Author: Ira Paine

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

But you’ve worn out your stomach with nine cups of coffee every meal.”

                    –Zane Grey
 
Come on in, Pard, grab yur cup.  Listen, no matter what that ol’ sage had to say, I don’t drink nine cups after every meal.  Maybe two or three; it is nice to have a cup after the supper meal though.  Don’t know if’n the coffee would wear out the stomach or line it so’s that it won’t wear out.  Sorta like sealin’ it up.  Been havin’ some good coffee lately.  Ahhh, sittin’ in my chair, watchin’ the sunrise ev’ry mornin’, and sippin’ the hot brew whilst thinkin’ on the Lord and doin’ my mornin’ readin’.
     Well, Pard, I went out an’ did my duty as a citizen yesterday.  Notice I used the word “citizen.”  Only citizens have the right to vote.  I surely don’t know where folks get the idea that all have the same rights in this country.  There are some that are for citizens only.  Non-citizens and felons who have lost the right to vote because of the consequences of their actions need to stop their clamorin’ for their rights.  An’ worse are those pseudo-politicians who back them, not out of concern, but out of the vote that would come their way.  Bunch of lily-livered, white-washed, veneer-covered, mouthy no-goods is what they are.
     Ahhh, but no need to get the gizzard riled.  The Lord has it all under His control, but He still expects us to do our duty no matter where we live.  An’ one more thing, Pard.  That fellow in the Senate who keeps mouthin’ off ’bout Trump wantin’ to be a king, best be gettin’ ready.  Two kings are on the horizon.  One is the man of lawlessness, the one who will demand worship and will bring world-wide anarchy and chaos.  When he is disposed of the true and righteous king of the universe will rule–Jesus Christ.  My, my, my what a day that will be.  Peace, order, and control will finally come to the weary ol’ world.  The curse will be removed, and those wildfires and other natural disasters will stop.  Nature will be quittin’ its groanin’s.  
     Pard, think of it.  No more quibblin’, an’ hopefully all the cinos will be done away with, an’ I’m not jist a-talkin’ ’bout coffee cinos.  I’m speakin’ ’bout those watered-down, mouthy folk who are ignorant of the Lord and His way, and are downright fools.  See Pard, those folks don’t know the truth and many of them don’t want to know the truth.  But thank the Lord, as Paul done tolt us, “We have the mind of Christ.”  Yep, he wrote that to the church in Corinth, let’s me think, first book, 2:16.  But Pard, now is the time for us to be strong, like that thar coffee yur a-slurpin’.  Now, we are to be havin’ the mind of Christ, living a holy life, thinkin’ ’bout the things of the Lord, an’ then be a-doin’ them.
     If’n yuh haven’t done yur duty in votin’, best be gettin’ it done.  Make sure yuh vote for the godliest person yuh know, one that tries to be livin’ by the Good Book.  An’ Pard, don’t go runnin’ out to vote without first checkin’ yur cinch.  Fallin’ on yur noggin’ might knock some sense into yuh, but it could make yuh dizzier than yuh already are.  Be havin’ a good an’ safe week.
     Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
Never give up to the desert or to any of its minions!  Never cease to fight!  You must fight to live–an’ so make that fight equally for your mind an’ your souls!”
                    –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)
 
