Doc ambled over to us and sat down. Molly got up to get him a cup of coffee. “Thank you, Molly. Are you going to need Edith for the lunch rush?” he asked.
“I don’t think so, Doc. Alana and I can handle it; Anihu will do the cooking,” replied Molly.
“Charlie, tell Doc about Marta,” I piped in. “Get his take on it.”
He proceeded to tell him about Marta’s amnesia, what the doctor in Taos had said, and how she was acting. I was only partly listening as I was watching the stranger as Alana approached the table to get his order.
He was shaking his head “no,” and then pointed in our direction. Then I heard him raise his voice, “Get her!”
Doc was running his hand down his chin over and over pondering what Charlie had said. “Charlie, did she know everyone at the wreck site?”
Charlie was just forming an answer when Alana came to the table. “Senora Molly, the man, he will not let me wait on him. He says only you. What is it that I should do?” asked Alana, very concerned.
I started to say something, but Molly put her hand on my arm while she spoke to Alana. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” She got up and started over to his table.
Now the three of us were watching and I could see a smirk begin to form on the man’s face. He reached out and touched her hand and she immediately jerked it away. She was shaking her head “no” to something he said, then he became agitated and bellowed, “Sit down, I said!”
With that Molly pointed to the door and started to walk away. The man kicked his chair over and stood up. As he did I followed suit, only with the Greener in my hand. I had cocked it as I stood up. Molly saw my actions and veered off to her left so if something was to happen she wouldn’t be in the line of fire.
For several tense seconds we stood looking at each other. His smirk had changed to a snarl. “Mister, I don’t take that from any woman!” he uttered venom spewing forth. “They obey, or they get hurt!”
“You touch her, or any of the ladies here and they will be the last ones you touch,” I threatened.
“You’re scaring me plumb to death, mister,” he replied, never once looking at my shotgun, only my eyes.
I raised the barrel slightly and said, “There’s the door, get out!”
He gave a wry grin. “You going to throw me out?” he taunted.
“I’ll carry you out.”
“That would be murder,” he muttered, still with that smart-alec smile on his face. He then looked over to where Molly was standing. “Why don’t you have the other waitress come take my order?”
Molly with grim features, replied to his remark. “I don’t think so. My husband has asked you to leave. It would be good that you go, I don’t like to clean blood off the floor.”
The tension was getting thicker. He looked at Molly with the smirk he had when he first sat down. “You’re husband? He best be taking care he doesn’t rub a man the wrong way.”. He sneered, then kicked the chair that was knocked over and turned and started to walk out. As he got to the doorway, he stopped and turned his head to look at Molly again. “I’ll be seeing you.” He pushed the door open and walked out.
I waited, still standing in case he lingered by the windows or came back. I could hear Molly slowly approaching off to my right. After a minute, Charlie muttered, “Uncock that scattered gun will yuh, Miles?”
With his admonition I uncocked the gun and sat down, putting it across my lap. Molly reached for the coffeepot on the stove and filled her cup. “Let me top yours off,” she said and began to fill our cups as well.
After putting the pot back on the stove I noticed Alana standing there wringing her hands. “It’s okay, Alana,” Molly assured her. She turned her attention to me with a quizzical look on her face.
Doc had taken a sip and then broke the silence. “What was that all about?”
“I have no idea. He came in earlier, no trouble, but I didn’t feel right about him,” I informed him. “As we were walking back from the depot he bumped into me, now this.”
“Don’t feel right,” mumbled Doc. “What do you mean, don’t feel right?”
“Charlie knows, it’s something we get as lawmen; sort of a sixth sense.”
“Humpf,” he grunted. “Ever been wrong about a person?”
“Rarely,” I allowed. “Now repeat what you said about Marta before we were interrupted.”
Doc started to speak but Molly beat him to it, “Merker?”
Before I could answer, shots rang out. We saw people scurrying about on the street and Charlie was already up and running out the door. He was out the door, before I was out of my chair, then…
Month: March 2019
Echoes From the Campfire
I like a man who will insist on doing right even in difficult times.”
–Stephen Bly (Hard Winter at Broken Arrow)
“Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
–Proverbs 21:3 (HCSB)
—————————-
Here we are back at Psalm 18 (HCSB). Right off the bat David proclaims that he is righteous (similar to Job). Verse 21, says that he has not turned to wickedness. Another version, “I have not turned from God to follow evil.” It is one thing to trip, fall into sin, fail, and a completely different thing to follow after sin. Take a look, meditate, and contemplate these verses throughout the week. They are powerful.
20 – The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
21 – For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness.
22 – Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind and have not disregarded His statutes.
23 – I was blameless toward Him and kept myself from sinning.
24 – So the Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 – With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; with the blameless man You prove Yourself blameless;
26 – with the pure You prove Yourself pure, but with the crooked You prove Yourself shrewd.
27 – For You rescue an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
28 – Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.
29 – With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall.
30 – God—His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
When I read this it seems that David is almost bragging on his God, and stating facts about his own life. Because I did this, God did that. We can say the same things, but only if we act in the same manner as David. When we keep His commandments and keep our hands (feet, eyes, mouth, etc.) clean he will repay us accordingly.
One thing I see in these verses that is not openly stated, but is definitely implied is the concept of obedience. “I kept”, “I was blameless”, “I have not turned”. David obeyed the commands and precepts of the Lord. He did things in the proper manner. Another aspect seen which relates to obedience is faithfulness. When David was faithful, God was faithful.
