Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 392

iPainting Best Friend Bear

We hope you enjoy the third in our Teddy Bear series “Best Friend Bear”.

Eddington Mug Shot

The pain was starting to subside, and I was beginning to see again. I didn’t really think my eyesight was ok at the time, because of what I saw. Which was my eighty plus year old Grandfather hitting the guy that had my gun in the back of the head. “Tomáš, are you okay?”

“What did you hit him with Otecko?” I only knew a few words from what had been Czechoslovakia, and was now the two countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Otecko, or Papa, as we called Grandfather, had family on both sides.

“I hit him with a good strong ceramic mug. The kind my brilliant vnúča said we should replace with non breakable ones.” He padded my shoulder, and smiled wide.  

Otecko still seemed as healthy and as vibrant as I had always remembered. His hair was white now, but otherwise he was as sharp as ever. He reminded me a little of Edward G Robinson. Otecko loved old movies, and I had inherited it.

We decided it was time to examine the guy on the floor. Otecko had picked up his gun while I was standing up. The guy was tall, scary, and ugly for that matter. “Did you expect George Clooney?”  

Otecko loved sarcasm, I think he counted it as part of his heritage. I remembered seeing the unconscious man the night last week when it had all started. We were trying to determine who he was when Joe and the police walked in.

That’s my cousin, Uncle Adam’s son, Detective Joe Stefaniak. “Otecko, Tom, what’s going on?” “He attacked me. One minute I’m in the storage room, the next minute he threw coffee in my face.”

Joe cuffed the guy, who was still out cold. “Why?” “I don’t know, robbery doesn’t make sense. If that wasn’t it, why attack me?” “That wasn’t what I meant Tom. I meant, why didn’t he just shoot you. I see the gun in Otecko’s hand.”

My look must have indicated what I was thinking, because Joe answered without me asking. “Simple, Otecko’s holding a gun now, but the guy’s out cold. If either of you had the gun, he’d either be subdued, bleeding, or dead.”

“Let me see the gun. Isn’t that your glock Tom?” “Yeah, he must have taken it from my office.” “Don’t you keep it locked up?” “Yes, he must have broke in the desk.”  

“Something’s bad wrong here Tom. If he came to attack you, why didn’t he bring his own gun? An if he went to the trouble of getting your gun, why not shoot you?”

I saw where he was going. “So he must have been looking for something besides my gun in the office. The only thing is, there’s nothing important in my desk. What could he have been looking for?”

Joe and I just stood there, I was watching the man. Joe was watching something, or someone else. Otecko didn’t say a word, but left silently through the door to the kitchen.  

I looked at Joe, he nodded, and we followed. He was sitting at the counter when we walked in. “He will not find it. They will try again.” I was scared. “Who Otecko?” He gave me a sad, weak smile. “The enemies of freedom my vnúčas, always the enemies of freedom.”

Tune in next week’s Eddington to find out what Otecko knows.

Footprints

The following is a message from this Sunday’s service I was privileged to minister in.

Song of Songs 1:7-8

7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

We miss our Pastor today. Today is Pastor appreciation day, and while he would love to be here, he is working to make sure that the Churches his Father Pastored continue. All Pastor’s lives are filled with sacrifices. Time and time again, I’ve watched our Pastor choose the needs of the people over his own comfort.

When Pastor ask me to speak, he didn’t ask me to cover any particular topic. He said to share what was on my heart, and God quickly reminded me of these two verses. As always, his concern was that God’s people be fed.

I spoke once on these verses years ago, and I felt called to do it today. He added some things along the way. The reason I did isn’t only because it’s Pastor appreciation day.  

You all know that we have a wonderful Man Of God, who loves each of you enough to fight for you. What I wanted to do today, was to explain the very spiritual reason, and the benefit we each receive, through the relationship between God, a Pastor, and His people. 

