Lucas and Molly met me at Foster’s store where I purchased supplies for the trek. I was able to rent a pack mule from Clem Vexler who said it was a dependable animal. It was about a week’s trip, but I could get supplies along the way if needed. What I had to carry with me was something in case the weather turned bad which it could easily do this time of year.
I stopped by the telegraph office to talk with Stan one more time before heading out. He had received more information. The rails had been blown just north of Chama and about twenty miles west of Conejos. The train itself had blown just east of Cumbres Pass.
We were making good time. I resupplied food in Pagosa Springs, and went to see if there was an update. Nothing else had been reported so we didn’t stay around town, though I was tempted to stay at a hotel there. Molly was hanging in there good, but Lucas seemed tired. It was probably due to his youth and the stress he was feeling about his sister. It’s strange how the unknown plays on one’s mind. If they made it through the explosion I wasn’t worried that Charlie couldn’t take care of the situation, for he was a capable man. I was just praying that they were alive and had no serious injuries.
That night we camped just south of the Rio Blanco River. I noticed during the day that the clouds were building up. It was beginning to concern me that we might get one of those snows that come up from the south. They were unusual, but when they did come they tended to dump plenty of snow. We would come out of the timber above a little village called Chromo which I figured was about twelve miles from camp.
Lucas had the fire going, so I put the coffeepot on to boil. I didn’t get in the way of Molly fixing up supper. While she was doing that I rigged up a tarp I had purchased in Durango for the evening. It had been cold the past couple of nights, but clear. Tonight I wasn’t so sure. I sent Lucas out to gather plenty of firewood and told him to place it under a large blue spruce.
How she does it, I don’t know. We had stew, biscuits and she had hidden away some canned cherries with which she made some fried pies.
“They sure sound mournful,” stated Molly in regard to the sound of the coyotes. “Makes me shiver. Why did you put up the tarp tonight, Miles?”
“Just bein’ careful,” I replied.
“Snow?” she questioned with concerned. “That’s why you had Lucas gather more wood.”
“Not concerned with snow. But it’s so still now; kinda like the calm before the storm. What I don’t want to hit is a full-fledged blizzard.”
The howling continued. “Those coyotes,” she said with a chuckle.
“Not coyotes this time–wolves,” I interjected.
Lucas’ eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Wolves!”
“We’ll be okay, don’t you be worryin’,” I assured him.
He got up to look around, then timidly began to clean up the area. “Why don’t you go gather some more wood, just in case it does come a good snow,” I urged.
Looking at me, he hesitated. He looked all around the camp, and then sputtered, “But there are wolves out there.”
“Lucas,” said Molly sternly, “this is not like you.”
I could see he felt shame, but also seemed genuinely scared. “Let me finish my coffee and I’ll go with you. We’ll see if there isn’t a tree down that we can pull to camp.”
That seemed to satisfy him. Reaching for my cup I said, “Did I ever tell you of my experiences with wolves? It happened about six years ago, if I remember right. Remind me, and I’ll tell you how they attacked me.”
Well, that was the wrong thing to say. “Attacked you?”
“So, what about Marta and Charlie?” interjected Molly quickly changing the subject.
I poured another cup of coffee, emptying the pot. “I want to make another one to keep one warm during the night. They’re alright,” I said assuredly. “The Lord has His hands on them, but I’m sort of ashamed of myself.”
“Miles,” she said with concern.
“All I’ve done is think about Charlie and Marta. What about others that were on the train? Others that were maimed or killed because of…of Merker.”
The snow began to fall as I thought of Merker…in the distance the howl of a wolf began.
Month: January 2019
Echoes From the Campfire
The facts were plain enough and always had been; you fought your whole life long if you wanted to live.”
–Luke Short (Savage Range)
“For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
–Deuteronomy 20:4 (NKJV)
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I’m going to use the New Living Translation for Psalm 11, simply because I like the way it puts the first verse. There is much hostility and hatred in our land today. Some of it is directed toward Christians, God, and biblical morals. Laughter, derision, mockery, hate are commonplace today. There is a move to destroy or compromise Christianity within the “religion of society” with is humanism and postmodernism. On the scene, Psalm 11.
1 I trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows and setting their arrows in the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those who do right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”
4 But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth.
5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates everyone who loves violence.
6 He rains down blazing coals on the wicked, punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds.
7 For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice. Those who do what is right will see his face.
Doesn’t verses 1-3 sound like today’s society? Look at the news, the stupidity, and the hatred that abounds in this land. Those that seek to do right; do have justice served at being shot at. What has happened to law and order?
The lawless would like nothing better than for the righteous to flee. But to flee is to escape and God has called us to endure. How many times have I desired the refuge of the mountains–I could hear the High Lonesome call–rather than to do the will of God. The tendency is to run from danger (and there are myriad types of danger). Our example is Christ. He did not flee from the cross. He endured the pain, the suffering, and the death so that we might have life eternal. He also rose with victory as we shall to with His appearing.
Charles Wesley wrote:
“All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.”
