Month: June 2024

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
We cleaned up the place the best we could; it was going to take some paint which I didn’t have available.  There was whitewash thrown on all the walls along with red X slashed around it.  The door was still locked so when we went inside we hoped that nothing was damaged.  Molly’s not a crier, but when she sat down in the rocker in front of the fireplace I could see tears in her eyes.
     Touching her on the shoulder, I said, “Put some coffee on, I’m goin’ to check on the horses.”
     I walked up to the stable and was sure that I left Hawk inside, but he wasn’t there.  Looking out at the pasture I saw all three horses.  As I started walking towards them Star and Two-Bits trotted my direction, while Hawk was hesitant then began to follow the others.  I hugged both the horses around the neck then checked them over good.  
     Hawk finally joined in with the other three, but it seemed that he had a look in his eyes, as if to say, “Why did you let them do this to me?”  It was when he nudged me that I saw the red X painted on his forehead.  Then I looked him over and to my chagrin there was a red X slashed on his right hip.  I touched it tenderly, noticing that the blood had dried.  
     “I’m sorry, Hawk.  I promise you I’ll find the ones that did this.  Come on, let’s get you to your stall so’s I can doctor this up.”  The three horses followed me, Star and Two-Bits going right in while Hawk lingered outside.  It was in the stall where the men got to him.  He stood there whilst I got a bucket and filled it from the rain barrel, pouring it in the troughs for the other two horses, after which I started to give them some oats when I saw that red paint had been poured on the open bag.  Not taking time to examine it, I ripped open another bag to feed them.
     I didn’t see Molly walking up the little hill.  “Everything all right?” she asked upon reaching me, handing a cup of freshly boiled coffee to me.  
     It was hot, but I took a long swallow anyway.  It burned all the way down through my gullet.  I took another sip, then sat the cup over by the trough.  “They whipped Hawk,” I blurted.  “He’s not bad, but, but…”
     Molly was holding the cup in both hands taking small sips, but when I told her she placed the cup on a shelf.  “Let me look at him,” she said, and I showed her the mark on his hip, then the red X on his forehead.  She looked at his forehead closely, “Not paint,” she uttered, then grabbed a rag from the shelf, went to the trough to wet it.  When she came back she rubbed on the red spot.  It began to come off with the water.  “Blood,” she murmured, going back to wet the cloth some more.  
     She worked on Hawk for several minutes, talking calmly to him.  He seemed to know that she was trying to help.  Finishing that job she went to his hip.  “Let me clean it off before you put any salve on it.  You just hold him still.”
     The blood had congealed so Molly worked slowly and as tenderly as possible.  Hawk knew we were helping, but once in a while a tremor would flow down his muscles.  It took us close to thirty minutes before the wound was clean and I had covered it with a salve.  Molly refilled the bucket to pour in his trough while I looked around for any type of clue.  Nothing, that is nothing until Hawk nudged me to a corner.  He pawed at the ground, snorting.  I bent down and found a spur covered with dirt and straw.  Hawk gave a whinny nodding his head, and I thought for a moment he smiled.  It wasn’t a whip, or rope, but a spur that was used to cut him.
     “Easy,” came a voice.  “Don’t get riled up, just find the man.”  Molly was standing with hands on her hip, looking at the object in my hand.
     I turned my head her direction, “Don’t worry, I will.”  
    She came up to me placing her hands on my shoulders, then said a little prayer.  “Nothing more to do here.  Let’s go in.”  She then picked up the two cups and started for the house.  
     “I’m goin’ to stay out here a while longer.  Hawk needs some company.  Maybe he’ll be able to tell me who the culprit was.”
     Nodding she went on down to the house.  I took a seat on a pile of straw and must have dozed off.  I don’t know how long I was asleep, but when I heard the voice hollering my name it was dark.  
     It was Jimmy Hopkins running toward me, Molly now close behind.  “Marshal, it’s the priest…”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

All people look, but few really see; and they can rarely give details of any place they have passed—its appearance or what might be found there.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Down the Long Hills)

