Each day must be approached as a unit; each day must be lived with care; and if this was done, the procession of days would turn out all right.  Tomorrow must be a shadow at the back of his thinking, something of which he must think while living out today.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Last of the Breed)

“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
              –Ephesians 5:27 (NASB)
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    A new year is upon us, now what do we do with it?  A time of resolutions, and no, these are not suggestions if they are truly resolutions.  A resolution is not something that is to be broken.  By the very name it is something that you “resolve” to do.  And that is as much as I’ll say about that–at least for now.
    I have pondered what would be some good verses to start out the New Year.  Verses that can lay a foundation for the year–for life.  In doing some reading the past few days I came to the conclusion that John 15 would be good.

         “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
                    –John 15:4-6 (NKJV)

As believers, we know that we are the branch and that Jesus Christ is the vine.  With that in mind what is the branch supposed to do?  Not hard, so don’t try to think too much.  Simply, we are to live an abiding life.  We are supposed to abide in Him, so that our purpose may be fulfilled and that is to bear much fruit.  It is a sobering thought that when the Lord looks at us and we are not connected, not abiding in Him we will wither and He will cut us off and throw us into the fire.
    If you look at the first three verses, it is clear that to bear fruit and to maintain proper nourishment from the vine that pruning must take place.  Ouch!  Oh me, oh my!  Yes, it can hurt, but only for our betterment.  Jesus tells us that “by our fruit we shall be known.”  What did you produce in 2018?  Hmmm…in other words, what kind of character do you have and are you developing it in Christ?  Look at a person, their actions, their habits, their entertainment, and you can pretty much tell what type of fruit they are producing.  If they declare, “I can’t do this,” “Don’t be so legalistic,” or “That’s only your opinion, I don’t agree with it,” you pretty much know if they are hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
    One of the most important aspects of this–does His Word abide in you?  Do you simply do your duty and read a verse once a day?  Maybe you get a little vaccine or booster shot once in a while at church and do a “spiritual jig” and come out feeling that you are righteous and holy.  Sorry, that won’t cut it.  “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:16)  When the Gardener comes He will find you withered.
    But you say, I can’t do this all day long.  I have to work, I have this or that to do.  “The “abiding” work is the work of the heart, not of the brain or the muscle, the work of the heart clinging to and resting in Jesus, a work in which the Holy Spirit links us to Christ Jesus.”  (Andrew Murray)  Don’t be led astray in this last days thinking that you can be partakers of the world, joining in with the earthly indulgences.  No, Christ will come back for those without spot or wrinkle and perhaps in 2019, we best be ironing out the wrinkles.

It’s likely that you can remember
          A corral at the foot of a hill
          Some mornin’ along in December
          When the air was so cold and so still.
          When the frost lay as light as a feather,
          And the stars had jest blinked out and gone.
          Remember the creak of the leather
          As you saddled your hoss in the dawn?”
                –Bruce Kiskaddon

    “Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a manger–because there was no room for them at the inn.”
                –Luke 2:7 (HCSB)
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Friends, this is just one of those days.  There’s only one like it in the year.  Some of those yuppie, new age type folk will celebrate sometime today for it is the Winter Solstice.  Whatever that means to you, all I know is that it is the shortest day of the year.
    However, this is another day not like any other.  This is the day of possibly the last Echos From the Campfire for 2018.  There may be a Perc or two, but I doubt if there’ll be another Echo this year.  Nah, my pen has not run out of ink, and while I will admit, the ol’ gray-matter sometimes runs low on thoughts, the truth of the matter is that ol’ Ira, here is going to rest until the first of the year.  “Rest!” you declare, “ain’t you retired?  So you reckon I’m a-restin’ all the time are you?
Well, think what you may.  So, I’m just going to throw out a few thoughts to tide you over, at least through Tuesday.

          “I like to recall the Christmas night.
              The tops of the mountains capped with white.
           The stars so bright they seemed to blaze,
              and the foothills swum in a silver haze.
           Them good old days is past and gone.
              The time and the world and the change does on.
           And you cain’t do things like you used to do
              when cattle was plenty and folks was few.”
                     –Bruce Kiskaddon

I can remember a few Christmas nights like this.  Your breath seemed to freeze in the cold, winter night.  The stars were shining and the light of the moon would shine down on the Rockies and the snow-capped peaks seemed to glimmer, and almost glow.  The good old days–things have changed.  I don’t care where you go, it is not the same; I’m so thankful for the wonderful memories that I have stored up.  The glow doesn’t seem to be there, and the brightness and crispness of the night, well, it’s not as fervent as years past.  Call it pollution, call it whims of an ol’ man, call it progress, call it what you want, but things have changed.
    The words of the famed preacher of years past, John Henry Jowett that was preached December 25, 1918, ring forth with truth:

            “And we have overlooked the first phrase, the phrase which is casual and causative–‘glory to God in the highest.’  We have been concerned about fruits, but we have been careless about roots… We have been expecting man to be right with man before man was right with God.”