We do not have to fear the rages of society, for Christ is with us. But I must ask, where is your foundation? If it is in man or culture or humanism then you are tottering on the brink of destruction even though it may appear that evil is winning. G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “To the psalmist the surrounding circumstances were not foundations. He saw God, enthroned, watching, acting. To him this was the one foundation.” I ask again, where is your foundation? This is a good Psalm for today with so many attacks on the foundational beliefs of our country. God is still on the throne; He is in charge.
God is our firm foundation! O, do you hear the sound and the declaration of that wonderful hymn? “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Don’t flee from the spot where God has placed you, for you are there for a reason, a purpose. Don’t deny the wonderful experience that you have in Christ, for He is directly your life. It is there that you are meant to give your witness by your obedience to His will for you. I would admonish you to stand for righteousness, for then you will see His face. The HCSB says, that “He loves righteous deeds.”
Coffee Percs
He had gathered dry wood before the rain started, managing to keep it fairly dry through the night…. He built a fire and made coffee while he tried to keep warm.”
–Elmer Kelton (Other Men’s Horses)
Come on in, Pard, an’ throw yur grubby boots under the table. I’ll let it dry and sweep it up later. Sure is hard to get a dry day lately, and as soon as we get a couple, here it comes again, rainin’ cats ‘n’ dogs. Ooop, sorry PETA and those sensitive folk.
Pard, how in the world did we ever get so sensitive? I’ve a notion that it’s all the drinkin’ of cinos and mixin’ coffee with all of those flavors an’ sweet’ners out there. Whenever yuh begin to compromise and water things down, well, that bring out the sensitivity. Hmmm, wish some of those folk would take a walk through a poison ivy patch, then we’d really see how sensitive they really are.
Some things are just beyond my imagination. ‘Course I know the talk that slings out the mouths of folks is gettin’ worse. My mercy, even Christians are cussin’ now. It might do them good to take a bath in the Word; too bad they haven’t had their mouths washed out with soap. Speakin’ of that, is that Congresswoman goin’ to be censored for her public obscenities? Terrible–shameful, and there’s no way around that. And I don’t care if someone gets their feelin’s hurt, there ain’t any reason to say things like that, public or private.
Sorry, I’m so busy ventin’ that I forgot to fill yur cup up. Say, just wave it around when it’s empty, or are yuh afraid of hurtin’ my feelin’s? But as I was sayin’ the ol’ Apostle Paul said that we should rid ourselves of obscene, vulgar, abusive and filthy language (Col 3:8) and here a public official is runnin’ off at the mouth.
More coffee? Not apologizing pard, some things just jerk my jaws. No, not yur coffee cup, the idiots with the foul mouths. Shows their character and education.
Best yuh be headin’ on down the trail. If yuh fall off that horse because yuh didn’t check yur cinch yuh best keep a civil tongue and not blame yur ol’ hoss.
Echoes From the Campfire
Nothing stays the same. A man has to go with the times. No man can put a rope on the past and hope to snub it down. The best thing is to learn to ride the new trails.”
–Louis L’Amour
“You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them.”
–Isaiah 48:6 (NKJV)
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“Woe is me,” she was probably crying. “The Lord has forsaken me; He has left me and I am undone.” The problem was not that the Lord had forsaken her, but that she couldn’t see. Mary was standing outside the empty tomb, not remembering the words of Jesus, and she was weeping when the “Gardener” accosted her. Her tears had blurred her vision; she had not come to realize the words of Christ and that nothing stays the same. Time and eternity had changed for her and she had not yet realized it.
“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,… And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, ‘Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?’ She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, ‘Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.’
Jesus saith unto her, ‘Mary….'”
–John 20:11, 14-16 (KJV)
Was it unbelief or was it simply that her tears got in the way of her vision and she didn’t recognize the Lord? Sometimes our emotions run amuck and they can cause us to lose sight of the Lord. It can cause our vision to be blurred.
There may be weeping in life and it may cause us pain, and blur our vision of what the Lord is doing in our lives. Tears may be there for one reason or another, but do not forget the promises of God.
“For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime or in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
–Psalm 30:5 (AMPC)
Look at the morning. Every day the Lord’s mercies are renewed. Every day is a day given to us by the Lord to use for His glory and to enjoy His mercies and blessings. Don’t let tears or other emotions blur your life. Wipe them away and see the risen Savior as He stands in front of you.
However, there are other reasons for blurred vision, in fact, it is actually blindness. It may be caused by bitterness, hatred, superstition, heathen and pagan practices, and/or the foolishness of the atheist. The Pawnee worshipped the god Tirawa by sacrificing a healthy, good-looking male captive. Also, Mars, the Morning Star, in their belief was worshipped by shooting a sacred arrow through the heart of a young captive girl. After her captor shot her through the heart, the rest of the warriors would then fill her body with arrows. (Win Run: Trail Rider Devotion)
Talk about blurred vision, yet there are those who say that Christianity should not have been brought to the heathen. In other words, they are saying those people should have been left alone and lost in their sins. But Jesus wants us to wipe away whatever is causing the tears–whether it be hatred or joy, bitterness or sorrow.
Friends, wipe your eyes and look up–for your redemption is drawing nigh. Not only is He coming soon, He is standing right before you.