Author: Dan

Greetings from Tucson Welcome to ShalomWalk. A place of respite for the inquisitive mind and the weary heart. I'm Dan Craig, my I co-writer is Beth McKean. We are both retired professionals, we're both Christians, and we both enjoy writing about things that matter to us. We want to share things that we think about, as the days come and go. The blog will be comprised of; (1) single page essays on a wide range of topics derived from reading scripture; (2) recipes from Pepper with a story behind each recipe; (3) other kinds of useful information for running a household; (4) Photographs from Pepper and original instrumental music from Dan. Our blog focus. By wisdom our house is built on a sturdy foundation; by understanding the roof brings comfort from the heat of life; by knowledge the rooms are filled with grandeur. As a person thinks in their heart, they become in real life (implied in Proverbs 24:3-4 and Proverbs 23:7). May God bless you and keep you safe in His heart. May God bring you his truth and peace. Amen.

Hollywood and Two Friends

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In the early years of Hollywood’s cowboy life, he roamed the range and he worked on many, many ranches. He took a task from one ranch for a few weeks, then went to help someplace else for a month, and sometimes for an entire summer, but he was not very stable.

Gradually, Hollywood took a liking to ranches called Dude Ranches or Guest Ranches. People would come from the East Coast and spend all summer learning how to wrangle a cow. People came to the ranch to understand what it was like to be in the wild. Hollywood enjoyed teaching people the cowboy way, they would visit with him asking questions, and he would lead them around all through the day, showing them all about looking after cattle. Hollywood would tell stories and help them understand things. In some cases, he got to know them pretty well and they would become friends. But he was quick to say friendship did not always happen. Once, Hollywood made friends with two men: Buck and Jim. Buck started writing poetry and singing songs, and this was what Hollywood’s new friend sang —

Two friends spent the summer, on a ranch where I was a guide,

Mattered not what I was doing, they were working by my side.

We would ride the trails together, Dakota plains were the place,

Almighty God brought his mercy, hearts were changed by his grace.

These two guys, Buck, and Jim spent a lot of time on their horse with Hollywood. They would ride all over the foothills on the Wind River Ranch. After a while, they started asking him, why do you do the things you do? You are not like everybody else. Down here you have kindness and gentleness, but yet you have strength and the way you act and the way you speak and the way you handle yourself. How is it you are this way? Who taught you these things?

And Hollywood would just say –well, you know, I learned these things from my mother and from my dad.

A few days later Buck asked — why do you think the way you think? I mean, most people would not react the way you do to trouble. You do not seem to be flapped by much of anything.

Finally, Hollywood said. Well, the answer is simple. Are you sure you want to know?

Buck says – sure…

Hollywood replied — So tell me, do you know anything about Jesus?

Jim smiled, he kind of laughed, and he said — ohh yeah, I read about him once.

Buck mused — Who’s that?

Hollywood looked at him with amazement and said — you do not know who Jesus is at all? You have not ever been to church?

Buck said — Yes, I have. But I do not remember much. I was just a kid.

Hollywood replied — This is how we are going to do this. I am going to get my Bible tonight and I will bring it with me tomorrow, and I will show you a few things to help you understand who this Jesus is. You have questions. I will try and help you find some answers.

So, the next day, Hollywood showed up with his Bible. He just started reading stuff. He read aloud. He told them to listen to the message and to stop him when they had questions. So, he would read a piece of scripture and they would talk about it. And then he had read something else and they would talk about it. And sometimes they would make fun of the scripture and sometimes they listened. Very carefully.

But over the weeks their views started to change and they started to really understand what God was about. They started to understand what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was about. They started to understand what it was to Walk with God and how to make Jesus Lord of their life.

Then they both wanted to know what to do.

Buck said — We do not really, really want to become an old guy who carries a Bible around, talks a lot, and makes people want to run away. But we like this message – it resonates with us. We like what you are saying, both of us. We talk about it when you are not around and we think about the things that you say and we ask each other questions. Then we ask you questions, and you have answers.

