Month: January 2023

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He searched through the cupboards until he found a cup and helped him-self to some of that coffee. It always smelled especially good early in the morning. He pulled out a chair and sat, leaning over his cup and enjoying the aroma rising from it.” 

                          –Frank Roderus  (Bowen & Baile)
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       Mornin’, Pard, keepin’ yur powder dry?  Listen, this is a time to be watchin’ over yur henhouse.  Don’t be lettin’ those weasels and other varmints be gettin’ to yur layin’ hens and eggs.  Ever seen the sight?  Eggs–over thirty cents a piece.  
       I used a quotation by Lou Bradshaw earlier in the week ’bout skunks under the house.  They sure let out a smell, ‘spescially when they goes to fightin’ one t’ the other.  Yuh know the truth of the matter is that there’s plenty of them skunks walkin’ ’round leavin’ a stink behind them.  Most of it comes from the nonsense spewin’ from their mouth.  Just listen for a while, the world is full of sickenin’ foolish notions.  Why one of them aromatic fools said that a person who don’t get vaccinated and go out without mask are no different than a drunk driver, and this here skunk is supposed to be a medical doctor.  No wonder people don’t trust their doctors no more.  Boy howdy.
       Then there are those weasels who murder for the fun of it.  They’ll get into a henhouse and slaughter all of those hens unless there’s enough squawkin’ to get yur attention.  By the time yuh can do anything ’bout it though, there’s blood everywhere.  We used to think of those folks like the used car salesman or a shyster lawyer.  Now, there are all sorts that want to sneak away yur morals and virtues by simply goin’ against the way God created us.  Here’s a good one for yuh, sorry for the delicacy of the matter, but it shows to go yuh how folks are tryin’ to mess up God’s world and laws.  “Non female students who are menstruating face a stigma when asking for menstrual products.”  Huh??  I saw this an’ jist had to shake the ol’ noggin’.  Folks this is what we have in government today, an’ they are usin’ it to spend yur money.
       Crazy–the whole world’s gone insane.  Sure glad I can go to someone with a firm foundation–the Lord Jesus Christ.  Yuh jist sip yur coffee for a moment, but we do have a Rock that is unshakeable.  We can trust Him to help us in the midst of the storm of idiocy as well as the natural storms of life, but yuh know, it’ll take some effort on yur part and mine to counter the stupidity with the truth.  Folks jist don’t want to know the truth no more.
       Whew, glad that’s off’n my mind.  Let’s finish this pot so yuh can get on to what needs to be doin’ today.  Don’t go out misguided.  Why some of those folks will tell yuh that there’s no need to check yur cinch.  Why they wouldn’t know a cinch from a lasso, they’re the same skunks that’ll tell yuh to drink cinos.  Yuh be careful now, stay loaded…
       Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He had the look of a man resigned to follow this trail down the years, as long as he should live.”   
                         –Alan LeMay  (The Searchers)

       “Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone takes of Your words.”
                         –Deuteronomy 33:3 (NASB)
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                    “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD.  He delights in every detail of their lives.”  –Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
                    “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.”  –Psalm 37:23 (HCSB)

Perhaps one of the most hated, misunderstood, and neglected doctrines of the Bible is the sovereignty of God.  Man, especially the unbeliever, definitely doesn’t want to look at the sovereignty for it tells of his destiny.  Christians, and I have never understood why, dislike this doctrine as well.  The main reason is that of selfishness.  They still want to hold onto the reins of their life.  Even among believers they love that song by Sinatra, “I did it my way,” and yet it is very anti-Christian for our lives should be concerned with doing things God’s way.
       I was raised to simply trust the Lord.  That’s it, nothing big; in all situations recognize that He is in control.  That does not mean He makes me take a step, but He guides my steps and is there if I take a misstep.  I have always enjoyed this song by W. Elmo Mercer.

               “Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,
               And with His loving hand He leads the way.
               And with each breath I whisper ‘I adore Thee’;
               Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.”

       There is comfort in knowing that Jesus is leading us through this life.  He is there when we walk through the storms and He is there in the heat of the dry spells.  He is with us through the valleys and as we traverse the high mountains, and the rocky crags threaten us.  It should be our faith, and certainly our joy to know that He is with us.

               “At times I feel my faith begin to waver,
               When up ahead I see a chasm wide.
               It’s then I turn and look up to my Saviour,
               I am strong when He is by my side.”

