Month: July 2025

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
So when you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools.  Keep all the promises you make to him.”
–Ecclesiastes 5:4 (NLT)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     I walked back to the cells.  “What’s that Mr. Smith?  I didn’t quite catch what you were sayin’.”
     “Marshal, I ain’t done nothing illegal.  You need to release me.”
     Pulling on the tip of my moustache, I leaned towards the man now standing at the bars.  “What is your connection with McGinnis?”
     “Honest, I came up from Los Lunas representing the Circle M.  I ride for Jesse Moreland.  Yuh can send a telegram, he’ll vouch for me.”
     “Hmmm, tell me more, Mr. Smith.”
     “Marshal, honest to goodness, that’s my name.  This hyar McGinnis met with my boss in Albuquerque ’bout bringin’ come beeves up here.  The way I heard it that a fortune could be made sellin’ to the miners.  I was sent to finalize the deal,” he finished with a deep sigh.
     If he was telling the truth, I almost felt sorry for him, and from his expressions I sorta tended to believe him.
     “Let me tell you, Smith.  I can’t turn you loose, that’s up to the Sheriff.  You’ll be comin’ with me to Durango, and you can tell your story to him and Judge Klaser.”
     He took another deep sigh, then went back to sit on the cot.  Nodding at me he dropped his head to his hands in resignation.
     I went back out to the office area.  “Osian, you got a deputy that could walk me through the town, I want to peer into Boyd’s Poolhall.”
     Martin quickly volunteered and in a few minutes we were walking up the street.
     “Is Boyd pullin’ the gang together?” I asked as we ambled on up the street.
     “I don’t think so,” replied Martin, then he added.  “He might be the thinking behind it, but he won’t go the distance to be the big boss.  In fact, I’m not sure if they have anyone in charge.  So far nothing has happened, no complaints from storeowners of being hassled.”
     Someone had to call for Dawson, I thought to myself.  Unless he had already been contacted by McGinnis.  With McGinnis in jail, and most likely hung, he might decide that there was no one around to pay his wages and leave.
     We were just down the street from the poolhall.  I checked my pistol, making sure it was ready and looked to see that the Greener was ready to go.  Then I turned to Martin.  “You prayed up?”
     “Huh?” he responded with a puzzled look on his face.
     “Are you right with the Lord in case you’re called to meet Him this day?  People in our line of business should always be ready to meet our Maker.”
     “Uh, well…”
     “Well, what?  It’s either yuh are or yuh ain’t.”
     “Tell you the truth Forrest, I never did much thinking about it.”
     I stopped there, a tobacco shop between us and the poolhall.  “Want to take time to make it right before we go in?”
     “You’re crazy, out here in the middle of the walk?”  
     “Gooda place as any,” I replied, then hesitated for a moment.  “There might be a bullet in there with your name on it.  The rider on the Pale Horse isn’t too particular ’bout who he brings to judgment.”
     I could tell he was pondering some.  Then he jerked his head, “Come on!”
     Opening the door there was a welcoming committee, I saw Dawson and then…

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

That was music,… the wind in the pines, and the flutter of cottonwood or aspen along with the sound of snow water trickling and the bugle of an elk or the call of a wolf. Yet it was music of a very special kind.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (Bendigo Shafter)

       “Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!”

                    –Isaiah 1:18 (TLB)
——————————–
“Impurities fill our world and even our own heart, but God blankets us with His grace, covering us with a blanket of white wool donated by the Lamb of God.” (William Petersen)  I love to look at a field covered with fresh fallen snow.  What beauty, untouched by the tracks of man.  But eventually, the impurities come and the field is no longer pristine.  Snow is beautiful, but I also remember the days after snow, with the exhaust from vehicles blackening it.  
     I’ve been to streams that were once clear, but now have a sludge of pollution in them.  I can remember making snow ice cream, but that is no longer safe, or hiking on a high mountain trail and drinking from the cold water that comes directly from a snowbank, but they tell us that it is no longer safe.  Why–impurities.  Read the second portion of Psalm 147 and think of how God purifies our soul with the blood of the Lamb.  Think of the day in the near future when He will remove the curse and purify the land.