But you are not pushy, Hollywood. You are not a raving, loud person with a frivolous message to share. You are gentle and kind, you know your job, you really know your message, you look after the cattle, you teach us well, and you make sure we are safe. And you do not let us get into too much trouble without providing a little bit of scolding to bring us back where we belong. You are so gentle, kind, and firm all at the same time. We want to understand more, tell us more about the principles that drive your life.

So, all through the rest of the summer, Hollywood explained the wisdom of God and finally, one by one, each of these men gave their life to Jesus. So, they came out west, not knowing much of anything about the wisdom of God, and they went back to the East Coast as Christians.

Hollywood followed up with Buck and Jim. He wrote letters and they wrote him back and told him about the things that were going on in their lives, how they were gradually growing, and bringing glory to God in the way that they were living. They were instructing their children and their friends about things that they learned about in the wild west on the Wind River range. So, one of them wrote this prose for Hollywood. Jim wrote —

From the top of the Rainbow Mesa, good news shared under the sage,

Break the hold on long shadows, over a hundred miles of range.

I loved every moment, we learned on eagle wings to ride,

Soon the winds of autumn came, and we had to say goodbye.

When Hollywood got a letter in the mail from Jim near thanksgiving, the letter had these 4 lines. He just sat down, smiled, and tears came to his eyes.

Miss Tillie said — what is the matter, Is there something wrong?

Hollywood said — no, no, these are tears of joy. Look at this! My friend sent me this poem. She looked at it and tears came to her eyes.

Miss Tillie said — you know, it was an incredibly good summer for you and for those two men, a very good summer indeed.

Romans 1:16-17 –For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.

Water For The Desert

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It was my observation, in the mid 70’s I have a recollection of being taught the downside of meditation. Yoga instructors were barely permitted in church because of the strong eastern influence in their thinking and articulating, the Davidic discussions on meditation was not part of the common teaching and conversations of the mid 70’s Christian scene. For reasons that are unclear to me, none of us noticed the recurring concept of meditation in scripture. Goodness, how things have changed.

Somewhere along the way in the last few years I noted that word ‘meditation’ in the bible and wondered how did that term sneak into God’s vocabulary. Of course, the concept has been there always, just not talked about because of the extreme struggles of the late 60’s when musicians fully abandoned western thought and embraced the eastern thought processes.

To be clear — we all know that scripture provides a formidable discussion of meditation in the Psalms, it explains how we use meditation to embed the teachings of scripture in our heart and influence our actions. We should know that prayer becomes deeper and more personal when we move from prayer to meditation. This is not to say we abandon prayer. Not at all. Each format has its place. Prayer is the tool of choice to bring requests and supplications into his throne room. Prayer is the tool of choice to communicate with God, to learn of his will for our life. But within the context of walking with God, meditation goes much further by transforming our gait into something that brings us closer to him and his plan. We do not do the transforming, HE does, but transformation does gradually occur. Lest we think that meditation is just another trendy notion, please consider the thoughts of Thomas Brooks, a seventeenth-century church leader.

Thomas Brooks said — Remember that it is not hasty reading but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most but he that meditates most that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian. Selah.

In Psalms, we see David meditated on God’s law, His righteousness, His word, His deeds and works, His precepts, His ways, His testimonies, and God Himself. Review Psalms 19, 39, 48, 77, 104, 119, and 143. Read slowly and breathe in the message. God is speaking. Meditate on his word.

Paul says — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—MEDITATE on these things (Philippians 4:6-8).

Paul tells Timothy to meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all (paraphrased from I Timothy 4:15) — note again that meditation is expected to produce something in us. Eastern meditation empties us so we can see ourselves as God. This is not what David is doing, Biblical meditation is about infusing our mind with the pure virtuous message of scripture. We become very aware of the one true living ‘God who is there’, Jehovah-Shammah.

