Author: Ira Paine

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
It had been a while since I had Star on the trail; it was all I could do to hold him back, he wanted to run so badly.  I would have taken Hawk as he was a better horse when I had to trail somebody simply for this reason.  Star, being partly thoroughbred, wanted to run and I needed to move slowly so I didn’t lose Martin’s tracks.  The last time I had Hawk out he was sort of sluggish, plus he was still recovering from that nasty brand put on him.
     I had thought about going over Wolf Creek for it would save a day on the trail, but this was mid-October and I could get caught in a storm up on the pass.  Mainly I went the way I did because I hoped to catch up to Martin on the trail.  It was nigh on to a week’s travel to Taos, and the ranch was south of the town.  I reckoned that Martin would be in a hurry and the road was fairly well traveled from Farmington on over to Taos with few places that would be feasible to cut off.  He would have to spend two nights camped out, but if I didn’t catch up to him he might stay the night in Dulce.  Between Durango and Dulce there wouldn’t be any hotels, but he might find some generous soul who would put him up for the night.
     With that thought I had to chuckle.  As bigoted as Martin was I doubt he would sleep in the house of a Mexican or an Apache wickiup.  Speaking of Apaches, I was riding into Jicarilla country.  Though mostly peaceful they still had a big mistrust of Americans and it would not be past them to attack a single rider.  I had only dealt with them one other time, but they were like most Indians, peaceful unless riled.  They believed they were people who came from below the earth.  We would call it the underworld.  They had been hit hard by disease, especially consumption, but as of this day they were not confined on a reservation, which made them somewhat more dangerous.
     If Martin had not had any dealings with them, he could be in for a world of hurt.  Some young buck, or a small group, might just decide that he was easy pickings.  With that thought I pulled my rifle from the scabbard, checked the load, and carried it across my saddle.  They might think this lone rider was easy pickings as well.  
     With the decent road, and since I knew where Martin was going, I decided to let Star trot.  He could follow the road whilst I kept my eyes out for anything that might be unseemly.  That night I stopped to make camp just this side of the San Juan River.  The next morning we would cross it, and then head into higher elevation.
     Molly had put together a rather large bag of vittles.  I ate a ham sandwich for lunch, but tonight I will be dining on cold chicken.  I could heat it, but I rather like a cold drumstick, but I did make a fire if for no other reason to make coffee.  Sitting there munching on that chicken and eating biscuits, I thought of the many, many nights I spent like this.  Molly had put in half a chicken so I ate a drumstick and thigh planning on eating the other half for breakfast.  I smiled when I saw that she had put in half a dozen hand pies.  I’d eat one, well, maybe two, tonight and save the others for tomorrow.  I wasn’t worrying about running out of supplies, and Dulce was only two days away.
     Eating the last of my apricot pie and sipping my coffee, I smiled.  This was the life I had been used to, and it was a life that I enjoyed.  The ground would get hard along come morning as I had gotten tame sleeping in a bed with a soft mattress.  I went ahead and put more wood on the fire, and had several pieces I could add to it should I waken during the night.  I knew it would be quite a bit cooler in the morning.  “Lord,” I whispered, not really knowing why since I was the only one there, “I sure do want to thank you for findin’ this ol’ broken down cowboy those many years ago.”  I chuckled to myself.  “We’ve been through some times, ain’t we.  Thanks for seein’ me through them, and helpin’ me along the way.”
     It was sometime early morning that I woke up.  I didn’t move, but laid there and listened.  There was a slight breeze and I could hear it moving through the tops of the trees.  The night was clear with thousands of stars appearing, but there was something.  Star snorted, then tramped his hooves, that’s when I moved quickly to the shadows near him.   I stood motionless near Star and he calmed down with my presence.  It could have been some varmint, wolf, even a bear or lion…it could have been an Apache as well.  I stayed with Star for maybe half an hour before going back to my bedroll.  Since I was awake, I decided to go ahead and stay up.  
     Picking up the pan that I made coffee in I went down to the stream to rinse it out and fill it with water.  After rinsing it I filled it with that cool mountain water and took a long drink.  While it was at my mouth, there was noise in the brush across the stream and to my right.  Dummy me, I left the rifle in camp.  Then…

