Author: Ira Paine

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
In the few days of our empty lives, who knows how our days can best be spent?  And who can tell what will happen in the future after we are gone?”  –Ecclesiastes 6:12 (NLT)
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     McBride made his train and went home for Christmas and things had settled down to normal, whatever that is, after the incident in the diner.  Two men walked in, catching me by surprise.  With one on each side of me there was no way I could get both men.
     But the Lord intervened.  I remember throwing myself off my chair to my left, drawing my gun at the same time.  When I looked for my assailant all I saw was the pot-bellied stove.  Then the voice of McBride rang out as he came from the kitchen.  “You touch that gun and you’ll never see another Christmas.”
     The man threw his hands in the air, but either the other man didn’t hear or see, or was just all-fire ready to do something stupid, and he jerked his gun.  I didn’t see what happened, but I heard a shot, and a thud as the man hit the wooden floor.  Slowly I pulled myself up, looking first at the man with his hands in the air, then to the one on the floor as I finally made my way to my feet.
     McBride came up behind the man to lift his pistol from his holster.  Then he pushed him with the barrel of his gun to a chair commanding him to sit and not move.  I watched as he checked him over for any other weapons which produced a knife from his belt.
     “You mentioned Lem Collins.  Who is he to you?”  I had shot Collins when I was arresting him for rustling cattle.  He resisted, but he couldn’t resist the piece of lead.  I didn’t kill him; he was spending time in the pen, but he does have a nice hole in his right shoulder.
     He wasn’t defiant with his answer, but he wasn’t overly joyous either.  “Lem was my cousin.  My aunt was heartsick when she heard the news, and I reckoned I should try to make it up to her,” he said with in monotone voice.
     “You got a name?” asked McBride as the two of us looked at him carefully.  McBride shook his head, and I went over to the man lying on the floor to check on him.  He hadn’t moved an inch, so I figured he was dead.
     As I was stooped down over him, Mateo and Doc came through the door.  “Get away!” ordered Doc, as he bent down taking over my ministrations.  There was a lot of blood.
I could hear Doc muttering but couldn’t make out a word he said.
     “Never seen the like,” he muttered.  “Hand me my bag.”  By now Molly and Emelda had emerged from the kitchen as Doc took out a bandage and began to bind it around his head.  Then he took another one to put against the wound on the man’s shoulder.  When he was satisfied, he stood looking down at the still unconscious man.
     “He alive?” I questioned.
     Doc scratched his cheek.  “Oh, yes, very much.  The bullet hit the top of his collar bone then glanced upward taking off a piece of his ear and making a nice groove along the side of his head.  He’ll come to in a short spell.”
     McBride came over, and Mateo had handcuffs on the other man moving him on out of the diner to the jail.  “Man said his name was Lucius Feeney.”  He nudged the man on the floor with his boot.  “This is his brother Mort.”
     Doc proceeded to pour himself a cup of coffee, while McBride and I took a chair at the table with him, waiting for Mort Feeney to gain consciousness.
     Well, that was all the excitement, nothing amounted to anything the rest of the week.  A heavy snow did come in which put off my hunting trip until after it settled.  Folks had mixed emotions regarding it.  The kids were excited for now they would have a white Christmas, and I warned Mateo to be ready for an attack by those rascals with snowballs.
     Christmas…why a thing like what happened could put a damper on it, but then when a person took the time to look at the big picture it only made more sense why Christ came to earth.  It was to put an end to the death-grip of sin.  Sure, it was still around, but now with the sacrifice of Jesus there was hope of redemption.
     Molly and me, why we hope to spend the morning at the diner feeding the derelicts and out of work miners, then sit in front of a cozy fire back in the cabin.  Maybe sneak a piece of pie from the diner, and drink some coffee.  Mainly relax, with her by my side, reminiscing and thanking the Lord for all He has done for us through the years.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angels called it ‘Good News,’ and it was.”
                    –Larry Libby

