Posts with the category “daily-devotions”

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Any man can endure suffering. If you want to test a man's character, give him power." We endure suffering because we don't have a choice in the matter. The only question becomes, "HOW will you endure?" Yesterday Erica Kirk gave every man, woman and child a beautiful picture of what it is for a follower of Christ to endure suffering. In the midst of a desperately broken ...  Read More

While he is most commonly referred to by the secular world as a 'political activist,' Charlie Kirk was first and foremost an ambassador for Christ. His goal was never simply to change politics, his goal was to use truth and reason to counter all of the lies that Satan has breathed into our culture. Ultimately Charlie wanted to see transformed hearts and lives that would then transform our nation a...  Read More

I don't know where the saying comes from, but we've all had times in life when we've had to 'hit the ground running.' Whether it's a crisis or simply unexpected work, some of life's interruptions are both urgent AND important. But everything urgent crossing your path is not necessarily important. It's not high on your priority list. Often these come from other people who are having their own perso...  Read More

"Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength." It is not an unlimited supply of strength that we receive, but rather strength for the day- strength for the morning- strength for the moment. The result of God's strength is made clear: "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Here's the promise: every single thing that God desires for you to do, He will give you the streng...  Read More

Some things in life are utterly beyond our control. You've worked hard, done everything that you know to do. You've been striving and figuring and worrying and giving everything you have... but the problem remains. Perhaps it's time to wait. When we counsel one another to 'trust in God,' it's not a religious platitude, it's an act of faith. God himself tells us in Psalm 46:10- "Be still, and know ...  Read More

5 AM, partly cloudy, dark... but off in the distance two lights are shining- not in the sky, from the earth. You could go 100 miles in that direction without hitting a road. I see the light, but I'm in the dark and I don't understand it. This is how much of the world 'sees' Christians and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says, "In Him was life, and that life was the light o...  Read More

Cold last night. Condensation is frozen like raindrops on my tent. The horizon in one direction shows signs of blue sky while the other direction looks ominous with black clouds. The trail coming in brought back memories. It seems like only yesterday (but it was more than a decade ago) that I struggled out with 5 fractured vertebrae, a crushed foot and broken ribs. I was all alone, 44 miles into t...  Read More

Proverbs 9:10- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.Knowledge requires understanding.To 'know what to do with what you know' requires wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of both. What is the root problem of the criminally corrupt leadership of one political party and the criminally corrupt judges who make their ...  Read More

I've had a chill in my bones recently. This is largely due to the fact that I have refused to break out any of my warm clothing. Add to this that I was working outdoors in continuous rain for several days. I go through this every year in September. Believe me, I am properly equipped when it comes to warm gear. But what good does 'being equipped' do me if I refuse to use what I have? This is the st...  Read More

I had a strange feeling this morning. For some reason when I looked outside I thought I was seeing a blanket of snow. I was relieved when I turned on the outside light. Two of my friends got snowed on last week out hunting- that must be it. Maybe it's the chill in my bones from working out in the rain the past four days. Whatever it is, I'm ready for some blue sky, crisp fall days. Life marches on...  Read More

Dazzling intellect.Near photographic recall.Almost intuitive understanding of the complexities of modern culture and the solutions needed to move forward.Charlie Kirk was first and foremost an ambassador for Christ in this generation. He was a loving husband and father and a lover of this nation.His murder was undoubtedly inspired by the hateful rhetoric of the party of slavery, the party of the K...  Read More

Rained all day yesterday and harder all night- still raining. This makes excavator work tricky for an amateur. Clay soil quickly turns to mud, and I was stuck twice yesterday. I have a great deal that I want to get done today, but at this point in my walk with Jesus I've learned not to stress over unwanted delays. True, my patience is still tested at times when I'm driving, but I most often recogn...  Read More

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) "In all your ways know, acknowledge and recognize him and he will make your paths straight and smooth, removing obstacles that block your way." I took a giant step up from a chainsaw (which is still needed) to an excavator. I'm trying to remove obstacles. I'm trying to make paths at my cabin. Those who love the outdoors understand the pleasure of discovering a good path or tra...  Read More

And so I finally learned. My 'empty' pack when hunting in the wilderness includes warm gear, rain gear, spotting scope, tripod, binoculars, rifle, ammo, knives. game bags, food, water, fire starters, phone and more. If I am packing for overnight, then add a tent, sleeping bag, cook stove, fuel, sleeping pad, extra clothes, head lamps, first aid kit, and more food. Carrying all of that weight is a ...  Read More

