Author: Ira Paine

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

You’re going to need this, there’s plenty of varmints on the road.”

                    –Frank Baugher  (Preacher’s Corner)

       “The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses are despised, no one is respected.”
                     –Isaiah 33:8  (NIV)
——————————–
A few years back we were on a little trip and decided to go to the site where my folks lived when they first came from Oklahoma in 1936.  We went over Cottonwood Pass, which had some memories for we had to pull off the road and camp there one night back in the 1970s (oh, so long ago).  The car I was driving vapor locked and it simply wouldn’t go any further up the pass so I pulled it over and set up camp–in the rain with only the dog to help.  It wasn’t a good night, Annie and I, two little girls, and a beagle, but we did sleep well.  But it was the road we had to travel and the next morning the car started right up and over the pass we went.
     Back to the later trip; after Cottonwood Pass we stopped for a little while at Tin Cup in Taylor Park.  My Grandpa used to fish there in years gone by, then we headed through Tin Cup and up over Cumberland Pass.  It was the road we had to travel, so up we went.  My old Dodge Dakota climbed easily despite the weather; it had begun to rain mixed with sleet and snow.  The road became treacherous, but onward and upward, there was no other way.  We were in the clouds when we reached the summit and the weather had slackened.  We continued on the rocky, dirt road up over Waunita Pass, which isn’t a bad pass but the road was terrible, filled with washboards.  On the other side of this pass was where the cabin once stood.  It was the third time I had visited the cabin, but this time it had fallen apart.  The roof was caved in, one side was leaning inward.  Now the road was still rough and rocky, but there the driving was easy through the pasture land, the many copses of aspens and by Waunita Hot Springs.  We had to travel this road to get to our destination.
     I might ask, what type of road are you traveling on today?  Some of you may be traveling through a storm.  Let me tell you, I’ve driven through all sorts of storms:  snow with white-outs, heavy rain and thunderstorms, fog so thick you could cut it with a knife, a tornado moving nearby.  However, I couldn’t let the storm stop me from my destination.  Once I was on a trip and there was a problem with my vehicle’s engine.  Everytime I stopped for gas, I had to put water in the radiator.  Now, I remember going through the deserts of Arizona and California years ago when Dad would tie a bag of water in front of the radiator to help cool the engine and to use if needed.  Problems on the road, they cannot be totally avoided, but no matter the trouble we travel on that road–we had to if we wanted to reach our destination.
     “How much longer?”  Oh, how many times have I heard that?  My normal response was “an hour and a half.”  “Are we almost there?”  We’ll be there in about an hour and a half.  It didn’t really matter, we had to travel that road no matter how long it took.  Sometimes time seems to drag on.  Will we ever make it?  I recall the words from a Walt Mills song:  
               “Sometimes it seems like I’m standing still,
               Until I look back and see,
               How deep my valley, how high the hill
               And each step nearer to eternity.”
No matter where we travel, on fine highways that are straight and smooth, or on curvy, winding roads that are full of ruts, we keep going.  We are traveling the road to our heavenly home.  We are light and salt to those who pass our way no matter the direction they are going.  Someone once put it this way, “Christianity is made for the road.”  We meet all sorts on the road and we are to be a testimony to them.  We are to go onward to our destination, knowing that each mile is directed by Him, that each step of the way He is with us.  Jesus walks with us each step of each day until finally one day we will reach our destination.  See we travel this road–it is the only one we have that gets us to our destination.
   
               “I’m following Jesus one step at a time,
               I live for the moment in His love divine.
               Why think of tomorrow, just live for today,
               I’m following Jesus, each step of the way.

               The pathway is narrow but He leads me on,
               I walk in His shadow, my fears are all gone.
               My spirit grows stronger, each moment, each day,
               For Jesus is leading each step of the way.
                         –Redd Harper

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

By his example, he taught me more than anyone else the value of cheerfulness in the face of adversity.”
                    –E.B. Sledge  (With the Old Breed)

       “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”
                    –2 Corinthians 10:3 (NIV)
—————————–
          “Complete the salvation that God has given you with a proper sense of awe and responsibility.  For it is God who is at work within you, giving you the will and the power to achieve his purpose.”
                    –Philippians 2:12-13(Phillips)