       “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.”
                    –Micah 4:2 (NIV)
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Since we are through with the Psalms and other songs found in the Holy Writ, I thought it might be appropriate to use a well-known hymn written by Charles Wesley.  A couple of things before contemplating the words of this great carol.  First, Wesley was a prolific hymn writer who wrote about sixty-five hundred hymns, many of which we still sing today.  He committed his heart to the Lord in 1738 and began his ministry of preaching and the writing of these songs.  When we read his hymns we see them full of rich scriptural teaching.  The second thing is a question:  do angels sing?  Dare to find a verse in the Bible that states that angels sing.  It may be implied when it says the heavenly host praised God in Luke 2.  But praising doesn’t necessarily mean singing.  Could it be that singing in heaven is reserved for God and His family?  Just a thought–don’t make a doctrine of it.  Now to look at Wesley’s hymn.

          Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King:
          Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
          Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;
          With th’ angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

          Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord,
          Late in time behold him come, offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
          Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail, th’ incarnate Deity,
          Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

          Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!  Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
          Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.
          Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die,
          Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.

          Come, Desire of nations, come!  Fix in us Thy humble home:
          Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring seed, bruise in us the serpent’s head;
          Adam’s likeness now efface, stamp Thine image in its place:
          Second Adam from above, reinstate us in Thy love.

          Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”

Second Adam, the woman’s conquering seed, our Emmanuel are just a few of the great doctrinal points mentioned.  We see Wesley ministering through his wonderful writing skills.  With that thought, know this–we all are what Paul calls “living letters.”  People read the gospel of Christ by what we say, act, and do.  Some may do it through song, others through preaching, while others may write, but with all of our talents the greatest message is our lives.
     “Jesus is not only the Son but also the Sun.  The Sun of Righteousness brings not only light but life.” (William Petersen)  He is the light of the world.  And look up during this Christmas season.  Look up in the day to see the Sun knowing that righteousness is brought by the Son.  Look up at night and think of that day long ago when the angels appeared to the shepherds outside that little village to herald forth the Light of God coming into the world.  Ponder the words of Psalm 103:20-21, “Praise the LORD, you angels of his, you mighty creatures who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.  Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!” (NLT)

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The good smell of them [pancakes] mixed with the good smells of fried salt pork and boiling coffee.” 

                    –Laura Ingalls Wilder  (The Long Winter)
 
Mornin’ to yuh, Pard.  Yep, coffee’s ready and waitin’ for yuh.  Been expectin’ yuh to show up.  Goin’ to be a grand day and week.  Soon as yuh leave, the missus and I are headin’ over to the youngest daughter’s house for a birthday celebration.  Her husband is gettin’ up in years, an’ we need to be headin’ his way.  Shore don’t want him to be throwin’ a hip out of joint celebration’; someone needs to be there to keep him in line.  He’s gettin’ up there in age to be called a young, ol’ codger.
     The quotation above reminded me of our traditional Christmas breakfast.  I’m already lookin’ forward to it.  Plenty of bacon and either beignets or donuts do go along with it.  We started the beignets when we lived down in bayou country, Baton Rouge to be exact.  Probably some cranberry bread along with other Christmas fixin’s.  It’s almost better than Christmas dinner.
     A couple of things I want to say to yuh, Pard.  First, in this evil, wicked, and sinful world, remember that is the reason for Jesus to come to this earth.  He came, not to rid the earth of evil, but to offer a solution–one for all of eternity, and Pard, let me tell yuh, if’n yuh don’t know, that is a long time.  The Gift is given, so all folks have to do is reach out, repent, and accept it.  My what an easy thing to do.  Easier than I’ve seen some folk try to unwrap a present.  My jackknife is always in use on Christmas.
     The second thing is that in the midst of yur celebratin’ and it’s alright to be doin’ that, don’t forget that Christmas should also be a solemn occasion.  Take a moment an’ think along with me.  Eve was deceived, but sin came when Adam ate.  That ‘Postle of old, Paul wrote, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12, ESV).  God placed a curse on both Adam and Eve, but did yuh notice that the promise will come through Eve.  It will be her seed that the Messiah, Jesus our Savior would come.  It seems that the spiritual DNA is carried through the man.  It would be the seed of the woman that would bruise the serpent’s head.  Just wrap yur noggin’ ’round that thought.  Then we hear the angels tellin’ those mutton-punchers, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  From the womb of Mary–the woman, came the birth of our Lord.  Amazin’, simply amazin’ if’n yuh ask me.
     So again, have loads of fun, but take time to ponder an’ contemplate the meanin’ an’ the significance of this wondrous event.  And in the midst of all the fun, hubbub, hustle and bustle, and gobblin’ down the goodies and pies and cookies, and turkey that when yuh go out in the cold that yuh don’t forget to be checkin’ yur cinch.  Shore wouldn’t be a good way to end the year.  So Pard, an’ to all, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
    Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.”
                    –Frank McKibben

