Author: Ira Paine

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

When working out here, you must keep your wits about you and keep one eye on the horizon.”
                         –Cliff Hudgins  (Grandpa and the Kid)

       “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

                         –Luke 21:28 (ESV)
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                    “Signs of the times are everywhere,
                    There’s a brand new feeling in the air;
                    Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky
                    Lift up your head, redemption draweth nigh.”
                             –Gordon Jensen

          “And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days…”
                            –Daniel 8:27(NKJV)

     The mystery of lawlessness is already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7).  Look around you, it is clear to see.  Watch the news and it is very apparent.  Men are lovers of themselves and everything that is unholy.  Go ahead, read what the times will be like before the coming of the Lord in 2 Timothy 3 and see if we are not there.  Even in the church, people have a form of godliness, some speak a partial truth, a truth of harmony and compromise instead of following Jesus who is the only way.
     What Daniel saw those many centuries ago made him sick to his stomach.  When you hear people say that it won’t be so bad, take another look at Daniel retching.  It wasn’t only a gut reaction, but his soul was in anguish.  Today is the day of salvation–don’t miss it.  Heed the warning of Paul to the Thessalonians, “Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, NKJV)  Take comfort, however, because the Holy Spirit instructed Paul also to write, “For God did not appoint us to wrath…” (5:9)
     Despite what others may say, the time of the Tribulation is coming.  Look briefly at the “Seals” of Revelation.  My how bad a time that will be.  When we see the destruction in the world and the troubles that go with it, it will not compare to the judgments seen in Revelation.  The innocents killed in wars in Gaza, Ukraine and a host of other places will seem negligible compared to what will happen when the Man of Lawlessness is released.  It will be so bad that the rich and noble men on the earth along with the common man will “hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!'” (Revelation 6:15-16, NKJV)  Hmm, so much for the “preppers.”
     After the Seals the judgments come in a fury.  Something that the earth has never seen before.  The Trumpet sounds and we see the destruction upon the earth:  fire, famine, pestilence, death upon the sea and upon the land, bitter and poisonous water, even destruction in the cosmos, no wonder the angel cried aloud, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.” (Revelation 8:13, NKJV)  With that fifth trumpet blast comes a host of evil from the bottomless pit.  The evil angel of the pit will appear–Apollyon.  Then the sixth trumpet and the evil angels that are bound at the river Euphrates will be released and will kill a third of mankind. (Revelation 9)  Still think the Bride of Christ will be going through this?
     But wait, there are worse judgments yet to come–the “Bowl Judgments” (Revelation 16)  There will be sores, darkness, pain, pestilence, thirst.  The stench of decaying animals will be throughout the earth.  Frogs (spirits of demons) will come out of the mouth of the great dragon (Satan) to gather the armies of the earth together.  Imagine, with all the destruction and woe, they still think they can defeat the King of kings.  The earth will be utterly shaken.  Cities will collapse, islands will disappear, mountains will fall because of the blaspheming of men.
     Yes, signs of the time are everywhere so be ready for that first trumpet blast.  A blast of victory, a trumpet call of homecoming, then the woes will begin to fall upon the earth.  Friend, now is the day of salvation.

