Author: Ira Paine

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor.”  — Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT)
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     I didn’t say anything else, but quickly snapped the handcuffs on the wrists of so-called John Smith.  He jerked back, but it was too late, the cuffs were already on and tight.
“Why’d you do that for?  I’m not part of McGinnis’ gang!”
     All I could do is smile then replied, “We’ll let the courts and a jury decide that.”
     “No, you can’t…”
     I was up and back over where Doc was working on McGinnis who was now conscious.  “What’s the verdict?” I inquired, looking down at the bloody man.  
     “He’s fortunate, there’s no place where the lead hit a vein or artery.  He might never regain full use of that arm, a couple of pieces tore up the joint, but he should live barring infection,” he paused to glance at my shoulder.  “I need to get you patched up.”
     “Let’s wait until we get down to the jail, then you can sew me up.”  I took a step up on one of the chairs and hollered, “As of now, and further notice, this saloon is officially closed!”  There was some grumbling but men started moving toward the doorway.  One man, holding his arm, looked my direction.  I nodded, then waved for him to come to me.  
     When he approached I stepped down off the chair as most of the crowd was out the door.  “You all right?” I asked, then looked at the Doc.
     “Bullet went right through the meaty part of his arm.  He’ll be okay, but won’t be swinging any hammers for a while.”  
     My attention went back to the wounded man.  “Got a name?”
     “Osian Beavin,” he answered with a slight accent.  “That’ll be up to the boss if’n he has anything that I can do.”
     He wasn’t downcast or anxious over the situation.  “You get fired come on down to Durango, I’ll see that you get some work to see you through.”
     “I’d be grateful to yuh, Marshal,” he said half-smiling.  “Just in the right place at the wrong time, or something like that.”  He nodded then turned to leave bumping into the undertaker on the way out.
     He turned in my direction shaking his head.  “Marshal, it seems that you have the tendency to throw work my way.”
     “Mister Lawton, I leave the deceased in your hands.  Make sure the place is locked up when you leave.  I imagine the keys are behind the bar or on the corpse on the floor.”
My attention went back to the doctor and McGinnis, “Let’s go down to the jail.”  I grabbed John Smith by the collar and started for the door.
     There was grumbling behind me from McGinnis.  “I can’t walk, I hurt too bad.”
     Lifting the Greener, I turned to McGinnis, “You walk, stumble, or crawl, but if you can’t make it I’ll give you a thump and drag you.”
     He lowered his head and began to shuffle towards the entrance with the doc next to him.
     On the way I had to have Smith help the Doc half carry McGinnis to the jail, but we made it and it only took a couple of hard bangs on the door and my hollering for Tanner to open it up.  “Hey, Charlie, I brought you some company.”
     The deputy was wide-eyed, still nervous and looked out the door to see if any one was following us.  “Yur alive?” he muttered.
     “Yep, the good Lord sent a band of angels to watch over me.  Evil was put in its place for the time bein’.  Now help me get these two situated.”
     Within minutes we had the two in cells.  Doc checked McGinnis again to make sure that he wasn’t bleeding and told me to sit and found a groove on my shoulder just below the bone.  It was deep enough that he had to sew it up.  While he was doing that I thought, “another scar to add to the collection.”  I sighed, “Lord, what am I goin’ to look like when I reach heaven?”  
     “What’s that you said?” asked the doctor.  I hadn’t realized I had spoken out loud.  
     “Just askin’ the good Lord a question.”
     With that, the doctor touched my head.  I smiled.
     In a few minutes, he left and I talked to Charlie who was sitting up on his cot.  “Charlie, we have to do something about this den of iniquity.  What’s that, four marshals in the last two years and Masterson didn’t want to stay either.”
     He looked at me, then at his badge…

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The stillness and darkness became most oppressive.”
                    –Zane Grey  (The Lost Pueblo)

       “His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

                    –John 1:5  (TLB)
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Psalm 143 is a plea for help, yet at the same time one of trust.  As you read this psalm, think of the “enemy” that is chasing you.  It is a person, a habit, sin, sickness, or something else.  Then be like David and take appropriate action, by first coming to the Lord.

          1 — Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications!  In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.
          2 — Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.
          3 — For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead.
          4 — Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed.
          5 — I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.
          6 — I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land.       Selah     (NKJV)

     David is telling us that no one could ever pass God’s inspection.  We are all unrighteous before Him, and unless we come to the point of repentance we are in sore trouble.  However, with repentance there is hope, for when God looks at us He sees not our unrighteousness, but the righteousness of His Son.  David is depending upon God’s faithfulness to answer him in his need.
      Whatever the enemy is, it has crushed David.  He doesn’t feel like he can go on and is down in the dirt.  The “woe is me, nobody loves me…” syndrome is upon him, “he might want to go eat some worms.”  George Wood says that David is facing, “The nighttime of the soul brings the despair of unanswered questions.”  He is like the dead, robbed of the pleasures and enjoyments of this life.  He is crushed, overwhelmed, devastated mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  
     Then, thank the Lord there is always “then.”  Then David remembers how God was with him in the past.  He remembers God’s word and how God has brought him through many trials.  Have you ever been thirsty to the point of not thinking of anything but a cool, quenching drink of water?  David finds that his soul is parched like the arid desert longing for the refreshing rain that comes with the Holy Spirit.  “When your inner life is cracked and dry, it’s time to lift your hands in supplication and surrender.” (Wood)  
     In times like those that David faced, and I’m sure that each of us has faced such times at least once in our life, we need to turn back to the source of our strength.  Return to the God of our salvation.  Charles H. Spurgeon said that we should, “Delight yourself in all your heavenly Father’s handwork, and make it to be a ladder by which you climb to Himself.”  Trust Him in the dark times–know that He is there.

