I had finished two cups of coffee when out she came with a ham steak that filled up the plate; resting on top were four eggs fried to perfection. I took another sip, then starting digging into the eggs and started to cut the ham.”
–D.C. Adkisson (Return From Tincup)
Get in this kitchen, Pard, an’ throw yur ankles under the table. What’s that? Am I through galvantin’ ’round the countryside? Why, that’s a good and fair question. The missus and I just came back from a month in Maryland, and had to jump right back on the steel mounts and head for San Antonio. Didn’t have time to catch our breath when we were off again. A former colleague of mine was gettin’ married and we just decided to up and see the hoo-raw.
It was nice to see old acquaintances, and Pard, I’m not emphasizin’ the “old.” If the boot fits, wear it. But, now I’m back, and tryin’ to get some thoughts settled in my mind for the Echoes. Oh, yur glad I’m back–missed my coffee did yuh? I made sure it was good an’ strong this mornin’.
Hope yuh noticed that the past two Saturdays I took the Perc quotation from my new book. If’n yuh haven’t picked it up yet, yuh need to. The nights are gettin’ chilly, and it’s a good one to cozy up to with a cup of coffee. The story is about our ol’ pard, Miles Forrest when he was foreman of a ranch over Gunnison way.
We traveled many a mile in the past few weeks. Sure a good feelin’ that the Lord is travelin’ along beside yuh, takin’ care of yuh. The travel went smooth as buttermilk down yur guzzle. I’ve thanked Him several times, but reckon while I’m thinkin’ of it I’ll do it again–Thank you, Lord. I don’t believe we can ever be thankin’ the Lord too much.
Listen, Pard, just leave yur cup, an’ I’ll get it, but I want to be tellin’ yuh, that there was ne’er a time that we forgot to check our cinch durin’ our travels. It’s just the way things ought to be: readin’ yur Bible, cleanin’ yur gun, and checkin’ yur cinch should just be part of the routine of life.
Month: October 2019
Coffee Percs
He walked over to the forge where he had a coffeepot. ‘Grab yourself a cup,’ he implored as he picked up the pot bringing it to a little table he had in the corner. I didn’t hesitate; I took a cup off the shelf, looked inside to make sure there weren’t any spiders or other bugs and saw that it was clean. He filled our cups then sat down, and I followed his example.”
–D.C. Adkisson (Return From Tincup)
“I’m going back to my good old Texas home, home home…” uh, ‘cuse me Pard, but welcome and good mornin’ to yuh. I was just enjoyin’ my singin’ an’ didn’t hear yuh approach. It’s a mite chilly here this mornin’, down in the thirties. The missus and I are gettin’ things ready to head on back to Texas come the morrow. We’ve had a grand time up with the family, now time to be headin’ on back. Don’t yuh be frettin’ none, I’ll have the coffee jug filled up an’ ready to go.
My eldest gal, Shauna, has her cupboard filled with some fine coffee: Folgers 1850, Trailblazer. I read where it’s a commemorative coffee and it don’t taste bad either. James Folgers started out with the Gold Rush back in California and opened his company–Folgers back in 1850. Been staying inside and drinkin’ my fill as bein’ up here in this DC area I don’t want to be walkin’ out ’cause of all the “snakes” slitherin’ ’round. The place up here is full of them; some folk call it “the Swamp”–it’s full of bureaucrats.
Say, did yuh check yur cup before fillin’ it this mornin’? I’ve seen some strange varmints in cups before; once I even saw a mouse fried to a frizzle in a toaster. That’ll make yuh lick yur lips. Listen, Pard, I keep my cups clean, but once in a while, over night a guest might decide to visit. Sure don’t want nothin’ to be taintin’ the coffee. Same thing is true with what yuh read or see. Don’t let anythin’ get in the cup that the Holy Spirit is goin’ to want to fill ‘ceptin’ the pure Word of God. It’s sorta like checkin’ yur cinch; ya’ll want to be careful and observant.
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Oh, Pard, one more thing before we hit the trail–the new novel, Return From Tincup is now available. Look for it on Amazon.
Echoes From the Campfire
Twilight fell. The stars came out white and clear. Night cloaked the valley with dark shadows and the hills with its obscurity. The blue vault overhead deepened and darkened. The hunter patrolled his beat, and hours were moments to him. He heard the low hum of the insects, the murmur of running water, the rustle of the wind. A coyote cut the keen air with high-keyed, staccato cry. The owls hooted, with dismal and weird plaint, one to the other. Then a wolf mourned. But these sounds only accentuated the loneliness and wildness of the silent night.”
