Author: Ira Paine

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

 Do not let the years pass you by. When you reach my age, life will become primarily a memory. Don’t let the bad overpower the good.”
                    –Donald L. Robertson  (Lonesome Justice)

       “Since his days are determined.  The number of his months is with You; and You have set his limits so that he cannot pass.”
                    –Job 14:5 (NASB)
———————————–
March 17, 1883, saw the funeral of one of the most influential men of modern history.  Through his philosophy of socialism/communism, more people have died than any throughout history.  Eleven people attended the funeral of Karl Marx, penniless, almost friendless.  He once penned these words to Engels, “A lousy life like this is not worth living.”  He was not young, but by no means old.  Bob Beasley reminds us, “Even if a wicked person should live many years, they will be years filled with the guilt and sorrow that accompany unforgiven sin.”  And I will add, they will go to the grave uncertain of what lies behind the veil.
     Proverbs 10:27, “The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (NKJV)  First to remind you as you contemplate this verse, and I use the words of Chad Bird, “Proverbs are general observations, not an ironclad guarantee.  Proverbs are not promises.”  You could name many strong Christians who died young, as you can probably name several reprobates who lived to be of old age.  Therefore, I would admonish you to not “claim” any of the Proverbs as promises, but use them to guide your life, and in saying that I am not diminishing the illuminating presence of the Holy Spirit to highlight some of them for your life.
     Bob Beasley gives some good advice and examples of how the fear of the Lord brings long life:
          1)  Our actual days on earth may be lengthened by a life led by the Holy Spirit.  Our habits will be purer and our minds will not be beset with worry and anxiety.
          2)  The days themselves will be longer, as we are given a fuller more meaningful life.
          3)  Our years will never end if we live and continue in the fear of the Lord.
Days will be sweeter and fuller, life will have more meaning to ourselves and to others.  And for sure, eternal life is a “better quality of life as well as quantity.” (J. Vernon McGee)
     Laughter may be a cover up for fear.  Anxiety often fills the wicked.  All sorts of escape methods are used to aid in living this life without the knowledge and fear of the Lord.  “A soul without godliness is a complicated mechanism which has never been rightly adjusted,” says J.L. Flores.  “There is no ruling principle, no guiding hand, one passion wars against another, the man bears the burden of life alone.”  The wicked live their life with relative truth, then when death hovers over them, there is uncertainty.  But as Samuel Miller says, no matter how long the righteous live, his days “are great and noble, and the wicked’s days are mean and small.”
     The words from an old hymn come to me that is from 2 Timothy 1:12:
               “But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able
               To keep that which I’ve committed
               Unto Him against that day.'”
                       –Daniel W. Whittle
Our trust is in Him, for every year, for every day, for every hour.  David tells us, “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.  LORD, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:8, HCSB)

