Posts with the category “daily-devotions”

Normally my friend Ed and I have floated Eagle River in our pack rafts several times by this time of year. This year the combination of nasty weather and our own busy schedules have kept us off the river. I have been missing it. There is an old hymn that says, "I have peace like a river in my soul." There is a certain peace- a certain calming of the soul- that I experience when I am on a quiet, me...  Read More

Many years ago we had a visitor from out of state on a Sunday morning who attended a church twice our size. Upon coming in she said to me, "I can't believe the number of men you have serving at this church. I couldn't give you the names of four men who serve in any way at our church." We see this pattern all over America: when a commitment to TRUTH leaves a church, masculine men leave the church. ...  Read More

For many years I tagged along as our youth group backpacked 26 miles from Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center through Crow Pass. One year as we finished setting up our tents and were breaking out our stoves to cook our first meal, someone hollered, "Bear!" This was before cell phones, so these Alaska kids were diving into their tents to get their cameras. We gathered all of the teens into a ...  Read More

Late May and the pond at my cabin is still completely frozen. As with all of our lakes, if a person drew his or her idea of what a 'lake' was in midwinter, he would think that a lake is simply a large, barren sheet of ice. If all truth was found on the surface of the way things appear, he would be right. But a lake is NOT a barren sheet of ice. To understand a lake you need to go deeper. Under the...  Read More

Hebrews 12:28 says, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." We know a little bit about being 'shaken' in Alaska. As unbelievable as it may sound to you, Alaska averages between 50 and 100 earthquakes per DAY. That's a lot of shaking! Our last really big one was about 5 years ago. One of our church...  Read More

I am always amazed at the amount of money that some people spend on their children's outdoor clothing. Not that good gear isn't important, it's just that they grow out of things so quickly. When I was a kid we simply made do with what we had. Waterproof boots? We never heard of them. Waterproofing for us was Wonderbread sacks over our socks. As I've grown older I've learned the importance of being...  Read More

Persistence pays. Trying to get my youngest son a caribou proved to be a long endeavor. It looked like this: drive 250 miles, hunt for 2 days, drive 250 miles home. We did this several times before finally seeing a small band of caribou standing in the snow in heavy fog. My son got one off-hand shot before they bolted into the timber. He said that he thought he hit one, but nothing went down and t...  Read More

If you are fortunate to visit an Alaska native village during the 'run' you will see fish racks drying salmon. In the interior you may also see a cache. This looks like a tiny log cabin on stilts- usually 15 ft or more up off the ground. This is where hunters would store their meat to keep it from predators. The meat freezes in cold weather and is good all winter and spring. When it comes to food,...  Read More

For many years this was the time of year when I harvested our spring and summer meat - black bear. I'd still be doing it if I had a place to hunt... but not because it's fun. For me sitting in a tree until midnight, covered with mosquitoes, is not fun. Skinning and cutting up a bear well after midnight by myself is not fun. Getting a bear roast out of the freezer is fun. Men are wired differently,...  Read More

My wife, Laura, grew up in Alaska but not in a hunting family. As the oldest child she did much of the cooking for the family when she grew up, but she said that she was too squeamish to even cut up a chicken. As a young married couple in Copper River we were allowed one subsistence caribou each. She wasn't happy about it, but I insisted that she shoot one because we needed the meat. She, however,...  Read More

I'm not as strong as I used to be. People who hunt Dall Sheep understand that an 'empty' pack when you leave camp is actually very heavy. You need binoculars, rangefinder, spotting scope and tripod. You need a scoped rifle and extra ammo. You need rain gear and warm gear and an emergency phone. You need food, water, knives and game bags. On top of that, for many years I brought a whole Dall Sheep ...  Read More

While I have crossed many glaciers in my life, there is only one time that I was actually inside of one. Friends and I were out on snowmachines and noticed and opening in a glacier. I walked up to the opening and to my surprise was looking into a beautiful, large ice cavern. I actually drove my snowmachine inside. A year later the opening was gone. You see, to all appearances glaciers are rock sol...  Read More

Though nearly the middle of May, I found myself climbing in fresh snow yesterday. Alaska is indeed a land of extremes. A number of times in my life I've heard people from Southern California complain about the monotony of continuous sunshine. That's never been my experience. Don't get me wrong, I love snow and the crisp, cold air... in winter. But this time of year I find myself anxious for the sn...  Read More