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
We stopped by the McClure place on the way home.  Doc checked Linda and her new baby, then patched up Frank’s wound.  With that stop it was dark when we rode back into Durango.  The lights were out and except for a few places the town was dark.  I knew the saloons were probably open, but they were up a couple of blocks and then down the street.
       There was a light in Solly’s place and one in the diner, but I knew both were closed.  I stopped there and told Doc to go on home.  I knew he was frazzled and when he dismounted and started walking in the snow towards his place, he stumbled and fell, being stiff and half frozen.  I told him I’d take his horse on over to Vexler’s along with the others after dropping the bodies off at Parker’s.
       I glanced in the diner and saw Molly at the window.  She waved, then motioned for me to come down to the diner.  I tipped my hat and nodded, then headed up the street to Parker’s shop.  Paul had been the undertaker for several years now.  The sign in front of his shop read, Mortuary and Cabinet Maker.  I had to bang on the door several times before he answered.  He told me to take the bodies around to the back where he had a shed attached to the back of his shop.
       He had pulled on a coat, and met me.  “Got some stiffs for me,” he cackled, then added, “the pun intended.”  The bodies were not only stiff from being dead, but frozen from the cold with no blood circulating in their bodies.  “I’ll keep them outside and get caskets ready for them tomorrow.  Do you know who they are?”
       “Either myself or Doc Jones will be up tomorrow to give you some names.  Let me know the cost.”
       “Don’t know when I’ll get them buried,” he answered.  “The ground is too frozen to dig right now.”  
       I nodded, thinking that I wouldn’t want his job.  ‘Course he’d hire out the digging, but it would be quite a job even when it began to thaw.  After unloading, I then headed up to Vexloer’s.  The big door at the livery was closed, but I knew Moses would be up and most likely propped up by his little stove.
       He opened the big door and I led the horses in.  “You can have the tack, and I’ll talk with you later about the horses.  Take care of Star and Doc’s horse will yuh?”
       I saw him look over the horses then scratch his chin.  “Marshal, you used to think about raisin’ horses didn’t yuh?” he asked, but before I could answer he continued.  “There’s a couple of fine lookin’ mares there that would make a match with that thoroughbred stallion of yours.”
       Glancing over at Star, I looked at the two horses Moses was speaking of.  “Maybe,” I muttered, “but right now I’ve got to get on down to the diner.”
       It took a little time walking through the snow and ice.  It had warmed up just enough and for time to pass that some of the snow melted, but now with night and the temperature dropping it had turned to ice.  The door of the diner was unlocked so I went on in to find Molly putting some wood on the stove.  I also saw that she had the coffeepot on the stove and was warming up a plate of food.
       I took off my heavy coat and she came over when she saw me to give me a hug.  “Brrr, you’re cold.  Come sit by the fire.  I kept some of those enchiladas that you like warm for you.”
       First off, she poured me a cup of coffee.  It wasn’t fresh, but it was hot.  She was right, I was cold to the bone.  Then she placed a plate of enchiladas in front of me covered with sauce and onions.  On the side was a mess of pintos.  “Eat up, Mister,” she said, jokingly.  “That’s supper tonight and tomorrow night.  We haven’t been busy, but Emelda made up a bunch of enchiladas.”
       She poured herself a cup of the strong brew and sat down beside me.  While I was feeding my face, she was watching me.  “Rough time?” she inquired as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.  “Here, use the napkin.”
       I squinted up at her with a pretend frown, but then I just had to smile.  I sighed, “Rough time.”
       The last bite of beans was on my fork when she got up and headed for the kitchen.  “I didn’t forget you,” she said as she left.  A few minutes later she came back with a large piece of butterscotch pie on a plate.  With the heat from the stove, and my stomach now feeling warm from the food, I was in a much better frame of mind and soul.  But when she brought out that piece of pie.  Well, now there’s a woman that knows her man!
       There was only one lamp burning, off on the counter where you enter the kitchen and it was turned down low.  The only other light came from the stove.  She put her hand on mine as I ate at the pie, sipping coffee between bites.  “Want to talk about it?”
       We sat there, pretty much in the dark while I told her of Doc’s ordeal and what happened in the cabin with the Goss gang.  She told me that she let Marta off today so she could take tomorrow off.  “I know it’s too cold to do much, but I reckoned we could just stay around the house.”
       “Sounds good,” I replied.  “I will have to go down to Parker’s for a few minutes, but I want to talk to you about something anyway.  Moses mentioned that…”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He wasn’t a quitter. Until the end, fail as he might, he would be in there trying.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Proving Trail)

       “‘But the word of the LORD endures forever.’  Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
                    –1 Peter 1:25 (NKJV)
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Have you ever seen a map of modern day Israel and the countries around it?  A small piece of land surrounded by enemies.  Even within those enemy countries there are other foes such as Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, and others that vow to destroy Israel.  However, as we see in Psalm 108, God is in control and has parceled out the land.