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”–we have looked at several aspects of what that means.  It means to fulfill your duty as a Christian, to be diligent in our walk not wavering, and to pick up our cross daily.  I want to look at a different aspect this morning.  We work out our salvation by living our training, standing firm in every situation, and when others fall, continue to stand.
     Barclay reminds us that salvation is of God.  He is the One who saves us.  The continuance of that process is to be awakened by Him, and without His goodness in our lives sin cannot be conquered; it is God who is at work within us.  The end process of salvation is with God as well.  We are His and He is ours.  “The work of salvation is begun, continued and ended in God.”  However, as Barcaly uses the illustration, man may be ill and the doctor prescribes the medicine that will help him, but the man must take them.  He can be stubborn and refuse.  “No man can ever receive salvation unless he answers God’s appeal and takes what He offers.”  Then throughout life there are instructions to be followed, duties to be obeyed, and obligations to be met, thus working out one’s salvation.
     This term, “work out,” means to “work in a mine” getting all out of the mine that is possible.  It can also mean working in a field to get the greatest harvest possible.  As problems come into our lives we have to “work them out.”  Warren Wiersbe writes, “Our lives have tremendous potential, like a mine or a field, and He wants to help us fulfill that potential.”
     “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NIV)  We work out our own salvation by putting on the armor of God.  Notice, we put it on.  It is something we do.  If we can put it on, we can take it off, or refuse to wear it in the first place.  Wearing the armor of God is no easy thing and since it has a military connotation we can expect a battle–to fight.  Not only must we put it on, we must put it to use.  In my short time in the military and from my studies, I have found out the difference between a warrior and a soldier is that a warrior lives his training.
     To be a warrior in any army, but especially in the service of the Lord requires strict discipline and the adherence to a warrior code.  Shannon D. French says in her wonderful book, “The Code of a Warrior,” that the code “set boundaries on his behavior.  It distinguishes honorable acts from shameful acts…  They respect the values of the society in which they were raised and which they are prepared to die to protect.”  That is one reason why the Christians of the early church could march into the colosseum singing for they were marching in the army of the Lord.  The Christian in his armor understands the “thou shalt nots” of the Ten Commandments.  He practices being a good steward with his finances, his time, and most importantly of all, his life.  
     What happens when the day of evil comes if you don’t have on your armor?  If you have laid aside your sword?  If you are barefooted?  No, part of working out one’s salvation is to be alert and prepared at all times so “after the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13, NIV)  Don’t be lax, don’t become a sluggard, but stand your ground, work out your salvation, fight the good fight and recall with the smile of a warrior the words of Paul to Timothy, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Timothy 2:3, NIV)
               “And battles sometimes futile seem
               Not worth the heavy cost,
               But each must stand in his own time
               Or see his freedom lost.”
                       –Andrew H. Hines
Stand your ground.  You may not understand the “why” of the battle but you follow orders because you are working out your salvation, and most importantly of all–you know your Commander.  We stand against the fiery darts, we stand when the lion roars in our face, we stand when others around us have fallen.  Lost?  No way, I’m in the King’s Army and my loyalty is to Him and He will provide a way to victory.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Once a man sets his sights on reaching the truth, nothing this side of death can stop him.”
                    –John Deacon  (Kip)

       “So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”
                    –Psalm 18:24  (ESV)
——————-
Here, in the first part of Proverbs 7, we see more instruction.  These are important to the basic foundations of living.  Keep and store God’s commands; lay up–put them in the bank so they can be used.  Remember, means to never forget.  It is important as we go through life that we understand that “the true life of man depends upon his relationship to the Word of God.” (Flores)

          1 — My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you.
          2 — Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
          3 — Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
          4 — Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your nearest kin,
          5 — That they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words.  (NKJV)

Let me tell you right from the start in this lesson, existence is not the same as living!  All exist but only those who are in God’s Word and are obedient truly live.  Warren Wiersbe says that, “keeping God’s commands is a matter of life or death.”  We all exist, but we do not all live the life of fullness in God, which goes even further than this life but on into eternity.
     Notice the term, “apple of your eye.”  This is something that is adored, cherished.   “We protect our eyes because they are valuable to us, and so should we honor and protect God’s Word by obeying it.” (Wiersbe)  By following God’s instruction we are acting the same as if we were protecting our eyes.  The NIV adds the word, “guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”  We wear goggles and glasses to protect the eyes.  Our sight is valuable, but more so, our spiritual sight.  “The instruction of the Word is the same to soul as the eye is to the body.” (Muffet)  
     Jesus tells us in John, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (14:15, NKJV)  No, this is not legalism, it is an act of love.  If you love someone you want to spend time with them, you want to know all about them.  Therefore, the more we know about the Lord, the more we study His Word, the more we should strive to obey and practice them.
     Dan Dick tells us that the “Commandments of God should be as much a part of us as the fingers which are a part of our hands.”  How much of the Word do you know?  How much of the Word do you practice?  We are to “write them,” actually we are to “etch them” or “carve them” into our hearts.  We are to keep God’s teaching with us all the time!  We are to practice and obey His teaching all the time.
     When we trust completely in God’s promises, we find new meaning in the word wisdom.  By this time in our study we should come to a better understanding of what wisdom is and is not.  This will continue on through Proverbs.  But this is wisdom, this is understanding–“the truth of God is constant; never changing.” (Dick)  So live a full and complete life by knowing who God is and becoming more and more acquainted with Him.