After the disaster with my plastic rain gear, I agreed with Laura to begin purchasing quality gear. We were on a tight budget, so one year was rain gear, the next year was a tent and the third year was a sleeping bag. My first 'geared up' trip out, the weather was beautiful and sunny. I exited my warm sleeping bag and waterproof tent, stretched my legs, packed light, and began my climb. Since this...  Read More

With my thin, plastic rain gear shredded and gone, I continued to climb up above treeline in my white cotton jeans and T-shirt. As I gained elevation, the temperature dropped quickly and it was blowing hard and raining sideways. I began to shiver and my teeth were chattering even through the heavy exertion of the climb. These were warning signs. Hypothermia was setting in. Both strong and fit, phy...  Read More

I was new to sheep hunting and new to wilderness hunting in general. My tent cost $20 and my sleeping bag cost less than that. My 'rain gear' was thin plastic jacket and pants that came in a tiny ziploc bag and cost a $1.99. I tell you this because I spent a night in the black spruce at the foot of a mountain in the pouring rain. My tent was not waterproof and I could have 'bailed' the water off o...  Read More

What, ultimately, is needed to live a successful life? The most common answer is, "Money," but in truth, it's the power and freedom that money brings into a life that people desire.  And yet the rich and powerful among us are amongst the least happy and most dysfunctional portion of our society. Money and power bring pride and the illusion of 'independence.' This is the very opposite of what is ne...  Read More

"This is love- not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." -1 John 4:10 God initiated our relationship. He loved FIRST. More than that, he loved us when we were living a rebellious life. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."Love is not passive, it initiates. Love is ACTIVE, and is proved by its ACTIONS. Jesus told us that if we w...  Read More

"This is love- not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." -1 John 4:10God initiated our relationship. He loved FIRST. More than that, he loved us when we were living a rebellious life. "While we're still sinners, Christ died for us." Love is not passive, it initiates. Love is ACTIVE, and is proved by its ACTIONS. Jesus told us that if we wil...  Read More

I slept in my own bed last night. It was a combination of things. Descending from 2 strenuous climbs, my son's knee crippled up so badly that he could barely limp out of the woods. Between that, no moose and a broken down machine, our plans changed. At this point in my life, I've learned not to stress about these kinds of things. Those things that won't matter for eternity are little more than int...  Read More

6 AM and the rain finally stopped. We walked over 7 miles yesterday and did not see a single fresh moose track. Bizarre. With 4 days left to hunt we'll need to break camp and move. We walked, we climbed, we sat still and glassed a big stretch of country. Though it's early, we may try calling moose today. Most often success requires perseverance. The same thing is true spiritually. After Jesus call...  Read More

5 AM- first morning in the woods in months. I am enjoying the gift of a 'dry camp.' Spending this time alone in the dark- reading my Bible by lantern light- is good for my soul. The quiet, is mesmerizing. Last night my son David commented that he couldn't believe how loud was the sound of a yellow leaf falling from a tree to the ground.We are so seldom "quiet' anymore. It's as though a whole new w...  Read More

Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Do you have a contentious spirit? Are you easily offended? Do you feel the need to argue and win? If any of those are true, you are missing out on a clearly stated blessing of God. Peacemakers do not insist on having their own way. Peacemakers are eager to compromise and are willing to surrender their rights. Peacemak...  Read More

Jesus wept. In a world that seems to become desperately more wicked by the day, so many things grieve the heart of our Savior. Christ-followers are mourning because of another mass shooting of Christian school children by another person who bought into the ridiculous 'boys can be girls and girls can be boys' ideology. It's simply another lie from the pit of hell intended to destroy people created ...  Read More

The Scripture says that "God disciplines those he loves." It also tells us that "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful." Pain, though almost universally unpleasant, is a gift. It keeps us from resting our hand on a hot stove or further injuring a torn muscle. In that sense, pain protects us. When the Holy Spirit brings conviction about our sin, the emotional and spiritual pain and ...  Read More

God says in Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." There are many things in life that are worth 'finding.' At this very moment millions of people are seeking a good job, seeking a person to share life with, seeking the best medical care... and now... for the first time in many decades... an unprecedented number of young people are SEEKING a genuine rel...  Read More