       “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new obedient heart.”
                    –Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
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Murders, hatred, bitterness, racism and everyone is looking for excuses, trying to rationalize it in some fashion, or blaming others.  Fix this, fix that, and it will all be better.  Give them better housing, give them free food, give them, give them, give, give, give.  But no, that is not the answer.  Anything man tries to do is only like putting a band-aid on a cancer.  “The basic problem of the human race is sin and guilt–a real moral guilt, not just guilt feelings, and a real moral sin, because we have sinned against a God who is there, and a God who is holy,” so wrote Francis Schaeffer.
     Sin, a term that is not to be used today, but it is the problem.  People bemoaning their condition, when the root of it is sin.  Think of the time when Jesus was born.  “Three-fifths of the world was in slavery.  The clanking of chains could be heard and slaves–human beings–were bought and sold as oxen, and they were beaten and bludgeoned and killed without hesitation or compunction.  There was a law among the Imperial Romans, that if a man killed an ox–just an animal–the death penalty followed for such an awful thing, but if he killed a slave, his fellow man, it was passed by and nothing thought about it.” (George Truett)  This was the world into which the holy Child was born.  Think of what happened right after the Wise Men came–Herod had the babies in the region of Bethlehem killed.
     Children were not often welcome in a home at that period.  They were regarded as a burden, they were in the way in many cases, and they were just another mouth to feed, especially if the child were female.  (Truett)  A woman was little better off than a slave.  She was a burden-bearer, not a homemaker.  Think of what women are doing with their “freedom” today, they are again choosing slavehood in Islamic beliefs and countries or they are choosing slavery to career, clock, and gain. Truett said, “How can any woman keep from loving Christ, can keep from bowing before Him, from accepting Him as Lord and Master, is a deeper mystery that I can understand.  The supreme champion of womanhood is Christ!”  Read the Gospels and dare to find a place where Jesus spoke harshly to a woman.
     How do we live like we are supposed to live?  By ignoring sin?  By deleting the term from our vocabulary?  By hiding our heads in the sand, saying that sin doesn’t exist.  Man is the solution to his own problems.  “Christ gives us the right perspective, the right estimate, the right measure of a human being,” (Truett) and He begins by calling us to repentance.  Man is eternal and cannot solve eternal problems.  Do not let the devil confuse your mind and thoughts.  Enjoy Christmas, think of Jesus coming as a baby, don’t get caught up in the false hubbub of the season.  Celebrate, but mindfully.  Understand that the Babe in the manger was God in the flesh.  The Incarnation, oh what a glorious mystery!  Never forget that “Jesus had to be fully human to step in as our substitute and sacrifice, and fully God to make that sacrifice count for eternity.” (James Merritt)
     As man looks for answers, as he sometimes declares that he has the answer, know this–the answer was given to us that day long ago that we celebrate on Christmas.  When you hear “give, give, give,” understand that the Gift has already been given.  God sent His Son to take care of sin, not place a bandaid on surface problems.  Why do people reject this wondrous Gift?  John tells us, “This is the verdict:  Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (3:19-21, NIV)