–Zane Grey (The Mysterious Rider)
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
–Psalm 23:2-3 (NKJV)
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I was laying on the bed, listening to some of my favorite type of music. I call it “bordertown,” it is not quite so classy as flamenco and not quite mariachi. It is a mixture of the two. Now, I’m talking just the instrumental, no singing. The same is with blues; I like a good blues guitar, but don’t add singing to it.
Then my mind began to stray. Commotion, loudness, bombastic music – what is it all about? Go to a restaurant today, the noise and distractions are constant. There is constant noise, televisions are on throughout the place, music is playing and mostly not the kind I enjoy, especially around a nice dinner. Why it gets my innards all riled up; hmmm, is it to help the food digest better? The food may be good, but the atmosphere is surely lacking. A person can’t hear himself think, much less hear the person across the table. A person has to go to one of those high class, upscale places to have a quiet dinner, but then the explosion comes when you look at the prices.
Perhaps all the commotion, loudness, and distractions are there to keep us distracted. The media employs the same tactic. Cause a fuss, and then the people will forget about the real issues. What’s the old saying, the squeakiest joints get the grease? I think many churches employ the same tactic. Jump, scream, loudness, lights swirling–employ the tactics of the world. With enough commotion and distraction the people will not realize that they are not being fed properly. The Word given is a watered down Gospel; it is not filling.
I guess it is what the people want: fast food, plenty of calories but not really healthy, cheap, noisy, and there may even be a place for the kids to play. Hmmmm, not much different from many churches. God said that He would send a famine; a famine of not hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11). People don’t want to hear the Word of God spoken in the churches or in the public square. That is one reason for us to hide the Word of the Lord in our hearts. That is a reason why we must study the Bible for ourselves, not just to wait for the preacher of a Sunday morning.
Let me sit back, by the campfire–some coffee, a piece of bacon, and a biscuit in hand. Let me reflect on the truth of God’s Word and partake of the nutritious meal He provides for His people. Let me get still, get quiet before the Lord so I can hear Him speak to me.
“Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, He speaks peace to me,
And the billows cease to roll.”
–Manie P. Ferguson
Echoes From the Campfire
What turned good men into monsters?”
–C.J. Petit (Doc Holt)
“But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.”
–Jude 10 (NKJV)
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Last Sunday I heard an excellent doctrinal message preached about prayer. It was part of a series on prayer that the pastor of the church was presented and this one was titled: “Watch and Pray.” In the message, he proceeded to tell us that we are not to be ignorant of Satan.
“No believer will ever be any stronger spiritually than his knowledge and personal assimilation of God’s Word into his head and heart. The more you know, understand, and obey the Word, the more Christ-like and less world-like you become.”
–H. Maurice Lednicky
It’s amazing how that old serpent strikes at the believers, often leaving his mark without us even knowing. He can be subtle and we can easily be duped by his craftiness. We must, and I keep saying that over and over, we must be in the Word of God. There can be no substitute! You are either of the kingdom of God or you are in the world; there is not this/and, it is either/or.
I think it is important that we continually check our worldview and make sure that it is biblical. Always, we should do that to an extent at communion, but really we should be aware of what is taking place all the time. For example, Barna reports that of church attending, so-called Christians, that 60% do not believe in Satan as an actual being. It is only a symbol of evil. That is totally against what the Bible teaches. Remember, his main practice is that of deceiving.
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD…”
–Revelation 12:9 (NKJV, emphasis added)
Have you ever picked up what looked like a nice, red, juicy apple? Your mouth is watering as your are ready to chomp down on it. When you do, you find that there is not sweetness, that it grainy and mushy inside, and upon closer observation a half a worm is discovered. You have been totally fooled–looks are deceiving. Satan will lead you astray. He will tell you a lie, and many times you will grasp hold of it. Those especially who do not even believe that he exists.
Look at yourself–world or Bible? Believe a lie or believe the truth? Don’t pass it off, where you spend eternity depends on how these questions are answered. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, “If your doctrine is wrong, your life will be wrong.” That is absolutely true. People want this and that, but they do not have doctrine to back it up. Wrong doctrine equals wrong belief and wrong practice. Know the Word of God–do not be deceived.