               “Still to the lowly soul
               He doth Himself impart,
               And for His dwelling and His throne,
               Chooseth the pure in heart.”
                       –John Keble

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He was thinking of the warm cabin and the hot coffee that awaited him when he glimpsed the trail across the meadow.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Radigan)
 
Howdy, Pard, glad yuh came by.  Sure, sure, the coffee’s hot and on the stove.  More of that coffee from over in New Guinea.  My it sure does satisfy the gizzard.  Pard, some things yuh just can trust.  The coffee’ll be on, if’n yuh went to my house Grandma always had the coffee on.  Funny, she didn’t drink the stuff, but she always had it in case some dignitary would show up.  Pard, it’s called Christian hospitality.  Granny, Annie’s Mom, always had soup ready for us when we came for a visit to her home.  Could depend on it, trust that it would be so.
     Pard, speaking of trust, well, it’s a wonderful thing.  I talked to ol’ Billy Basher the other day and found out why he had so many problems.  He didn’t trust no one.  What a way to go through life.  He tolt me that when he was a kid he climbed up in a tree, kinda like lit’le Zacchaeus, maybe it was a sycamore tree, but anyhow, he couldn’t get down.  He yelled and yelped and finally his Pa showed up.  He tolt young Billy to jump so that he would catch him.  Finally, after several minutes of coaxin’ Billy jumped towards his Pa’s outstretched arms.  The thing is, Pard, an’ it sorta riles me, just as Billy was goin’ to land, unscathed in those rescuin’ arms, his Pa jerked them away.  Ol’ Billy went splat, right there on the ground, groanin’ an’ a moanin’.  Didn’t break nothin, but his ol’ noggin’ took a lump.  His Pa looked down at him, pointed one of his long bony fingers and said, “Kid, that is a lesson yuh need to learn.  Don’t be trustin’ no one in this life!”
     Well, since then, ol’ Billy’s had some problems.  Imagine, goin’ through life, not even bein’ able to trust yur Dad.  Why it’s just natural for a youngster to reach out to his Mom or Dad in the midst of a terrible storm or other such ordeal.  When a perplexin’ problem comes our way, we can sure trust the Lord, that’s a solemn fact.  He won’t be pullin’ no arms away, but will catch us when we jump or if’n we fall–and that’s another solemn fact.  Pard, what would life be like if’n we couldn’t be trustin’ in the Lord?  It’s be worse that not havin’ coffee ready for yuh, an’ that’s a solemn fact.
     Pard, as we go our separate ways, yuh can be sure that the Lord will catch yuh if’n yuh forget to check yur cinch, or at least pick yuh up and doctor yuh some.  Yep, Pard, it’s good to be travelin’ through life with a Pard like the Lord there beside us–an’ that’s a solemn fact!
       Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

You can learn much from observing the world about us. But, most people travel too quickly and don’t take the time.”
                    –Cliff Hudgins  (Viejo and the Locoweeds)

       “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
                    –Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV)
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Time!  I’m running out of time.  Out of time to get done the things I want to leave behind.  No, nothing’s seriously wrong with me other than that old outlaw time is wearing down on me.  Have I done everything on my “bucket list”?  I never have made one of those.  Oh, sure there are/were things I would like to do, but too many people who make bucket lists go out of their way, spend too much money and time on doing them that they forget the more important things in life.  In fact, the time spent on fulfilling their own desires might be put to better use in the kingdom.
     Time, we cannot really understand it.  Solomon speaks of it saying that there is a time for everything.  Time, something that binds us to this earth.  Time, something we often do not use wisely enough.  Time, something that God expects us to be good stewards of–we are to “redeem the time…” (Ephesians 5:16).  The CEV translates it this way, “These are evil times, so make every minute count.”  If we are to make every minute count and if the days are evil, then to counter that we should be doing good to the best of our ability.
     Even harder to comprehend about time is that of eternity.  We have a minute grasp, but our feeble brains cannot grasp it for it is beyond and outside of time.  The words of Jesus come to mind, “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!'”  No wonder there was contention, who besides God is beyond time?  No one–Jesus was making an emphatic statement.
     Time, something that man cannot reverse.  Oh, they try.  There are creams and pills, and foods along with supplements.  There are all types of experiments to try to keep the body from the rages of time, the wrinkles, the crevices in the brow, the aches in the joints…  Someone said that “Human beings are apparently prisoners of the movement of time in one direction.  We are, with some limitations, able to move about in space as we wish (or as we must), but we cannot do so in time.”
     Time makes us move along with it.  “There is no way to right a past wrong, recover a missed opportunity.  The future is unknown and unknowable until it becomes the present; there is no way to guarantee that it will be as we wish it to be.  The only time in which we are free to move–the only time we have–is the present.” (Richard Luman)  But look again at the words of Jesus.  He is not bound by time.  Think of it, He is in time, yet He is also outside of time.  He is here, right now, in the present, but He is also back in eternity past, and is in the future (and beyond?).  Time was created by God but it does not have a hold on Him; it is not a condition of His existence.  
      Today, right now, is the day of salvation.  Today is given to each of us–not tomorrow and yesterday is gone.  What you do today is important.  Your choices today will determine your eternal destiny, that region that is beyond time.  Choose wisely–Christ is waiting to answer your cry.  We are in time, but our souls and spirits will go beyond time either into eternal glory with Christ, or to the depths of eternal damnation that is for those who reject Him.  We must face the consequences of time, but in this life and in eternity.  However, Christ is there, in one manner of speaking to “redeem us from time.”  We should pray, “Lord, give us time.”  Then we should also add, “Make us good stewards of the time you have given us.”