          12 — Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!  Praise your God, O Zion!
          13 — For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.
          14 — He makes peace in your borders, and fills you with the finest wheat.
          15 — He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
          16 — He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
          17 — He casts out His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold?
          18 — He sends out His world and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
          19 — He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
          20 — He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His judgments, they have not known them.  Praise the LORD!  (NKJV)

     Notice how many times the personal pronoun of “He” or “His” is used in this psalm.  One of its purposes is to garner our praise.  He gives us protection, He gives prosperity.  He gives peace.  He blesses us with many types of gifts.  God grants peace within your borders–yes, this was referring to Israel, but also to the borders of your soul.  In the midst of calamity and terror He gives His peace.
     God is with us; He is the God who is there!  “He’s with you in both the cold/difficult and warm/pleasurable seasons of life.” (George Wood)  He was with us when we were young and now as we enter the winter of our lives, and all the years in between.  “All the world is at God’s command.  He directs and ordains everything in His created order.  His spoken word orders the affairs of providence.” (Steven Lawson)
     We do not have to try to figure out who God is.  We know Him through His Word and how He deals with it in our hearts.  We know Him as the Holy Spirit works on the word to guide us along in this life.  Lawson states an important truth, “Knowing God’s Word is the greatest blessing to come to a nation or a people (or an individual), but obeying it is the greatest duty.”  
     One does not have to delve deep into theology to worship God.  Try, as the psalmist writes, to worship Him in the simple blessings He gives.  “All worship is centered in God–who He is and what He has done.” (Lawson)  Take time to refresh yourself knowing who God is and what He has done for you.  Take a few moments just to look back over the last week.  What has He done for you, provided for you?  Besides the things we take for granted–the laws of physics, the breath we take throughout the day, the beating of our heart–but look at other blessings.  Did you have enough to eat?  I assume, if you’re reading this, that you woke up every morning.  If nothing else from this psalm know this–God is good!  More than we can ever imagine–He is good, therefore praise the Lord!

               “Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
               I wait, blessed Lord, at thy crucified feet;
               By faith, for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow,
               Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
                       –James Nicholson

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He threw on the coffee pot, and in ten minutes hailed them. ‘Come an’ wa’m yo’ gizzards.’”

                     –Ernest Haycox  (Free Grass)
 
Ol’ Ernie hasn’t nothin’ on me, come in this kitchen, Pard, an’ my coffee will do more than warm up yur gizzard; it’ll plumb tickle it happy.  That’s the way to start the day, strong coffee and readin’ from the Good Book.  As it seems the days are gettin’ more ‘n’ more evil, it’s more important than ever that we be fillin’ our soul with God’s Word.  If’n we’re not careful we’ll be gettin’ ourselves caught up with all the doin’s and goin’s on in the news and the ol’ gizzard along with other innards can easily get riled.  Pard, yuh got to stay in the Book, don’t be a-strayin’ from it.
     Read a story the other day, one that I had heard before.  I don’t recall who was in it, maybe the worker’s name was Bob, or Peewee.  Nah, think the supervisor was Bob; Peewee was shootin’ marbles, he didn’t do much work.  He was ’bout as useless as ol’ Fig Newton was.  Real person, yuh don’t remember him?  I’ll tell yuh, he was some character…I don’t think he ever made it out of the 8th grade, but then that’s another story.
     I want to tell yuh ’bout this lackey who was workin’ for Bob.  He was charged with painting the lines down the middle of the road.  That first day, he did quite the job, finished three miles which was a mite good havin’ to dodge cars.  Why I’ve seen evil men run right after animals that cross the road jist for their kicks…but that’s another story as well.  Day two rolls along, he mustn’t had good coffee for he finished only two miles that day.  But then, the third day came ’round.  Ol’ Bob called this yungster in after the work day was through ’cause he only finished one mile that day.  Bob asked him why his work had dropped so tremendously, at first he thought some fellow might have run him over.  “You started out so well, why has your work dropped off so badly?” questioned Bob, all the time lookin’ him over for bumps or bruises.
     The worker gave a little shrug, “Well, I keep gettin’ farther and farther away from the paint bucket.”  True story, well, at least that’s what I’ve been tolt.  But ain’t it like some of the workers today, not a lick of sense.  Mediocrity, yuh’ve seen it plenty.  But more and more it’s gettin’ to be true of the truth of the Word of God.  Further and further away from the bucket of truth.  The walk is slowed down, and the lines might even be some crooked.  Pard, I won’t blame it on not havin’ some good, strong coffee in the mornin’ and throughout the day–maybe the guy was drinkin’ those cinos.  But the reality of it is that when we start to strayin’ from the source–God’s Word–we can get ourselves in a mess of trouble real quick-like and not even be a-realizin’ it.  Why Pard, if’n that yungster doin’ the paintin’ wasn’t careful he might have got some color mixed in with that road paint.  ‘Magine drivin’ down the road followin’ pink paint, or that there chartreuse.
     Well, I see yur weren’t shy with the coffee this mornin’ as it’s all gone.  Yuh be makin’ yur lines straight, don’t be a-weavin’ and wanderin’ about.  Keep on that straight and narrow glory road.  Pard, onward and upward…that’s what it takes.  An’ let me tell yuh, part of it is always checkin’ back on the Good Book; it’s like checkin’ yur cinch when yuh mount, it’ll help keep yuh in the saddle when the goin’ gets rough.
     Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
A man’s got to trust his gizzard. When you have a bad feeling about something, it’s wise to heed the warning.”
                    –David Fitz-Gerald  (First Drive) 

