Posts with the category “daily-devotions”

I laid in my tent waiting for daylight. As soon as I could see I climbed to the summit and began walking the ridgeline glassing for bear. My partner, Tim Hand, simply set up his spotting scope next to the tents and sat down to wait. I have never been good at sitting still. I walked a mile or so and then came back to the tent. I hadn't seen a thing. Tim, however, had spotted a bear at the bottom of...  Read More

I was in the best shape of my life, but even so, it was the worst climb I've ever done. It was far from the highest mountain I've ever climbed and the hike in to the base was easy. We were climbing with our full packs, intending to set our camp up high. But on this particular mountain, the only one I've ever been on like this, the vertical incline didn't stop even for a moment. The steep pitch was...  Read More

Beginning 'winter' mountain climbers find out very quickly the difficulty going up. What surprises them most is discovering the unexpected difficulty coming down. It's so easy for us to aim for a certain 'high' only to discover that we ended up in a bad place. In all of my years of sheep hunting, I've never gotten into trouble going UP a mountain, but have been in incredibly dangerous positions th...  Read More

I've hunted caribou over 1,000 miles south of Anchorage and nearly 1,000 miles north... all in Alaska. Unlike the Adak hunt, the northern hunt was with a bow and arrow. In order to take a caribou with an arrow, you need to get close. Some things can be done successfully from a distance. For example, praying for or sending money to a missionary in a foreign land. Other things require close proximit...  Read More

Years ago, hunting caribou on Adak Island was 'walk-in' only. A friend of mine who works for Alaska Airlines 'buddy passed' (free flight) me to go hunt caribou with he and his brother. We had no idea what we were getting into, but fortunately met a man from Adak on the flight out who let us sleep out of the incessant wind and rain in his apartment. The hunting was extremely tough. I shot two bulls...  Read More

My dad used to say, "I've never been lost, but once I was bewildered for 4 days." I was born with an amazing internal compass. I somehow intuitively know what direction I'm walking, and no matter how much I wander I can turn around and point toward my starting place. But last year, in the middle of the forest, my destination was not where I thought it would be. I expected to come out in a clearing...  Read More

I've never been passionate about ice fishing. This is because I froze my toes to the point of tears every time I ever went as a child and never once to my memory did we catch a fish. I might enjoy it more nowadays, because I see these beautiful shelters with satellite dishes out on the ice. In fact, some are actual campers. I could see myself watching a football game and cheering for my favorite t...  Read More

The temperature was −32° and getting warmer. I called my buddies and said, "Let's go." We had agreed upon −30° as our 'cut off' for whether or not to go ptarmigan hunting on our snowshoes. As crazy as it sounds, we had learned through trial-and-error in the severe cold that we were able to hold our shotguns with bare hands at that temperature. Not right out of the truck, of course, but after pilin...  Read More

Yesterday in Alaska and around the world, thousands of men, women and children had their first true taste of the resurrection of Christ. What I mean is, for the first time in their lives they heard and responded to a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, formerly an enemy and persecutor of Christians, said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the POWER of God u...  Read More

He is risen! The man who told us he was with God before our world began. The man who told us that he and God the Father are 'one.' The Miracle Worker who taught like no one ever taught before and loved us like no one ever loved us before. The one they crucified and sealed in a tomb. The one who said he came to SAVE us. HE is risen! This earth-shaking news spread quickly throughout the Middle East ...  Read More

For those who had been WITH Jesus, the Saturday that he lay in the tomb was the darkest day of their lives. By 'with' I mean that their HEARTS were with him, their LIVES were SURRENDERED to him, their FAITH was RESTING in him. For THOSE people this was a dark day. Why were they confused? Why, after Jesus had told them that he must die and rise on the 3rd day, did they not see what you and I can se...  Read More

GOOD Friday. A day of weeping as the Savior was taken from us.Matthew 9:14-16 says, "Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them- then they will fast."One of the beautiful, w...  Read More

To RESOLVE- to have fierce determination- this is what is needed in the Christian life. You must RESOLVE to get up early enough in the morning to have quality time with the Lord. You must RESOLVE to keep a prayer journal with all of your friends, loved ones, leaders and their needs. You must RESOLVE to be kind, generous and encouraging. You must RESOLVE to maintain a healthy diet and exercise. Fro...  Read More

