Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 7

Jesus Enters Town on a Donkey

After telling this story, Jesus went ontoward Jerusalem, walking along ahead of his disciples. As they came to thetowns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciplesahead, with instructions to go to the next village, and as they entered theywere to look for a donkey tied beside the road. It would be a colt, not yetbroken for riding.

“Untie him,” Jesus said, “and bring himhere. And if anyone asks you what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needshim.’”

They found the colt as Jesus said, andsure enough, as they were untying it, the owners demanded an explanation.

“What are you doing?” they asked. “Why areyou untying our colt?”

And the disciples simply replied, “TheLord needs him!” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw some of theirclothing across its back for Jesus to sit on.

Then the crowds spread out their robesalong the road ahead of him, and as they reached the place where the roadstarted down from the Mount of Olives, the whole procession began to shout andsing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles Jesushad done.

“God has given us a King!” they exulted.“Long live the King! Let all heaven rejoice! Glory to God in the highestheavens!” (Luke 19:28-38, Living Bible)

Yes,these verses talk about Palm Sunday, and I know that isn’t until mid-April. But Iwanted to spend the next six weeks writing about that one week between the dayJesus entered Jerusalem and the day He rose from the grave.

Okay,so let’s pretend it’s Palm Sunday. Jesus enters Jerusalem to the adoration ofthe locals. They had heard about how He had recently raised Lazarus from thedead, and they wanted to praise Him as their King.

Weall know that story; we picture those palm branches waving and may still get apalm branch in church when we celebrate Palm Sunday. But I’m gonna back up afew verses.

Beforeentering the city gates, the disciples had borrowed a young donkey for theirMaster to ride. The owner of this equine asked them what they were doing. Theyanswered as Jesus had instructed them – that it was for their Lord.

Inthis day and age, would we get away with that? Not if we were stealing thatanimal for fun or to sell for cash. And not even if we told the owner we wereon a mission from God.

Welive in different times. But we still need to listen for instructions from ourSavior Jesus. He probably won’t tell us to get Him a farm animal. But if Hetells us to witness to others or share our food with those in need, we should do that even if it makes us uncomfortable. Or maybe He will just tell us toopen our Bibles and study His word more. That can be just as important.   

(Today’s pictures are of the mini-donkeys thatmy dear friend owned. You know the story of the cross on the donkey’s back,right? Click this link for one version of that story.)

Rise up to the Sermon on the Mount

           “God blesses those who are poor and realizetheir need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

God blesses those whomourn, for they will be comforted. 

God blesses those who are humble, for theywill inherit the whole earth. 

God blesses those who hunger and thirst forjustice, for they will be satisfied. 

God blesses those who are merciful, forthey will be shown mercy. 

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for theywill see God. 

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called thechildren of God. 

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for theKingdom of Heaven is theirs." (Matthew 5:3-10, New Living Translation)     

          If you have your Bible handy, turn tothe book of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament, and read all ofchapters 5 through 7. If you don’t have a Bible, click on this link to get youto the Bible Gateway website.

          These words of Jesus in Matthew areknown as the Sermon on the Mount. If you read nothing else in the Bible, studythese words of Jesus. Take them to heart. Memorize the verses that stick outthe most for you.

          Today is Ash Wednesday, the first dayof Lent, those forty days leading up to Easter when we should take time toreflect on the life and death of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

          Back in the day, all my good Catholicfriends gave up something for Lent (I’ve written about that here in the past). These year, let’s all give up hatred, anxiety, and fear. 

Let’s devote more time for prayer and studyingthe Bible. Let’s take more deep breaths. Let’s tell our friends and family how importantthey are to us. Let’s review our budgets to find a way to give a little bit toa worthy charity. Let’s carve out some time each day to just be at peace. Andlet’s share that peace with everyone we meet. And not just for the next six weeks,but for the rest of our lives.

Let us be a blessing just as God blesses us. 