       According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”
                    –1 Corinthians 3:10 (NKJV)
—————————
I send my grandkids a morning admonition which often includes the idea of “taking heed.”  A small bit of instruction reminding them of their obligations to the Lord and themselves for the day.  To “take heed” is used fifteen times in the Gospels (NKJV).  According to the Oxford Dictionary it means to: “pay careful attention to;” “take notice of.”  In other words look, listen, and be attentive.  This morning let’s look at a few things that Jesus tells us to “take heed” of.

Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”  Do not be a braggart in your giving.

Matthew 16:6, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.’”  Do not be proud and hypocritical; keep your priorities straight.

Matthew 18:10, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”  Be careful how you deal with children, the innocent.  Hmm, strong words for abortionists.

Matthew 24:4, “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.'”  Watch out for false teachers, especially those dealing with spiritual issues.  Stay true to the doctrine of the Bible.

Mark 4:24, “Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.'”  Stay away from false teaching, vain thoughts, cursing, gossip, and coarse jesting.

Mark 13:23, “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.”  Listen, listen, listen — Jesus had told us.  Listen to His words!

Mark 13:33, “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Jesus is coming soon; we don’t know the day or hour but we are to watch carefully for His coming and to watch over our lives to be found ready.  Watch and pray!

Luke 11:35, “Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.”  Be sure you are saved, then walk in the light of Christ, let the light of the Holy Spirit be in you and be your guide.

Luke 12:15, “And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.'”  Inventory your life and be content with what you have.  Do not covet.

Luke 17:3,  “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”  Another verse that implies we should take inventory of our lives and see that we live in accordance with His Word.  Then notice the addition.

Luke 21:34, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”  Do not be involved with the things of the world.  Don’t let things get between you and God, and don’t be pressured by the cares of this life.  Notice that He brings us reckless living and getting drunk.  If we let these things get to us, then there is a chance that the Day of the Lord will come upon us and we won’t be ready.

Do you get the picture?  There are four other verses that pertain to those already written above.  Mark 8:15 repeats Matthew 16:6; Mark 13:5 and Luke 21:18 repeat Matthew 24:4 so take special note of that.  Luke 8:18 refers to Mark 4:24.  There are more in the epistles, but I wanted to look especially at what Jesus tells us to “take heed” of; what He warns us about.
     My friends, in the day and age, we must look closely at our salvation.  We must take heed and be ready for His coming.  Don’t let anyone persuade you to another way, or allow yourself to become complacent or compromise.  TAKE HEED!