Everything in Scripture was through Divine design. The relationship between God, His Man, and His People is at the center of this design. It was created to be a symbiotic relationship. It’s a three fold chord, and Solomon the writer of these verses, said those ties are not easily broken.

The one thing that Pastor tells us when we speak, is to feed the people. This isn’t just a phrase, or some lingo Churches use. It’s the very calling of the ministry, and while I’m sure Pastor knew this, I learned something new about the word through these verses.

The word feed here, is the same word in Hebrew as Shepherd and Pastor. It means the same thing in Greek in the verse. “Feed the flock of God, over which The Holy Ghost has made you overseers.” 

Solomon writes of a spiritual conversation taking place between two people. The Church is represented as a woman, and The Christ is The Shepherd. If you’ve ever heard Pastor’s message on The Apple Tree, it comes from these two, and it is a masterpiece of a message. It’s important that you realize, this conversation between two people, is observed by a third, the minister Solomon. 

From her very first sentence, to His last, is part of the lesson. She begins verse 7 by saying “Tell me, my beloved …” When you leave sin, and approach The Savior, you will do two things. You will love Him, and you will listen to Him. Before you ever leave your chair and bow at the altar, you’ve realized how much He loves you.

When you do that, you fall in love with Him. Those you fall in love with, you listen too. At least at first, after you’ve been married awhile, you may take your spouse for granted. Too often, as Christians, we do the same.

When we first see Jesus through eyes of revelation, we wait on His every word. We come with open hearts and open minds, willing to do whatever He asks us. Willing to go where ever He leads, listen to everything He says, and watch every movement He makes.

What the woman in the vision, the Church, wants Him to tell her is where He feeds. Remember that means shepherds or Pastors, it’s the Hebrew word Raa. It means to tend a flock. 

The same word is translated feed, shepherd, pastor, keep, companion, and broken. All of which describe a Pastor, all of which reflect Christ, and finally all of which are used to minister to us. A Pastor feeds the people, he cares or tends to them.

He keeps them from the storms that would destroy their souls, and walks with them through others which strengthen their resolve. He’s there when they are broken, and serves still when he is the one who is broken. More often than not, the man God uses to wipe our tears, has many of his own.

We see Moses on the mountain. God remembers the Moses that stood when they threatened to stone him. A companion of The Almighty, and a companion of the Church in good times and bad.  

A Pastor is a friend to The Savior, the saint, and the sinner. That friendship bridges gaps, encourages others, and reaches out to all three groups. Fulfilling the calling of God, fortifying the called, and calling the fugitives in.

The next phrase in the verse is “Where do you make your flock to rest at noon …” Sheep can’t take the hottest part of the day. They are vulnerable, and they are thirsty. “Where do you rest them?”

The Prophet said, “This is The Rest that causes the weary to rest.” This is why Pastor worries when we miss a service. It’s here that our strength is renewed.

The Church says something else, before He can even answer. It struck me as a strange thing for a woman to say to the man she loves, much less the Church to say to The Lord. It points to the importance of the local Church.  

“For why should I be like one that turns aside to other flocks?” In other words why should I be a wonderer, a nomad, someone who goes from place to place. There’s no future outside of You Lord. Or as Simon said, “Lord, where would we go, You alone have the words of eternal life.”

The Church is saying I won’t waste my time somewhere besides the flock of God. If there was ever a time to cling to The Bridegroom, it’s now. The one place you can count on, is Christ’s Church 

After she gets done speaking, He begins. Like a husband and wife, the two aren’t speaking for themselves, they’re speaking to us. Christ and His Church are working together to bring one message, as relayed by the minister or Pastor in the verse, Solomon.

This three fold partnership is the perfect picture of the way God intended for the life of a Christian. Christ, His bride, and the friend of the Bridegroom, The Minister. We make the mistake of viewing a wedding as between two people, but it’s not, it’s three people.