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
Wisdom is always distant and very difficult to find.” –Ecclesiastes 7:24 (NLT)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
     It had been quiet, at least in my line of work, the past week.  Of course, Mateo and his office were busy with the nightly drunk and barroom fights.  Charlie was making his rounds to the outside communities and was currently up in Telluride.  Me, I was sitting in the diner, drinking coffee and had just finished a piece of butterscotch pie.
     Molly came over to sit with me.  Marta was back at work full time along with Lola, her niece.  Emelda was doing almost all the cooking except for baking the pies.  Mateo was working the morning shift and stopped in to see us.  I motioned to the pot on the stove and received a nod.  As he was pulling out a chair I grabbed a cup to fill it then leaned over to top off my cup.
     “Ahhh, that’s good coffee,” he remarked with satisfaction.  “I don’t know why I don’t take the time to come by here more often.”  He paused, and with an expression that was somewhat of a grimace and a grin, he asked, “Have you ever tasted the stuff that Lucas makes?  I’d almost swear in Klaser’s court that he scraped off the bottom of his boot to add to it.  I’ve had bad coffee in my time, but honestly Molly,” he looked over to her, “it is the worst!”
     “So Alejo is working full time for Bert Winfield now?”
     Mateo grinned, “Si, it sure helps with groceries since he eats most of his meals there.  I feel like I should send some food to the Senora to help out.” 
     “No!” exclaimed Molly.  “He’s not old enough to be working full time.
     “Almost sixteen,” replied Mateo, “plus he wants to be a cowboy and he’ll learn from Senor Winfield.”
     Molly was shaking her head.  “I just don’t believe he’s that old.  But, Mateo, sixteen, that’s too young.  What does Luciana say?”
     Mateo took a long draught of his coffee.  I don’t know how he can do that with it so hot.  “She’s fine, but she did tell him that he must read his Bible every morning and before going to sleep at night.  He also must come home for church on Sunday.”
     Molly thought for a moment.  “That would mean that he would have to get up early on Sunday or come late on Saturday.”
     “It’s not bad, only ’bout an hour out,” he paused, then looked at me.  “Any more news regarding the man on the palomino?”
     “Nothin’,” I replied, with a shrug.
     He took another sip.  “Don’t let your guard down.”
     I gave a little chuckle.  Here’s the young, new marshal giving the old-time lawdog advice.  But I’d surely take it.
     We both jumped, shots were fired and as Mateo jumped for his chair a shot came through the window causing both of us to fall to the floor.  I grabbed Molly pulling her out of her chair as I went down.  More shots, then Mateo was up, and pulling his gun as he rushed for the door.
     Pausing briefly at the door, he went out…

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

“The love of peace and the unwillingness to fight never kept anyone out of trouble.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (North to the Rails)

       “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
                    –John 16:33 (HCSB)

         “Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God.”  –Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
         “Blessed…are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!” –Matthew 5:9 (Amplified)

     From the start we need to distinguish the difference between peace and appeasement.  They are not synonyms!  The peace of God has a price–the precious blood of Jesus.  Appeasement is the easy way; the way of compromise.  Through appeasement Neville Chamberlain gave away peace in the Munich Conference saying, “We have made peace with honour.  I believe it is peace for our time.”  To which, Winston Churchill replied, “You were given the choice between war and dishonour.  You chose dishonour and you will have war.”  Britannica says that appeasement is “the foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved country through negotiation.”  I think of appeasement every time I see someone put their hand up with the “chicken tracks” (i.e., the peace sign)  Back in the days of World War II, it meant something totally different–victory!
     Yes, we are to pursue peace.  We read in Hebrews, “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness–without it no one will see the Lord.” (12:14, HCSB)  Peter states, “He must turn away from evil and do good.  He must seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3:11, HCSB)  How does one then go about pursuing peace?  I remember the days of the Cold War.  To be at peace meant having more formidable weapons than the Soviet Union.  First of all peace is duty implied.  We are to be people of peaceable-mindedness.  We do what we can to maintain peace, whether it be national, on the job, in the home.  Then peace is also duty expressed.  Where and when we can we are to be peacemakers.  
     However, we must beware of false prophets.  We must beware of peace-at-any-price.  We must beware of pseudo-peace.  We must beware of appeasement calling it peace.  Jeremiah gives two warnings regarding false peace.  “They have treated My people’s brokenness superficially, claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (6:14, HCSB) and “They have treated superficially the brokenness of My dear people, claiming:  Peace, peace, when there is no peace.” (8:11, HCSB)  Many of those who clamor for peace do not know that peace often comes at a very dear cost.  See, real peace, the peace in the heart of a Christian cost the blood of Jesus upon the cross.  John Stott reminds us, “Peacemaking is a divine work.  For peace means reconciliation.”  We must first be reconciled to God before there can be any true, lasting peace.  Salvation brings peace with God.  Paur writes in Colossians 1:20, “and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (NKJV)  When we accept Jesus as Savior we then become the children of God.  Truly, one cannot make real lasting peace with others without being at peace with God and self.
     What then is peace?  The Greek term is “eirene.”  It is not spoken of in a negative state and it never means the absence of trouble.  It means peace in the midst of troubles.  In Hebrew, “shalom” means peace in the manner that everything which makes for man’s highest good.  It is not only the absence of evil things, but also the presence of good things.  The Bible proclaims, as William Barclay states, “In the Bible peace means not only freedom from all trouble; it means enjoyment of all god.”  Blessed are the peacemakers then are those who bring about good.  It is not necessarily stopping conflict, though that is to be sought, but it is in the midst of the conflict to bring about good.

