reality. I think that our society no longer teaches compassion or empathy. Quite the opposite. Every day, we are bombarded with images glorifying death and killing, whether via TV, the movies, or video games. Our kids are being raised without even realizing that when someone is killed, they are dead. They aren’t getting back up again. There is no value to human life. We’re teaching our kids that it is all just a game. 

Also, I totally understand how wrong bullying is. I was bullied as a kid. I know a lot of people who were. Why did most of us get through it and move on, while others got stuck in that place of anger and hurt? I always said to myself, “I’m not letting that jerk win by showing them that they got to me.” But not everyone can do that, or sadly, sometimes those bullies don’t quit until they have broken you.

Speaking of being broken, how are all our broken families affecting our kids? Even the best parents in the world, if they aren’t the best partner to their spouse, can split the family up. And as much as we try, sometimes our kids just can’t rally after that kind of loss.

And the career which has the most shortages is adolescent mental health. These kids have no professionals to turn to or to be sent to. If these kids don’t have parents, teachers, or other caring adults who stop what they’re doing and take them under their wings, they will quickly slide down that slippery slope.

Oh, my goodness, our kids have so much going against them. No wonder there are all these teenagers finding guns and other weapons of mass destruction, snapping, and shooting up our schools.

I have no answers, but I think I at least have a general idea of the real problem. And guess what? Our elected officials aren’t going to do a thing to change any of this. 

The Wars We Fight

 In the spring, when the kings normally went out to war (2 Samuel 11:1a, New Century Version)

The Old Testament is filled with war and death. There are instances where more than ten thousand men were killed in one battle. With the Earth’s population so much smaller than it is today, I can’t comprehend so many men going out to war to be slaughtered. Whether they were kings or not, or if they went off to war in the spring or not.

There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:8, New Century Version)

I wish I could compare the wars of the Bible with the wars we fight today. But I don’t think a person can. Or should. God had His reasons during Biblical times for all the battles which were fought. I wonder sometimes if now, however, He is looking down on us, shaking His head, thinking that these are not wars He meant for us to fight.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a time to remember those who gave their lives defending this country. Please remember their sacrifice and remember what’s worth fighting for, recognize who our real enemies are and who we just need to try to understand.

L ORD, God, be with us in times of trouble. Help us to always remember that You have got things under control. Amen.  

Nicknames

     Yesterday, my mom would have turned 95 years old. Five years ago, in February, however, she passed away; it sure doesn’t seem that long ago.

I’ve been thinking about sharing this story for several years, but – I don’t know. It’s a dumb story but it sure is hard to write about.

As you may know, my sister Pat and I were close friends. Over the years, we came up with lists of nicknames for each other. Snoopy for her, Woodstock for me. Which morphed into Big Nose or Beagle Nose and Little Bird. When she went off to college, they called her Duck. For a long time, she called me Knutt, because I was a goofy kid and thrived on making her laugh.

Mom also had nicknames for us. Because Pat was round and chubby, Mom would call her “Fatty Patty”. And because I was scrawny, she sometimes referred to me as “Teeny Tiny”. No clue where we got our low self-esteem from.

But actually, from day one, even though my birth certificate reads “Christine”, Mom always called me “Tina”. And everyone else back in the day called me that too.

I hated it. Even now I cringe just thinking about it.

I went to small, local schools until the fifth grade, and up until then, because everyone knew us, my teachers and my classmates called me Tina. When I entered fifth grade in the big, brick school in town, I was a newbie to the teachers and most of the kids. It was easy to ask for them to shorten my given name of Christine to Chris.

It took years for that name to stick, and occasionally even now, someone from the old days will still call me Tina.

Mom hung onto that nickname like it was a chunk of solid gold. We had a blow-up over it one time, me demanding she call me Chris and ranting to her that if she wanted to call me Tina so badly why didn’t she just name me that legally.

She wrote me a long letter (which I still have somewhere), telling me that when I came home from the hospital and was just so tiny and precious, her Teeny Tiny, she immediately adopted the alternate name. But that she would always love me with all her heart, no matter what name I went by.

Probably most kids have been tormented at one time or another by their nicknames (and by their mothers). Even my daughter went through a phase where she hated her name (more like a phase where she hated everything, but that’s the joy of being a girl).

The saying is not true that sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. But how I ever let a simple name like Tina bother me so much, I do not know.

I do know, however, that I do not want you all to start calling me that! I just felt it was time to get this off of my chest. 

Talk about being tormented, notice the ashtray in the corner. 

Our Material Possesions

 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21, New International Version)

We had a rummage sale at our house this weekend. It always seems like a good way to get rid of a bunch of stuff and make a little extra cash. An additional perk is that Hubby cleans out the garage to get ready for this sale.

We never make as much money as we would like and, in the end, if we add up all the hours it took to prepare for the sale and the two full days I sat in the garage waiting for customers. Umm? We made less than $3 an hour.

I wonder what it would take to sell all of my possessions. How much money that would come to and how long it would take. And would it amount to enough to change the lives of any of the poor people I gave it to.

But Jesus was making a point in that verse. That anyone who is wealthy is going to have a tough time making it into heaven if he or she puts her possessions first. Actually, anyone, whether rich or poor, needs to put others ahead of themselves and material goods.  

