Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 99

The Value of Words

Here it is Valentine’s Day as well as Ash Wednesday. You would think that I could find something about this day to write a blog post about. Yet, here I sit at my laptop sensing a ramble coming on.
I usually write my blog posts the night before and then post them first thing the next morning. Last night, even though I got home from work a little after six and had nothing special I had to do the rest of the evening, I never got around to writing anything. After watching “Hawaii 5-O” with the hubby, while eating supper, I headed to my office and spent the next few hours wasting time on the computer, talking to a few people on line and looking at old family photos. I do not know where some evenings go.
I’ve been awake since four a.m. and finally got up at five, because my head was still spinning trying to figure out what to write. For the last four or five years (maybe more), my goal has been to blog on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It seems, that most weeks, those days work the best for me. I’ve altered that schedule at times, but always fall back on that. Some days, when I really am at a loss for ideas, I skip posting altogether, as I probably should be doing today. I know, after all the reading I’ve done on writing, that even though one should always keep writing, sometimes it’s better to keep it to yourself than share it with others, such as when you have nothing to say.
Yet, here I am, about to share this bunch of random fodder with you, because I guess I wanted to give you a peak into my world, into what’s in my head at five a.m. when I can’t sleep.
To go along with it, here is an equally random photo, taken of me and my cat in my parent’s front yard, circa 1969. Being oh so creative even then, already valuing the use of words.
Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome to Lent.

Passing Through Rough Waters

But now, this is what the Lord says — “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1-2 New International Version)
It’s been suggested, when a person is feeling down, that they look for the good in every situation, or better yet that they look for something to feel grateful for in every situation. To write down, every day, at least one thing you are thankful for. And of course, every day, I can think of dozens of things that I am thankful for.
Except for the days when I feel cracked and broken, useless and ignored, defeated and unloved. And don’t tell me that you haven’t had days like that too, coz I know you have. So, what’s a person to do on days like that?
I decided that instead of writing down all the cheesy things I’m grateful for, that I would start a journal of the worst things that happen to me every day.
I know what you’re gonna say. “What is wrong with you, Chris? Don’t be so negative. Looking at the bad stuff is only going to drag you down more. You have to remember all the good things that happen each day and don’t dwell on the bad.”
That’s what you would think. But try it.
The first night, when I started that journal last week, and I wrote down “#1 one of my patients was admitted to hospice”, it dawned on me. Maybe that’s not the worst thing. He is a sweet man who has had a hard life, maybe knowing his battle is almost finished, that he will soon be falling into the loving arm’s of Jesus isn’t such a bad thing.
Then I wrote down “#2 my Achilles tendon continues to ache, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I’m getting tired of it”. I actually brought this up to a patient that day when we were talking about aches and pains, and we both realized that having aches and pains in a heel or a wrist or a back means that you still have those body parts and can still feel them. You haven’t had something amputated and you’re not paralyzed. (The truly neat thing about that conversation was that at the end of it, this patient said, “you must be a Christian”.)  
I arrived at yesterday, and added another thing to my growing list. “The boyfriend of a good friend died last night.” And I got nothing, nothing good to say about that, no hidden treasure, no secret lining. Nothing. And some days are like that but at the end of those days, I still know I am a child of God and He is always with me.
Thank You, Lord God, for always, always being with me. Amen.  