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Somewhere, sometime a man had to take a stand.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (Dark Canyon)

       “He has said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.'”
                    –Psalm 10:6 (NKJV)
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I’ve seen some of the highest peaks in the Colorado while hiking, fishing, and hunting.  They are an awesome sight in the grandeur, but they can’t hold a candle to the glory of the Lord as He comes from Mount Zion.  As you’ve seen the devastation the past couple of weeks, perhaps you’re feeling a little insecure.  If so, then Psalm 125 is one you should read and contemplate.

          1 — Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
          2 — As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.
          3 — For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
          4 — Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
          5 — As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity.  Peace be upon Israel!  (NKJV)

     Ponder this Psalm; think it through.  As a believer we are not immune to calamity and disasters and that includes: earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, disease, fires, accidents and so many other things.  However!  If we truly trust in the Lord we cannot be moved.  When we have done all to stand, we remain standing.  It was Martin Luther who said, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.  It is so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”  When things look hopeless–they are not for God is there.  Our part is to trust in Him.
     The writer of this psalm must also have thought that the country was in trouble in regards to leadership.  The country was controlled by a foreign power.  Evil had the upper hand and it seems as if some of the faithful were beginning to waver in their faith.  When we look at our current government and the political situation we can become disheartened and feel like hope is ebbing away.  Not so, the Lord surrounds us, look to Him, and realize that in the midst of it all, He will do good.  
     Let me use the words of George Wood in summarizing this Psalm:
          1)  What shakes you up will not shake you apart.
          2)  Nothing can penetrate God’s inner ring of protection for you.  
          3)  Watch for the good God will do.
          4)  Bad times must not become an excuse for bad conduct.  It’s important to continue living right when everything is going wrong.
I think of that last admonition.  Eighty percent of the time in movies and television when something bad goes wrong people head for the booze.  “I need a drink,” they say.  No, they need the Lord, the last thing they need is a drink!  Turn to God; in His mercy He will protect and and not allow His people to participate in evil.

               “When I tread the verge of Jordan,
               Bid my anxious fears subside;
               Death of death, and hell’s destruction,
               Land me safe on Canaan’s side:
               Songs of praises, I will ever give to thee.”
                       –William Williams

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He made sure the new fuel caught. Once it did, he closed the door, put water and coffee in the battered tin pot on the shelf alongside the stove and put the pot on the stove to boil.” 

                    –James J. Griffin  (Tall Trouble in Terlingua)
 
Mornin’ to yuh, Pard, sure glad yur hangin’ in the saddle.  Lots of folks ain’t.  My mercy, the storms that have hit us and hardly anyone has mentioned the 70,000 plus acres of fire burnin’ up in ol’ Wyomin’.   Here we sit, cup in hand, enjoyin’ this good life while others won’t get a cup of coffee this mornin’.  
     Pard, I still have to wonder if’n these storms aren’t a way of God tellin’ us to wake up!  Goodness, it should remind folks of the Flood, and remember then the goodness and faithfulness of God an’ yet at the same time know that God doesn’t mess around.  He’s good and patient, but there comes a time when He says, “I will not turn back My wrath.”  Folks that could mean that the good ol’ US of A might be havin’ God turn His back on us.  Perhaps the only thing in our favor might be us continuin’ to back Israel.  We know in the future that the Lord is goin’ to take us home an’ then His patience will be withdrawn.  This won’t be a good place to be.  Why, I reckon there won’t be a cup of coffee to be found, well, maybe if’n yuh want to take the mark of that Beast.
     Ahhh, enjoy that coffee and thank the Lord for His blessin’.  We are sittin’ here, jawin’ and enjoyin’.  Might not always be so.  
     I haven’t seen nor heard much from the pundits, the WOKE folk, the CRT, and elite progressives regarding the day we celebrate the foundin’ of the New World.  Yep, that ol’ salt, Christopher Columbus was quite the sailor.  If’n yuh study his life much, yuh have to come to the conclusion that he was a real “Renaissance Man.”  He knew geography, the currents of the seas, languages, cartography, and the Bible.  In fact, he was well aware that his name meant “Christ-bearer”.  Say what yuh want, without Columbus, and those that followed him, the Word of God would not have been brought to the New World.  
     Those antiChrist people don’t understand what’s waiting for them by some of their talk.  I don’t bother reasonin’ with them any more.  I read just last week that the secret to a happy life is to drink coffee and avoid talkin’ to morons.  I have to add an’ know the Lord Jesus Christ as yur Savior.
     Speakin’ of enjoyin’ coffee, what’dya say we finish this pot.  The day is callin’ for us…  Have a good week, Pard, an’ check yur cinch.
       Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Value is not in the material it’s made of, but what it represents.”
                    –Cliff Hudgins  (Viejo and the Hunted Ranger)