(The picture is from my trip to Kenya in 2015.I’ve unfortunately never been to Israel, but maybe the location of Jesus’sSermon on the Mount looked something like this.)

Anointing His Feet

          

          Six days before the Passover, Jesus wentto Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from death. Theyprepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped serve; Lazarus was one ofthose who were sitting at the table with Jesus. Then Mary took a whole pint ofa very expensive perfume made of pure nard, poured it on Jesus' feet, and wipedthem with her hair. The sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house.

One of Jesus' disciples, JudasIscariot—the one who was going to betray him—said, “Why wasn't this perfumesold for three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor?” He saidthis, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. Hecarried the money bag and would help himself from it.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Let herkeep what she has for the day of my burial. You will always have poor peoplewith you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:1-8, Good NewsTranslation)

 

Fromthese verses, you might take away that Mary had given this gift to Jesus – Healready has everything, so what other gifts could He receive? Or you mightthink only of that scoundrel Judas, knowing what he is going to do next byturning Jesus over to the authorities. Or you might think about this perfumebeing used to prepare Jesus for His burial a week before His death.

Ilooked up references to these verses on different websites and in my studyBible. You can find all the nuances in those places as well. But it was in my“Children’s Bible in 365 Stories” that I found what I wanted to say today.

WhenJudas rebuked Mary for wasting so much money – a year’s worth of wages by someestimates – her face fell. She had wanted to show her love for Jesus by thisgenerous gift and the humble act of washing His feet. She might have thought,“Oh, no, I messed this all up for my Lord, and now His disciples think I’mwasteful.”

ButJesus immediately jumped to her defense. Today, I’m going to remember thatJesus will always jump to my defense as well. There is nothing I can screw upso badly that I can’t turn to Him with tears in my eyes and an apology on mylips.

Hewill always smile at me and reassure me. He will always love me.

Is There More I Can Do? Is There More You Can Do?

 

I'vebeen debating whether or not I should post these thoughts. However, I continueto read various news sources, including everyone's opinions on Facebook,LinkedIn, and Twitter, and I feel I need to make my voice heard as well. 

Afterthe presidential inauguration on January 20, it didn't take the newadministration long to start turning our secure United States world upsidedown. By the end of the month, I started writing letters to my members ofCongress with my concerns, mostly about immigration and other human rightsissues.

Ireceived a welcomed email from my Democratic senator in support of my thoughtsbut nothing from my Republican representative. Last Friday, I finally heardfrom my Republican senator, Ron Johnson. Let me share that email before I tellyou what I thought about it.

    FindingWaste, Fraud, and Abuse in Federal Spending

    DearChristine,

    Sen.Johnson's top concern as a U.S. Senator has always been our federal debt anddeficit, and the ongoing spending that is mortgaging our children's future. Hecalls it immoral. Sen. Johnson has consistently and persistently called outbloated spending, Big Government, and unaccountable bureaucrats who havethwarted his oversight.

    PresidentTrump's launch of a temporary advisory committee — the Department of GovernmentEfficiency (DOGE) — with Elon Musk as a special government (non-paid) employee,is a new approach to correcting waste, fraud, and abuse within the executivebranch of the federal government.

Creatinga new department while eliminating others that are actually helping people isbeyond me, but here's the email I sent back.

Dear Senator Johnson,

I sent your office an email on January 31.No one in your office seems to have read it, as I hadn't heard from you until Ireceived a "form letter" email yesterday. Nothing in your messageaddressed my concerns; instead, it infuriated me.

In your message, you praised PresidentTrump for slashing government spending and hiring Elon Musk to oversee this.Certainly, cuts need to be made somewhere, but not at the expense of theAmerican people.

How does it help the economy to fire manymiddle-class residents from their government jobs? Hasn't the United Statesgovernment historically helped create jobs instead?

Also, most government agencies beingslashed were created to help the American people, whether providing aid tothose living in poverty or allowing them to enjoy beautiful outdoor spaces andeducational institutions.

