Where the Ground Is Even: A Christmas in the Arizona High Country

Three Navajos ride from the East toward a White man’s world of which they are suspicious. Two carefree but pining sheepherders walk through heavy snow from the West. A young family, the man wounded and the woman full with child, move north desperately ahead of a rage-filled cattleman and his men. A young, rakish deputy sheriff rides up from the Southwest in pursuit of a wanted man. In the days before Christmas of 1881, all converge on the small town of Flagstaff at the foot of the San Francisco Mountains.---“It indeed reminds the reader of some of Louis L’Amour’s writing. It is rich in description of the landscapes of Arizona and the emptiness of the mountains and deserts as well as souls without the anchor of Christ.” Mike Huckabee, Former Governor, State of Arkansas---“Fabulous! My favorite of all that he has done.” Dr. Charles S. Kelley, President, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary---“I just read Armour’s book . . . in one sitting. He does gunfights about as well as anyone I’ve ever read.” Marvin Padgett, Vice President, P&R Editorial------Armour was born in New Orleans and grew up in Texas. He has worked on several ranches and spent time in the saddle on five continents, more than enough time in the saddle in wild country to realize the majesty of God, the temporality of human endeavor, the triviality of pomp and circumstance, the futility of greed, and the remarkable behavioral semblance of mankind and sheep. He now resides in Northern Arizona with his wife Rachel, a beauty from the Sierra Nevadas who also handles a Winchester well. They enjoy all things outdoors,dining out in San Diego and Las Vegas, dogs, horses, and critters generally.