And what about the meager proceeds from our sale? I put some of it away to go towards my next volunteer trip to Kenya and split the rest of it between Hubby and me. I’m pretty sure that he will do the same with his as I did with mine. Squirrel it away for a rainy day.

One last thing. All the stuff that we didn’t sell we are donating to our church for their rummage sale next month. Not that I’m patting myself on the back; I just wanted it out of my house.

God, Heavenly Father, thank You for all the many gifts You shower us with, gifts which do not deserve. May we always love others as much as we love ourselves and give to them what we are able. Amen.

S.P.S.P.

     For several years, I’ve wanted to visit the Sculpture Park in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It’s not far from where I live, and I actually drive past Stevens Point at least a couple times a year.

I finally made it there with my daughter last Friday, when we were experiencing record high temps and the sun was shining brightly. Good thing the trail through the park is mostly wooded.

I started out taking pictures of the signs which described each piece of art, but I quickly nixed that idea. I just wanted to enjoy each piece along with its wooded setting.

And some artwork really needs no explanation. But I do apologize to the talented artists for not recognizing them.

If you are ever in Central Wisconsin, swing by the Park yourself. As I learned from reading their website, the sculptures do change at times, so you may not see the same things I did.

But most importantly, always remember:

And there's no need to be more.         

For more on the Stevens Point Sculpture Park, click these links:     
  https://stevenspointsculpturepark.org/#1 
https://stevenspoint.com/435/Sculpture-Park
https://www.facebook.com/StevensPointSculpturePark/          

So Many Gifts

 Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. (James 1:2-4, Living Bible)

As you know, I didn’t post an inspirational message last Sunday as Hubby and I were on our first camping trip of the season.

When I wrote about the weekend here on Wednesday, I painted a rosy picture for you all. In reality, yes, it was a fine weekend, but it felt like so many things went wrong. And we all know how sometimes it seems easier to dwell on the bad instead of the good.

The refrigerator didn’t work. We tried everything we could think of (the fuse, the power cord, etc.), but nothing fixed the problem. We kept the food in the cooler and because the nights were chilly, the perishables stayed cold. It was just an inconvenience.

But also, because it was cold at night (in the thirties), it got nippy in the camper. I turned the furnace on to its lowest setting and it kicked on around 3:30 the first morning. And then Hubby turned it up higher because he was still cold. Just another inconvenience.

I won’t even tell you about the struggle backing the camper into its spot. That was more than an inconvenience. It was a nightmare.

And then there’s our poor, old dog. Who couldn’t get in or out of the truck or the camper without our help. It breaks my heart, because his heart is so willing but his body just can’t do it.

 Sigh.

 But still, I have been given so many gifts. And when I’m done complaining, I do praise God for all that He has blessed me with.  

But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or shadow. (James 1:17, Living Bible)

Happy Little Almost 5K

     Back in December, I think, I received an email from the Michigan State Parks. They were hosting a virtual 5K to support tree planting and forest protection efforts in Michigan State Parks. The challenge was to walk, hike, run or crawl a 5K anywhere you were able, as long as it was between April 22 (Earth Day) and April 29 (Arbor Day). The theme was Bob Ross Happy Little 5K Run for the Trees. Who can pass that up?

The cost was $35 and it went towards a good cause. Plus, this should be easy, right? Wrong. Stupid weather and me overbooking my schedule. I’ve been working part-time since the first of March, I should have had the time. Of course, we also shouldn't have had snow every day the month of April. 

But alas, I didn’t do my walk by the April 29 deadline. I also didn’t walk the full 5K in one day.

This past weekend, at Mirror Lake State Park in Wisconsin, I walked 1.95 kilometers on Saturday afternoon.

And Sunday morning, I walked 3.27 kilometers. So even though I didn’t do the full 5K in one day, my mileage still surpassed that.

Plus, it was just nice to be outside walking, after the winter we’ve had. 
#RunForTheTrees #BobRoss #HappyLittle5K #MiStateParks

First Camping Trip of 2022

     Last weekend, Hubby, the dog and I headed out for our first camping trip of the year. We stayed two nights at Mirror Lake State Park in Wisconsin Dells. I had been there for a day last fall and thought it would be a nice place to stay for the weekend in the spring.

Since spring didn’t come until the week before, I barely had time to get everything done for the trip. Which is why I didn’t write any blogs for a week. Does anyone miss hearing from me when that happens?

Anyway, the weather was beautiful, finally. 

Camp all set up. 

Dino loves going camping but doesn't like getting his picture taken. 
The grounds of the former Badger Ammunition Plant. I was there last October and shared about it here: https://chrisloehmer.blogspot.com/2022/03/bow-wow-which-is-not-about-dogs.html
I was also at Dr Evermore's Sculpture Park then.
I tried not to take all the same pictures of the same stuff, but this time the sun was shining and last time it was sprinkling. 
Read more about it here: https://chrisloehmer.blogspot.com/2022/04/every-evermor-foreverton-dells-post-12.html
Such cool stuff. So creative. 

This guy looks like he wants to talk.                                                                                        

But on to Baraboo, we went. And found these kayakers on the River. How peaceful. 
Later that day, walking around Mirror Lake State Park. 



The amphitheater in the Park. 
Would be a nice setting for so many gatherings. 
One gathering which at least ended well was this visitor trying to get into our cooler one night. The frig in our camper wasn't working so we resorted to the old-fashioned way of doing things. Glad our visitor didn't do things his way.