One can’t complete the ceremony, two love each other, but it takes the third to join them together. Christ died to save the world, but He called John The Baptist to proclaim The Lamb Of God! The Bride was called to respond to both the sacrifice and the calling. It was no coincidence that John The Baptist called himself the Friend, or Best Man of The Bridegroom.  

“If you don’t know…” Christ The Chief Shepherd tells her where to go for revelation. A Pastor is commanded to run with the vision he has been given. God wants us to receive it with the same intensity. “He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.” 

“O most beautiful …” He loves His Church, you can’t miss that. Everything He has done is because He loves us. That especially includes giving her a Leader.

God gave Moses to Israel, not just because it was easier than talking to each Israelite through an orchard of burning trees. He gave them Moses to teach them How to listen, how to follow, and how to lead.

Now we come to the crucial part, the title of the message, the footprints. God said, this is where it all happens. Notice, He didn’t point them to the tent. He said the place I want you is not in the tent, but outside of it, where the footprints are.

The tent is in the story, and there is a time for the tent, but it’s not the focus of the scene. The tent represents different things, and even different things in regards to the people involved.

The tent literally means a shepherd’s dwelling, The Temple, The Tabernacle, and figuratively the grave. Each of the three will spend time in the tent, but there relationship must go beyond the tent.

The shepherd spends his life away from the tent. I’ve watched Pastor leave revivals, family events, and times of rest to minister to the flock of God. He loves helping others, but that doesn’t lessen the sacrifice involved.

To the Church, The Temple represents the time in His presence. Those mountain top experiences like last Sunday where you felt overwhelmed with joy. As wonderful as those times are, we aren’t called to live on the mountain.

We are called to walk through the valleys of life, building a relationship with The Chief Shepherd. It’s easy to pursue Christ when you’re above it all in The Cloud, but it’s only truly pursuit when you’re down where there’s a struggle.

For Christ, God wrapped in flesh, the fulfillment of the type and shadow of The Tabernacle, earthly ministry was temporary. He would spend thirty three and a half years on earth, then ascend up into glory until the time to call us to Him. As for His engagement with death, we know how limited His time in the grave was. It was a three day limited run, NEVER TO BE REPEATED!

Sheep don’t have footprints. They have paw prints, or hoof prints, but no footprints. Those who minister to the sheep, and who follow The Chief Shepherd leave footprints. The shepherds, the Pastors He has placed over the Church. This is the place that changes lives, saves souls, and redeems hearts from destruction.  

Let me ask you this, what’s so great about footprints? Think about it for a minute. Men like Pastor, and his Dad, taught me and Bro Lucian to love words. So, I wanted to know what the word footprint meant. Why was it so important, beyond the obvious? Like everything else in Scripture, the answer was a lot deeper than I expected.

First, it’s the root word for Jacob. If you looked up the word for Jacob, the first thing it says is see this word. One study Bible says the literal translation is heelprints, from which Jacob gets his name.

Sometimes a Pastor has to dig in his heels. There are times when something or someone is attacking God’s Church, and it’s then that a Pastor has to stand toe to toe with the adversaries of the flock and face them down.

When Pastor stands up and declares that we will be a Church united, and passionately pursue what’s right. He’s standing, like David, against the bears, lions, and giants which seek to destroy the flock.

Have you ever wondered why God loves Shepherds and sheep so? It’s because it’s not a light or half hearted calling. You either give it your all, or you are soon pulling the wool out of the mouths of the wolves who ate your flock.

God committed His all to Calvary, and He calls His Leader and His people to do the same. That’s why the epicenter of this story isn’t inside the tent. The tent is the place where the Shepherd can rest, it’s also the one place he seldom gets to be.

Jacob’s life was about caring for sheep, like Abel before, and David after, it was his passion. Imperfect creatures, with great potential. He loved them, probably because he saw himself in them. Out of Jacob stemmed redemption, praise, and promise. From the vision of Bethel, to the first breath in the lungs of Judah, and the cry of Joseph, everything stems from Jacob.  

