Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on October 12, 2022

He knew man couldn’t keep evil away by himself. There was too much of it, and too many men and women willing to cooperate with it.”

–Henry McLaughlin (Journey to Riverbend)

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken.”

–Amos 5:14 (NKJV)
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“Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you
have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known
the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
–2 Timothy 3:13-15 (HCSB)

I have plenty of thoughts floating through my mind–the problem is to get them to settle down so I can make some semblance of them. So for today I want you to think seriously on the above Scriptures. As we near the return of the Lord, Paul reminds us that evil people and imposters will become worse. They were bad in the day of Paul, through the early formative years of the Church and on into the Reformation. Temptation and trials have always been here; there have always been deceivers doing the work of the devil, but now, now they are becoming worse. Below is something I read from “The Daily Article” by Dr. Jim Denison.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that can be explained thusly: “A child can cross state lines to obtain ‘gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care’ and obtain immediate protection from efforts from parents to bring their children home.” There are many implications in the law. First, it affirms transgendering as moral and culturally acceptable. Second, it is implied that children do not belong to the parents, but to the state. Remember, this was one of Hillary Clinton’s views. Third, it dismantles the family as the foundational social unit. And one more that is clear, it blocks the parents’ right to stop the children once they reach California and that includes receiving any information regarding the treatment. As my Grandma used to say–“Lord, help us through the jungles!”
There is a major push to destroy the family. There is a major push for culture to completely accept, not only the gay and transgender lifestyles, but also other forms of depravity. “Evil people and imposters will become worse…”
There will be imposters and deceivers in the church as well. There are those who teach a false doctrine that appears to be truth but indeed is heresy for it perverts the truth. Christians would heed the example of the Bereans to study the Scriptures adhering to all that they here in the form of Christianity. Here are a few examples from Barna:

–23% of those ages 18-35 say that loneliness and isolation are their major issues with only 33% saying that they believe someone cares,
–82% of this age group state that there is “no good leadership.”
–33% state that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol of God’s power (no wonder they say there is no good leadership).
–30% believe that good works are a way to get to heaven.
–61% don’t know what tithing means or are unfamiliar with the term.
–39% of Evangelical pastors believe that there is no absolute moral truth.

“Evil people and imposters will become worse…”
Therefore, it is imperative that we guard and hold to the truth. It is vital that we teach our children, those that the state and the devil desire, the truth–the absolute truth–of God’s Word. There is a way of righteousness and truth and we are to walk in it. We must not allow ourselves or our family to stray from the truth, to walk away on their own road that will only lead to perdition. Hold fast the Word of God. Be steadfast and unmovable in the faith. Study God’s Word and make it a practice to live by it for “Evil people and imposters will become worse…”

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on October 11, 2022

Denver had certainly changed since Elias and I had first come here. Growing, my mercy, and some say it’s progress, but I have to wonder. We arrived a couple of days early so Molly could take in the town and do some shopping. It had been over a decade since she had last been in Denver.

I didn’t go immediately to see Marshal Blasco, but took time with Molly to wander the town, walk down Larimer and Market streets. We even took a carriage ride up around Capitol Hill. I shook my head upon seeing the many mansions, and Molly uttered that the money could have gone to better use. A person doesn’t need such a gaudy structure to have a home. Nobody seems to be satisfied.

The second night in Denver we ate supper with Marshal Blasco and Dave Cook, both of whom were now widowers. They really enjoyed the company, well, I should say they enjoyed the company of Molly. Dave had been out of law enforcement for a little over a year, and when I looked at Jens he seemed haggard. His jowls sagged, one eye-lid quivered, and he had put on weight. It was his physical weight along with the weight of the job that was taking a toll on him.

“Miles, have you ever thought of becoming marshal?” asked Jens at supper.

Both Dave and I looked at Jens at the same time. Molly sat and stared, listening to the conversation.

“You think of quitting?” cut in Cook. “You’re not that old.”

“Not old–just worn out. The work has changed. Now not only do you have to find the scum of the earth that roam this state, you have to fight the lawyers and politicians who are supposed to be helping you. Bah, they work only for their own aggrandizement.”

I didn’t reply, just glanced over at Molly. We were seeing the same things beginning to happen way out in Durango. Not to the extent that they would be occurring in the state’s capital, but enough to be an aggravation.

