“He seemed fitted for this task, and his motive had the strength of love and passion and the sanction of right.”
–Zane Grey (Nevada)

“Don’t go along with them, my child! Stay far away from their [trail].”
–Proverbs 1:15 (NLT)

This may be the one you’re looking for–the last of the Summer Edition. Starting Monday back to the daily grind of work; hmmmm, grind, reminds me of coffee. That might not be so bad after all. But summer is over for me, back to school and the Daily Paine. Hope you’ll continue to read, drop me a line now and then. Also, check out the website once in a while: irapaine.com.
I’ve been doing some reading on the Chisholm Trail. This July we took a couple of trips. The Trail started down around Cuero, TX and there is a fine little museum there. If you’re in that area check it out. Then we went to Waco to see the statues that were made to commemorate the Trail. Lots of beef moved up that trail; lots of steak sent to eastern markets. Lots of boys became men and lots of men lost their lives. As we went to the place where the herd crossed the Brazos in Waco I recalled the old song. Here you go, sing along with a few of the verses.
“Come along boys and listen to my tale,
I’ll tell you of my troubles on the old Chisholm trail.
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea,
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea.

It’s cloudy in the west, a-lookin’ like rain,
And my durned old slicker’s in the wagon again.
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea,
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea.

I went to the boss to draw my roll,
He had it figgered out I was nine dollars in the hole.
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea,
Come a ti yi yippee, come a ti yi yea.”

Now ain’t that mostly the way of things? You do your best, work hard, then a storm comes along. You see it approaching, but then you realize that your slicker is in the wagon and you can’t go back to get it for you have to watch the herd as well as the coming storm. That’s the way it happens. Or you think you might be getting a bonus on your pay, and you find out that you actually owe the company. After all you’ve been riding the company horse and eating company food. Then on top of that you now are required to take out insurance and must pay for that. If you don’t then there is a fine. Yep dollars in the hole.
I’ve been debating as to whether to call this Echoes From the Campfire, but then I’m thinking perhaps the campfire is going out. It doesn’t seem to burn as bright as it once did. Where are those who rode living the code? Where are those who stand up against tyranny and immoral sanctions? Is the campfire going out? It is all done, so they say, in the name of progress, enlightened society, and political correctness. Here again it reminds me of an old song probably written by Eugene Manlove Rhodes
“Through the progress of our country our occupation’s gone,
So we put our ideas into words and our words into a song.
‘Tween the closin’ of the trail and the fencin’ of the range,
We let it slip away and wonder who’s to blame.

When I think about them good old days my eyes with tears do fill,
I can think of the tin can by the fire and the coyote on the hill.
I think of riding night guard while the stars were shining bright,
But now instead the wire fence guards the herd tonight.

It’s sad to see them good old days replaced with greed and doubt,
The cowboy left the country, the campfire has gone out.”

So what do we do with progress, what do we do with change? For the most part we can move with it and not worry. However, when it comes to the standard of God’s Word being changed, attacked, and scorned it is time to stir up the coals of that campfire. Perhaps this is where there needs to come some introspection. Has your campfire gone out?

“I know not what others may say, but as for me, you take the sundials and give me the sun.”   –Eugene Manlove Rhodes (Paso Por Aqui)

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.”   –Psalm 39:4 (NLT)

I was reading through some past devotions and came across this very astute statement.
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”      –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Look around and this is seen everywhere. In fact, this is one of the greatest lies of the devil; he flings it out and the world grabs hold of it. Anarchy is not freedom; it is chaos. To be truly free there must be boundaries. One of the greatest types of slavery is when man is slave to himself and his passions.
A favorite verse for Christians to quote and claim its promise is, “He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Yeah, and they go hog-wild trying to fulfill their heart’s desires. Here is where they miss two very important things. This is the second half of the verse, they tend to throw out the first part, “delight in the law of the Lord and then….” If you remind them of that portion the cry now becomes “legalism!” They want license without restraint.
The second part that they are missing is the fact that if we delight in God’s law then our desires will be His desires and not our own. We will want the things of God and not the things of the world. Selfishness will have faded away.
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This year my daily devotions have centered primarily in Proverbs. That is a very eye-opening study. One verse that I remember is Proverbs 10:16, “The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.” Las Vegas is appropriately nicknamed “Sin City.” It has glitter and glamour and makes a promise that will be unfulfilled. People will go home poorer, sorrowful, and often bitter. Take that one step further and you will realize that the wages of sin is death.
I have never understood the glamour and the allure of Las Vegas to Christians. It is not a place of “spiritual sanctuary” where one can sin and God winks at it. What takes place in Vegas does not go unnoticed by God. The non-Christian labors only for himself. His mind is hostile to the things of God, and does not submit to righteousness. Hmmm, why is it that so many called Christian do not submit to righteousness either?
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A.W. Tozer said that the liberal is, “the man who has put his own eyes out.”
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“Don’t mess with something that isn’t bothering you.”
“There are three kinds of men: the ones that learn by reading; the few who learn by observation; the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.”
“In a funeral parlor: Ask about our layaway plan.”

“It’s action that tells you who a man is. We’ll see what kind of tracks he makes.”      –Louis L’Amour (Utah Blaine)

“With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.”      –Daniel 11:32 (HCSB)

We were hiking in the Chiricahua National Monument a few days ago. My there is some grand scenery and unusual terrain. The rocks formations are awesome and Annie took some pictures. One of those pictures had me in the cleft of the rock. It was a place that would be protections from the storms that can assail that area.
I am convinced that every person takes refuge in something. The type of escape may not be feasible or sensible but people must at times take refuge. A former Air Force Chaplain wrote, “Life is such that no person is free of trouble. Responsibilities produce worry and tension. Our tasks are often dangerous, monotonous, unpleasant. People are sometimes difficult. World conditions are disturbing and threatening. Events occur daily to disturb and sadden our lives. Death stalks our paths.” (Leonard S. Edmonds)
What kind of refuge do you seek? How do you try to relieve fears, anxieties, and hostilities? Perhaps you escape into a book or movie. Shopping or indulging in food may be the refuge. Some will try and get lost in the crowd or have friends over to hear them laugh. Hobbies can become a refuge, or parties, or sports. Sometimes we seek refuge in ways more harmful than helpful such as alcohol and drugs. Many seek the refuges of a pillow and covers.
None of these are truly adequate. They are merely an ointment instead of a remedy. The true refuge is in God Himself! Sure, the ordinary troubles and tensions of the day may be taken care of with the above mentioned refuges, but when they are not adequate turn to God. In the midst of great tragedies, or storms, or when life seems to be shattered we need a Refuge that nothing in this world can provide–God.
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“We live in a society that tries to keep us dazzled with euphoria in a bright cloud of lively and joy-loving slogans. Yet nothing is more empty and more dead, nothing is more insultingly insincere and destructive than the vapid grins on the billboards and the moronic beatitudes in the magazines which assures us that we are all in bliss right now. I know, of course, that we are fools, but I do not think any of us are fools enough to believe that we are now in heaven.”
–Thomas Merton
(Read that in light of the statements made at the DNC)
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“The worm don’t see anything pretty about the robin’s song.”
“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once and a while.”
“In a New York drugstore: We dispense with accuracy.”