          6 — That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.
          7 — God has spoken in His holiness:  “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth.
          8 — Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver.
          9 — Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast My shoe; over Philistia I will triumph.”
        10 — Who will bring me into the strong city?  Who will lead me to Edom?
        11 — Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?  And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
        12 — Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.
        13 — Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.  (NKJV)

     We see this now as past deeds which the Lord has performed, but with that in mind we know…we know that it “also constitutes promises of present and future aid.”  (George Wood)  David knows the heart of God, he knows the character of God and that God can be relied upon.
     Edom, Moab, Philistia, where are they today?  God in His providence took care of them.  However, Israel is still surrounded by a host of foes.  They must always be prepared for an attack for their enemies desire to annihilate them.  There will come a day, not far off in the future, when it will seem that Israel will be downtrodden, but then the the Lord of Hosts will appear in the skies with the armies of heaven to deliver.
     This psalm, as with others, may also be taken personally.  What foes are you facing?  Is it habits, or finances?  Perhaps you are facing a terrific battle against foes at work, or persistent physical weakness.  It may be that great enemy–self.  “The very God who refuses to assist you when you are stubborn, rebellious, and self-willed turns toward you when you are vulnerable, humble, and penitent.” (Wood)  
     Our faith must be rightly placed; our heart must be humble and yearning to serve Him and Him alone.  When we repent we call upon God to act.  When we remember the promises of God, we gain strength.  We must have the courage to stand upon the Word of God no matter how trying the circumstances, no matter how impossible the task may seem, no matter what or how many enemies we may be facing.  Life comes at us, seasons come and go, battles ebb and flow, but the promises of God will never fail.  The words of Isaiah proclaim, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8, NKJV)

               “Conquering now and still to conquer, Jesus thou ruler of all,
               Thrones and their scepters all shall perish; crowns and their splendor shall fall.
               Not to the strong is the battle, not to the swift is the race,
               But to the true and the faithful, victory is promised through grace.”
                         –Sallie Martin

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The coffeepot was hot. The fire burned low, but there was a good bed of coals. He lifted the lid on the stove and added a few sticks from the woodbox. Then he took a cup, filled it with coffee, and went to the table.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Borden Chantry)
 
Is the weather suitin’ yuh now?  Well, no matter the weather, come on in an’ we’ll have some coffee together.  Pard, we’ve gone from a long, hot, dry summer to a really cold spell, then to a week of rain, where it’s now finally settlin’ down to some wonderful weather.  But don’t be countin’ on the weatherman.  I used to say that was the only job where people were paid to lie, but I’ve added a few more to the list.  Listen, don’t even be a-believin’ ol’ Punxsatawny Phil.  The furry booger has been know to lie.
       But whatever the weather, the pot’s on the stove, an’ if’n yur real nice, I’ll brew up some fresh an’ not give yuh the mornin’ leftovers.  Good coffee this mornin’!  Pard, I got up this mornin’, made the coffee, then sat myself down in my readin’ chair to watch gray light begin to appear.  I was a-sittin’ and a-contemplatin’ when I thought I heard horses movin’ into that heavenly corral.  Yuh think it could’ve been the foreman, Michael, telling Gabriel and the other angel hands to go gather up the herd?  So I contemplated that waitin’ for the sun to rise up through the trees.
       Then I started to ponder on the goodness of the Lord.  My, yuh sure don’t have to look far to see His goodness.  Take a deep swaller, an’ then tell me of God’s goodness.  He made the bean to grow on a bush, gave someone the work to pick them.  Somewhere’s down the line they were roasted just for you and me, then I finally brewed it up this mornin’.  God is good an’ that’s just a simple example.  Why, I looked in the mirror shavin’ yesterday and saw the lines of age etched on my face.  Some folk never get to be this old, so the Lord is good.  An’ those lines, well, Pard, that’s just experience showin’ through.  Yep, sure beholdin’ to the Lord for all His goodness to me all through the years.  Sorry, Pard, didn’t mean to go gettin’ sentimental on yuh.
       Pot’s empty, that means it’s time for yuh to be moseyin’ on down the road.  The Lord willin’ the coffee’ll be on for yuh next Saturday.  Yuh be havin’ a good week…say, see that’s another example of the goodness of God.  If’n we have a day in front of us it’s due to His goodness, an’ Pard, beyond that His mercies are new every mornin’.  Yuh stay safe, keep yur gun ready and yur life prayed up, an’ Pard, don’t forget to check yur cinch.  Don’t be fallin’ on yur noggin’ this early in the year.
        Vaya con Dios.