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

We were sitting on the veranda having our last coffee of the day. No one felt like talking, and none of us felt like listening, all we wanted to do, was look at the sky and breathe the cool New Mexico air.”

                    –Lou Bradshaw (Blue Valley)
 
Come on in, Pard, take a deep breath, the aroma of the coffee is fillin’ the kitchen.  I  sure can remember some of those days in the high country fillin’ my lungs with that fresh mountain air.  Put that along with the coffee, add some bacon and bread to the aroma, an’ Pard, yuh’d almost think yur were in heaven.  
     Sometimes the air ain’t so cool, but it’s usually fresh.  Sure does beat breathin’ that city air, but Pard, yuh might want to be wearin’ a mask.  It’s startin’ up, the air soon is goin’ to be filled with the lies from the pit.  Listen to them politicians an’ yuh soon learn whose side they’re on.  The father of lies will be seen.  Why Pard, sorry, go ‘head and start yur slurpin’, I can talk whilst yur a-drinkin’.  But here’s the truth of the matter, there’s one slitherin’ with a slick, forked tongue, twistin’ the Bible, speakin’ contrary to the holy principles of God, an’ callin’ himself a minister, of sorts.  See, Pard, we’re never far from the evil that lurks out there, an’ it’s everywhere.  It goes from the high and lofty, the marble halls of government, all the way down to the slums of the cities.  More and more the fight is upon us, and woe to us if’n we let down our guard for a minute.  Pard, I’ll get yuh a refill when I finish my speechifyin’.  We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, but against powers of this dark world.  When election time comes closer yul be seein’ what I mean.  I’m jist tryin’ to get yur ready now.
     Now where’s that coffeepot?  I jist had somethin’ on my mind an’ had to be lettin’ it loose.  I understand the need for a good cup of coffee.  See the world wants yuh to compromise, water down the Word of God, live a life of compromise and relative truth.  Why Pard, every mornin’ when I drink my coffee I ponder that over.  That’s why I make it strong and black, to remind myself not to be compromisin’.  Plus I enjoy the taste more than addin’ all those fixin’s that some folks do.
     One good thing from yesterday.  The spring rounds with the ol’ sawbones is over.  No more visits until early fall.  Ha, old, why most of them are kids with a computer who know how to read a lab report.  When I go to the doc I usually feel better cause I look at some of those poor folk in there an’ they’re bad off.  Some of them look like ol’ Bodacious, himself stomped on them.  Others look like they where thrown off into a barbwire fence while others into a large patch of cholla.  I feel sorry for them, for they look bad, I mean it Pard, bad.  So I step a little livelier when I leave the office.
     One more thing I jist have to be a-sayin’ before we part ways.  Pard, know this thing for sure–the Lord is good!  Yuh can sure be depenin’ on that all the way to the grave.  Yuh know we can count on Him to be helpin’ us when we have to be a wrestlin’ with all those evil imps and varmints from the Pit.  
     Well, next time we’re together, the Lord willin’, on a Saturday it’ll be June.  My mercy, time moves along faster than a full-blow’d stampede.  Yuh be takin’ care of yurself, an’ if’n yur close by we’re havin’ dinner on the grounds at church Sunday.  Don’t think Annie’s makin’ a pie, but she’s making bbq sausages, potato salad, an’ some cookies.  But I’m tellin’ yuh, there’ll be some fixin’s.  Have a good Lord’s day, an’ a week knowin’ He’ll be with yuh.  Oh, an’ one more thing.  Check yur cinch.
      Vaya con Dios.