       “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
                    –2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)
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     Beware as you travel in the wilderness of nature’s traps.  There may be sinkholes and other hidden obstacles.  Watch your step as you could stumble and fall into a pit.  Maybe it has already happened to you as it did to Pilgrim when he fell into the Slough of Despond.  When one is not paying attention to their steps or when one gives over to the dark days of depression, not caring if you survive, much less go on, is a terrible pit to fall into.  Perhaps there have been friends or family who have turned on you–often that is a hard pit to crawl out of, so you just decide to lay there, accepting your situation, and rot.  You may have tried, but not, finding yourself in the wilderness, you are in shock.  Your shoulders start to droop, your head bows, and you struggle to stand as your knees begin to falter.  You have fallen into a deep, dark pit of despair.
     The pit where you find yourself might not be real as in the case of Joseph, but it is just as deep as dark as his.  Imagine him sitting in the darkness.  What were his thoughts?  I’m sure they rambled all over the place.  Surely the question, “Why” came to his mind.  Perhaps, “Will my brothers really kill me?”  Imagine the despair and thinking of the hate his brothers had for him.  “How could they be so cruel?” might be another question.  His mind must certainly have been in a whirl, sitting in that dark pit–a pit of despair.
     It would not be Joseph’s only venture in the wilderness.  He found himself in other various pits during his life.  His wilderness wastelands varied, but they continued throughout his life.  Perhaps, even while second in power as vizier of Egypt where he lived in luxury, he may have wondered in the wilderness of thoughts–“Why, why, why?”  But he did not live in despair even in the piit.  He proclaimed that God meant it for good while others meant it for evil.
     The key to Joseph’s survival is threefold:  he learned to understand the wilderness, he never forgot to serve the Lord, and he knew that the Lord had a special purpose for his life.  He understood that he would have to survive the physical ordeal, the mental anguish, and the spiritual low.  Mentally and spiritually he would have to fight.  He understood that he must keep his mind active, that he must continue to worship the One that would never leave him alone in the dark pit, or the prison cell, or the despair of the dungeon.  He may not understand the “why” of the circumstances, but he never let an experience defeat him.  In his situation he continued to serve, not only God, but his fellow man, and I am sure he was in constant prayer.
     Take a minute to consider Reuben.  Yes, there was a bit of heroism, though not much, when he stopped the brothers from killing Joseph, and he even had thoughts of rescue.  We read in Genesis, “And Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him’–that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.” (37:22, NKJV)  He was the oldest, why didn’t he stop them and put an end to their vindictiveness?  Was he afraid?  Had fear thrust him into his own special wilderness?  Imagine his thoughts for the next several decades; he surely had those continual, nagging questions:  “Why didn’t I stop them?”, “Where is Joseph?”, “Did he die; is he a slave somewhere?”  Reuben must have been tortured in his mind.  He faced the torment of a wasteland that could have destroyed a lesser man.  How did he survive?  Was there always the hope hidden somewhere that he might see Joseph again; did he think of the dream Joseph shared with his brothers, or had that hope gone as well?  Even though robust, someone who had the look of a man who controlled his problems, he was actually a man with a hollow soul.
      Joseph moved from pit to pit, but God was always faithful.  Even in the midst of the deepest pit, Joseph always realized that he was never alone.  He let God deal with the situations that were beyond himself.  When his family, years later, came to Egypt facing a wilderness of famine, he was able to save them.  And God, being merciful, allowed Reuben to see his brother that he allowed to be thrown into the pit, and was brought out of his peculiar wilderness and allowed to hope again.
 
(taken from Trails in the Wilderness)

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

All your life there will be men who will try to keep you from getting where you’re going, some out of hatred, some out of cussedness or inefficiency.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Flint)

       “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'”
                    –John 8:12 (NKJV)
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     “Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid”–often attributed to John Wayne carries a load of truth.  Look around you and you see stupidity abound.  I saw a kid recently, I call anyone under thirty a kid anymore, push a police officer in a restaurant, mocking him, and was surprised when she was cuffed.  Not only is life tough, it has consequences.  Folks wander about, not knowing what they are really doing.  They succumb easily to the wiles of the devil.  We are warned as Christians to beware of his snares, traps, and devices, but those in the world just go along with his evil ways.  Very few have said that they are joining up with Satan, but in reality that is what they have done.
     You may have noticed that life is no picnic; this is especially true when you find yourself in a wilderness.  Picnics, by and large, have found themselves removed from the scene so many may not know the significance of that statement.  You may have been walking an easy trail, going along with no particular hardships.  Then all of a sudden, a wildfire like those in the Panhandle, Oklahoma, and Kansas.  Wham!  All of a sudden.  Are you ready for it?  That’s why when we walk this journey of life we are not to become too complacent.
     I have a print from a painting by Fred Deaver titled, “A Heap of Trouble.”  It shows an old frontiersman making his way along a wilderness trail.  There were steep walls of rock to one side of him and on the other a deep gorge.  The trail he was on was narrow and he had to be careful of his footing.  Unbeknownst to him, on the other side of the curve there is a massive grizzly walking in his direction–yep, a heap of trouble.  We are left to speculate what happened to the man.  He could not turn around.  Was he able to shoot the bear?  Did the bear have him for dinner?  Did either of them fall off into the gorge?  Did the bear change direction?  The idea is that we should always be prepared for a heap of trouble.  “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV)  That someone might be you.  Earlier in this epistle Peter tells us to “prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled…” (1 Peter 1:13, NIV)  In your wilderness watch your footing, but also keep your eyes peeled for what may be coming around the next bend.
     Then there are those trails that grow dim or have several other paths branching off from it.  The voices call out, “Take this one!”, “No, take this one!”  If darkness is coming, it may be prudent to stop for the night and wait for the morning’s light.  It is vital that you recognize the right trail.  This is done through the knowledge of the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (119:105, NIV)  Don’t listen to all the voices.  Listen to the quiet leading of the Spirit.  You will find quickly enough that the Lord wants us to enjoy life, but only those things that are moral and uplifting.  The great Methodist preacher of the last century, William E. Sangter said, “Enjoy it [life] while you can.  Seize every scrap of legitimate happiness, but remember…life is not a picnic  There are tears in things.”  But take heart oh traveler, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NKJV)
     Settle down, don’t panic.  This is the time to draw upon your resources.  Recall those passages that are deep in your heart and mind.  Follow that heavenly Guide–the Holy Spirit and don’t question His leadership.  Your prayer at a time like this may be similar to George Matheson’s:  “When I stand below the stars without Thee I say with Jacob, ‘How dreadful is this place!’  Take away the dread, my Father!  Light this solemn world with Thy smile!  Dispel with Thy voice the solitude I feel!  Guide me amid the things I know not, the things that know not me!  It is not death I am afraid of; it is life–life without Thee.”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The trail had a way of grinding people down, burning off the dross to transform them into something leaner, harder. It didn’t matter who you were before; you either learned how to survive, or the endless prairies, washed-out trails, and indifferent mountains would swallow you whole.”
                    –E.J. West  (The Last Trail)