There is also the idea of light. Verse 28, we live in darkness; we all have darkness; the world is darkness, but the Word came bringing light. (see John 1:1-8) The light of the world has come in the person of Jesus Christ. No longer is the world completely dark, but there is now a great Light. Man cannot escape the light. The only way he may avoid the light is to cover himself. He can hide from the light, but in his hiding he is only proving that there is a Light shining brightly.
With the Lord on our side, victory, security, and safety are ours. We have that assurance. God is always faithful and loyal to us, in return we should be faithful and loyal to Him. One other thing to notice: this is not defensive, but offensive in nature. If I am obedient and faithful, if I do my duty when I then “can attack a barrier…[and] leap over a wall.” The RSV states, “crush a troop…” I like verse 29 in the NLT, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”
——————-
Today in the Texas Revolution: On March 24, General Antonio Gaona departs Bexar eastward towards Nacogdoches.
Coffee Percs
His boots thumped on the porch as the coffeepot in her kitchen began to boil. The aroma of the Arbuckle’s Ground Premium Coffee she’d scooped into the pot filled the room and extended throughout the house like a welcoming smile.”
–Paul Bagdon (Stallions of Burnt Rock)
Here we are again; another week and we made it through. Pard, yuh need to ponder what I’m sayin’ now. As you slide down the bannister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction. There’s some powerful strong teachin’ there. Say, how ’bout that porch? Finally looks good. And the flowers out front, my ain’t this place startin’ to gain some of that cosmetic appearance? Don’t make a home though, that takes the hand of my wife. She sure is the domestic one, plus the coffeepot is always on and ready anytime someone needs a break. Ahhh. . . .sure is fine. I surely do reckon that the Lord has been good to us over the years!
Now don’t yuh be goin’ to San Antonio an’ expectin’ chicken at the airport. Nosiree…those enlightened city fathers there are sayin’ that chicken company, Chick-fil-A, by name are downright evil. Why they even close on Sundays to honor the Lord! They say they don’t cotton to that gay crowd. Yuh know, pard, never saw them refuse them a piece of chicken in my life. Yep, there’re sure strange things happenin’ in the land.
With all the that’s happenin’ sure is good to sit a spell an’ have a cup, well a pot, of coffee with yuh. I remember hearin’ that at the surrender of Cornwallis to General Washington that the British played a song, “The World Turned Upside Down.” “If mice chased cats…” and so on. Well, for sure pard, there’s a host out there tryin’ to turn the world upside down, only this is what is surely evil. Good is bad, and evil is good. Folks are so confused they don’t know if’n they’re male or female. Men, who think they’re a woman (Lord, help us) participate in women’s athletic events and win. Now, ain’t that a surprise.
Pard, swaller the rest of yur coffee. Listen, yuh better stick to what the Bible says. Don’t yuh go a-listenin’ to those hoot-owls that can’t tell what gender a person is, yuh guard the truth! I mean they are already tryin’ to get rid of the cows because they pass too much gas. Next thing they’ll be a sayin’ is that there’s no need to be checkin’ yur cinch. Why they’re plumb loco! Vaya con Dios, my friend.
Echoes From the Campfire
Don’t pray for more years…. Pray for better years. Don’t pray for good times, or easy times. Pray for strength.”
–Brad Dennison (The Long Trail)
“For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.”
–Psalm 48:14 (NKJV)
————————–
On this fine morning…. Oh it has to be for this is the day the Lord has made, we are to rejoice in it! He gave us this day to learn, to grow, to live and to worship Him. Why then moan and groan over the day. It’s a day given to you. A person never knows how many are left, so walk with God.
I remember sitting on the edge of a rim over-looking a canyon or gorge several times in my life. As I sat there on this one particular evening, the sun was setting, but I could see a storm brewing up on the other side of the gorge. It became dark early as the storm moved in my direction. It now covered the gorge and then a beautiful sunset turned into a storm. The wind came up and whipped dust around. Then there were spatters of rain, nothing hard, but because of the wind they felt like little pebbles. I thought of how the storms sometimes rage in our souls. The storms come along and they weather us (I see that every time I look in a mirror). Just before it turned dark there was a break on the horizon and a last glimmer of the sun thrust through. When darkness finally fell I looked and saw the full moon rising. The storm had passed, the sky was clear, and that moon was shining brightly.
As I looked and pondered, I felt the God of the storm speak to my spirit, “Look out at that gorge; that is what I do when I break down strongholds, and the mountains that rise up against Me in your mind.” The Lord will send storms that will rain down upon us and rage; the wind will howl and we feel we are being blown away, but then there comes the end to the storm. The calmness, and you notice that part of you has been blown and washed away. Weathered for sure, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the God of the storm that seeks to weather us.
Perhaps you were as the Hebrews when they were thrust into the wilderness under the leadership of Moses. They wanted freedom, yet they wanted the security and food of Egypt as well. They had trouble facing the wilderness, as perhaps you have, and wanted the storms of life kept away from them. They were satisfied with the pleasures of Egypt. They may have been slaves, but when they found themselves in the wilderness, they wished to be back in slavery. That is what many people prefer rather than facing and finding God in the wilderness. It is one of those attitude battles of life: Satisfaction versus Struggle.
Walking back in the dark from that sunset and the storm I watched as the moon continued to climb in the sky. Friend, the wilderness and the storms are necessary for real life. Snuggling down in my blankets for the night with the final flames of the campfire flickering out, I heard the wail of the coyotes saluting the full moon. A lonely, mournful, eerie sound of the wilderness.