       Look at the Scripture verses above.  There are two things to concentrate upon.  First, it is the steps of the godly that are established.  Not the man in the world, not the mocker, or the good man, but the man who seeks God with his heart.  The second is that God delights in watching us walk the narrow way.  He takes pleasure in our very steps, our every breath, and even when we might falter, He is there holding onto our hand.

               “I trust in God, no matter come what may,
               For life eternal is in His hand.
               He holds the key that opens up the way,
               That will lead me to the promised land.”

       We far too often fear the wrong things.  Many churches are still struggling with the virus of two years ago.  Where is the trust of those in the congregation?  Why are people so afraid, when God is by their side?  No matter come what may!  If we truly believe that He holds our hand, and that our eternal destiny lies with Him, why do we fear so much?  Sure there are difficulties in life–trust Him.  Yes, sometimes the winds howl and the storm rages–trust Him.  Sickness, suffering, even death may come, but through it all–trust Him.

                         “Each step I take I know that He will guide me;
                         To higher ground He ever leads me on.
                         Until some day the last step will be taken,
                         Each step I take just leads me closer home.”

       Realize that He is guiding and that He will never take you into a place where He cannot keep you.  It may be through the valley of the shadow of death, but He is there with you all the way.   To finish, let’s look at the Amplified version, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].”  I like that, the Lord busies Himself with each of our steps.  Think of that!

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

One purpose dominated his life, and to accomplish it he had to be strong in every way. Both brain and body he had kept fit.”

                    –William MacLeod Raine  (Sons of the Saddle)

       “God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith….it is impossible to please God without faith.”
                    –Hebrews 11:2, 6 (NLT)
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                    “And what other examples shall I give?  There is not time to continue by telling the stories of…Samson…  Through their faith these men conquered kingdoms, rules in justice and proved the truth of God’s promises…  From being weaklings they became strong men and mighty warriors; they routed whole armies of foreigners…”
                              –Hebrews 11:32-34 (Phillips)

I can imagine a boy showing Samson off to his friends as Samson ground the grain going round and round working the grindstone.  He pointed the blind man out–“that used to be Samson,” and they all laughed.  Samson was a man who lost because of the company he kept.  He didn’t realize or perhaps didn’t want to realize his weakness.  Gary Inrig writes, “It is bad to be weak because of sin, but it is tragic not to even know it.”  Samson had finally succumbed to Deliah’s wooing and now his plight was to grind the grain for his enemies while they jeered him.
       There were two principles of life that Samson ignored.  The first, when we toy with temptation, it eventually traps us.  And second, self-confidence blinds us to reality.  Samson played with temptation, and ended up blind, physically and spiritually.  He was the man written about in Proverbs 25:28, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”  Samson, for some reason, believed the strength was his own until that day when the Spirit left him and he was captured by his enemies.
       Now, he was mocked, ridiculed, and not only Samson but God as well.  Samson, the man who dealt so much destruction to the Philistines, the enemies of God, had given them the opportunity to honor their false god, Dagon.  They feasted, reveled in glorifying Dagon at the expense of God’s reputation and that of Samson.  He had become a slave to his enemy who was now saying that it was their god who gave him over to them.  “Our god has delivered our enemy to us!  The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!” (Judges 16:24, NLT)
       Hour by hour, Samson worked, slaved, to grind the grain to feed his enemies.  I have never tried to get inside his head wondering his thoughts.  At first they may have been, “You big dummy!  Stupid, stupid, stupid.”  And thoughts along that vein.  But there is indication that Samson began to dwell on thoughts of God.  His hair began to grow back the Bible says.  In his hair there was not strength, but it was the symbol of his strength.    Samson, while he was grinding must have thought of his foolishness.  He had to realize that moral compromise always makes a person vulnerable, and that temptation comes in attractive packages.  He probably recognized the fact that temptation comes when we choose the wrong company, and as Wiersbe says, “It’s a dangerous thing to linger at the enemy’s border; you might get caught,” which was what happened to Samson.  Gary Inrig brings us this vital truth in regard to Samson, “There is nothing that shapes our character more than the people with whom we choose to spend our time.”  Think on it friend.
       In the midst of their partying and feasting they wanted to look at the man who was once the mighty Samson.  He was brought and asked that he be placed next to two pillars.  We are told that the leaders of the Philistines were there, and that there were three thousand people on the roof looking down at him.  We are not told how many were in the temple.  Did they laugh when he was paraded by them?  Did they jeer at his stumbling because he was blind?  But what’s more important, we should look at the prayer of Samson.  With the growth of his hair, there must have also been repentance.  In his prayer we do not see the boastful, mighty Samson, but a contrite humble man.  “Sovereign LORD, remember me again:  O God, please strengthen me one more time so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of my eyes.” (16:28, NLT)
       God strengthened Samson for He is not mocked.  There was still a final duty for Samson to fulfill.  Through his prayer he regained his strength.  His hair was growing out which was only natural, but Samson had developed a relationship with God.  He now was filled with His strength once more and as he prayed, “He put his hands on the center pillars of the temple and pushed against them with all his might.  ‘Let me die with the Philistines,’ he prayed.  And the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the people.” (16:29-30, NLT)
       Samson, judge him harshly if you want.  Samson, a mighty man for sure.  Samson, a man who God used despite his failures; a man who disregarded the importance of being separate.  One thing we do know is that he is named among those in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.  Faith, mind you–Samson a man of faith.  And never forget that “God is able to turn the consequences of our sin into instruments for His glory.” (Inrig)