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it.  So what is the advantage of wealth–except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!”  
–Ecclesiastes 5:11 (NLT)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
      For the first hour McGinnis sat looking out the window mumbling to himself.  I heard him once, “Where is Dawson?”
     Normally I don’t reply, but I reckoned he ought to know.  “Dawson’s not comin’,”  I told him straight out.  “He’s totally incapacitated, in other words, he’s dead.”  He sort of jerked when I said that.  So I added, “Do you want to admit bringin’ him to Durango to kill someone?”
     He looked over at me, with now empty eyes.  Eyes that had no hope, eyes that took on a blank stare almost as if his soul had already left him.  He barely shook his head, then bent over placing his face in his hands.
     I didn’t say anything for quite a spell.  I offered him one of the sandwiches that Molly made me.  He did turn his head to look at it, then proceeded to stare out the window.  There were a couple of hand-pies, but he refused my offer of one of them.  He must be in bad shape.  When the conductor came by I asked if he could perchance bring a cup of coffee when the time afforded him.  He said he’d take care of it and to my surprise in a half hour a porter brought me a steaming cup.
     “Don’t know how good it is, but it sure ‘nough is hot, so’s yuh be careful,” he said with a large grin, his white teeth shining brightly against his darkened skin.  Reaching in my vest I pulled out a dollar to give him for his trouble, to which the grin got even wider.  I didn’t bother with getting McGinnis a cup.  He was in a stew.
     One time during the trip he straightened up and I thought I’d try to talk to him about the Lord and the hope that He gives.  But he just gave me that blank stare, then turned his face to the window.  He stayed that way whenever we were traveling and in the car.  Whenever we stopped, he would hold his head down, take care of business and shuffle his feet as if he were in the lowest dregs.
     When I finally turned him over to the Warden, he was in no better shape.  The Warden asked about him, and I gave him the short version, as he had all the proceedings in the file I gave him.  He looked at McGinnis, then to me.  I just shrugged.
     The train was only in the station for a couple of hours, then I would be on my way to Pueblo with my meeting.  I wondered as I heard the rhythm of the clickety-clack on the rails what the Lord might have for me, or even if this was a door through which I should enter.  I knew Marshal Blasco was retiring, but he informed me that he could not guarantee that I would be appointed marshal, and even if I was I would then have to move to Denver.
     My mind wandered back over my life.  Maybe I should have gone ahead into the horse business.  Years ago Lot Smith asked that I join him in a wild horse hunt.  I was still with Wells Fargo at that time.  Never did take him up on it.  Well, doesn’t do a person well to wonder about the “what ifs” of life.  We plan for tomorrow, but the Lord wants us to be living for the day.  The future is in His hands, and we take it one day at a time.
     Hollister McBride, of the Colorado Mounted Rangers, was supposed to meet me in Durango.  I sent him a wire from Canon City after dropping off McGinnis that I would be coming in on the next train.  I had met McBride once before with Blasco and several others in Governor James Grant’s office discussing the reorganization of the Rangers.  With the last election there was a new governor, Benjamin Harrison Eaton.  The Rangers, like a U.S. Marshal, were subject somewhat to the political game.  As a deputy I wasn’t affected so much.  I know that some of the governors in the past used the Rangers for their personal use and bodyguards.  Hopefully that wouldn’t be the case.  I would make sure that was clarified by McBride.
     As the train came into the station, I saw a tall, rugged looking man.  He was well-dressed in black, with a string tie, and he was sporting a black handlebar moustache.  I noticed that his boots were shined, and he had a black, well-kept gunbelt with a .45 in the holster that could have ivory grips.  It was Hollister McBride, better known as “Holly.”  
     “Well, Lord,” I breathed a prayer as I picked up the Greener and headed out for my appointment, “guide me.  Lead me on the path you would want me to travel…”