Flashback Friday - one year ago and many years before

I was going through all the old family photos, trying to decide which ones to post and around what theme. I’ve come across a lot of pictures of my mom, what a beautiful woman she was, a dedicated mom, wife and sister. A year ago today, they discharged her from the nursing home and we took her back to her apartment, where I stayed with her round the clock (with lots of help from my brother and sister) through the weekend. Two days after being home she realized that she just couldn’t make it on her own anymore and two days after that we admitted her back to the nursing home. Another two days later she was admitted to the hospital where she died within hours. Weird how that all came down. Seems so long ago already.
As everyone in the family knows, she hated having her picture taken. I mean, it is legendary how much she despised it. I’m surprised I found all the good pictures of her that I did. I guess she wasn’t always photo-phobic.
Sorry, Mom, to post these all. (The only picture from her past that she told me she really hated was her senior portrait, so at least I will honor her by not sharing that one.)  1929 with her sister Helen 1935, the back of the picture reads "me with Billy S from Milwaukee" 1940s, when she was still in high school  not sure when or where
1946 with her Pa, Ma, Brother Robert and Sister Helen (Mom's on the right) 1948 with my brother Tom and sister Judy 1949 with Tom and Judy  1952 with Judy and Tom again  1959 with Tom, Judy, Dad and baby sister Pat 1968, finally a family picture of me (on the lower left), my sister Pat on the lower right, then Dad, Judy with her baby Paula, Tom and Mom 

What Safari Camp Would You Stay At?

            It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared an excerpt from “Where the Sky Meets the Sand”. I’ve been trying to find pictures from my own travels to Kenya which would fit one of the scenes. Since I have the whole story already pictured in my head, sometimes it’s harder than one would think for me to find the right actual photo out of the thousands I’ve taken.
The camp was so small—three large tents, two small ones, a cement block outhouse, and a cement block storage building—that it took only a few minutes for a tour. Jenny found their large tent comfortable, though rustic. A full-size bed took up the majority of the room. Nightstands flanked each side of the bed and each stand held a small battery-operated lantern. Across from the bed stood a small dresser on which a pitcher of clear water, a large basin, and two sealed bottles of drinking water waited invitingly. She poured a small amount of water into the basin and splashed it on her face. The hand towel hanging from a bar on the side of the dresser was soft and smelled of fresh air. “Think you can handle this for a few days?” Paul asked, trying out the bed. “No running water, no hot shower?”            “It will be fine. It will be an adventure.”             The crazy thing is that I wrote this scene sometime between my first and second safaris. The first time I went in 2006, we stayed at a luxury camp with running water, electricity and all the amenities of a five-star American resort. It was nothing like the camp where I imagine Jenny and Paul staying. After writing their story about Africa, I went on my second safari in 2015, and we stayed at Manyatta Camp, where these pictures were taken. I felt much more at home there, but it still wasn’t as rustic as what Jenny and Paul experienced. My dream would be to actually camp out on the African plain.  Maybe next time I’m there! 
            Let me know if you want to take a life-changing trip to Kenya. In addition to going on safari, you will have the chance to change the lives of those living in poverty. This coming weekend we will begin planning this year’s trips with Tumaini Volunteers. You don’t want to be left behind!

            (But if a trip to Africa is just not on your bucket-list, you can still read about the adventures Jenny and Paul have while they are there. Click here to get a copy of their story.) 

Where God's Plans Are

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
On my January 14 blog post, I shared that my “word of the year” is actually part of a verse from Proverbs 19. The Lord’s plans prevail. Here it is just a few weeks later and those words have totally escaped me.
As usual, I had a whole list of things I had hoped to accomplish last week. I post my goals and how I succeeded (or not) on the other blog which I maintain. (You can read about it here.) You may have guessed, whether you read that other blog or not, that I did not reach many of those goals last week.
It’s easy to mentally beat myself up over that. I really have no good reason for not doing much last week, I chose to be a couch potato and web surfer instead of being productive. But for whatever reason, maybe I wasn’t meant to get much done. Maybe it was God’s plan for me to just take the week off. Maybe (hopefully!), it is God’s plan for me to be productive next week or the week after.
I have to place my failures as well as my successes in God’s hands. He has got it covered, whatever I do or don’t do.

Thank You, Lord, for having a plan for my life, for my days. Help me to accept that it is Your will which will prevail and that all I need do is follow where You lead. Amen.  In 1984, God led me to Castle Rock, Colorado. I'm glad He led me back home a few years later. 

