Month: January 2024

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Years are terrible things, an’ for years you’ve been bound. Habit of years is strong as life itself.”

                    –Zane Grey  (Riders of the Purple Sage)

       “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved…  But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.”
                    –Acts 27:20,22 (NIV)
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One month is already gone!  I don’t know what kind of situation you may find yourself in right now.  It may be one of despair or trouble.  However the type of issue or circumstance, we have a choice we can make.  Perhaps you are feeling guilty because of sin–there is a choice, stay and wallow in your sin and guilt, or choose to lift your hand to the Savior.  He will forgive and bring you into His rest.

          “My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
          So burdened with sin and distress,
          Till I heard a sweet voice saying, ‘Make me your choice,’
          And I entered the haven of rest.”
                    –Henry L. Gilmour

One of the first things that we must do upon accepting the Lord after that initial response is to yield ourselves.  Yield ourselves to His embrace, ah, the sweetness of His arms wrapped around us.  When He takes hold of us the “fetters” do fall off.  When we reach out in faith, He responds in love and grace.

          “I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
          And, faith taking hold of the Word,
          My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul:
          The Haven of Rest is my Lord.”

We are to “grow in grace,” that means we take hold of His Word.  No matter the circumstances we have His Word and the promises that lay within.  Life can be tough and filled with woe and suffering, but realize that the Lord is there with you.  Reach out to Him; don’t try to go the way alone for it is too troublesome, rough, and wearisome.

          “The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
          Has been the old story so blest,
          Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
          A home in the Haven of Rest.”

This is not only true for eternity, but for the present.  In the midst of the raging storms of life we can have rest in Him.  When the fierceness of the battle is upon us, and we can no longer seem to stand, we can have rest in Him.  When the pain grips us, and we grit our teeth because of it, that is the time to go to Him and find rest.  There is rest in Jesus.

          “Oh, come to the Saviour, He patiently waits,
          To save by His power divine;
          Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest,
          And say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’
 
                    I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest,
                    I’ll sail the wild seas no more;
                    The tempest may sweep o’er the wild stormy deep,
                    In Jesus I’m safe evermore.”

Tis so sweet to be able to trust in the Lord in the midst of the storm.  I can imagine the waves tossing us to and fro, the billows rising higher and higher.  However, our anchor will  hold firm in the Haven of Rest.  We’ll be safe in the midst of the storm; He’ll hold us and carry us through even if it is through the valley of the shadow of death.  No storm is too great for Him.  Trust in Him, no matter the situation, hold on to Him, for He will be holding on to you.