My biggest problem in life has always been ME. SELF. Pitiful, but true. SELF-denial is something I was never naturally good at. I began at a very early age to work hard and save money, but the goal of both was still so that I might buy things for mySELF. But then I'm not the only one, am I? Selfishness is a part of our fallen human nature. Let's call it what it is- SIN. This is why Jesus said, "If...  Read More

Jesus said, "WHEN you pray..." and then told us how we should position our hearts for prayer. He also said, "WHEN you fast..." In the same way that Jesus expected his followers to pray, He also EXPECTED us to fast. Like prayer and reading your Bible, fasting is a spiritual discipline that will strengthen your daily life. Through fasting bad habits that have become strongholds can be broken. This i...  Read More

In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus said, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen. And your Father, who se...  Read More

When I am by myself, I often do NOT do good things (or healthy things) that I would ABSOLUTELY do with someone else. The first place that I ever served in ministry as a new Christian was as 'game leader' for a high school youth group. I only agreed to serve because others were doing it with me. This was also true of the first time I attended a Bible study, the first time I attended a Sunday night ...  Read More

Men, in general, are more reserved when it comes to singing out loud in front of other people. In worship, this can cause us to become more SELF- conscious than we are GOD- conscious. But don't imagine it's because Christian men won't worship. We love it when ours is one of many voices that become ONE voice. This is what happens when you fill a room with godly men... or godly women... or Christ fo...  Read More

One thing about our incessantly difficult weather is that most of us TREASURE a beautiful day. I spent 5 hours with two friends this week drinking in the sunshine. From our 0° start to the day, the temperature by mid-afternoon had risen more than 20 degrees. The trail in was both difficult and unpleasant, but we eventually broke into open country with deep powder. We prayed together and openly tha...  Read More

A week ago I climbed an inactive volcano named 'Koko Head.' During WWII they actually lay rail tracks up the vertical slope and put defense bunkers on top. To get to the top, you must climb what seems like thousands of railroad ties one step at a time. Some things in life can only be accomplished that way. If you want to be a nurse, you must first graduate from high school or get your GED. Then yo...  Read More

Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We are naturally good 'receivers.' That's easy. Just make certain that your children open one gift at a time and then walk over to thank and hug the giver before they open the next gift. Receiving well takes a little practice, but the joy of giving is something that needs to be TAUGHT to our children, MODELED for them, and PRACTICED daily. ...  Read More

Each year our church fasts together and then breaks the fast together with communion and a simple meal at our Good Friday service. Why fast? 1) Fasting is an act of OBEDIENCE. Giving instructions to his disciples, Jesus said, "WHEN you fast..."  He did not say, "IF you fast..." 2) Through fasting, we force our flesh to come under the control of our Spirit. SELF-discipline is hard for all of us to ...  Read More

Successfully fishing Southeastern Minnesota trout streams requires expert casting. The first reason for this is that the streams are lined with brush and low-hanging branches that dangle just above the surface of the water. Those who can't cast well spend more time with their hooks snagged on the brush than they do fishing. My brother John and I spent hours practicing in the backyard with a 1 oz s...  Read More

I just got back from an amazing weekend with 50 other men. Pastor Dean Burris challenged us with great messages on Biblical Masculinity. We had ring toss contests and ping pong, golf on the lake and trap shooting. Men played board games and cribbage, skied and rode snowmachines... We had incredible times of worship, laughed together, made new friendships and strengthened ties with those we already...  Read More

My brothers, John and Jim, are good hunters. I told them that if they would take vacation time the first week of August and fly up from Minnesota to hunt with me, that I would buy their plane tickets. I told them to come for a minimum of 10 days, but they were each only able to get 5 days of vacation time. I drove over 200 miles to pick them up at the airport and then drove over 800 miles to hunt ...  Read More

When Laura and I taught school in rural Alaska, we were each allowed to take one caribou. The problem (from Laura's perspective) is that she was not a hunter. In fact, she would not even cut up a whole chicken that you bought at the grocery store. I, however, had no intention of shooting HER caribou. We needed the meat- she needed to hunt. It was that simple. But I had an even stronger motive for ...  Read More

I talked about the importance of having a partner when you get stuck. What about those times when you are utterly alone? I was on a narrow trail in a spot that looked like you sliced the 3' tall sides of a trail with a knife. I was high centered and could not stand on either side of the machine to lift, and I did not have a winch or a rope. In my frustration and impatience I expended a tremendous ...  Read More

