Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on March 5, 2025

Nothing good comes from evil intentions.”
–Duane Boehm (Hand of Fate)

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

–Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
—————————–
In 1948, the Jewish nation was restored, but there was no king, priest, temple, or sacrifices. This will change; in the future, the dynasty of David will again sit on the throne. Amos has been prophesying dire warnings and destruction now he ends his book with the promise of hope, the promise of restoration.

9.11 — “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;
.12 — That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the LORD who does this thing.
.13 — “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.
.14 — I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
.15 — I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God. (NKJV)

This book has been dominated by “dark clouds of judgment ends with this more cheerful message of hope.” (Craigie) God promises a new beginning for a remnant. The tone has changed from judgment to hope. Amos, too, looked forward to the coming David–the Messiah. It is not yet, but it is still promised, therefore, it will come. Peter Craigie states, “A day is still to come…in which the people will be restored to their land, there to live in God’s bounty and prosperity.”
There are five promises in this prophecy:
1) the tabernacle or booth of David will be built–since it is David we know that this is in reference to the Messiah who is from the line of David.
2) power over all the old enemies–the kingdom will be enlarged; it will also include Gentiles (hmmm, the Church of the Redeemed)
3) there will be prosperity and bounty for the land–in the future reign of Christ, the curse will be removed from the land.
4) captives will be brought back–notice the “I wills” of these verses and know that God will make it happen. “He is the source and sustainer of the restoration.” (Ogilvie)
5) the covenant of the chosen people will be remembered–following the coming judgment there is the promise of a new beginning. As Matthew Henry states, “The kingdom of the Messiah shall take such deep rooting in the world, as to never be rooted out of it.”
A short, few verses that bring hope and promise to the chosen ones of God. Oh yes, they would face the judgment of their vile fruits. There is a cost of being chosen; we have been appointed to live holy, righteous lives, and it would do us well to remember that. Lloyd Ogilvie says, “We, like Israel are accountable to Him for what we do with the blessings He bestows on us.”
We bring to a conclusion this powerful book. Gary G. Cohen has this to say in closing, “Let this ending scorch its strong lesson upon the heart of every reader, to make sure he has come to the foot of the cross and by faith has embraced Christ’s forgiveness. Let every reader be sure that he is standing secure upon the ground of God’s blessings, rather than upon the land of sin and rebellion, wherein only sorrow and grief abide. As in the case of Israel, there is fullness of blessing only when Jehovah is in truth your God.”
What happened to Amos? Did he go back to his herds and farm? Did he continue to act as a prophet? That we do not know, but we know that he brought forth God’s message in a powerful way. Kyle Yates leaves us with what I call: Practical Lessons of Permanent Value.
1) Men displease God by hollow, insincere worship.
2) Nations and individuals that have been favored are laden with corresponding responsibilities.
3) God is gracious and patient in warning us.
4) Social injustice is intolerable to God.
5) Sin must be punished. Men must suffer.
6) Ease, luxury, and idleness lead to open sin.
7) Possessing power over others creates grave dangers.
8) In any emergency God can raise up an effective prophet to do His will.
9) The discipline of the desert is valuable. What a great service the wilderness did to Amos!
10) God amply warns before He brings judgment, but He does not speak and warn endlessly.
11) Farley states in closing: “Our solemn assemblies may still be despised by Yahweh. Whenever mere ritual and form are allowed to take the place of filial communion with God and moral obedience, our worship will be as lightly esteemed by Him as was the worship of Israel long ago, and our sanctuaries will fall, as did the ancient high places. Our churches will be empty, their services despised, and the heart and mind of men will turn for sustenance elsewhere.”

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on March 4, 2025

So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can.” –Ecclesiastes 3:12, NLT

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

With that shot I dropped the man I was dragging, when he head thudded on the floor, a second shot was fired from the kitchen, this one a more powerful caliber. I glanced toward the kitchen and my eyes caught the fur-man who had pushed his chair back. His gun was out and he fired at me.