Here's where cuts need to be made - theoutrageous salaries and benefits packages of high-ranking government officials.Are any of their jobs or expenses being cut?

Also, the wealthy need to pay more inincome taxes. Leave the working class alone - we have been the backbone of theUnited States since the very beginning, and we are always the first to suffermonetarily.

However, what incensed me the most whilereading your email was the championing of Elon Musk. Have you ever read theBible? Have you ever heard of two people - the antichrist and the falseprophet? In the End Times of this planet, those two, along with Satan, make upthe Unholy Trinity.

I hate making this email so long, but Iwanted to tell you about these guys in case you've never heard of them.  

The antichrist will win people over withhis charm, charisma, and promises. He will unite the world under one globalsuperpower, one currency, and will attempt to change the dates, times, andmaps. He will essentially try to play God.

The false prophet will be appointed by theantichrist to give him more credibility and pave the way for this evil ruler toexercise his injustice and corruption.

And, of course, there is Satan, whocontrols these two men and has the single most agenda to bring down the entireworld. Are there two such men working in Washington right now?

I've been praying to God to save thiscountry and this world for a long time. My prayers have become more fervent andfrequent. As a Christian, I know that the world is going to take a horribleturn before Jesus returns. I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime, and Ipray that non-believers see what's happening before it's too late. I pray thatyou can see that, too.

Sincerely, Christine Kincaid

Iwill continue to pray and continue to write. Maybe there is more I could do,but God hasn’t called me to do anything else right now. What about you?

To contact your representatives and senators, click this link. 

Jesus Brings a Deadman Back to Life

 

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came tothe tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away thestone.”

Martha, the sister of the dead man, saidto him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead fourdays.”

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell youthat if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away thestone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that youhave heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account ofthe people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said these things, he criedout with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, hishands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Many of the Jews therefore, who had comewith Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him. (John 11:38-45, EnglishStandard Version)

Justas the other stories I've shared the past few weeks, you know the story ofLazarus. I haven't copied the entire incident here, but it would be great ifyou pulled out your Bibles to the book of John and read all of chapter 11. (Orclick on this link to the Bible Gateway website.)

Icould write a good six blog posts on the first 45 verses of that chapter. Buthere we are, short on time with Lent creeping up on us.

Anyway,the siblings, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, are friends of Jesus. Lazarus fallsill, and his sisters send word to Jesus, asking Him to come. Jesus didn't jumpup and run off to their home, a few days' walk away. No, Jesus hung out withHis disciples two days before announcing, "Let's go see Lazarus, who hasfallen asleep (meaning he has already died)."

Theyarrived at Lazarus's tomb, and Jesus called His friend to arise and come out.Miracle of miracles.

Buthere's my takeaway verse from this story. Jesus said to her, "Did I nottell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Believeand see the glory of God! What beautiful words! No matter what you are goingthrough today, have faith, believe. You may not see God's glory with your eyestoday or tomorrow. But someday you will if you only believe.

Up North – Where Were We Wednesday?

LastFriday, Hubby took me and Hannah up north for Valentine’s Day.

Our first stop was the Ice Castle in Eagle River.

We each had to get a picture with the pooch.

She wouldn’t cooperate for a selfie with all three of us.

I hope you can read the sign about the Ice Castle. I was too lazy to type it here for you. But I did hear that they were going to dismantle it in another week or so.

Further up the road, we stopped at Bluff Valley Park, just outside of Bessemer. The joy of taking a dog on a road trip – lots of stops!

Then finally arrived at Black River Harbor on Lake Superior.

Even though I didn’t tromp all the way to the shore, I could still feel the awesomeness of the greatest of the Great Lakes.  

The stillness in the frigid air in the winter always stuns me.

Hannah was not nearly as impressed, but she was a good pup.

And had to make sure that Poppa came out of Joe’s Pasty Shop in Ironwood.  I hope I don’t have to rename this blog after Hannah? What do you think? 