Second, footprints are a sign of movement. They are the impressions left by someone who is walking on running. Flock literally means to migrate. A Pastor is called to continually lead the sheep to a higher level.  

Footprints are signs of life, only living things leave footprints. Christ intended for His Church to be a lively place, active in The Word, and hopeful for the future.  

In the air force, they take inked impressions of the feet of pilot’s. The ridged skin of your foot is as identifiable as a fingerprint. In a crash, the fingerprints may not be retrievable, but the footprints are. You will leave something behind in this life. Some things you touch will be forgotten, but the impact of a Child Of God on a hurting world can never be erased.

Third, the depth of a footprint can reveal the height and weight of an individual. You can tell the difference in a trial when you see someone who has hidden The Word deep in their hearts. The more fiercely you stand on it, the deeper the impact it will have in your life.

They say a person’s carbon footprint is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by their actions. What is your spiritual carbon footprint? Can others tell you are a Christian by your everyday actions?

Christ impacts us through His presence, His Word, and the Man Of God He has placed in our lives. As we are impacted, as we are led, we are to lead and impact others. Footprints are left when the Earth underneath it is soft. You may have walked the same path in front of people for twenty years, and they’ve rejected it. One event may soften their hearts towards your message in their lives.  

You never know when the next step you take will make the difference. We do know a step not taken won’t make any impact at all. Christ’s intent was for the Church and Solomon to focus on the footprints.

To examine them required two things, footprints, and eyes. A shepherd is called to walk and to watch. Did you know the eye sockets that hold your eye are called an orbit? Everything made by God orbits this relationship.  

The three are in constant sync. The orbit of the Earth around the sun, and the moon around the Earth, the three never separate. If they were not connected, chaos would occur.  

Cut off the sun, and the Earth would freeze to death. Remove the moon, and there would be no reflection of the sun’s light. Half the world would be dark. Scientists tell us the tides are affected by the moon.

An anointed Man of God will still affect the tides in the life of you and your children. That’s the last part of this scene. Christ says “Feed your kids beside the Shepherd’s tents.”  

Yes, a young goat is called a kid, but He isn’t talking about literal animals here. According to the commentators, He’s talking about those who are young in the faith. That’s children, as well as young Christians.  

I’ve been in this thing all my life, and I’ve been a minister for twenty one years next month. Bro Lucian and I will celebrate 28 years of having The Holy Ghost this month, and I can tell you something.

The best place to raise a convert, or a child, is near the Man Of God. Raise a child near the Man Of God, and he or she will want to do what’s right more than they will what’s wrong.  

No they won’t be perfect, yes, they’ll make mistakes; but the closer you raise them to the man who spends his life outside of his tent caring for them, the better they’ll be. The harder it will be for them to ignore him when he warns about the lion in the field, or that bear they’re getting ready to date.  

Raise them near the Shepherd of God’s people, and the giant that has slain others, will be dead on arrival in their lives. Why do we appreciate a Pastor, because he’s kept us alive through wind, storm, and rain.

This is the man who encouraged me when I was lonely. He’s the one that kept telling me there was someone special out there when I had given up hope. He’s the example that gave me the courage to move six hours to a city that scared me to death.  

Because he did, I’ve got more than I ever dreamed. The fact that he drove six hours one way every week, and struggled to pay the mortgage on a home he was giving up, gave me the strength I needed. My step was small compared to his, but without him, I wouldn’t have stepped into my future.

I’m closing, but before I do, I want to show you the New Testament version of this scene, it”s in Mark 6. Jesus sees that his Shepherds, the disciples, are tired after ministering.

He takes them to a desert place to rest. 

 They think it’s too have a little down time. Jesus knows it’s to sacrifice their rest. They first had to be at rest, to give it up. The people follow, and the place that was supposed to be a place of relaxation, turns into a service.  