       “Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.”

                    –Proverbs 10:2 (NIV)
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          “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'”
      –Matthew 26:17-28 (NKJV)    “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
            –1 Corinthians 11:25-26 (NKJV)

     I was helping my granddaughter work on a presentation she was to give and in doing so I decided I wanted to read the book she was studying.  To my shame, as I read the first chapter I became convicted; that chapter was about the blood of Christ.  I am convinced that we do little real thinking or contemplation on the Blood.  It is something of real value, but we spend little time, except perhaps during communion, to regard its purpose and value.  Blood is a gruesome sight, some can’t handle the sight of it, but it is the Blood that cleanses and disposes of our sins.  “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (Robert Lowry).
     To look at this awesome topic–the Blood, I am going to borrow from Watchman Nee’s book, “The Normal Christian Life.”  The first thought that I am taking regarding the Blood is that it is primarily for God.  “The Blood is for atonement and has to do first with our standing before God.” (Nee)  God does not overlook our sin, but they are forgiven because He sees the Blood.  Think of the Tabernacle:  the sin offering was made publicly in the courtyard.  However, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of that offering was taken by the high priest into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the mercy seat (Leviticus 16).  Now, who is our high priest? (see Hebrews)  In the Old Testament, he was a type of Christ who offered His blood for our redemption.  Even earlier in Exodus, at the first Passover, God declares, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)
     Let me use the words of Watchman Nee to show the value of the Blood.  “It is God’s holiness, God’s righteousness, which demands that a sinless life should be given for man.  There is life in the Blood, and that Blood has to be poured out for me, for my sins.  God is the One who requires it to be so….  The Blood of Christ wholly satisfies God…  If God is satisfied with the Blood, then the Blood must be acceptable.  Our valuation of it is only according to His valuation–neither more nor less.”  God accepted the precious blood of Jesus to be our propitiation for our sins.
     The second value of the Blood is manward.  We are able to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19), which cleanses our conscience.  Our conscience is now clean, and we are now the “temple”, and “Whether you have a good day or a bad day, whether you have consciously sinned or not, your basis of approach is always the same–the Blood of Christ.” (Nee)  Paul writes, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13, NKJV)
     Finally, we see that the Blood is Satanward.  Satan is the accuser and the Blood puts God on man’s side.  “The Blood removes the barrier [between God and man] and restores man to God and God to man.  Man is in favor now and because God is on his side he can face Satan without fear.” (Nee)  I think of the words of the song by Andrae Crouch:
               “It soothes my doubts and calms my fears
               And it dries all my tears,
               The blood that gives me strength
               From day to day
               It will never lose its power.”
Satan has no appeal against the Blood.  The writer of Hebrews declares, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (9:14, NKJV)  It is therefore vital we trust in the Blood.  When Satan comes at you in whatever form, we know that he can do nothing for God has accepted the sacrifice, our redemption by the blood of Christ.  Peter writes, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition for your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19, NKJV)  Take hold and understand the value of the Blood–“Would you be free from the burden of sin?  There’s power in the blood…”. (L.E. Jones)
     Try this for a week or two for your devotions.  Read and contemplate each day on a hymn about the blood.  See if it doesn’t change your view, humble you, enrich your soul and give insight to your mind.