Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on November 26, 2018

Never could get the knack of lying, even those innocent lies that everyone uses. He didn’t think any lies were innocent.”
–C.J. Petit (The Debt)

“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
–John 8:44 (NLT)
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I trust that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Speaking of that, Psalm 9 speaks of how we should be thankful unto the Lord. It is a psalm of thanksgiving, of justice, and of celebration. Today, the first ten verses from the HCSB:

            1 I will thank the LORD with all my heart; I will declare all Your wonderful works.
            2 I will rejoice and boast about You; I will sing about Your name, Most High.
            3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before You.
            4 For You have upheld my just cause; You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.
            5 You have rebuked the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; You have erased their name forever and ever.
            6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin; You have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished.
            7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for judgment.
            8 He judges the world with righteousness; He executes judgment on the peoples with fairness.
            9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
           10 Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, LORD.

People often boast that they know such and such a person, or have met someone whom the world might call a celebrity (what is that anyway?). Some will boast about their careers or about the possessions they own, or about the trips and cruises they have taken. David says that he will boast about the Lord. That is something that Paul echoes in 1 Corinthians when he says, that if we boast is should only be about the Lord (1:31).
    How can a person boast about the Lord if they do not know Him? Whenever I’m at a church and am asked to teach a class I try to start, if allowed, with lessons about the Lord; Who He is and His moral and natural attributes. You cannot boast about a person unless you know them. The better you know them the truth comes out and it is more than just boasting. Knowing the Lord is more than just saying a little prayer, hoping it will be answered by “someone” out there. Daniel says that “the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (11:32, KJV).
    We get frustrated at times, at least I do, when I think the Lord should be judging as He did in the Old Testament. Then I ponder what might have happened to me, except for grace. However, do not think that the Lord is slack concerning judgment. He is the righteous Judge. He never stops judging. We look at nations and wonder how God can allow them to do the things they do. Makes me think of the last time I heard a sermon or teaching on the “judgment of nations.” There will come a time when the “sheep” shall be separated from the “goats.” Those nations that are judged by God will be in dire straights and there will be no remembrance of them in the New Jerusalem.
    In this holiday season, grasp hold of the promises of God. Look at the promises of His Son that were fulfilled, then look at those that are waiting to be fulfilled. Develop a profound trust in the Lord. There is a hope that awaits those that wait for Him and trust in Him. That trust is developed as a person comes to know Him. George O. Wood said, “When we lost sight of the upperside, sometimes life becomes intolerable.” Without trust life can be miserable and hope can be lost.
    People are most miserable when they blame God for things that happen in life. They wonder instead of trusting. Become a person of trust in this Christmas season.

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on November 24, 2018

Dinner consisted of beef stew and bread. She was a pretty good cook. For dessert they had apple pie. He ate a good helping of stew and then a big slice of pie. He finished his pie, washing it down with another cup of hot coffee, and pushed himself away from the table.”
–Robert J. Thomas (The Reckoning)

My goodness, yuh look frightful pard; shirt’s torn, scrap on yur face. Get yurself in here and set yurself down. What…don’t tell me that yuh went out to do some shoppin’? They call it Black Friday for a reason, an’ sure guessin’ yuh found out why. Here, I’ll pour yuh a cup of coffee. It won’t fix the tear in the shirt or that little addition to yur looks, but it’ll help soothe the gizzard an’ may even help out the soul.
    Ahhh, that help any? Calm yurself, relax before goin’ out again. Pard, there’s so many changes takin’ place an’ I’m tellin’ yuh that it’ll soon come to pass that folks won’t be beatin’ each other up, at least not as much, in the future. Nope, they’ll be doin’ all their shoppin’ on that internet.
    Remember when I was a kid. Mom would often do down to Denver to shop the stores. It was a different time. The lights, the Christmas decorations, there was not the urgency in shoppin’. I especially remember that the large stores would have trains runnin’ an’ folks would stand and just enjoy the time watchin’ them. Maybe folks took time to enjoy the season more. Why, I see where they even try to get folks to shop on Thanksgivin’ now. Take away that family day for the frenzy of greed.
    Don’t fret, I see yuh pushin’ yur cup toward me. I’ll get the pot for a refill. There’s no rush…is there pard? Here yuh go, sip it deep and slow. I was readin’ just yesterday from Luke. Get this, and get it tight, “…one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.” Now, ain’t that the truth? We spend so much time gettin’ that we forget to be thankful and givin’. That’s what we need to be a-doin’–thankin’ and givin’.
    Yur goin’ back out there? Oh, it’s fur my present, wal then I’ll sure let yuh. Finish that last cup an’ I’ll be seein’ yuh to the door. With all the hustle an’ bustle out there yuh be shore and check yur cinch; then hold on tight.