Verse thirty three says they saw Jesus and the others departing, and the people ran afoot unto them. Jesus saw them, had compassion, because of one thing. He had compassion because they were as sheep without a shepherd.  

In God’s mind, there is no greater tragedy than a sheep without a shepherd. That’s why the relationship between a Pastor and saint is so attacked. If He wasn’t so close to the heart of God, he wouldn’t listen so intently at the cry of the sheep.

He looked at them and said feed them. It was the same command He would ask Simon Peter three times. “Do you love me Simon? Feed my lambs.” The third time, “Do you love me Simon?” It grieved Simon. “Lord, you know I love you.” “Then Simon, feed my sheep.” 

Feed the little ones who aren’t strong enough to take care of themselves. Feed the weary ones, the healthy ones, and the little ones. I’ll tell you this, no one cares more about you, or your children than your Pastor.

Jesus broke the bread and the fishes yes, but He got it from the disciples. They got it from a little boy, and five thousand were fed. What do you have that God is calling you to place in the hands of your Pastor?

Is it your time, or your talent? Is it a Sunday morning driving people to Church? Or a Tuesday afternoon volunteering for M25? Whatever it is, put it to use. Walk into the new season of sacrifice God began with the twenty one days of prayer and fasting. As you’ve been impacted, impact others, following the footprints of the flock.

Acrylic Performance In The Park

We hope you enjoy our latest acrylic “Performance In The Park”.

Eddington Glock or Cream?

PruittWrites hopes you like the first episode of our new serial, Eddington, and our new character Tom Bendix.

We’re the little coffee shop on the corner, the place where Grandpa gets his java, Mom gets her cappuccino, and Bonnie gets her latte. What we weren’t supposed to be, is the sight of the biggest mystery to ever hit Eddington. That happened last Tuesday, the gun in my face happened tonight.

My name is Tom Bendix, and I run Stefaniak’s, it’s named after my maternal Grandfather. The name, as well as Grandpa, came from Czechoslovakia. He was a young immigrant with a love for hard work, and strong coffee. I inherited both, and when I got tired of running the company I started, I decided to slow down.

Actually my wife and my doctor decided I had to, my bp was sky high, my energy was gone, and my health was in trouble. So I left the two million dollar company to my successor, and opened Stefaniak’s. Since some have trouble pronouncing it, they call it Stef’s for short.

Which is fine, that’s my sister’s name, and she is Grandpa’s favorite granddaughter. You’ll meet them both later, right now, I think the gun takes precedence. It’s a glock, about two years old.

I know because it’s my gun, the one holding it took it from my office in the back. I’d describe the one holding it if I could see. The hot coffee they through in my eyes sort of prevent that.

Right now, I’m more interested in staying alive. That’s why I’m on the floor of the storage room with the lights out. They threw the coffee, I lunged for the lights, and now I’m trying to hide and struggling to see. Thankfully I know this room like the back of my hand.

I’m counting on the fact she or he doesn’t, and taking these mental notes to keep my sanity. I’m trying to focus on something besides the pain in my eyes. The gun holder hasn’t found me yet, hopefully my signal button on my watch works, and the police are on the way. While I’m listening for movement and or sirens, let me tell you how all this got started.

Read next week’s installment of our new serial Eddington to see how Tom Bendix got in such hot, well, coffee. I couldn’t resist!

Alaskan Silver The eBook

Our most popular serial yet, Alaskan Silver, is now an ebook.Pick it up today at www.amazon.com/author/pruittwrites.  

Relevant

I understand what they meant, but I gladly disagree with the phrase they used. Recently I saw a Christian post that spoke of serving in a post Christian age. While I realize the intent, I had to react to the term.

Yes, we are living in a time where Christianity is either an after thought, or completely discouraged. Yes, there is little or no attention given to God by the culture today. However, since the birth of our Savior, from that time until today, we’ve faced struggles.