We do not seem to be concerned much anymore with the roots.  Christmas should draw us back to it though.  Glory to God, all should relate back to Him.  In the Christmas season this year don’t forget to look to Him, the author and founder and completer of our faith.  Go back to your “roots” for a while, whether they are physical, mental, or spiritual.
    From our household, have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Life was so short.  Hope and love so futile!  Home and family…should be treasured and lived for with all the power of blood and mind.  Friends should be precious.  It was realization that a man needed.”
              –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

    “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.”
              –Luke 2:1, 4-5 (NLT)
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Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, and that there was enough trouble for today.  This is also true in regards to how we deal with family and friends.  Take care of relationships, today as the plans for tomorrow may come to naught.  Realize the value of those close to you, nurture and treasure it.
    This time of year can be turbulent.  Much of it depends upon you.  You can be part of the chaos, or slow down and enjoy the pleasures of the season.  Focus on the important things:  the birth of Jesus, the beauty and magnificence of what God did, family, and friends.  Memories!
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I came across the Christmas message of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.  In our day, it would be hard to imagine a President giving such a message.  Our boys were in the midst of war, some of them fighting for their lives.  The Battle of the Bulge was raging in Europe; the Philippines were being retaken in the Pacific.  Read it with a thankful heart.

         “It is not easy to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to you, my fellow Americans, in this time of destructive war.
          Nor can I say ‘Merry Christmas’ lightly tonight to our armed forces at their battle stations all over the world–or to our allies who fight by their side.  Here, at home, we will celebrate this Christmas Day in our traditional way–because of its deep spiritual meaning to us; because the teachings of Christ are fundamental in our lives; and because we want our youngest generation to grow up knowing the significance of this tradition and the story of the coming of the immortal Prince of Peace and Goodwill.
          But, in perhaps every home in the United States, sad and anxious thoughts will be continually with the millions of our loved ones who are suffering hardships and misery, and who are risking their very lives to preserve for us and for all mankind the fruits of His teachings and the foundations of civilization itself.
         The Christmas spirit lives tonight in the bitter cold of the front lines in Europe and in the heat of the jungles and swamps of Burma and the Pacific islands.  Even the roar of our bombers and fighters in the air and the guns of our ships at sea will not drown out the messages of Christmas which come to the hearts of our fighting men.”

Political correctness be gone!  Whoever in the world came up with such an idea, and the audacity of people using it to spread an agenda that is contrary to the message presented at Christmas.
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    “Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it white.”
              —Bing Crosby

Loyalty is the most precious thing on earth.  I will never waste it foolishly.”
              –Clair Huffaker  (Cowboy)

    “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
              –Luke 1:45 (NLT)
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What a great time to worship the Lord.  And my goodness the great worship songs we have–the carols!  If you want exuberance in your worship; if you want fire and passion then look to the hymns.  Why just take a gander at the following:

              “Joy to the world!  the Lord is come;
               Let earth receive her King;
               Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
               And heav’n and nature sing,
               And heav’n and nature sing,
               And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.”
                        –Isaac Watts

Wow!  If that doesn’t get your heart pounding then something’s wrong.  The power behind that song is tremendous, unless you’re used to nonmelodic choruses.  Or take this one:

               “Hark! the herald angels sing,  ‘Glory to the new-born King;
                Peace on earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled.’
                Joyful, all ye nations rise,
                Join the triumph of the skies;
                With angelic hosts proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’
                Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King.'”
                        –Charles Wesley

The Word is declared in these songs.  John 1:1-4 comes alive; doctrine is there.  Come on, get with it when you hear these tremendous, powerful songs.
And if you want a quiet time of stillness; a time of devotion and meditation, a person cannot beat the following:

                “Silent night!  Holy night!
                 All is calm, all is bright
                 ‘Round yon virgin mother and Child,
                 Holy Infant so tender and mild,
                 Sleep in heavenly peace,
                 Sleep in heavenly peace.”
                         –Joseph Mohr

                         or

                “What Child is this, who laid to rest,
                 On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
                 Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
                 While shepherds watch are keeping?
                 This, this is Christ the King,
                 Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
                 Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
                 The Babe, the Son of Mary.”
                         –William C. Dix

Oh, I could go on and on about how the carols lift up the name of the Lord and draw us closer to Him.  I pity the person who cannot worship to the tremendous Christmas hymns of the church.  Maybe you just haven’t gotten into the Spirit of Christmas.  Perhaps we should all pray the following:  “O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend on us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.  We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.” (Phillips Brooks)  If you understand the concept of worship at Christmas time, then “good Christian men rejoice…”