       “If you will help me, I will run to follow your commands.”
                    –Psalm 119:32 (NLT)
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What is it that you long for?  What would be your fondest wish?   When we read Psalm 119, especially in this section, we see that the psalmist longs for more of God’s Word and for more holiness.  Jonathan Edwards said that the distinguishing traits of true saints was “godly sorrow” and “holy thirst.”    He said that, “Godly sorrow and brokenness of heart is peculiarly acceptable and pleasing to God,” and “Holy thirst is a condition of participation of the blessings of eternal life.”
     It’s interesting that most versions of verse 17 state:
          “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.”   Some (NIV, NLT) state, “Be good to your servant…”  But then they all have the same ending phrase that they might live and obey.  One of the great purposes in life is the privilege of obeying God’s Word.  
     All of us, from baby Christian to mature saint, need our eyes to be open.  Ezekiel speaks of rebellious people that “has eyes to see but does not see,” (Ezekiel 12:2, NKJV); Jeremiah repeats that claim (5:21).  We see in Mark, when Jesus speaks to those with hardened hearts, “Having eyes do you not see?…” (Mark 8:18, NKJV)  The psalmist cries, pleads with God to “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” (119:18, NASB)  As we travel in this journey of life we need discernment, and that comes from the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  To keep God’s Word, we must pray to understand it for it is spiritual knowledge that produces life.  James Montgomery Boice states, “The treasures in Scripture are wonderful in themselves, wonderful because their source is in God, wonderful because of what they do in us and for us, and wonderful because they are everlasting when everything else we know is rapidly passing away.”
          vs 19, “I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.” (NKJV)
                    “I am but a foreigner here on earth, I need the guidance of your commands.” (NLT)
We cannot survive in this world’s system without the Word of God.  It must not only be words that we read, but it must be words that we live by, words that we trust, words that give us hope, courage, and strength.  Listen, and this is important–there is no place in the kingdom of God for a spiritual couch potato.  “A man will never grow into the knowledge of God’s word by idly waiting for some new gift of discernment, but by diligently using that which God has already bestowed upon him, and using at the same time all other helps that lie within his reach.” (John Kerr)  We must be men and women of faith every step of the way.
          vs 28, “My soul weeps because of grief… (NASB)
                    “My soul melts away for sorrow…(ESV)
                    “My soul melts from heaviness…” (NKJV)
The psalmist is in a sad state.  His strength is gone, physical and spiritual, and perhaps emotional as well.  He prays to the Lord for strength–strength that comes from the Word of God.  Each of the translations have the second phrase of this verse to read, “Strengthen me according to Your word.”  If we want strength we must have God’s Word in our heart, then we must look to it.  In this life we will face tests and trials, some of which may take us to the breaking point.  It is at this point that we must dive into the Word of God and hold tightly to His promises, His testimonies, and let that assurance cause us to rest in Him.
          vs 30, “I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.” (NASB)
                    “I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me.” (NKJV)
                    “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.” (ESV)
and I like the way the NLT puts this verse, “I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your laws.”
There is no neutrality–it is the way of truth or the way of falsehood and deceitfulness.  We choose and continue to choose daily, therefore we must have the Word of God to help us.  We do not live a righteous life by wishful thinking.  Holiness is not pronounced upon us by the waving of some spiritual wand.
     At the beginning I asked what it was you truly longed for, what in your heart you desired the most?  Jesus tells us that “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”  We must eat of the riches of God’s Word and drink from His fountain that is provided to sustain us along the way.

                    “I hear your Word in love;
                    In faith your Word obey;
                    O send your Spirit from above
                    To teach me, Lord, your way.”
                            –Issac Watts

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He took out two tin cups and moved to the coffee pot suspended from a steel rod over a smoldering campfire.”

                     –Elmer Kelton  (The Time It Never Rained)
 
Well, here we are, Pard, on the downward slope of the season.  Yep, I know summer’s just begun, but with that, the days will be gettin’ shorter.  For a while, shorter and hotter.  So far not so bad here, a couple of days in the lower nineties.  Go ‘head, grab yur cup, the coffee’s comin’ right up.  What’s the Good Book say, As long as the earth endures the seasons will come and go as will night and day, uh, that’s a little paraphrase, if’n yuh want to go look it up it’s in Genesis right after the flood.
     Ahhh, that coffee sure fits the bill this mornin’.  Plum tickles the ol’ gizzard, sure ‘nough good way to start the day.  Pard, I heard somethin’ that sorta frightened me.  Nah, not scared me as to want to pull out my gun, but it brought new light to this feeble ol’ fence post of a mind of mine.  I was on social media, when somethin’ popped up.  Now, I usually don’t pay no ‘ttention to such things, but this one just caught my eye.  A woman was a talkin’, “Just leave us alone.  That’s all we want to be left alone and go to hell.  That’s where I wanna go anyway…”  My, my, all I could do was shake my head.  That poor gal don’t know what she’s a-talkin’ about.
     Now, in my days, I’ve heard smart remarks, most said in foolishness and jest, such as, “I want to go to hell, that’s where all my friends are,” or “we’ll have a grand ol’ time partyin’ down there.”  The Lord tells us that if we have ears, then listen:  it ain’t gonna be no party.  Yuh don’t want to be settin’ yur sights on goin’ there.  It’s a place of torment where the worm dieth not.  It’s darkness and gnashing of teeth.  Why, Pard, it’s darker than that there coffee yura drinkin’.  
     Ol’ slewfoot has sure deceived that woman.  She’s done exchanged the truth of God for a lie.  Now I don’t know if she’s at the point where she believes the lie.  I read that durin’ the Tribulation, the Lord will send a powerful delusion so that people will believe the lie, but not sure if that’s for today or not.  Either way, the woman has indeed believed Satan and is not in her right mind.  If’n she was she would be seekin’ grace and mercy from the Lord, not flauntin’ her lifestyle at Him.
     My mercy, Pard, the pot’s empty.  Where has the time gone?  Seems like it gets shorter and shorter, or perhaps I’m just noticin’ it more.  Summer is upon us, the days should be long and lingerin’, but it seems they pass more quickly now.  We seem to empty the pot faster than before.  Well, the Lord willin’ and yuh don’t forget to check yur cinch and fall on yur noggin’ I’ll see yuh next week.  Sit tall in the saddle, keep yur weapons near yuh and be diligent as yuh travel through this world in the comin’ week.
     Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