“Lawyers! Sorry I brought up the term. Makes my steak go sour in my stomach,” Jens muttered, then took a sip of water. “What about you Dave. Why are you sitting on your hind-side doing nothing?”

Cook just smiled. His eyes looked distant as if he was remembering the days of old. He reached over to pat Blasco on the shoulder. “I’m working on something,” he said with a smile. “But I fully understand where you’re coming from.”

Jens turned his attention to me. “I don’t want to talk business at the table, especially with your delightful wife present. Not that I mind her hearing, but I don’t want to bore her. However, I assume you plan to leave tomorrow for Central City. I want you there a couple of days prior to the arrival of the President. You need to reacquaint yourself with the city; it has changed drastically since you worked there. I’ll be up with the President’s entourage.”

“We board the train in the morning,” I paused to look at Blasco. “You did get us a reservation at the hotel?”

A smile appeared on his face. “Sorry, I couldn’t book you at the Teller House. It’s all taken by the President and his staff.” I started to interrupt, when he raised his hand. “Don’t be fretting Marshal Forrest. I booked you at Ma Jones’ boarding house. Food’s better there anyhow.”

He gave me directions to the boarding house and we parted company with the marshal’s service picking up the tab. I wondered as I followed Blasco and Cook out of the establishment if the likes of these men would ever be seen again. Men of their type are always needed, but has time begun to pass them by not caring about justice?

The next morning Molly and I boarded the train for Central City. Right after we sat down, we took each other’s hands and prayed that the Lord would be with us. Neither of us had ever met a president before, and we might not actually meet him this time, but we would at least see him. On the way to Central City, I told Molly of the strike, and just imagined how much gold and silver had come down from that site. It was called the “richest square mile on earth.” I told her what I knew of Elias and the Chinese in the City and some of what he had done as a lawdog there. Of course, with her background she knew some of the history of the place, but this was a new and exciting trip for her.

We talked most of the way. I pointed out landmarks and other sites that I could remember. The ride was similar to that from Durango to Silverton, just a little longer. We stepped off the train to the platform…

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on October 10, 2022

A man who is strong has to know when to use his strength.”

–Louis L’Amour (Reilly’s Luck)

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.”
–Isaiah 35:3 (NKJV)
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“Back in the saddle again. Back where a friend is a friend…” (Gene Autry) and here we go back to the Psalms. In this day of confusion, yes, even in the church we are to cling to the Word of God. He is constantly watching over us, then why, oh why, don’t we take that to heart? Martin Luther said, “Let him who wants a true church cling to the Word by which everything is upheld.” Since we are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” is it imperative that we have true worship in our hearts and minds. Let’s ponder the words of Psalm 84.

1 — How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!
2 — My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 — Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young–even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 — Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Selah
5 — Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6 — As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools.
7 — They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. (NKJV)

God watches over us, and care for us through and in every situation. Yes, even sometimes he allows us to suffer and even die–but He never leaves us our of His sight. We are His focal point and in His presence eternally. I had to grin when I read a phrase by W. Graham Scroggie, “Pain, sorrow, and disappointment are transmutable: we may climb the rainbow through the rain. Our pilgrimage should be a continuous triumph in and over circumstances.”
We are to worship in every situation of life. As the writer here expressed a genuine zeal to worship God in the temple, we should be doing the same, and also realizing that we are His temple. We should have an extreme passion to worship the Lord from His temple–ourselves. However, most of the time we live our lives selfishlessly and then think we are worshipping on Sunday. The writer of this psalm years for the temple, in reality, he was yearning for God.
One of the ways we worship in the temple of the Lord (ourselves) is when we worship in the difficult times of life. Baca is a “word thought to indicate a tree or shrub that grows in arid places. Geographically and psychologically, it’s really the valley of hardship or weeping, and a long climb up and out to Mount Zion where stands the temple.” (George O. Wood) This is the place of the soul–what are you doing about your soul? Are you stuck in a place like Baca? Or you on a pilgrimage passing through that valley and as you do worshiping and praising God all along the way? As we recognize we are traveling toward God, worshipping in His temple, we can expect to have our burdens transformed into blessings. We go from strength to strength.

“Farther along, we’ll know all about it,
Farther along, we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.”
–W.B. Stevens