I think — meditation is deep focused contemplation by a renewed mind on the amazing wisdom of God. David tells us in Psalms 1 to delight in the Lord’s Law. David “meditates (Hebrew – hâgâh) day and night” (Psalms 1:2). This term means to murmur, ponder, to mull over carefully. The word translated meditate in Psalm 119:15 (Hebrew – śı̂yach) talks of a preoccupied mind, often murmuring audible words. This term can be translated as pray (Psalms 55:17) or talk (Psalms 119:27). Psalms 143:5 includes both words, showing their relationship. David says — I remember the days of old; I meditate (hâgâh) on all Your works; I muse (śı̂yach) on the work of Your hands (Psalms 143:5). You want to know what he is thinking? Meditate on His Word.

Meditation is to our heart as water is to the desert. I live in the desert. Most of the year the desert is a dry and dusty place. Shade from a tall mesquite tree is a gift from God. Then comes the monsoon. Oh my.

The desert leaps to life overnight. The brilliance of the morning sun on the fresh green leaves is glorious to the eyes. The entire land looks different after the rain, it really is different. This is the impact of meditation focused on the Word for our soul. Our soul is refreshed.

Our dry and dusty life is filled with power. God moves in us. God is unleased by his tools and his Word. For meditation to be effective – the wall clock is not our friend. We cannot rush God, he will infuse himself and his word into us as he deems proper, at his pace. We are not in control, He is. But rest assured – he will infuse us with His life. Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who Is there (see Ezekiel 48:35) will arrive.

Therefore, I focus on the Word, meditate on his precepts and….

I choose Jesus.

Learning From David

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It has been my observation that one of the more difficult passages for soldier’s (including me) to review and learn from is 2 Samuel 11. This is one of the most poignant accounts of human failure in Scripture notwithstanding the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Yet, at the same time, it also has great value as it offers us redemptive hope about the greatness of God’s extremely gracious forgiving heart. This passage provides a plain, easy to understand warning about the terrible consequences of sin, coupled with the aftermath of forgiven sin. I traveled down a similar path during the divorce process from my first wife. I am not proud of the time, nor do I talk about it very much. It is my past not my present.

When you start reading 2 Samuel, David is moving in concert with Gods will. He is popular, successful, and able to inspire his people. His throne has been established. His enemies have been subdued, he is respected in the kingdom, and plans are in progress. Then trouble starts.

David sees a beautiful woman near his palace in the evening, he calls her to himself. He sleeps with her and she gets pregnant. Her husband (Uriah) is part of David’s Mighty Men. David knew Uriah. David has Uriah murdered to coverup his sin (2 Samuel 11). As a soldier, I can think of no more heinous action – my commander killing a fellow soldier and taking his wife. I would guess that trust in David as a commander drops to zero among his troops. The prophet Nathan confronts David on behalf of God (2 Samuel 12). David repents. God forgives. David is told that Elohim has forgiven the sin, David’s death will not be required, nor will his throne be required (2 Samuel 12:13). But for David there are consequences for his sin. When much is given to a man; much is expected (Luke 12:48). David’s troubles are not over.

Later, David writes — Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them (Psalms 32:1–2). Centuries later, Paul writes of God’s forgiveness for David to demonstrate salvation has always been for the unworthy, we are saved by grace through faith (Romans 4:4–8).

I suspect, it is with humility and tears that God chose to document the tragedy of Uriah, Bathsheba, and David in scripture. This could have slipped into obscurity. But God chose to mark this event in history books. Every time I run across the message in both 2 Samuel 11 and Psalms 51, I am reminded of the extraordinary grace offered to us by the one true living God. It is especially important that we not only see David’s initial reaction; but we need to also take note of the things that happened to David later in life. Review 2 Samuel 12, you will see the death of Davids first born from Bathsheba, you will see civil wars and outside attacks on the Israeli kingdom. You will see the violence and murder committed by his two sons Amnon and Absalom. You will see struggle after struggle as David reels from one mess to another. Yet, Bathsheba is one of a handful of women mentioned in the bloodline for Jesus. Selah!

