Month: June 2016

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

campfire 2

 

“The coffee was good and hot and there was beef and beans enough to keep body and soul together.”      –Lou Bradshaw

Hey there pard; sorry, I’m burnin’ a little daylight. Don’t know if it’s the summer break, or I’m just slowin’ down a bit. To make up for it, I made the coffee strong this mornin’ and let me tell you that it tastes right good.
Are yah tired of the politikin’ yet? It’s just gonna get worse until November. And what a joke we had this week up in those ivory palaces in Washington. Sitting on the floor like a bunch of babies, and know what? They got paid for doin’ it. Bureaucrats! Make me want to gag, let me take another sip of this java to help ease the gizzard.
The news ain’t always good, and it is often frustratin’, but give me a cup of coffee and it sorta helps soothe it over. Something about Saturday mornin’s coffee tradition. In fact, coffee in itself it tradition. Look-see if you don’t do the same thing most every mornin’ with yur coffee, and maybe in the evenin’ as well. If you put somethin’ in it, do you sip out of the spoon? Not with coffee, you go right for a sip to check it out; other things yuh use the spoon.
Now there ought to be a moral there someway. Tradition is standard, time-proven; coffee is there to get yuh thru those times, and it is time-proven as well. Nothing makes yuh say “ahhhhh” in the mornin’ or after a hard day like a good cup of coffee. Add to that love and friendship, and well, pard, what more can yuh ask for?
Vaya con Dios, and with all the ruckus with the bureaucrats be sure and check yur cinch!

Echoes from the Campfire – Summer Edition

by Ira Paine, Posted on

“Too many men had lost their lives because they weren’t paying attention to where they were going.”      –Bobby Cavazos (The Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert)

“Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”      –1 Timothy 4:16 (AMP)

How has your piety been this week? Are you practicing adding and building and developing the virtues that Peter has given to us? There is one more; add to piety–love or brotherly affection. Love ties all of this together. The literal meaning of this word is “love of the brethren.” That means we need to be involved with the family of God.
Jesus was continually interrupted. There is something wrong when the claims of personal relationships are a nuisance. We should not be annoyed by relational interruptions. We are to continue to practice and develop these virtues. Moffat writes, “We learn Him as we live with Him and for Him.” Look at these verses one more time from the Phillips translation.
“For this very reason you must do your utmost from your side, and see that your faith carries with it real goodness of life. Your goodness must be accompanied by knowledge, your knowledge by self-control, your self-control by the ability to endure. Your endurance too must always be accompanied by devotion to God; that in turn must have in it the quality of brotherliness, and your brotherliness must lead on to Christian love.”
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“Heaven is not reached at a single bound,
But we build the ladder by which we rise,
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies;
And we mount to its summit, round by round.

Only in dreams is a ladder thrown
From the weary earth to the sapphire walls;
But the dreams depart and the vision falls,
And the sleeper wakes on his pillow of stone.”
–Dr. J.G. Holland
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Have you been reading? Pick up one of those classics and do it this summer. Sometimes we want the professors to read us the knowledge, but more important it is to delve in to it ourselves.
“After all that professors may do for us, the real University is a collection of good books.”
–Thomas Carlyle
Pick up one a book by one of the following and read it devotionally: Fenelon, Tozer, or Lewis.
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And I wouldn’t leave out the farmer:
“Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.”
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”
“Most times, it just gets down to common sense.”