What I feared the most happened. His bullet hit the man at the table that was between us, who grunted and fell to the floor. Thankfully in one way, that gave me time to draw and return fire with no one in the way of my target. I shot twice, as the man tried to cock and fire his gun again. He looked surprised when first, his gun didn’t fire, and second when my bullet plowed into his chest. Dropping his gun, his hand flew to his chest, then he stared at me before his eyes glazed over and he fell down across the table and onto the floor.

Before I could rush to the kitchen, a man came out with a sneer on his face. He sort of twirled in a half circle, dropped his gun, then he crumpled to the floor. “Molly!” I hollered. “Lola!”

I took two steps when I heard the shotgun boom. I had forgotten Teeter, not figuring that he had enough gumption to try anything, but then my back was to him. Turning I saw that he was on his back, pistol in hand. My eyes then went to Doc who was holding the Greener. Only for an instant though; I had to check on Molly.

She met me at the kitchen entrance with the pistol she kept in her work dress in hand. With a sob she fell against me, and I walked her over to the table where Doc had been. The Greener was on the table, and I saw Doc up where Teeter lay on the floor.

“You all right?” I asked hurriedly. She nodded. “Lola?” She nodded again, pointing towards the kitchen.

I rushed in that direction and upon entering the kitchen, I saw Lola sitting on the floor near the woodpile. “Lola, Lola, are you hurt?”

When she didn’t say anything I reached down for her. She blinked her eyes several times, maybe I was out of focus, but she grabbed hold of my arm and I helped her to stand. “Let’s go sit with Molly.”

Reentering the dining area, I saw Doc working on the downed man, the one fur-man shot. “Oh, Lord,” I prayed aloud.

I took Lola over to Molly, then went toward the man. Doc was giving his friend and another man instructions and they helped the still conscious man out the door and towards Doc’s office. I was thankful that he was conscious but there was a pool of blood on the floor where he had been lying.

“Miles,” came Doc’s voice. “Check on the man by the kitchen, see if he’s dead. I’ll look fur-man over, and then head on over to the office to work on Dickinson’s wound.”

“He goin’ to make it, Doc?”

Doc gave me a little shrug, then bent down to check on the condition of fur-man while I went to see about the other. “Dead,” I muttered loudly, and upon saying that Doc went up and out the diner.

The others who were in the diner were slowly getting up off the floor where they had taken refuge during the gunplay. It was at that time that the door burst open, immediately my hand pulled my gun. The man hollered, “Miles! Molly! What’s happened?” He stopped as he looked at my pistol pointing at him. “Miles, put that away.”

It was Solly Vendor from across the street. I was still on edge, but fortunately I recognized him. “Solly, we’re all right. Go get Parker.” He turned and rushed back out the doorway. I yelled on his way out, “Get Mateo over here.”

I stood then started walking to the table where Molly and Lola were sitting. “More business for Paul Parker, the undertaker,” I thought to myself.

Molly was holding Lola around her shoulders. “Neither of you were shot?” I questioned. “I was sure I heard him fire once.”

When I said that, Lola began to cry and she buried her face in Molly’s chest…

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on March 3, 2025

How almost impossible to exercise eternal vigilance! Habit was more powerful, in the long run, than the most implacable of wills.”
–Zane Grey (Arizona Ames)

“Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.”
–Psalm 2:11 (NASB)
—————————
Many people will not read or they will skip over this portion of Scripture. Some wish that it was not in the Bible. It is a harsh set of verses, verses that depict the hardness and evil of the world. However, we should not be quick to dismiss Psalm 137.