A Herod chased the Babe in the manger, and another one’s soldiers beat Him. Yet, He saved the world, and walked out of the tomb! All but one Apostle was martyred, along with countless believers who followed. Today, persecution ranges from mockery to murder.

The idea I take exception with, is that this somehow indicates a post Christian age, and that’s what excites me. Christianity has never depended on the popularity of it’s beliefs, but on the power of it’s Christ. As long as He lives, and He lives for ever more, there can never be a time where Christ is anything but in control.

The only way it can be a post Christian culture, is in another definition of the word. The word can mean a social post, a marker, i.e. goalpost, or the delivery of letters. So, in that sense, I encourage you to post Christian.

Social media is a fun medium, but it’s also a platform. I can think of no better one, than the message of a loving God to a hurting world. The cause of Christ is still, and will always be, the greatest news in the world.  

It is also our goalpost, our target, as well as our support. The Lord Jesus carries, strengthens, and directs His people to victory. Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven, and everything else will be taken care of.

Finally, the Bible says we are epistles, or letters, known and read of men. We are love letters, written by God, to a world of hurting people. The fact that culture ridicules the message, must never stop the messengers. 

Christ served in both the year of opposition, as well as the year of popularity. Indifference and persecution are realities of our modern era, but not dictates of it. Jesus said, they don’t take my life, I lay it down, and He did so when He was ready.

The Apostle Paul stood before Nero twice. That means the mad fiddler didn’t behead him the first meeting. Paul didn’t die until The King Of Kings, not an emperor, decided it was time.

There will be a day when this world plunges into horrors. A day when the majority of it reject any version of true righteousness. There will never be a day where Christ, and His Church are powerless, irrelevant, or unimportant. This message of salvation can only, and forever, be the most relevant message ever spoken! 

iPainting Church In The Wildwood

We hope you enjoy “Church In The Wildwood”.

Alaskan Silver Discovering Home

The symphony was playing Beethoven’s ninth, as Pin looked over at his wife. Of course, he didn’t go by that any more. Now he was once again Patrick Wade London, and no longer hunted. All of that ended five and a half years ago, with the tumbling of Edwin Wynton Strand.

His mind went back to the memory of those few days. Monopole, the mystery brother, convinced everyone that Edward and all of them planned the shooting. They were taken into custody, leaving Monopole free to search for the shooter.

Edward reached out to his Uncle, and the best lawyer in the capital argued for their release. They were out of jail, but still under suspicion, a few hours later. Pin knew, the only way to rescue them all, was to expose Strand.

Harriet was working on that. Artemis was tied up in his hotel room. The man had been shaving when, he thought, the maid came in. His Aunt’s hotel was the only place he felt secure enough to not use his security constantly. Harriet had learned more about him by going through St Louis’ notes.

Since it was based on a code they used as children, it was easy. Harriet felt, of the three, Artemis would be the easiest to get the information from. St Louis had pieced a lot of things together. Her plan wasn’t revenge, but justice.

She knew that, only by bringing down the Strand-Piper family, would they be safe. After securing both Artemis, and the information, she went to work. He was still recovering from being hit over the head, as well as a bloody nose.

Next was the shooting, this would bring unwanted attention to Edwin and Minerva, Monopole was last. Although she didn’t know the exact link, St Louis had discovered ties between him and Minerva. This meant he was dangerous, but how do you stop a high ranking military officer?

Simple, you let him stop himself. Harriet reasoned that his first move would be to arrest Edward and the others. She had seen them when she positioned herself, and put the rest of the plan together. While Monopole was busy trying to take them down, she would fuel his anger, until he exploded. She sent a note to Estelle, to give to Pin.

It told him to push Monopole as much as they could, and she would do her part. The politician in Lafayette kicked in. Between him and Edward’s Uncle, they got in to see their prey. Pin knew, threatening him wouldn’t work, he was a military man.

Discipline would prevent him from reacting, he had to find another way of getting him angry enough. After learning from Ralph, that Minerva was the lynch pin, Pin knew the key. He hated to do it, but it was the only way.