Echoes from the Campfire – Summer Edition

by Ira Paine, Posted on

“Some men are like horses. Hard riding is what it takes to make them useful.”      –Douglas Hirt (The Kid)

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”      –Exodus 13:1 (NKJV)

The world searches for a man. They search for a person who has the answers to the economic problems, the social ills, and the moral issues of the day. Not to worry about tomorrow, give us an answer today. They are beguiled by leaders, and soon they will be led astray by another. What they do not realize is that the Man has already appeared and will soon appear again.
“There are times when we would give half our kingdom for a “man.” A man of the right force of thought, the right capacity of sympathy, the right tone of music–that wondrous, subtle, penetrating tone which finds the ear of the soul and charms the spirit into rest and hope! There are plenty of “men;” but is there a “man”? Countless populations; but is there a seer, a man who holds upon his girdle the one key that can unlock the wards of my difficulties and can open the lock of my life! Now there is a man who professes to answer all questions, solve all problems, dissipate all dreams, and give us a new start in life. You may have heard his name; you may have heard it so often that it has ceased to be a name, and has become a mere sound–a wavelet on the yielding air. It is a sweet name, and yet it is possible for men to have heard it until they cease to hear it. The name is this: Jesus Christ. Have you heard it before? A thousand times! Yet there is not a name in the newspapers of today which excites you less than that name. Such may be the experience of some of you. It is a terrible thing to have outlived Christ; to have made Bethlehem, Gethsemane, Golgotha, historic names, spectral shadows.”
–Joseph Parker
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Isn’t this the way it is? I’m not a follower of Rush Limbaugh, but this seems to be the truth of the matter.
“In Barack Obama’s world, here you have a guy — a registered Democrat, a militant Islamic terrorist who shoots up a gay nightclub — and it becomes the fault of the Republican Party and the National Rifle Association.”
In a word or few, he certainly believes he is the “man.”
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Here’s a good one to ponder that my wife gave me.
“Isn’t it odd,
that a Being like God,
Who sees the façade,
still loves the clod
He made out of sod;
now isn’t that odd?”
–unknown
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No, I’m not done with the words of a farmer, yet.
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.”
“Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.”
“If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.”

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on

I moved around the corner into the darkness. To his credit he stopped; I could tell he was wary of the situation.
“Mr. Forrest,” he said softly. “Don’t do anything rash. My hands are up.”
The Greener was held at my shoulder; it was Trenton. “That’s sure a good way to get yourself shot,” I said. “Cook send you to follow me?”
“Yes sir.”
“Figured I might get myself in trouble did he?”
“No sir. He said that it was more that trouble just naturally finds you,” he paused. “Please put down the shotgun. It kinda makes me nervous.”
I lowered the shotgun; he dropped his arms, and that little shrug saved one of our lives as the shot rang out. I grabbed him and jerked him into the darkness of the alley. Neither of us moved and we stayed hunkered down for a few minutes. I motioned for him to be still and I went over to the other side of the alley to peer out. I knew approximately where the shot came from, but couldn’t pinpoint anything unless he shot again, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to know where he was that much.
Dark was approaching and I figured I could go to the other side of the alley without getting shot. Peering around the corner I could only guess where the shot might have come from unless I drew another one. I know my mind is feeble at times, but right then I didn’t want to set myself up as a sitting duck. I motioned for Trenton to follow me down the alley and we would go to the station the back way. Chances were that the shooter was gone anyway.
Now, a week later Trenton and I were relaying the story to Cook in his office back in Denver. Molly was out shopping, but there first words she said when we returned was, “Now, what kind of trouble did you get into?” I had to assure her I didn’t do a thing. Cook was grinning about this now.
“But Dave, honestly, what are we going to do about this?” I asked.
“Not much we can do. I think the three of us can surmise that Wray or Henderson took that shot, or someone they paid. We just have to be vigilant.”
“I doubt it was Wray. Henderson yes; maybe Iverson has joined them by now.”
“Trenton,” began Cook, “do you think you could find Wray again and follow him around without being noticed?”
“Most likely. It was getting dark and even if he was the shooter, I don’t think he could have seen my face. Plus, I’ll be in disguise.”
“Let’s let Trenton do his work. Miles, when are you and Molly leaving?”
“If she has her orders and shopping done the plan is to leave tomorrow.”
We got up to leave and we all shook hands. In parting Trenton leaned over to me, “I’ll see you tomorrow before you leave.”