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
I wish I hadn’t left the Greener in the scabbard,” I thought to myself, taking off my gloves and stretching my hands out to the fire trying to get the cold and stiffness out.  I could easily give him a thump.
     “Don’t worry about unbuttoning your coat,” stated the man sitting by the fire.  “You’re not stayin’ that long.”
     “You wouldn’t send a man back out into that cold to spend the night.  I told you I can’t make it to Mancos tonight.”
     “That’s the way of it,” he said this time with a snarl in his voice.  
     I had my hand on my gun now, away from him so he couldn’t see it.  “Give me a few more minutes, I’m almost frozen stiff.”
     He glanced toward where Doc was standing, so I took advantage of the opportunity to draw and point my gun at him.  “Mister, just keep your hands on the arms of that rocker where I can see them,” I advised.
     I heard a shout, then the man at the table yelled horribly.  Doc had grabbed a death grip on the man’s arm.  He was going for his gun, then I looked at the man back at the door who was bringing his pistol up to bear.  I shot at him, the bullet knocking him back against the door.  The man in the chair jumped up, groping for his gun.  He pulled it from his holster when I shot him from three feet away, his gun firing into the floor of the cabin. 
     Doc was grappling with the man at the table.  Who finally pushed Doc off him when he stood up.  His gun was out and he pointed it at Doc.  I didn’t wait, I fired twice at the man, both bullets striking him, putting him down on the floor.
     “It’s about time, Miles,” blurted Doc, “and you were mighty close with that shot.  I felt the bullet buzz by me.”
     There was a moan from the man lying on the floor next to me.  I bent down next to him after kicking his gun away, mine at the ready.  “You don’t give a man a chance,” murmured the man, his voice low and hoarse.
     “Mister, you had your chance.  I told you to keep your hands on the chair.  You didn’t listen–your choice.”  With that his eyes widened in fright and then went dull, lifeless.  He had passed on to his judgment.
     Standing I walked to where Doc was checking the other two men.  “I’m goin’ out to tend to Star, but when I get back I want to know what was goin’ on.”  Stepping over the dead man at the door, I stopped to turn to Doc.  “Is there a shed or barn around here?  I hate to leave the horses out in the cold.”
     “There’s a little stable behind the cabin.  Goss, that’s the man by the fire, didn’t want anyone to know we were here, so he had the horses put off in the trees.  They’re in that little grove to the right of the cabin as you go out.”
     Shaking my head, I went out the door and took Star heading around the back.  There was a little stable with plenty of hay.  It would be tight, but I reckoned six horses would fit in there alright.  In fact, being close together they might have a little more warmth.  There was ice in the trough, but I could see where it had been broken so there was water underneath.  I let him drink, then put him in a stall.  After taking off his saddle I rubbed him down making sure all the sweat was off.  Then gave him some hay.
     I went back to find the other horses and take care of them.  It didn’t make sense to leave them out.  Anyone passing by would know there was someone in the cabin so there was no need hiding them in the trees.  I was cold again by the time I got them taken care of and going back inside the cabin I was greeted by a wave of heat.  Doc had built up the fire.  The three men I’d shot were on the floor to the right of the door.  I noticed the blood on the floor where Doc drug them.
     This time I took off my coat before going to the fire.  As I was warming myself, Doc had a tin cup in his hand, and bent down to retrieve a coffeepot by the fire.  “Not sure how good this coffee is, but it’s hot,” he said, handing me the cup.
     I stood there sipping at the coffee, waiting for him to say something.  When he didn’t I asked, “Would you mind tellin’ me how you got in such a mess?”
     He didn’t tell me right off, but began by saying, “This is what’s left of the Goss gang.”
     “Dave Goss?”  I knew of Dave and Bill Goss, they had been wanted for quite a spell.  I had never seen either of them before, as they stayed mostly up north of Durango.
     “Dave’s the one you shot by the fire and that’s his brother Bill over on the bed.  They brought me to treat him, but when I arrived he was already dead.  The man you shot by the door was Benny Jarvis, a no-count bully, and the man I was working on with the shot up arm was Chuck Mason.”
     “Well, Doc, you picked a fine crew to cozy up to…”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He loved the smell of lonely campfires, the crisp feeling of awakening on a frosty morning.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Heller With a Gun)

       “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
                    –Mark 1:35 (NKJV)
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“Good morning, good morning, good morning, it’s time to rise and shine,” so goes the little song.  When we look at Psalm 108 we find that this is a psalm, not only to just wake us up for the day, but to make sure that our soul is awake to the things and person of God.

          1 — O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
          2 — Awake, lute and harp!  I will awaken the dawn.
          3 — I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations.
          4 — For Your mercy is great above the heavens, Your truth reaches to the clouds.
          5 — Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth.  (NKJV)

     Listen my friend, a steadfast heart, a confident heart is imperative for the day in which we live.  As Steven Lawson says, “Trusting the Lord does not naively explain away one’s problems, nor make them less than what they really are.  Neither does faith go into denial and pretend that problems do not exist.  To the contrary, faith faces problems head-on with a positive, triumphant outlook…  In the midst of every difficulty, faith always sees the opportunity for God to work.  Faith is always up, not down; always encouraged, not discouraged; always reaching forward, not retreating backward; always overcoming, not being overcome.”
     The last phrase of verse 1 from the NLT states, “Wake up, my soul!”  When that happens, the soul bursts out in song with praise to the Lord.  Something from down deep in a person rises because he knows his God.  The stereotypical view of the morning is “O Lord, it’s morning, woe is me.  Let me drag myself out of bed.”  But here we see David, leaping from his slumber.  Why?  To worship!
     David had supreme confidence, not in his abilities, but in his God.  “Such a steady heart is a singing heart.” (Lawson)  It is one thing to sing from the lips, this can be trite and only give lip-service to the Lord, but when the soul sings, that is something else.  That is assurance.  David wanted to be sure he praised the Lord first thing in the morning, then he wanted to make sure that his enemies heard his praises of God.  
     Perhaps, you’re grumbling, what’s there to sing about?  You’ve got the mully-grubs and don’t care to get out.  You are enjoying your pillow and don’t want to get up and face the world.  I would then ask, what kind of God do you serve?  Get up and sing for the greatness of God.  Just think of it, you’re part of this great universe and placed in this particular time and place for a purpose–that purpose, to praise the Lord.  Get up and sing for the grace and mercy that the Father has shown through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Look at His mercy, it reaches above the heavens!  Get up and sing for His faithfulness to you.  His truth is sure and enduring, and it says that He will never forsake His people.  The words of H.C. Leupold rings true, “How deeply God loves his people, and how true He is to His word–these are experiences that keep growing on God’s children as long as they draw breath here on earth.  Surely both are as high as the heavens or as high as the clouds.”  No matter the circumstances, no matter how dire things may look, we should be praising God for His glory is over the earth, and He is with you, and His people, and will deliver them from their woes.