Jesus said, "Come to ME all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Years ago I was coming off a mountain with a whole dall sheep in my pack- meat, hide and horns. I was side-hilling down a vertical slope- trying not to twist my ankles on rocks- attempting to get good footing with each step- but soon my muscles were so exhausted from the strain that my legs started...  Read More

Up at 4 AM and I feel a little bit like someone poured sand in my eyes. It's not unusual for me to be up this early, but last night I was up till after 1 AM doing things that needed to get done. Why? Because today we'll be driving about 500 miles round trip to check out a river. It might be a total bust, but then again, we might find a new place to hunt. We only have today. My friend flies out tom...  Read More

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is why there are 5 year-olds with greater wisdom than their grandparents. The ability to earn money is not wisdom. The ability to generate 'likes' and 'followers' is not wisdom. No person without Christ has ANY wisdom- none- zip- nada. Intelligence- yes. Great personalities- yes. Love for family- yes. Work ethic- yes. And yet, a rejection of Ch...  Read More

We call it 'instinct', but in truth, it's God-given patterns of behavior that are so miraculous that scientists simply apply a common term as the 'explanation'. Birds travel thousands of miles on their migration routes and often use the same nest year after year. Salmon travel those same thousands of miles to spawn in the exact river or stream where each individual fish came to life. Canadian scie...  Read More

For those who hunt off the road system in Alaska with ATV's, 'scouting' before the hunting season serves two main purposes. First, it tells you if there's any game in the area; and, second, it tells you the condition of the trail going in. In my experience, the trails most often fall into one of three categories: 'hard and occasionally dangerous', 'extremely hard and very dangerous', or, 'we can't...  Read More

Yesterday was a very typical from the standpoint of provision. I had salmon for lunch, moose for dinner and wild blueberries for dessert. Salmon and wild game has been my diet for decades. In fact, Laura and I never bought any kind of meat our first 11 years of marriage. We've been blessed to live on dall sheep, black bear, caribou, moose and salmon. For me, there is something intensely gratifying...  Read More

Rain turned me back again. Unless other people are counting on me, I seldom head out into the mountains when it's raining anymore. Don't misunderstond me- if I had a cabin or was coming back to my house, I would hunt all day in the rain. That doesn't bother me a bit. But to get drenching wet 'on my way' to hunt and then crawl into a tiny tent dripping wet (a small tent that got soaking wet when I ...  Read More

40° and rain- snow in the high mountains- welcome to August in Alaska. But when the sun comes out... oh, man... there is no more glorious place on Earth. Though God placed the life here, the battery- the engine that powers it all- is the sun. Yet even the sun has a power behind it. God created it. He spoke and the sun gave us light, He spoke and the sun was darkened, and He spoke and the sun stood...  Read More

Last time I forgot my rope and my saw and my shovel. Heading into Alaska's wilderness is not like hunting in any other place. Though it's August, you must be prepared for snow. You must be prepared for 40° and rain. You must be prepared to survive on your own in the wilderness, because you never know what you might encounter. Now- try to fit everything you'll need in a backpack, PUT ON the pack, a...  Read More

I am thankful for the opportunities God gives me to preach. But if my ONLY witness for him is preaching, I am missing out on what it means to truly be a follower of Christ. My goal is to be a witness EVERYWHERE to EVERYONE I encounter.'Religion' only meets on Sunday (and weddings and funerals). Relationships are the most vital part of daily life. In God we have a Father, Lord, Savior, Counselor, F...  Read More

Every muscle was taut- arms, shoulders, legs- as I continued to hold the machine 'almost' upright- 'almost' to the tipping point where it would land upright on its wheels. I was talking to God out loud the whole time. The machine was still idling, and I only had two options: 1) give up and let the machine settle back on its side under the mucky water; or, 2) gently feather the throttle in the hope...  Read More

If I relaxed for even a moment, the machine would be back on its side, half underwater, in a deep, ugly muckhole. My arms were stretched as high as I could reach and yet under the pressure of a significant amount of weight, but because I was standing nearly to my waist underwater in a deep rut, I wasn't quite tall enough to push it upright onto its wheels. What I needed was power outside of myself...  Read More

This was not life-or-death, but it was most definitely an emergency situation. My gun boot was under the sludgy water, my gas can was bobbing up-and-down in the water behind me,  and the only solution was for me to stand up a machine and gear that weighs well over 1,200 pounds. On my first attempt at lifting, the machine didn't even budge. I was asking, "Lord, help me. Help me. Help me, Jesus. Hel...  Read More