A person who is afraid of 'getting stuck' simply can't hunt on Alaska's trail systems. Countless times I have driven into a bad place that I KNEW I couldn't get through. Why? Because there was NO OTHER PATH. So- how DID I get through? With the right tools and partners. I have a heavy duty winch, a strong rope, hip boots, and at least one other person. We help each other get through. There are so m...  Read More

Your name is important to God, but only because it is attached to you. YOU are important to God- important enough to die for. 1 John 4:10 "This is love- not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." In the same way that a young man works overtime for months so that he can buy his future bride an engagement ring, love ALWAYS sacrifices. But imag...  Read More

Our common travel today was unimaginable even 150 years ago. I am reading the life story of a missionary to the polynesian islands around 1810. It took him a full year to sail there from England because of continuous storms and difficult weather. Today we would get on and off the plane the same day and complain about a 'long' flight. From the standpoint of sharing Christ, our ability to travel gre...  Read More

Experienced riders on mountain sleds (snowmachines) are able to go amazing places. What my 'non-motor' outdoorsy friends don't realize is that riding into high country is a tremendously athletic workout. Skill, strength and agility are baseline requirements. I have personally never been interested in 'motorized adrenaline rushes' on my snowmachine, but I respect the strength and skill of those who...  Read More

We woke up to bitter cold. I estimated the temperature at −15°. Shoving my feet into frozen boots was not only unpleasant, but soon painful. I tried to move my toes as much as I could to try to get some blood flowing, but I knew that they wouldn't warm up until I started to climb. We put on our crampons, stepped into our harnesses, grabbed our ice axes and roped together. We were most probably the...  Read More

I discovered early on that having climbing 'partners' made all the difference. Over the years about half dozen different men have stepped into that role. When Jon Boone invited me to climb Mount Rainier with he and his daughter, we began intensive training. This culminated with an overnight in very cold temperatures where we dragged sleds full of gear 7 miles in to the base of a coastal mountain. ...  Read More

I learned early on that hunting sheep on foot involves a lot more 'going home empty' than success. My most common experience is to find nothing to hunt. I can go for several years at a time without even seeing a legal ram. So why go? It's hard to explain. Of course, I would love to fly into sheep country to hunt, but that's never been in my budget. I go because there is something viscerally appeal...  Read More

I've always loved winter, but staying active during 6-7 months of dark and cold is a challenge. When I lived in Alaska's interior I could be hunting, trapping or snowmachining in the wilderness in minutes. That's no longer an easy option. This is why I started climbing mountains. It isn't easy, and it's not what you would describe as 'fun,' but it's good. It's good FOR me. Right now I'm in terribl...  Read More

When I started teaching in the Copper River School District, the hunting season for Dall sheep and caribou was August 10th to September 20th. The hunting season for moose was September 1-20. With school starting the middle of August, this meant I had 5 or 6 days to hunt sheep and then 5 more weekends to hunt caribou and moose.The year before, Laura had reserved the church for August 15th for our w...  Read More

When I finally climbed out of the tundra and into the gray rock, the mountain became steeper. The climb, still grueling, was less difficult. As I continued to gain elevation, my heart began to soar. This, battling through brush and tundra and vertical climbs to the very top of my small part of the world, is an experience that very few ever earn. The most surprising lesson that I learned is how muc...  Read More

As I slowly made my way in along an unfamiliar trail, I experienced the joy of seeing new country for the first time. Again and again I took out my spotting scope and 'glassed' for sheep. Finally, about ten miles in, I spotted rams. They were so far above me that even with a spotting scope I couldn't tell if they were legal. I simply shouldered my pack and started to climb. The base of these mount...  Read More

The mountain was steep and I had to bust my way through alders at lower elevations. As difficult as my first sheep hunt was, this climb was much harder. I finally broke out on top and found myself on the rim of a beautiful, large 'bowl'- but there were no sheep. I was able to cover some ground and glass great distances with my spotting scope, and there were NO sheep- none- zip- nada. By the time I...  Read More

After taking my first Dall sheep ram I felt that I was officially a 'sheep hunter.' At that point in my life I had already taken deer, elk, antelope and black bear with a bow and arrow, but this was BY FAR the most difficult hunt I'd ever been on. It was also a great confidence builder, because this was the first time I had ever camped and hunted alone deep in the wilderness. (I had partners, but ...  Read More