How to kick the Winter Blues

I don’t know. Maybe the Winter Blues or Cabin Fever or whatever you want to call it has attacked me. Or maybe I have given in to my inner lazy. Or maybe the day job was just that crazy the last four days. Whatever the case, I haven’t done much around home this week. Including blogging mid-week. And though I have a list of ideas of things to blog about, I’m having a hard time getting that together too.
But here it goes. Coz when all else fails, I can fall back on pictures of Kenya.
2006 and my first trip to Africa, we ran a medical clinic for two of the days we were in Maasailand. The girls are working in our makeshift pharmacy.     In 2013, my second trip, I got to work at the clinic in Saikeri for two days. I mostly observed the physician assistant seeing patients, but whenever any babies came in for their immunizations, I got to give them. Which was way cool, I thought.
 While visiting the SIDP camp in 2015, we toured their medical clinic, which was started by some volunteers and never completed. Unfortunately, that is the way a lot of things go in Africa.
 And last year, I just got to drive by a few medical facilities.
The Karen Hospital, in an affluent neighborhood, looks fairly respectable.  Then there are lots of little clinics and so-called hospitals along the side of the road.
I thought I should give you a close-up of what this particular clinic offers. All these various institutions are on my mind as, on my next trip to Kenya, I would like to work at a clinic or host a medical outreach. I’m actually planning the trip in my head and have talked to one of our hosts in Kenya and she would help me put it together. I’m thinking of a trip for two weeks in the fall.  
I’ve talked to a few people in the medical field who have expressed interest in such a trip, but I need to start getting true commitments. If you or anyone you know would like to join me on this adventure of a lifetime, shoot me a message. No medical experience is required, just a willingness to help out where you can. We’ll be sure to fit in a safari as well. It’s all pretty flexible right now, and is always cheaper than you think.  
Yup, just thinking about Kenya knocks out those winter blues. 
I look forward to hearing from you!

(For more information, click here to go to our website or here to like us on Facebook. Or lastly click here to learn more about our sister organization in Kenya, Marafiki Volunteers.) 

Praying for our Sons and Daughters

 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and your daughter will be made well.” Luke 8:50 (New King James Version)
Jesus was traveling around the countryside preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God to all would listen. His following had grown and not only his 12 disciples, but whole crowds of people would hang on his every word going wherever He went.  
As He was walking along one day, a man came up to Him begging Jesus to come to his house and cure his 12-year-old daughter as she was dying. Jesus agreed to go, but as He went, the crowds continued to press around Him. He didn’t tell them to back off and stop impeding His way, and in fact He stopped once to cure a woman of a lifelong ailment (which is one of my very favorite story, but one for another time).
Before he gets to the man’s house, someone comes running back to Him, telling Him that He was no longer needed. The daughter has died.
The father is devastated but Jesus tells him the words above. When He gets to the house, He takes the girl’s hand and restores her to life.
Last week, while looking for something totally different, I randomly ran across this while I was skimming over a list of verses containing the word “believe”. Except with God nothing happens randomly.
Over the last two weeks, six other mothers that I know have been praying for their daughters and the trying situations that they have been in. None of them are on death’s door, but they all need to be healed, either of physical or emotional ailments. I’ve shared this verse with a few of them.
I know that all good mothers and fathers pray for their sons and daughters without ceasing. To any of you who are reading this, your faith will heal them, in one way or another.  
Lord, God, thank You for being the great Physician. Thank You for healing our bodies, when it be Your will, and for healing our souls all the time. Amen.  My baby girl who I  have been praying for without ceasing for nearly 28 years. 

Snowfall Past and Present

 I still have a long way to go to scan all of the old family photos into the computer. As in, I haven’t even made a dent! I have found quite a few gems already, though, some of them being the vast amounts of snow we seemed to get each winter when I was a kid.
These pictures were all taken in the early seventies and were pretty typical of the snow I remember every year. I also remember that school was hardly ever called off due to the weather. More than likely, they would keep the buses from running, expecting that the students who lived in town or whose parents could drive them would show up at school. On those days, Mom would say, “Jump in the car. We are going to school.” Few people that I knew had four-wheel drives either. Everyone’s rear-wheel drive four-door sedan would plow through anything.
 Aww, those were the days.  The day before any of the snow fell this past week, school was already cancelled, based solely on the forecast.   It’s tough to get decent pictures in the dark in a snowstorm. But here is our deck in the backyard during the snow.  And the next morning.  Our driveway and garage during.  And the next morning.  Wishing you a safe and happy winter whatever your weather brings.