It's May 11th and I have a fresh blanket of snow the ground. About a month ago I got serious about climbing again. It's unpleasant. In fact, I'm always a little bit nauseous until my body adjusts to the exertion. Many of the things that are good for us in the long haul are difficult in the moment. Maintaining sexual purity until marriage, sticking with your marriage even when things get tough, lab...  Read More

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I'm one of those who is blessed with a great mother, as was she. My wife and my daughters are great mothers. Being an excellent mother doesn't require perfection, it simply requires that you give yourself fully in each of your life's roles. For example, you can give 100% to being a mother, 100% to being a wife, 100% to being an employee, 100% to being ...  Read More

Satan continues to wage his war on what it is to be masculine and feminine. Sadly, many young Christians are unknowingly leading their sons and daughters into this confusion. Raise your boys to be strong- guardians, protectors, providers. No, they shouldn't be playing with dolls. Give them a hammer and some nails and a pile of scrap wood. Give them bows and slingshots and knives. Let them cook, su...  Read More

We all came from somewhere. I'm not talking about YOU, specifically, I'm talking about your 'people'- your ancestors. Every person on earth shares a common Grandfather- Noah. We all shared one and the same language, and I'm quite positive it wasn't English! Mankind was settled on an enormous plain in the Middle East, and was building a tower that reached to the heavens- without God- in spite of Go...  Read More

Some people grow up expecting others to do everything for them- to solve all of their problems- to meet all of their needs. Sadly, these wrong expectations are often learned in childhood. It's actually GOOD for people to be a part of the solutions that they need. Years ago my young granddaughter Harper wanted me to fill a small swimming pool with water so the kids could 'swim.' I told her that if ...  Read More

One of the reasons young children learn and grow so fast is that they 'believe' that they can do almost anything. Ask a kindergartner- "Can you run fast? Can you jump high? Can you draw a beautiful picture?" "Yes!  Yes! Yes!"A number of years ago as my 3 year old granddaughter Piper climbed the tiniest little 'rock wall' you've ever seen to go down a slide, I heard her say to herself, "I'm SO stro...  Read More

The statement- "It's a pretty good trail" means something entirely different in Alaska than in other states.  In Alaska it simply means that if conditions are right you will 'probably' get through.... but you might get stuck many times- your ATV may break down- you will definitely want a winch.  Even so, I am thankful for the small number of trails that we have into the wilderness. From year to ye...  Read More

Some people claim that my 'hunting ideas' aren't always the best. For example, when my wife Laura drew a lottery moose tag a few years ago, she and I and our son David rode triple on a four wheeler (Laura behind me on the seat and David on the front rack). After eight miles which seemed uneventful to me and death-defying to Laura, we hunted on foot. Now- why in the world would I have us ride tripl...  Read More

May 3 and still ice on the lakes. My yard high on Bear Mountain is down to about a foot of snow. Think about it- COLD makes things HARD. Water freezes, and if the cold continues, the ice gets thick enough to drive on. In fact, it gets thick enough to build a fire on. For me, the wilderness experience is all about the fish and game and the country I'm in. For my kids it was all about the snacks and...  Read More

Some men are just plain 'steady.' In other words, you know that you can count on them. My friend Chuck Bohling is like that. He has a great sense of humor, can recite wilderness poetry around a campfire, and has invested many years in behind-the-scenes leadership at The Crossing. As you look around your 'friend' and 'work' circles, identify those things in other people that you wish were true of y...  Read More

For many years after our Vacation Bible School I would take our youth group on a 'climb.' After a 4 hour 'Bear Mountain Loop' Laura and I would feed all of them an Alaskan meal (usually moose chili and bear roast). The climb itself was difficult for many and extremely difficult for a few, What was the most important job on this climb? The leader? No, the leader's job was much like a cowboy holding...  Read More

Sometimes danger is clear- no one could miss it. Other times it isn't so obvious. At the end of a mission trip to Uganda we spent 2 days on and along the Nile River. The riverbank was lined with large crocodiles- clear danger. But to our surprise, our native guide told us that BY FAR the most dangerous animal was the hippo. That was unexpected. Some of life's dangers are clear, and we cross those ...  Read More

If it wasn't for a good friend who is a more successful hunter, some years moose meat would be almost non-existent in my diet. The moose in my freezer right now is from a roadkill and I'm glad to have it. Perhaps the Lord has kept me focusing on being a 'meat' hunter by not giving me large moose, or perhaps it's just a combination of the country I'm hunting and my own deficiencies. But ONCE- just ...  Read More