5 — If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
6 — If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth–if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 — Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!”
8 — O daughter of Babylong, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 — Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock! (NKJV)

“Remember,” a word that is used three times in the psalm. One thing that should come to our attention is the fact that we should remember. I could go into several reasons that we should remember, but sufficient to say that it is good that we pray that the Lord remembers us. The psalmist is saying that is “if he should forget Jerusalem, then he has no real reason to play his harp. He must play for the glory of God or not play at all.” (Lawson)
In my studies concerning the Vietnam POWs, one thing that the majority of them said was that they knew that the country would remember them. That gave them hope. They had faith that the nation would one day, not knowing when, but there would be a day when they would be released from their captors. In these verses we see the concept of loyalty. Because of their hope, because they knew they would be remembered they would continue to be loyal to their country. This is the thought that echoes in these verses. The psalmist will not play for the taunters and mockers of God.
Remember, he writes, those who tore down the holy city, the temple, and the walls. George Wood writes, “We do take solace in the truth that the Lord will prevail ultimately, and that His judgments are true and righteous.” We are in a strange world, like the psalmist. We are waiting for the return of the Lord, but in the meantime, what do we do? Remember the words of Paul, “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NKJV) Only God can show true and righteous justice in His wrath. He will not forget us in this evil world. He will return for His Bride. There will come a time of divine justice.
Remember the warnings that prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and others gave to the people. They boldly preached the Word of God to them, they warned them of what was coming if they did not repent. The psalmist is remembering now, I am sure of those prophecies. But he also remembers the Lord’s mercy, and that He will not forget His people. Justice is coming to the evil of this world, to the mockers and blasphemers of God. God will remember His people in His divine justice.

“Come, y disconsolate, where’er ye languish;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel;
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”
–Thomas Moore

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on March 1, 2025

If I get my druthers, we’ll sit here and drink coffee all day instead of being out in that bitter wind.”

–Duane Boehm (Shooting Star)

“Oooooo — oooooo,” What do yuh mean, what’s that? That’s the sound of the wind howlin’ through the tops of the tall pines. Don’t yuh recall the words from that ol’ sage, Bob Nolan? “Ooooo–oooo, listen to the wind, wonder what he’s sayin’, oooooooooo”

Yuh thought I smashed my toe. Pard! That’s the wind. This is March, the month of the wind; it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The wind comes and goes, and my oh my, I’ve been in some winds in my lifetime. Yuh know, my hometown of Boulder was known for its wind that rushes down through the canyons.

When I hear the wind or feel it against my skin, when I have to hold on to my hat so it don’t blow over God’s creation, well, Pard, I’m reminded of that verse in Acts. There was the sound of a rushin’, mighty wind. It was a violent wind, an’ I’m sure those in the upper room were a mite concerned when they heard it. The wind can come in and destroy, but this wind was the Holy Spirit, and yes, Pard, in one way it blows through our soul to destroy the evil within us and then to sanctify us.

Lookee up there at the tree tops a-swayin’. Yuh can see movement, but yuh can’t see the wind. The same is true of yur soul. There is movement within as the “Wind”–the Holy Spirit blows and sweeps through cleanin’ it up, but yuh can’t actually see the Spirit. Why Pard, think of it. Way back in the beginning, the Spirit moved upon the waters. He wasn’t seen, but there was action takin’ place. Tell me, Pard, have yuh ever seen grace? But it’s real all the same, the Spirit brings the washin’ of the blood and activity is takin’ place though not seen.

Maybe yuh might take a good notion, the next time the wind comes a-blowin’ to be thinkin’ what the Spirit is doin’ in yur life. Listen, oooooo-oooooo, the wind blows out all that chaff that has accumulated in the old life. Listen, ooooooo-oooooo, there is a refreshin’ takin’ place; the smell of the old man is gone, now we have the wonderful breeze of the Holy Spirit guidin’ us through this wearisome land.

Still don’t like my singin’? Well, Pard, it’s better than listenin’ to the wind that yur a-bellowin’. Call yuh Windy Bob, or Windy Jim, or Windy whomever, it’s a wonder yuh can keep yur feet on the ground with all that hot air yur holdin’ in. No wonder yuh have to be a-spewin’ it out once in a while. But let me tell yuh straight, it ain’t the sound of a rushing, mighty wind. An’ Pard, don’t be usin’ it as an excuse for the knots on yur noggin’. Don’t blame it on the wind that yuh forgot to check yur cinch.

Vaya con Dios.