When you are hungry, your taste buds become less particular.”

                    –Brad Dennison  (The Long Trail)

       “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled…”
                    –Luke 6:21 (NKJV)
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The wandering son is in a mess.  We see that he finds himself not only slopping the pigs, but staying with them.  What a plight–from wealth to rags; the wretched story of sin unfolded.  My NKJV Bible has the subtitle of this not the Prodigal Son, but the Lost Son, for he was now truly lost and undone.

          …there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that they swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”
                   –Luke 15:13-18(NKJV)

     I cannot fully understand the lure and attraction of the large cities.  They hold nothing on me, yet in my experience I have had numerous students say how much they love New York City or Chicago.  Why?  Unless they are called by God to do work there, why set oneself up in the evil place?  It reminds me of Lot moving to Sodom.  And Christians, yes, they seem to adore Las Vegas.  Why?  Do they think they can get away with a “sin” when visiting because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?  Maybe that was the thoughts of the young man.  He went to a “distant country” which meant a Gentile land.  To live there he would quickly find that it would be “characterized by pagan values and heathen morals.” (Gary Inrig)  Of course, he was in a condition that he no longer held to the God and teachings of his father’s house.
     The Bible states that he “wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (NKJV)  William Barclay translates this as, “wanton recklessness,” and the NIV puts it this way, he “squandered his wealth in wild living.”  Listen–choices bring consequences!  He ran out of money, plus there came a severe famine on the land.  Here in the United States we have been blessed by God to not have faced a national famine.  If there is a shortage in one part of the country, there is land enough to make up for it in another, but other countries, nonindustrial (third world) do not have this pleasure.  Think of Sudan, Ethiopia, and in fact, over 75% of the world cannot feed itself.  The young man found himself in dire straits.  Reality hit him in the face, just as the hunger hit his gut.  Gary Inrig writes, “Desperation knows no pride, and the young man not lives with the pigs, he is willing to eat with them.”  
      “No one gave him anything,” what a sad commentary.  Once wealthy, now hungry and in shambles.  I am reminded of Horace Tabor and his wife Baby Doe.  One of the richest men in America.  A man who flaunted the wealth he made from his silver mines in Colorado.  Then in the 1890s, the silver boom, busted.  Gold became the only standard.  The powerful man, once a senator, is reduced to a postal clerk and when he dies he leaves a worthless mine to Baby Doe who is found years later, penniless and frozen to death.  There was no wealth to save either of them and they died in sickness and squalor.
     Remember, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees.  They would have been content to leave the wretched lad in the pigpen, saying he deserved it.  But Jesus goes on with the parable.  The motivation for his thinking to return to rightly to him may have been hunger, but repentance is there for he wants to return to his father.  Greg Lane has accurately said, “Any fun or pleasure that can be achieved outside of the Father’s House will eventually end.”  It took a while; it took the loss of everything along with hunger to finally bring the man to his senses.  “There is an insanity to sin,” said Gary Inrig.  Think of it–leaving the Father’s House and now sits in the mud with the pigs.  Henry Harbuck translates it this way, “But finally he came to his senses–realizing how depraved he had become.”  Harbuck continues in the same verse, “all the numerous hired servants have enough food and even some to spare, [but I am] starving and almost dead from hunger!”
     What did it take for the young man to come to his senses?  The pigpen–with its slop, mud, and excrement.  Hunger, for he was almost starving.  And I wonder, was there also a hunger not only for the food to be found at his father’s house, but also the truth of God’s Word that was taught there?  “We can never find ourselves in sinful indulgence.  There is often more truth in the pigpen of consequences than in the banquet halls of revelry.” (Inrig)  Party, party-hardy and where will it take you?  This man left home to be free and found himself in bondage serving the pigs.  I like the way Barclay puts this, “Jesus believed that so long as a man was away from God he was not truly himself; he was only truly himself when he was on the way home.”  
     Live with the pigs in the slop [of sin] or go home to the Father.  That’s the choice before the young man, and many others.  Once decided the person can then start to become the person that God intended; he can then begin to live as one of God’s children.  If you find yourself in a condition similar to this Wayward Son, get up out of the slime and slop, come to your senses, and start on your way home.