Jesus Walks on Water, and so does Peter

Then Jesus made his followers get into theboat. He told them to go ahead of him to the other side of the lake. Jesusstayed there to tell the people they could go home. After he said good-bye tothem, he went alone up into the hills to pray. It was late, and Jesus was therealone. By this time, the boat was already far away on the lake. The boat washaving trouble because of the waves, and the wind was blowing against it.

Between three and six o’clock in themorning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He waswalking on the water. When the followers saw him walking on the water, theywere afraid. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out in fear.

But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said,“Have courage! It is I! Don’t be afraid."

Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you,then tell me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus said, “Come.”

And Peter left the boat and walked on thewater to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid andbegan to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

Then Jesus reached out his hand and caughtPeter. Jesus said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”

          After Peter and Jesus were in theboat, the wind became calm. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus andsaid, “Truly you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 14:22-33, InternationalChildren’s Bible)

Anothergreat story, one you are probably familiar with. What does it tell us? That Jesuscan do anything – in addition to all the other miracles He performed, He canwalk on water too. He can even cause one of His disciples to walk on water.

Butwhat’s the real take away? Three simple words. “Lord, save me!”

Nomatter what you are going through, what battles you are fighting, you are notalone. Jesus is with you. You need only believe, reach out your hand, and say, “Lord,save me!”

Atthe time, it may not seem like He is there for you. You may feel yourself continueto sink in whatever trouble surrounds you. But have faith! God is with you.  

The Rescue of the Goose

 I’vebeen writing a lot about our little rescue dog Hannah, and as much as I want tokeep sharing about her, I thought I should tell you about another rescue dog.

Whenyou take a rescue dog into your home, you never know what you’re going to get.If you’re lucky, you might be told a little about their history and their previousfamily, but generally, even if you are told things, don’t count on any of it.

Youneed to be patient and diligent and remember the three 3’s. Something like – ittakes three days for the dog to just calm down, 3 weeks for them to adapt toall the new things in their new world, and 3 months to gain your trust. Or itmight take two years.

Twoyears ago, last fall, my son and his girlfriend adopted a beautiful coonhoundmix, named Goose. She had been surrendered back to the shelter twice. The peoplewho adopted her previously took one look at her and thought, “hunting dog”. She’sgot some of those instincts in her, but being a gun dog is not in her heart.She had probably been treated all right, but never as the family pet.

Myson and his girlfriend took her in and gave her a good home, all the attentionthey could shower her with, walks and runs at the dog park, new people to meet,lots of treats, lots of adventures. She was doing okay, but she remainedsomewhat aloof and skittish. She wouldn’t walk on a linoleum floor or go intoany kitchens. She wouldn’t relax at my house, no matter how many times she washere. She would come to us, but she didn’t care about being petted or hugged. Shenever completely relaxed.  

OverChristmas, her mom and dad gave her a new dog bed. Dumbest thing ever, but itwas like getting that bed flipped the switch. Reminded me of Dobby the house elfgetting a sock. Everything changed for Goose.

Shewas suddenly affectionate and wanted those pets and hugs. She trotted across linoleumand into the kitchen. She wanted to play with more toys. It was like she knew, aftertwo years of wondering, that she was in her forever home with her foreverfamily who would always love her. And she’ll never have to look back.   

Jesus Calms the Storm

Then Jesus got into the boat and startedacross the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake,with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples wentand woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? Youhave so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, andsuddenly there was a great calm.        

The disciples were amazed. “Who is thisman?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27, NewLiving Translation)

Imagineyou are out in a boat on Lake Superior. Clouds gather in the sky, the windpicks up, and soon, waves toss your vessel. “The Wreck of the EdmundFitzgerald” starts eerily playing in your head.

Thisman you’ve been following, who has performed some miracles right in front ofyour eyes, is sleeping in the back of the boat. You look at your partners andwant to ask, “How can he sleep through this?” But a gust of wind knocks youover, almost tipping you overboard.