Up at 4, off to the airport and waiting for a 6 AM flight. Travel to and from Alaska means something different than it means to most of the world. I just spoke to someone who flew RT between two nations in Europe for $39. We have villages in Alaska where the cost from Anchorage is closer to $1,000. It's simply a part of living in the last frontier. And yet- we CAN travel. We CAN buy a ticket and s...  Read More

Though we have collected an almost unbelievable amount of stuff over the years, for my wife, Laura, none of it matters. Life is about people and relationships. She is a lover of people, and the beautiful thing is that it doesn't matter who they are or how old they are. Seeing her interact with others is like a momentary glimpse of heaven. She SEES you and wants to KNOW you and BLESS you. How about...  Read More

In my experience, usually violent winds on top of a mountain blow horizontally. In other words, all you need to do is drop off the summit to find calm- the wind will be blowing above you and you won't feel it. Occasionally, however, those incredibly strong winds will blow straight down the side of a mountain like a freight train going downhill. That was our Friday morning. We were forced to look u...  Read More

I had the privilege of coaching in Alaska for more than 30 years. What is the purpose of competition? Most of the world gives a 2 word answer: TO WIN. I disagree. I never pushed my athletes to win... but I DID push them, and I pushed them HARD. I wanted each athlete to become the very best that he or she could be. I wanted individuals to learn to work together as a team. I wanted them to love and ...  Read More

We've talked about joy, but do you have PEACE? In other words, do you have the ability to set your struggles and your longings on the shelf, accept where you are in life at this moment, and simply be your best YOU today? This is what it means to live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). In spite of our challenges, we are blessed beyond measure and have an amazing life ahead of us. This is why, eve...  Read More

Joy often escapes us. You want to be joyful- you want to be the one who lights up a room as you go in, but you forget. Why? Because you choose to live a REACTIVE life. You walk into a room thinking of your own responsibilities and stresses and disappointments. You choose to live as though you are carrying the weight of the world. Everything in your face and demeanor, in your tone and questions and...  Read More

I've always enjoyed fishing from shore much more than fishing from a boat. I trace this back to my childhood when we would launch our boat on the Mississippi River in the dark and be out all day. No bathroom breaks, no stopping in somewhere to eat lunch, just long days in a small aluminum boat out on the water. Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to fishing from a boat. In fact, I generally like i...  Read More

I grew up in Minnesota and then lived in Montana before the army sent me to Alaska. One of the questions I get from my friends outside this time of year is, "Have you been catching any fish?" It's inconceivable to them that in late April we don't have open water. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." From the moment Christ ascen...  Read More

It has snowed for 7 days in a row at my house. This came after 7 days of glorious sunshine. While this is little more than interesting trivia, I would point out that we are beyond our 6th month of winter. Why do people choose to live here? For many reasons, but for me just one- God has called me here. I never intended to come to Alaska, and I never intended to stay. And yet, in this far away place...  Read More

From the moment of birth, life is a series of 'firsts.' We remember a baby's first crawling, first steps and first words. Later, it's the first day of school. As young adults, we have our fist day on the job or first day of college. For men who hunt, it may have been your first turkey or your first deer (or in Alaska, your first caribou or moose). And somewhere along the line, whether in early chi...  Read More

I've gotten back into my practice of morning climbs. Heavy socks, heavy mountaineering boots, hiking pants, 2 light layers under a thin wool shirt, gaitors, warm hat, light backpack with emergency gear, crampons,  hiking poles, warm gloves... this is my morning regimen of getting dressed for the climb. The photos from the top of the mountain are fantastic, but it isn't just the photos- BEING on to...  Read More

Every sunrise is special. It brings hope for a new day. It signals a fresh start. No matter what you went through yesterday, today is brand new. Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" Why should we rejoice? Because the God who created the universe knows us by name! He loves us and is preparing our future home- a NEW heaven and a NEW Earth wi...  Read More

They say that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Sometimes a picture seems to perfectly capture the innocence of a child. There is something a little surreal- holy- about that moment in time. Somehow, deep within us, we all recognize that this is how life is supposed to be. In that innocence we see a glimmer of perfection- of what it means to be created in the image of God- wonderfully and marvelou...  Read More

By the time we were back at the bottom of the mountain, we had little more than a hopeful guess as to the direction of the bear. We split up in the timber and began a slow meander trying to find the clearing. Soon I heard a shot, and my partner, Tim Hand, had a beautiful cinnamon colored black bear. It was then that we discovered another mistake. We had been in such a hurry to get to the bear that...  Read More