Posts with the category “daily-devotions”

Happy birthday America! Thanks to all of you who have served in the military to keep our nation free. Because we are the first and only nation on earth founded upon the gospel of Jesus.Christ, God has blessed us above all other nations. Why has patriotism plummeted in the last fifty years? Because people in positions of influence, starting with our educational systems, have rewritten our history. ...  Read More

I watched my partner head out with "his' moose as I made something to eat. I was now hunting on my own. A lot of people would probably have quit, but I had limited time to hunt and two families (ours and Laura's parents) counting on me to bring home meat to last through the winter. I saw a number of cows during the day, but no bulls. I decided to pull up and move to a second walk-in area, and just...  Read More

About a half hour later, my friend came trudging up the trail with his enormously heavy load of meat. I let him tag this moose because he had hit it just above the hind hoof before I shot it. Having 2 men to cut and pack a moose is a blessing, and we had about about a day and a half now to go and find one for me... so I thought... When he got back, he said, "I have a lot of things I need to do at ...  Read More

About fifteen minutes later, I saw my partner coming towards camp without his pack full of meat. He was angry and upset. We had ATV's, but we had camped at the edge of a 'walk-in only' area. He said, "I'm going to take my ATV in and get the rest of that meat." We had a lunch cooler with Pepsi on ice. I handed him a Pepsi and said, "You'll feel better in a little while." Twenty minutes later he wal...  Read More

We waded the river, each with half of a young moose's boned out meat in our packs. The other shore was a near-vertical soft, silty hill leading up to the ridgeline. By using the scrub willow brush growing there we were able to pull ourselves up as we climbed. At the top, however, we faced another problem. We had no more brush to pull us forward, so before we could climb up onto the ridge we had to...  Read More

I stood watching as the bull we could have had 100 yards from camp crossed a shallow river and disappeared into a willow patch over a mile from camp. My partner had missed two easy shots and had left all of his ammunition back at camp. I sat holding his empty rifle and watching the spot where the moose disappeared, while he carried his bow and arrows back to camp to get my rifle and his ammo. When...  Read More

The bull was standing looking at us 100 yards away. One hundred yards of flat, level ground with very little brush. Getting the meat out was going to be an easy pack.... that's what I was thinking. My partner had a different idea. He wanted to try to get it with a bow and arrow. It was the 1st of September and the rut hadn't started. I knew that there was absolutely no way he could get close to th...  Read More

It was my first time hunting with this partner. I had taken him to one of the few spots where I had consistently found moose. At first light, there he was- a young bull standing 100 yards away, barely visible through the fog that hovered over a small pond. Even though it was my hunt and my spot, I decided to let my partner shoot this moose. I had killed many moose and was more interested in his ex...  Read More

According to studies, the average four-year-old laughs 400 times a day. The average 40-year-old laughs only 4 times a day. The medical benefits of laughter are profound. Laughter strengthens your immune system, it diminishes pain, decreases blood pressure, regulates heart rhythm, and lessens depression, anxiety and stress. What happened to our laughter? Most  respond with something like: "Life bea...  Read More

Be careful who you follow. He said it would be easy. He said it would be no problem. I discovered that his definition of 'easy' and 'no problem' was very different from my own. There was a group of us with four wheelers and side by sides. Virtually everyone was stuck in the first muck hole. Thanks to our winches and extra hands, we only spent about an hour to go 100 feet. Then, we started up a ver...  Read More

There is a movement, though very small, of people becoming what they call 'minimalist.' Small homes, a few possessions, only a few changes of clothes... something about this kind of life appeals to me. At the same time, a part of me would love to have the right piece of heavy equipment, a boat that goes out on the ocean, a Supercub, and a giant track rig for hunting moose. I've said many times tha...  Read More

It seems that everywhere on earth has its own scent. Alaska is that way for me. It smells like HOME. So much of our culture today doesn't understand that feeling. So many homes are filled with stress and anger and disappointment that a large number of people have a longing to 'get away' from what they think of as home.So let me tell you what home SHOULD be. It should be a place of REFUGE, of PEACE...  Read More

When we look at those people who started with very little and built a successful life, it is easy to be envious. We never see the sacrifice It took to get there. It's like the photos that we take on top of a mountain. People who have never climbed get images of 'The Sound of Music' and frolicking in the Alps. The photo doesn't reflect the physical punishment of climbing. Everyone wants to be on to...  Read More