“Just because some old relic in a hotel gets wounded, you’d think we fired in the President. We didn’t hit her, or Strand. Besides, let the police tend to it. Why is the military involved? Strand isn’t even an elected official, and this woman is nothing more than a forgotten aspect of the past.”

That did it. Monopole lunged at Pin, right in front of the man who had arranged the meeting. A close personal friend of Edward’s Uncle, the President. He couldn’t show favoritism and choose sides in a party fight, but could grant his friend a favor.

Pin ducked, swung, and ducked again. It was a quick, but intense fight, ending with Monopole on the floor. He grabbed Monopole’s wallet at a guess, and was right. The lady’s picture, much younger, with an even younger Monopole beside her, was inside.

This proved they were connected. The package that Monopole had confiscated with the needed proof against Strand, was found in his desk. The President allowed them to search it, once he saw the picture. Finally, Thorn Piper’s plan was exposed to the world.

He had bought up land across Alaska, and the United States, controlling prime real estate. Thorn had built not one, but three armies. A criminal organization, eventually ran by Artemis. A political machine, secured by Minerva through her puppets, and then her heir apparent, Edwin Wynton.

Last, was the military mind of Monopole, who could maneuver the leaders of the armed forces.

This way, no matter who was elected, they controlled land, both parties, and could silence everyone who opposed them. It was a variation on the rumored Aaron Burr conspiracy that had almost worked. Had it not been for a woman who’s husband was in the hospital, and a man who knew men cherish their mothers.

As the symphony reached a climax, Pin remembered something else. The first time, since it all began, that he saw his Mother and Father. They were glad that, in stopping Strand, he had taken down those who planned to kill him. Now they could see their son, and meet his new bride.

Proud Grandparents, of four years, they doted upon the triplets. Alaskan weather, and other business kept them in New York for the last few years. The boys were big enough now, and Pin missed their pack. The wolves we’re with the Lafayettes, the city wasn’t conducive for them. Pin and Estelle longed to see them, and Alaska. Tomorrow they, a recovered, retired St Louis, Harriet, and little Alicia would board a boat for home.

Pin was going back to overseeing the small town’s police force. St Louis, this time for real, was opening a place. He would supply the music, and Harriet would supply the food. She had insisted he give up the dangers of undercover work, with the compromise of being a part time Alaskan policeman when Pin needed him.

It was Edward, after his Uncle’s return to party leader, that became advisor to the President. He left that after awhile, when offered the opportunity to return to curating, in the territorial capital of Alaska. Edward was meeting them the next morning to sail for a quieter life.

Carl’s influence in Alaskan politics continued to grow. The group would have many more adventures together. As for the Strands, they had an adventure all their own.

Monopole was stripped of his rank, and convicted of treason. He, and his brothers had cells side by side. As for Minerva, she had disappeared. No one knew what had happened to the old woman. Every so often, the brothers would get a cryptic letter, which their jailers examined very closely.

Ralph’s sentence was light, after turning state’s evidence, and was out after a year. He returned to the circus, minus the jailed flying Lewzinstra. With Minerva still alive, he was taking no chances. Ralph felt more safe near the lion’s cage, than anywhere else on Earth. Francois, who now ran the circus, helped watch for her as well.

That was another reason Pin was taking his family to Alaska. It would be much harder for Minerva Piper to do anything to them there, between the weather, and their wolves. The biggest reason was he missed the frontier, they both longed for the rugged landscape.

The Good Book said there is a vein for silver, and a place to refine gold. Alaska was the place for the “Silvers”, and a good area to raise and refine young boys. It was time to go home, for the “Alaskan Silvers”.

Autumn Enters Slowly

Autumn enters slowly 

Quiet, mild, and lowly

In so doing sweeps away

The heat and summer haze

Time continues it’s flow

Soon exchanging red leaves for winter snow