Month: October 2021
Echoes From the Campfire
He remembered the pungent smell of cedar, the deep red glow of dying fires, the sound of wind in the mesquite.”
–Louis L’Amour (Flint)
“The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.”
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Friends, family, acquaintances, loved ones, and strangers–this will be the last Campfire for a week or so. Yep, taking off again. That’s a benefit of retirement; I’m not tied down to a desk, career, boss, or other. I can’t really pack up and go whenever I please, but my calendar certainly is more flexible than ever before.
If you’ve been around many campfires you’ll know that at times a breeze will sweep through causing the fire to flames and send burning embers into the sky. Most of these come to naught, however, they can be dangerous and cause a fire where they land. (Ponder that) So perhaps the thoughts this morning might be called embers from the campfire, or embers from the flame.
See, there’s a thought right there. We have a nice fire, our flame is burning brightly. Those around are warm, secure, comfortable and we have been able to cook over it. Then a wind (the Holy Spirit) sweeps through lifting some brightly burning embers into the air. Some will land and not be noticed, but there may be a few to land and catch fire. The flames from your campfire have now spread to someone else. Hmmm, not bad.
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Many years ago I was asked if I knew anything about the Book of Barnabas. Really I was sort of surprised, but then knowing the character of the person asking I figured it fit. I replied, not ugly, that I did not, that I didn’t even have time enough to study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to be concerned about Barnabas. I told them if I was a student of church history I would be more interested.
Since that time I have become slightly familiar with the writings of a “Barnabas.” There is the Gospel of Barnabas, and there is the Epistle of Barnabas. Some believe that the Barnabas of Acts wrote the Gospel, while few will say the same regarding the Epistle. Regardless, I am still not going to take the time to study either. They were not considered for the canon which we now have–neither the Protestant or the Catholic.
Saying all of that I did come across a saying that is attributed to Barnabas and it is worth pondering.
“Let us keep ourselves with the utmost strictness from any kind of wrongdoing; otherwise wrongdoing will get the better of us. Let there be hatred in us for the errors of this world, so that there may be love for us in the world to come. We must not give such rein to our natural instincts that we feel ourselves free to mix at will with rogues and sinners, or we shall only grow to resemble them.”
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“He liked the wind in the grass, himself. And the cedars, too, and the smell of them…. Gnarled, twisted by wind, rooted often enough in rock, still it lived and grew. It took a sight of living and hardship to grow like that, but when they did grow they grew strong, and they lasted.”
–Louis L’Amour (Conagher)
Conagher is one of my favorite Louis L’Amour books and the movie is also among my favorites. The above quotation brings to mind a man who has worked all his life and now is a gnarled old man. He is still rooted, and has enjoyed life–even the toils and troubles. There is the wind again–for the Holy Spirit has guided the man’s life, sometimes working on him in ways that he never began to consider.
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I will mention that we are taking our middle granddaughter Kylee with us on this trip. It will be a “college day” for her as we will be visiting the campus of Evangel University and attending the Homecoming activities. This is Annie’s 50th homecoming anniversary. Kylee found my old letter sweater and letter jacket and is going to wear them. Fitting for homecoming, don’t you think?
In the meantime, keep praying, keep studying God’s Word, be ready and alert, and don’t go drinking any bad coffee.
Echoes From the Campfire
Juries like good stories. They don’t always just listen for the truth.”
–Mel Odom (The Pecos Undertaker)
“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.”
–Deuteronomy 7:12(NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” –1 John 5:19 (NASB)
I recall one of the cartoons from the old comic strip “Pogo”. In that particular strip he came up with the conclusion, “We have met the enemy and they are us.” Too much, in fact, most of the time we fight ourselves. There is a war between the spirit and the flesh (see Romans 7). By now from our studies you should realize that we are only pilgrims traveling through this old world. The problem is that often we give into the pleasures that world has to offer and thus we take on the cares of the world, the anxieties of the world, and if not real careful, the character of the world.
Most attacks are upon the written Word and the living Word–Jesus Christ. In saying that I would ask where is your focus? Is it upon the world and what it has to offer, or is it upon Jesus Christ? Is your focus on things materialistic, but on the spiritual? Is it upon what the world has to offer in this life or is it upon heaven and the kingdom of God?
Christianity is not a mystical feeling or experience. It is not getting in touch with the “Unseen,” or the “Force,” or the “heart of the Universe.” It is repenting of one’s sins and accepting Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Savior. Christianity is not just saying that Jesus was a good teacher, or that He has wonderful ideas. Why, the demons recognize and confess that. This is why theology and doctrine is important–we cannot be ignorant of the Scriptures. Remember John said that the “antichrists” came out from among them.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
–1 John 4:2-3 (NASB)
Often these “antichrists” do not deny Christ, however, they misrepresent Christ. Beware of what you hear and then check it out by the Bible. Again, I must emphasize, know your Bible! Read it, contemplate upon it! Practice it!
Look around you. Do you not see the spirit of the antichrist at work? Chaos, confusion, disorder, hatred, terror, immorality, are these not the marks of someone who is antichrist? It is for us, the light, to go through this world knowing and proclaiming Christ. “Let us therefore declare His death, His resurrection, and His all-sufficiency until He comes again.” (Lloyd-Jones)
Take heart–we are not of the world. Get that, know that, hold on to that and don’t be swayed by what the world says and has to offer.
“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and they world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
–1 John 4:4-6 (NASB)
Paul warns us not to listen to the voices of the world no matter how good they may sound. Be careful of opinions and again I would say know the Word of God. I always take notes on the Pastor’s sermon and have often joked saying, “that’s to make sure you’re not preaching heresy.” It is a joke, but again, it is not. I will put question marks on areas I need to ponder and go back to the Scripture to confirm. Watch out for heresy, for false doctrine, for outright lies.
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”
–Galatians 1:8 (NASB)
The Saga of Miles Forrest
The rush was over except for three miners sitting over in the corner, and two of Thompson’s punchers who were in town to pick up some supplies for his ranch. I had been talking with them, telling them to tell Thompson that Upton Shaw was now deceased.