When Jesus said to a small group of commercial fishermen, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers (literally 'catchers') of men"- what did he mean? While there is certainly a degree of value to fishing- to being out on the water with the wind in your face or standing knee deep in a river casting- fishing would be pointless without the 'catching.' Every good fisherman knows that there are things we...  Read More

We all have different gifts. My friend Lynn Pryor understands all things mechanical. He can weld, bend, fabricate, and overhaul. That's not me. Like all men who are willing to admit it- I wish I could do those things. I have a friend who hunted with a giant track rig called a 'Thiokal' for decades. Every year he shot his moose, and every year he drove right up to it. I, on the other hand, typicall...  Read More

Relationships are the fabric of life and shared experiences are the threads woven into that fabric. We were created to be in relationship first with God and then with one another. God is our Father, Savior, Counselor, Redeemer, Protector, Strengthener, and Provider. These are not simply words, they are reality. Every Christian on earth is quite literally our brother or our sister. We're not a 'rel...  Read More

Many of us have experienced the frustration of putting a lot of time and energy into something only to discover we were doing it the wrong way. Just because we're moving doesn't mean we are headed in the right direction, does it? My dad and I had spent days looking for caribou without success. We finally saw a small band of cows miles away on top of a mountain. My dad is an excellent hunter, but h...  Read More

Since we're on the topic of marriage, I must respond to the question, "What advice do you have for those of us who are struggling in our marriages right now?"There is only one person in this marriage you have the ability to change, and that is YOU. First, become your best self spiritually, physically and emotionally. Get up early in the morning when the house is quiet to spend time with the Lord. ...  Read More

Yesterday I shared that a key ingredient to a happy marriage is to CHOOSE WISELY. Yet so many Christian men and women- especially women- choose poorly. Why is that? One of the following two reasons is overwhelmingly true, but after I share these, I will also share the underlying reason for what drives those two choices. Why do Christians seeking to be married choose poorly?1) Loneliness. Being sin...  Read More

People are always wondering what is the secret to a good marriage. First, I would tell you this- CHOOSE WELL. Ladies, the man who loves God FIRST will love you BEST. Choose a godly man who is gentle and kind, who loves children, and who is committed to being a good provider. Men, the woman who loves God FIRST will love YOU best. Choose a woman who is generous and kind, who loves children, and who ...  Read More

By three months old, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, 'Tuck-A- Duck-Away' (Tucker) was hand signal, whistle and voice trained. He loved the water and was an absolute joy to train. He was intelligent, eager to please, and absolutely obedient. Working with him was so rewarding that I actually thought about leaving my teaching career and training hunting dogs full time. I had a very high view of myself a...  Read More

Hosea 6:3 says, "As surely as the sun rises, he will appear."The return of Christ is not only promised, it is imminent. I have many times looked and wondered, "Is it today, Lord?" In fact, I'm looking at the sunrise right now. The Bible tells us that we will all be changed "in a flash- in the twinkling of an eye." Live as though today is your LAST opportunity to tell people that you love them.Live...  Read More

Maybe you remember the old riddle: Q: How do you eat an elephant?A: One bite at a time!Large projects can seem daunting up front. When Pastor Robert Chadwick and I, along with a small group of men, decided that we could build 'a church that could seat 1,000' we had about 200 attenders. Our plan was to do it completely ourselves- all volunteer labor. I was in charge of the fundraising pledge drive ...  Read More

Every hunter knows that the moment of success is when the work really begins. A large animal needs to be cut up right there on the ground. That's hard enough, but when you finish that you need to start packing heavy loads of meat. Once you get the meat home, you need to process it and get it in the freezer. Then everything needs to be cleaned and put away for next time. Work, work, work, work, wor...  Read More

The first time I brought home a bearLaura was a little hesitant about the meat. This was new for both of us.I had taken a big black bear with a bow and arrow and had kept the meat meticulously clean. Even so, I had to 'bargain' to get her to try it. I said, "We'll put a roast in the crock pot before church, and when we come home, if it smells good, we'll try it. Otherwise, we'll go out for lunch."...  Read More

One primary key to a productive life is repetition. But then, repetition is also one primary cause of a destructive life. You see, when you do a good thing again and again, you develop a HABIT, and your habits form your LIFE. Repeating good things- healthy things- is like putting money in the bank. When times get hard or you face BIG challenges, you have an 'account' to draw from. Good habits posi...  Read More

I was sitting on a small cutbank with my legs dangling. About twenty feet beneath me was a tiny trickle of water. I saw the tiniest flash of brown in the brushy bottom, and shortly after saw two grizzly cubs, each about the size of a football. They were followed by the largest interior bear I'd ever seen. Everything had gone from peaceful to extreme danger in a moment. I had my rifle with me, but ...  Read More