Inside a Monk's Head

 “Sometimes it’s harder to do God’s work than anyone realizes,” the old monk answered. “But what about you? You said that you used to go to church, but not anymore. Why is that?”
 She shrugged. “I guess I just got busy. I also think I got tired of all the rules that they gave us in church. I didn’t see the point.”
 “If you want rules, try being a monk, or in your case, I suppose, a nun. We have rules for everything, what time we get up, when we go to bed, when and how we pray, what we wear.” With both hands, he lifted his brown tunic a few inches off. “But I do believe that all those rules are to keep us closer to God. I think that each person needs to figure out what he needs to do to stay close to God.”
 (From “The Truth Beyond the River”, being released hopefully within the next two years.)
On my Sunday blog, I wrote about the difficulty that some people have with organized religion and all the rules. Can you imagine being a monk or a nun? Or any other deeply spiritual person who has totally devoted their life to their faith? Even forsaken who they are so they can remain on their faith journey?
I may run up against a lot of disagreement with this next thought, but as I was writing “The Truth Beyond the River” and trying to get inside the head of the old monk, I wondered something. Who really has the stronger faith? The seemingly super-devout person who has completely turned their life over to God and in the process given up their own life? Or the believer still in the trenches, crying out to Jesus when they are surrounded by heathens or those practicing a different religion?
It is surely not for me to say. But sometimes our faith is tested the most when that is all we have insulating us. Know what I mean?     As mentioned, my second novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”, is a long way from publication, but if anyone wants to read it in its current raw state, message me and I can email it to you. If you rather read a finished product, “Where the Sky Meets the Sand” is available at Amazon.com (click here) or I can get you a signed copy. I am also still looking for reviews of it on Amazon.com – both positive and negative. Thanks. 

Receiving Grace

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
Over the years, it seems as if more and more people – especially the younger generations – are falling away from Christianity. They don’t like all the rules and regulations, they don’t want to believe in an omnipresent God who they feel can treat them like puppets, they don’t think it is right that they are being judged, and the list goes on.
I think for starters, nonbelievers or those who have fallen away from their faith need to know the difference between religion and Christianity. Christianity is the belief in the Triune God and knowing that by faith we are saved. Religion is all the stuff that people pile on top of that – or instead of that. The rules and regulations, things like who can take communion in your church or what hoops divorced people have to jump through to get remarried or who can be a sponsor when your baby gets baptized.
Though the Old Testament gave the people not only Ten Commandments, but chapter upon chapter of rules to follow, Jesus gave us only two. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... Love your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew 22:37 & 39) To me, that means, put God first in all things, followed by everyone else.
When we fail to keep those two simple commandments, we turn to God and ask Him to forgive our weaknesses. Our forgiveness is granted because Jesus already took away all of our sins. That’s it. That’s what I believe and what I hope all those who profess to be Christians believe.  
Yes, we should belong to a church family, but that is to grow closer to God, to remember who we are and who He is, and to have a support system when we are weak. We need to read our Bibles for the same reasons. We turn to God in prayer not only when we need forgiveness, but to thank Him for all He has given us and to ask for His help in our own lives and in the lives of those who are in need.
Reading about other religions, instead of finding anything with less rules and regulations, an “easier” religion, I found that most of them have even more elaborate steps to follow. (I won’t go into it, but here is one website which spells out the beliefs of the world’s major religions.  https://www.everystudent.com/features/connecting.html)
Don’t think that I’m looking for the easy way out, though. I’m looking for – and have found – the one true thing.  
Lord, God Almighty, thank You for coming into my life, thank You for sending Your Son to be my Savior, thank You for blessing me with Your grace. Amen