“Wakeup, wake up!” one of your friends shouts to the sleeping man, shaking him. “Weneed your help!”

Theman opens his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face. “What is the matter withyou? You’ve been with me all day and know how tired I was.”

“Butwe’re afraid we are going to sink. Can’t you calm the storm?”

Theman looks around, shaking his head ever so slightly. “This storm cannot hurtyou. Where is your faith?”

Youand your friends tightly grasp the sides of the vessel, staring at the man,trying to grasp what he means.

“Allright then,” he finally says. “Wind and wave, calm down so that my friends canrelax.”

Thewind and rain immediately stop. The boat, which had been tossed in the wavesseconds before, rocks gently in the water.

Whatwould you think at that point? Who was this man in the boat with you?

Ofcourse, we know it was Jesus, the Son of God. And that is why He was able tosleep through the storm; He knew that His Father in Heaven would protect Him.Are you able to get through the storms of life without worrying, withoutwondering where God is in your time of need? Is your faith strong enough?

 

Hannah Settling in at Home

            OnWednesday, when I wrote here about our new dog’s homecoming, I didn’t want tomention that at that point I was ready to send her back.

 Oh, she’s adorable all right and happyaround us, even does well on the leash. But as happens with most rescues, shehas got a history which I was just starting to figure out.

 The most annoying is that I think shewas trained to do her business on a piddle pad, as her previous owners were,perhaps, too lazy to take her out. It’s been an uphill battle, as we don’t wantto scold her for going on the piddle pads, if that’s what she’s been taught.So, it’s just been lots and lots of trips outside. Also, I bet from the stressof her trip here, she has been peeing a lot more than most dogs do. At least,she didn’t get diarrhea, which the rescue warned us happens in 90% of the dogsgoing to a new home.

 She has slowly been figuring it out,though. Yesterday, she actually started going to the door and waiting for us toget her outside, instead of just piddling willy nilly.

 The other thing is that she’s noteating. They told us what dry dog food she’d been getting (a cheap and horriblebrand full of grains and little protein). I bought it anyway, to use while graduallyswitching to something better. But she won’t eat either one. I got a freesample of another brand from our feed store and my son brought a baggie full ofwhat his dog’s been eating. She won’t touch those either.

 And she won’t eat any of the treats we’vebought her either. Another set back to the potty training – how do you reward afood-motivated breed, if she won’t eat anything you give her.  

 I’ve started feeding her a decent brandof canned food, but even that is hit or miss. She has been drinking a lot ofwater, though, so I’ve been mixing some water in the canned to make it nice andsoupy, and that seems to work.

 I keep telling myself, “She’ll eatwhen she’s hungry enough”. And she could stand to lose a few pounds. Also, sheis still urinating a fair amount and pooping twice a day.

 I have a few thoughts on this food situation.To be sure, she is a beggar at the supper table. She also has bad breath andsome gunky back teeth. I’m sure her previous owners gave her people food; maybethat’s all they gave her.

 And with the bad teeth, hard, dry foodis probably painful for her. Thing is, she doesn’t even try the treats we giveher, just sniffs them and refuses to take them.

 We’ll figure it out. She sees our vetnext week, so I’m sure she will have ideas.

 On a positive note, she gets along greatwith Emma. They aren’t buddies, yet, but every time they pass each other, theylook at each other with almost a longing in their eyes. As if they are thinking,“I want to be your BFF.”

 Our son was over Tuesday night withhis dog, Goose, and they did fine together too. Now she just has to meet ourdaughter’s pack of three dogs. I’m already trying to figure out the Christmas picturewith five of them under the tree!

 And one last thing. I told you lasttime that we put Dino down on January 4, 2023?

 Saturday night, after I got home with ournew little nugget, and she was resting, I read through her paperwork. Her birthdateis January 9, 2023, five days after Dino crossed the rainbow bridge. 

Even though we’ve had our struggles withHannah this week, she was born to come home to us.