As a teenager and young man out working in the world, I always thought I was a Christian. I never read the Bible, I never prayed, I rarely attended church after high school, and I cursed continuously. Then I got saved. A godly pastor suggested that I should get baptized. I resented his saying that. After all, I had been baptized as an infant. In fact, I had never seen or heard of a baptism that wa...  Read More

What comes to mind when you think of Vacation Bible School? We just wrapped up an incredible week of pouring Jesus into children. We had over 200 volunteers, including more than 50 teenagers. We had over 400 children in attendance. We had a worship team and drama team and kitchen team and outside activities team. We had teachers and craft leaders and clean-up crews. We had a tech team that include...  Read More

It had been a long day, and much longer for my young son. I don't know how many miles we walked, but we had been walking all day. I was actually thankful to spot my bright yellow tent in the distance, because the sun went down just before we got back to camp. Thankfully we still had enough light to shoot, because a caribou glided past about 100 yards from the tent. Hunter made a great shot, and as...  Read More

Yesterday I climbed a mountain with our youth group. We had a total of 51 people climbing, over half of whom had never climbed a mountain before. For the first time in a number of years, NO ONE QUIT! It was relatively easy for a handful of super-athletic kids. It was very hard for most. It was grueling for some. In life we will all face many mountains. Some will be relatively easy, some will be ve...  Read More

After yesterday's devotion, I got to thinking about all of the different times I have been upside-down under a machine. Off the top of my head, I could think of five times. All but one were because of bad decision making. In my many years as pastor I have seen dozens of lives turned upside-down by bad decision making. Sexual immorality, alcohol, drugs, dishonest business practices, even laziness a...  Read More

One of the functional advantages of 'mud-gripper' tires on an ATV is that they extend well into the sidewall of the tire. This gives you a tremendous amount of pull when going through muck. But they also come with a unique problem. When you bump the edge of a front tire against a tree or cutbank, the machine will often begin to climb straight up. Under speed, this can lead to an immediate 'flip' u...  Read More

When my daughter Sarah was 11 years old, our friend (and hunting guide) Terry Holiday flew us out of Iliamna on her first caribou hunt. We experienced a night of wind like nothing I've ever seen. Our tent was literally called a 'Bomb Shelter', and with its heavy steel pipe frame and 16 tie-down ropes to anchor us in place, we managed to weather it through. Other hunters with the same tent didn't m...  Read More

For many years Laura and I were locally famous for our car stories. More accurately- for our car troubles. You see, building a church, raising five children of our own and helping to raise nearly two dozen more kept us on a slim budget. In fact, we drove two vehicles that had both been totaled (and not fixed) for many years. Understanding that those two were our 'good' vehicles, you can imagine ho...  Read More

We had driven over 100 miles- the last 60 of it washboard gravel. From there, we shouldered heavy packs and walked at a pace so frantic that at times we were 'shuffling' (an 'almost jog') to add speed. We were hiking along the edge of a glacier and had to be careful not to turn an ankle on the loose, rocky ground. We were after Mountain Goats, but without flying the country we honestly had no idea...  Read More

My wife, Laura, loves to be out on the water IF the water is calm and IF it is warm outside and IF the sun is shining. She also loves fishing IF she is catching fish. She does not, however, have any interest in spending her day being cold and wet and miserable. In fact she once told me that her idea of a perfect hunt would be to cuddle up with a blanket in a motorhome reading a book and wait for s...  Read More

Perhaps you've heard the expression, "It's just the tip of the iceberg." We were snowmachining in what appeared to be a wide open plain at the foot of a glacier. Here and there we saw unusual formations jutting up from the landscape. It wasn't until we got close that I realized we were actually riding on a frozen lake in deep powder, and that the 'land formations' were the tips of icebergs. The ti...  Read More

Before telephone navigation, I often carried printed pages and folders with specific directions to my destination when we were traveling out of state. Our phones are now a wonderful navigation tool. They are usually right. They are almost always right. Almost. But if you are wise you wouldn't stake your life on the accuracy of its navigation. You wouldn't want to bet your house. Why? Because ALMOS...  Read More

One of the best ways to guarantee terrible weather in Alaska is to plan a Dall Sheep hunt. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. In over three decades of stomping around in Alaska's high country, I can only remember a handful of beautiful, sunny days. I'm not saying that we only HAD a few, I'm just saying that those aren't the days that left a strong impression on my memory. Days on end of cold...  Read More