Words cannot accurately describe the fullness of God’s grace offered to us, especially when we are acutely aware of just how widespread sin is in our life. Death is very near. Yet, we know that God justifies us while we are ungodly (Romans 4:5). Nothing we have ever done is out of range for God’s grace and redemption. God invites us to seek his compassion, his pardon, his shelter (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The deeper truth – there is a wonderful balance to Scripture. While grace draws us close to him, we know that bad things may happen in our life to keep us focused on him (see Hebrew 3:15). I see David’s example as proof that God will always embrace us. God wanted his complete attention. Even during the consequences for our actions – our salvation is not at risk. Elohim’s amazing redemption for us is renewed every morning. His mercy will always overpower the troubles we create. Always…

I choose Jesus.

Hollywood and his old Boss

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As Hollywood got older and spent his Christmases with his wife, Miss Tillie, sometimes he would go through his old Christmas cards, remembering the memories from that time frame, recalling who sent the card, and where in Wyoming or South Dakota the card came from.

Hollywood had one specific Christmas card that really touched him because his old Boss had written a song and inserted it into the card. He did not exactly know how the song sounded, but he knew the poetry. From time to time, he would remember and apply sage advice from his old Boss.

His old boss, like Hollywood, also had Christmas cards, he did the same thing that Hollywood did. His boss would dig through those old cards and spend time thinking about the men that used to work for him. He would often reach out to those men with little notes of appreciation and of kindness, hoping that they were doing well.

And so, Hollywood would carefully place these cards on the mantle of the fireplace in his little cabin. Miss Tillie and Hollywood would go deep into the pine forests of the Wind River Range and locate the perfect Christmas Tree. They carefully pulled the tree home with her horse, set it into the cabin, and would stand up the tree to stretch out overnight. Then, the next day, they would decorate that tree with ribbons, cookies, and small candles. Miss Tillie was more than a little bit careful not to burn those candles on the tree. They burned their candles on the table because they never wanted to have a problem. But they loved the way the candles look on the tree.

Hollywood had a hand carved star that he had made many years ago that he carefully protected through the year. Early December, each year, that star would come out from a little hiding place in the cabin. During the second week of December, that star would be placed on top of that tree. It would sit there ever so beautifully until the 1st week of January. Then this family treasure would be carefully taken down, wrapped up and tucked away in its secret hiding place. Miss Tillie very much treasured that star.

In addition to the star, they created little mementos each year for the tree. Something fresh and something new to go on their tree to remind them of all the blessings that God had given during the year. Sometimes, when the year went well, they were able to get each other a small gift, but more often than not, they just made something for each other. It was never the size of the gift, rather it was the love and the care that went into building those gifts for each other that was important.  Anyone could walk down to the local store and buy something. The love between them created the memories.

They always had a nice meal; they obtained extra vegetables and spent a little extra time preparing those vegetables — they were just ever so tasty. Hollywood read the Christmas story to Miss Tillie and then they would sing Christmas carols. So then out came his favorite Christmas card on Christmas morning and he would read the poetry that came from his boss. He reads each year —

I was digging through my Christmas cards, from friends near and on the coast.

One card stood out from all the rest, the one I treasured most.

It was a small birch bark card, With a twig of Spruce inside.

Sent by the boss of the Box Elder ranch, where I once worked as a Guide.

The card told me about Grace, God’s mercy given to me.

The card talked about a child, born to hang on a tree.

The card told me about God’s love, eternal life for me.

The card talked about Jesus, born to hang on a tree.

The words are running through my mind, like a gentle sweet refrain.

May you climb back in the saddle when the grass grows green again.

May you climb into God’s arms, when the grass grows green again.

May you see his face smiling at you, when the grass grows green again.

And then when it got to be New Year’s Eve, Hollywood would remember his mother because she always liked to sweep out the old and bring the new in on that evening. And so, Hollywood would continue that tradition, he would think about his mother’s songs, remember all the things that she taught him, and he would think about the one true living God he serves now. Hollywood was very aware that he would have never known about the one true living God had it not been for his mother and Miss Tillie.

Finally, they always would thank God for all the children that Miss Tillie had taught in the classrooms over the years. Hollywood and Miss Tillie knew that they had had a good life; they had been helped by many people; and they had been able to help others. And with that, they went to bed, rose the next morning, and embraced the new year — it was a very, very good year.

Isaiah 7:14. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.