       “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace.”
                    –Psalm 37:37 (NKJV)
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“He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.” –Proverbs 10:9 (NKJV)
“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” –(NIV)

This is the easier path versus the person on the sure path.  That hard path, the one that the Lord offers, is sure.  It is walking before God not before men, this was the path that Enoch took–a life of fellowship and obedience.  His testimony was “that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5, NKJV)  That is the man of integrity, the upright man.  It is what God says about Job, “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8, NKJV)  It does not mean perfect or sinless but a man, like David, who sought God with all his heart despite human flaws.
     This is the person of integrity–the person who is sound in their moral character.  Bob Beasley says, “A man or woman of integrity is one who has adapted certain moral principles in life and then walks according to them.”  People like Enoch, Job, and many others.  They walk according to the Bible; it is “only the Bible that can bind his conscience.” (Beasley)  This is “making God the master of every thought, word, temper, and motive.” (Charles Bridges)  It is not always an easy walk, but it is a sure walk.  The steps are guided and ordered by God and they are made secure.  It is like Joshua, neither looking to the left or to the right, but focusing on the path in front, the way that the Lord has given.  The great theologian Isaac Barrow says, “He therefore moveth forward with courage, there being within him nothing to make him halt, to distract or disturb him.”  His face is like flint on the road ahead, the destination fixed in his mind, and he doesn’t waver but continues onward to his destination.
     You have heard that honesty is the best policy.  So true, the honest person, the person of honor, of integrity walks forward.  David writes, “But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.” (Psalm 26:11, NKJV)  This is a sure walk, but there is another way.  One who perverts his way, or one who takes crooked paths.  There seems to be a difference in translation, but really there is not.  The journey of life is there, all of us are on it; but some will choose to pervert the way for one reason or another or for many.  Some will seek to gain advantage, take shortcuts, compromise the truth, follow their own opinion rather than what God has spoken, they will find they are on a perverted course. This was spoken of about Judas, one of the twelve, one chosen by Jesus Himself–his ways became perverted.  John wrote that “he was a thief.” (12:6)
There are those who “pervert nature in order to attain their ends.” (J.L. Flores)  Read those that Paul writes about in Romans 1.  Perverting the truth, fulfilling selfish purposes, turning from God–these are on the crooked and dangerous path that leads to perdition.
     There is not an option if we are to follow Christ.  The words given to Abraham when he was old still bind us today, “Walk before Me and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1)  Adam forsook the sure way and was cast out.  Cain perverted the path that God wanted and became a murderer and a wanderer.  “The man that walks uprightly is a restorer of man’s ancient dignity as a walker with God.” (Flores)  This walk is not only for the present life but it continues on into eternity.  The Prophet Jeremiah writes for us to heed, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls….” (6:16, NKJV)  Do not be like those that are condemned in the last phrase of the verse, “we will not walk in it.”  Those are the ones who pervert their ways.  Be secure in your walk; follow the path that God has laid out for you.  It may not be the easiest, but it is the surest. The same is true for each of us–walk the way of the Lord and there will be everlasting rest and peace for your soul.