Two heads were together talking excitedly: "He's a real cowboy!”
“He broke his first wild pony when he was just nine years old." "His dad caught it off the range for his ninth birthday.”
Wide eyes followed the swinging gait of Gramp Blann coming round to the steps and up to the door. He walked tall and his black hair had a nice crimp. He never wore a hat, rain or shine.
The boys both shyly answered, "Hi" to his soft spoken greeting and their hands were almost lost in the huge grip of their favorite visitor. It wouldn't be polite to ask him for a story right off, but it was hard to think of anything else to say, so it was a good thing Daddy's voice spoke up right behind them to welcome him in. Mother had baked a surprise birthday cake for him and put eighty-five candles on it. They were almost bustin' and could hardly wait till the moment she would light all those candles and carry it into the dining room for the dessert course, with everybody singing "Happy birthday to you.”
Gramp Blann, better known as Cowboy Bill in his younger years, knew this country when great herds of horses ran wild and free over the John Day desert land. He had caught hundreds of them, and had trained many of them for Uncle Sam's Cavalry during World War I. He knew more about horses than anybody... they were both sure of that.
But he wasn't talking horses at the table tonight. The grown-ups were discussing things about the Bible. How Satan transforms himself "into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:1414And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)) bringing in all kinds of false religions. Rather than read the Word of God and learn for themselves what God says, people accept these doctrines. They are being bound in bundles of tares to be burned (Matt. 13:3030Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30)), willingly deceived into believing that they are on the right road to heaven.
But it also speaks of Satan as a roaring lion walking "about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)). Many of the careless ones, not paying any attention to the warnings of parents or other Christians are walking straight into his strongholds of self destruction.
“Which reminds me," said Cowboy Bill, clearing his throat, "of a warm summer day when I was about fourteen years old, and Mother said there was a good milk cow about to freshen out on the range, and asked me if I'd go out and try to find it and round her up before she had a calf. Then we'd have milk after it came.”
“Well, I saddled up a pony I had been breaking in, and rode out about four miles or so from home to where there were cattle grazing. I noticed big clouds rolling up and getting darker and darker and darker with mutters of thunder and flashes of lightning. Before long a few drops of rain, pelted down, and then a real thunder storm let loose. I was getting drenched to the skin and decided I'd better head for home. I turned the pony around and headed down a narrow canyon that was the shortest way back.”
“A big tree had been uprooted by heavy wind, and lay high across that canyon but there was plenty of room to go underneath it. So, I started down the trail at a good clip... and though the pony was nervous she seemed to sense we were going home and didn't need much urging... until we got almost to that log. Suddenly she wheeled right around and started back up the hill. I knew she was skittery from the lightning and crash of thunder, so I pulled up hard on the reins and got her turned around again and headed back down that canyon.”
“We didn't get quite as far as the first time, when she reared back and we wheeled again. I couldn't stop her for a bit and when I did, I took a firm grip on the reins and was determined to put her under the log this time. I paddled her on both sides and spurred her to a gallop. Just as we were almost there again, I glanced up and there, laying on top of that log, was a great big cougar. He was crouching right over the trail, watching us like a cat watching a mouse, swinging his tail, ready to spring.”
Randy's eyes were enormous. He gulped a dry gulp, and felt almost paralyzed with dread. He forgot the birthday cake. He forgot the food on his plate. Gramp Blann added softly, "I helped the horse turn around that time.”
Satan walking about as a roaring lion "seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8). Can we see him? No, we can't see him, but God gives us warnings to heed. He tells us not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor to stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. (Psa. 1:11Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalm 1:1)). "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Psa. 1:66For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:6).