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

When there’s somethin’ that starts to smell . . . it’s time to have a sniff or two just to make sure there ain’t a skunk under the porch.”

                         –Lou Bradshaw  (Man With No Face)

       “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.”
                         –Proverbs 14:9 (NKJV)
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               “Well, how much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of…Samson… These people all trusted God and as a result won battles, overthrew kingdoms, ruled their people well, and received what God had promised them…”
                           –Hebrews 11:32-33  (Living Bible)

       We have left Samson wandering the streets of Gaza.  Why he was there Scripture doesn’t say.  Probably to look at the girls and to get into trouble, both of which he did.  He really had no business there, but how many times do we find ourselves in places where we should not be?  I had a friend growing up.  He was several years older than me and he related that he and his brother would go into the various towns in Nebraska where he grew up and find the town bully(ies) and fight.  That might have been Samson.  Samson didn’t really need anyone or anything to tempt him, but as Wiersbe points out, Samson tempted himself.
       Samson seemed to be courting danger.  He thrived on the battle and got himself into trouble.  “Whenever Samson went into enemy territory, he ‘went down’ both geographically and spiritually.” (Wiersbe)  Samson found a girl, a prostitute, then woke to find that the gates had been shut, and he was trapped inside the city much to the delight of his enemies.  I can imagine him smiling at his adversity, for he went over and hoisted the gates from their moorings and carried them forty miles.  While the enemies stood at the now vacant and vulnerable entrance to the city, Samson was far away laughing.
       Later we find him again courting temptation and danger, this time in the form of Delilah.  If you think of the names of the women you know from the Bible most likely Delilah is one of them.  We’re not sure if she was a Philistine or not, but they paid her handsomely to help them capture Samson.  She toyed and tempted him, as he toyed and teased her back.  Here Samson is acting out the fool.  Gary Inrig says, “Samson had power without purity and strength without self-control.”  What a man!  What a fool!
       He didn’t realize, was he that blind (pun not intended, yet)?  Delilah was making a fool of him.  He should have been back in Israel tending to his duties as a judge.  That seems to be a common trend.  When a person isn’t attending to responsibilities and duties given him by God he tends to get him/herself in trouble.  His Nazarite vow must have meant little to him as he continued to act contrary to it.  In fact, as Dan and other tribes were losing their identity because of compromise, Samson was becoming like them without realizing it.
       Woe to the man whom the Spirit has left.  This is what happened to Samson.  As the two cavorted with each other toying and teasing Samson each time came closer to telling her the truth.  Finally, for “true love” (ha) he told her the secret to his strength.  Samson, a man who didn’t know his own heart, finally turned the truth over to Delilah who in turn gave him over to the Philistines.  Immediately they blinded him.  No strength and now no sight.  They put him to doing the work of a donkey grinding at the stone.
       Let’s look briefly at Samson and darkness.  The following is from the writings of Warren W. Wiersbe, “Samson is one of three men in Scripture who are especially identified with the darkness.  The other two are King Saul, who went out in the darkness to get last-minute help from a witch (1 Samuel 28), and Judas, who ‘went immediately out: and it was night’ (John 13:30).  Saul lived for the world, Samson yielded to the flesh, and Judas gave himself to the Devil (John 13:2, 27), and all three ended up taking their own lives.”
       Samson, the mighty man, the judge of Israel is now grinding the grain.  Look at him trod, blind, his strength gone, his pride gone, his reputation now past.  Pathetically, once a slave to his passions, now he is a slave to his enemies.