               “My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear.
               He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear,
               With confidence I now draw nigh,
               With confidence I now draw nigh,
               And ‘Father, Abba, Father,’ cry.”
                         –Charles Wesley

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He rose fluidly to his feet, slapping his emptied cup against his thigh to knock loose the coffee grounds that had settled inside.”

                          –Wayne D. Dundee  (Rainrock Reckoning)
 
Heard yuh comin’, Pard.  Coffee’s hot and strong for yuh this mornin’.  How ’bout this weather?  Remember how hot and dry it was last summer?  Whooee, then a week or so ago it was freezin’ and now the past week the rains came, and came, and came.  So Pard, I hope yuh stayed dry.  The missus and I was a-talkin’ and I said something ’bout it rainin’ cats and dogs, to which she replied it was more like elephants and hippopotamuseses.
       Pard, after yuh finish that swallow, I’ve something to tell yuh.  I’m finishin’ up my latest book and went to the publishin’ area and they’ve added a new question.  Did AI help you on the book?  I was a-wonderin’ what a steak sauce had to do with the writin’ of my book.  Then I was told that it wasn’t a steak sauce it was artificial intelligence.  Now, that didn’t help me much, ’cause I knew for sure that none of those liberal politicians helped me none, nor any of them loose-lipped folk out there that hasn’t a clue what real life is all about.  Come to find out, Pard, that this is the newest thing.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is doin’ all sorts of things from singin’ to writin’ to influencin’ and all sorts of other things–sorta like a new-fangled type of hoo-doo.
       Good thing I made the coffee strong.  Common sense has done been done away with for the most part, and now they’re a-comin’ up with artificial sense.  Well, I guess that makes sense since none of those folks have any sense only follow whatever suits them.  I’m a-thinkin’ they live in a maze, sorta like walkin’ with Alice in the “Wonderland.”  But they think, I use that term loosely, they know it all.  They tell us they are more enlightened.  Ptui!  Seems to me they’re a gropin’ down in the mudhole.
       Go ahead, Pard, take a long drink, for what I’ve to tell yuh next will surely get yur gizzard up tight.  I was sittin’ in the doctor’s office, jist a-waitin’ for the vampire to get me to draw blood, when on that there television came the notice.  Hold on, now — the Church of England has a transgender servin’ as a bishop.  Listen, Pard, we’re livin’ in a strange, evil age, let me tell yuh.  I wanted to be sure so I looked it up and sure ‘nough.  She/he/it said, “Queer people are a blessing to the Church.  When I’m wearing my collar, it lets children know that is okay.”  The use that term “nonbinary” which means someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman.  Pard, we’re livin’ in a mixed up, confused world, an’ you and I know who’s the author of confusion.
       However, let me tell yuh, I read of some common sense.  Those furries, yuh know who/what they are?  In Oklahoma if a student identifies as a furry and they’s a-causin’ a problem in school, animal control is sent for.  Now, that’s usin’ yur brain.  See, Pard, why I made the coffee so strong this mornin’?  Such goin’s on is all around us.  Yuh best be in God’s holy script more and more and be tellin’ your kids and grandkids the right way to go.  Pard, why some of these folks act more looney than you do when yuh fall on yur head ’cause yuh didn’t check yur cinch.  Be travelin’ easy and straight–the devil is out to deceive yuh.  That’s why I always sign off…”go with God.”
        Vaya con Dios.