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on November 20, 2018

As far as I could tell Covney was able to get Douster out of town on the train with him. He simply dressed as one of the agents; Gibbons, I think was his name. McClure would just take the next train back to Denver.
    After the train left I began to move about town looking for Merker. Besides the saloons, I went into the tobacco shop.
    “Miles,” said Solly Vendor, the proprietor. “Sure don’t see you in here much. Are you going to want a chaw or cigar?” He asked joshing me.
    “Solly, if I started chewin’, that would be the last of my kisses from Molly,” I joked back.
    “What can I do for you then?”
    “I’m lookin’ for a man by the name of Merker. He was in here a few minutes before the jail exploded,” I replied. “Stockier than me, and a little taller. He wore a black suit, dark black moustache, curled it some.”
    “Sure, I remember. He took his time looking over the cigars, then looked at his watch. After than he purchased a dozen cigars; expensive ones for around here, don’t sell many of them,” lamented Solly. “Don’t know why I even carry them.”
    I chuckled along with him. “Next time he comes in here, I want to know immediately.”
    “Sure, no problem,” he said, then paused. “Think he might have had something to do with that explosion?”
    “Well, let’s just say I’d like to talk to him about it.”
    I went back over to the diner for lunch. Molly said she was making a mince-meat pie out of elk. That was one I sure didn’t mean to pass up. The diner was full. This time of year the mines laid off all but a skeleton crew. We had developed a custom to feed them on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The snow had been light so far this year. There was snow in the high country, but so far the passes had remained open. Some of the miners who worked alone still preferred to bring their diggings down the road and not pay the railroad to haul it for them. It wasn’t much, maybe $100-500 depending on the miner and the year.
    My table was vacant which made me smile. It was not like there was a sign on it or anything, but most who eat at the diner recognized it as my table. Plus the fact that Sheriff Gold was sitting there.
    I sat the Greener against the counter to my right, grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee. He was eating a piece of that pie I was craving.
    Charlie looked up and smiled. “Sorry Miles, Molly said it was yours but I was able to coax Marta into getting it for me.”
    “Charlie! That’s nothin’ to be makin’ fun of!” I snapped.
    Molly walked by at that moment. “Sit down Miles. I hid you a piece.”
    With that Charlie let out a loud guffaw. “Almost had you going for a minute.”
    “Charlie, one day,” I said after sitting and taking a sip. “I’ve a mind to take away your coffee privileges.”
    He stared at me for a few seconds. “That might be a good thing. Maybe that burning in my gut will stop,” he stopped to take another piece of pie. “When do you leave for Denver?”
    “I’ll leave on Sunday’s train, after church. Sure don’t like to be leavin’ with Merker and his scum still on the loose.”
    “Don’t be fretting. I’ll watch over the place. I think Grizz will be back in town; he’s supposed to be bringing meat in tomorrow for the meals on Thursday. He’ll stay over and help.”
    Molly brought me a good size piece of elk mince-meat pie. My it was tasty. I took one large bite, savored it, then decided to take my time and relish the rest. The lunch bunch was starting to think out and Marta came by to sit a minute with Charlie.
    “I want to know now!” I demanded. “When are you two gettin’ hitched?”
    Marta giggled some and Charlie’s cheeks started to turn pinkish. “Why didn’t we tell you Senor Miles?” teased Marta then she stopped not going any further.
    I just looked at her and she started giggling again. “We’re getting married on Christmas,” she said joyfully. “Won’t that be a grand day?”
    I just nodded and smiled.
    “Senor Miles, I want to ask you. Have you seen Lucas lately?” she wondered.
    “No, is he not fillin’ the wood box? I thought he was takin’ care of the horses as well,” I answered.
    “The box was filled this morning, but I have not seen him since.”
    “Soon as I finish this, I’ll take a walk up to the cabin and stable. Check to see if he’s done his chores yet.”

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on November 19, 2018

Cold nights do one of two things. It either keeps people snuggled down or it gets them up and feeding the fire.”
–Rod Collins (Bitter’s Run)

    “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
              –1 John 3:8 (KJV)
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I am convinced that we do not take enough time to be thankful. We either get too occupied with our blessings and don’t thank the Lord for them, or we just take them for granted. We might even think we deserve them. The sign of the believer in Jesus Christ is their joy. Yet so many droop along, or they let the devil steal their joy, or they let the woes that befall them take away their joy. Sometimes it is because of all we have. The more we get, the more often we tend to forget to be thankful and therefore, lose our joy.
    How can our joy abound? How can we walk through this world with our head erect and a smile on our face? The first thing is to recognize that God loves each and every person. Because of that love we can have joy unspeakable, and for that we should be thankful. God’s love is always there.
    The second thing is to be thankful. Count your blessings and recognize that they come from the goodness of God. I heard a good sermon yesterday by my former pastor. He preached on Psalm 100; the psalm for giving thanks. He said the basis of thankfulness is: the grace of God. Look at Psalm 100 (from the HCSB)

“1 Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us, and we are His–His people, the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the LORD is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.”

Read that over a few times, contemplate it. Make it a daily reading this week of Thanksgiving.
    One other thought. In the Old Covenant, when sheep entered the Temple they were killed for sacrifice. In this Psalm, we are called His sheep, but there is a major difference. We can enter because of His sacrifice. He was the lamb that became the final and perfect sacrifice and His faithfulness continues.
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         “Then your apples all is gathered, and the ones a feller keeps
          Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
          And your cider-makin’s over, and your wimmern-folks is through
          With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!…
          I don’t know how to tell it–but ef such a thing could be
          As the angels wantin’ boardin’, and they’d call around on me–
          I’d want to ‘commodate ’em–all the whole-indurin’ flock–
          When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.”
                   –James Whitcomb Riley