How about you? Would those around you say that you are a lover of people? After all, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment- the second most important thing that God says every one of his people should do- is to LOVE OTHERS as we love ourselves. Make it your goal today to intentionally love others- to be kind and generous and interested in their lives- and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on April 27, 2026

It was somehow.. exhilarating! Something deep inside of us craves a challenge- a personal victory to be won at a cost. Perhaps this is a part of God's image being reflected through us. Victory at great cost. For a short period of time life wasn't SAFE, but it was GOOD. When it comes to the cost of following Christ, safety is overrated.In fact, when it comes to matters of faith, it doesn't have a seat at the table.

Trust me, our time in this 'tent' of a body is short. Don't aim for SAFE, aim for GOOD. In this way, you will one day hear the words, "Well done, GOOD and FAITHFUL servant, enter in to your master's rest!" Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

And to hundreds of athletes over the years I spoke these words: "All that I expect from you is that you will give 100% of what you have to give- 100% of the time." To find my identity in 'winning' is to find my identity by comparing myself with other people. Competition is not about ME being better than YOU, it's about me being the very best that I can be.

A little friendly competition, the native Alaskan 'One Foot High Kick' in our living room.

This is why, even in the middle of trials, we can have genuine joy and peace. PEACE is simply JOY at rest. JOY is simply PEACE dancing. In John 14:27 Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Receive his peace- live by FAITH- and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

I'll let you in on a little secret- we ALL have troubles and stresses and disappointments. Friend, you can CHOOSE joy. You can choose to live PROACTIVELY. You can choose to live in a continuous state of gratitude. And if you do? JOY. You WILL be the one who lights up every room. Of course your problems are real.

The joy of a child CAN be yours!

I prefer the kind of fishing that Jesus' disciples did. They continuously moved their boats, they knew the best places to fish, they cast their nets again and again. It was active and intentional pursuit of the fish, not sitting around waiting for the fish to come to them. This is the model Christ gave them for making disciples.

Halibut fishing from kayaks with Dan Marshall

This is THE time to point people to Christ. This is OUR time. When the commercial salmon season opens in Bristol Bay, the boats literally crowd the waters and set nets line the beaches. Why? Because the fish MUST be caught and can ONLY be caught during the season. There truly is a season for every activity under the heavens.

April on my 'trout' lake. No, I am not yet fly fishing.

Have you found a family of people like this? People who are committed to loving the Lord Our God with everything they have and who are committed to loving each other? A family who stands firmly upon the Word of God in the midst of a rapidly declining culture? Don't misunderstand me- our church family is not a social club.

Enjoying a long Spring day in the Chugach Mountains.

But how would you feel if I told you that most of life's best 'firsts' are still ahead of you? Your best (and most exciting) days, your best relationships, your best health, your best LIFE- comes AFTER this one. It's TRUE. Many of this life's 'firsts' are wonderful and it pleases God that you experience them. But don't let them capture your heart. God alone demands FIRST place in your heart. Enjoy life's 'firsts' but keep God FIRST, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on April 19, 2026

But let me add a layer to that. Having partners to climb with is very enjoyable on top of the unpleasantness. In other words, it doesn't make the climb EASIER, but it makes it much BETTER, if that makes sense. In many ways, this life we experience is a never-ending series of climbs. We have seasons of grinding hard work (that friends make so much better) followed by seasons of being on top of the world.

Early morning on top of the mountain with daughter Ariel.

And what can we do to bring him glory on THIS new day? LOVE him, PRAISE him, THANK him and SERVE him. Write a letter, send a message, make a call, or have a conversation pointing someone to Jesus today, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on April 17, 2026

And remember- when God looks at you He sees that beautiful, innocent child- he has not forgotten. In his eyes you ARE who you WERE. A sinner by nature, true, but MUCH LOVED, precious in his sight. Zephania 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on April 16, 2026

We were both wearing a belt, so we took them off and lashed the bear's front foot to it's back foot on each side. Then I helped Tim shoulder the bear like a backpack and grabbed both rifles. Tim said, "I'm leaving my camp. There's no way I'm going to climb that mountain again." I said, "You pack the bear out and I'll climb the mountain, break down our tents and bring out both of our backpacks." Both of our full packs were extremely heavy, so Tim asked, "How are you going to do that?" I said, "I'll strap them up tight and just let them roll to the bottom. Then I'll have to carry one and drag one."

Jesus essentially told them, "I know you don't know HOW- just go do it!" When you are confident that you are headed in the right direction and run into a wall, don't give up! You are MORE CREATIVE than you know, STRONGER than you think, and HAVE RESOURCES at your disposal that God has not yet shown you! Keep moving forward, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Covering all that distance I came up empty. Sitting still, Tim found what we were looking for. There is a great spiritual lesson here. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." So often in life the key to hearing God's voice- the key to discovering our next right step- is to be still. Then, after hearing from God, we have the faith to move forward with confidence. The bear was in a small clearing in the timber and we didn't know if we would be able to find him.

Written on April 14, 2026

There was no small shelf where we could relax our calf muscles for a moment. There was nowhere to set our packs down to rest without them tumbling back to the bottom of the mountain. It was so steep, we couldn't even sit down. Our quads were exhausted, but our Achilles tendons and calf muscles were under so much constant strain that they were throbbing. Every step was extremely painful, but standing still on that incline was even worse. There was no escaping the suffering, so we just gritted our teeth and pressed forward.

We must view our suffering from the standpoint of our future- our eternity. Every follower of Christ has an amazing life- a joyful life- a wildly exciting and fulfilling life- just around the corner. For now, for just a little while, we walk by faith. HE gives us the STRENGTH for each new day and the GUIDANCE for each next step. PRESS ON and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Every single step that we take has consequences. In Haggai 2:5 we read, "Now this is what the Lord Almighty says. 'Give careful thought to your ways.'" Decisions matter. If you WANT to be in a better place in life, PLAN and WORK- take the steps that lead to a better life. Don't fall into the trap of climbing to some 'high' or other, only to discover that you've wasted a lot of time and energy and money and are finding it difficult to come back down. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

An invitation to church is far more likely to be accepted when personally delivered than if you shout it across the street. To comfort a person who is hurting requires intimacy- it simply doesn't work when you are on the other side of the room. But here's the thing- getting close is not always easy. It requires persistence- a commitment to NOT giving up.

A Brooks Range caribou far north of the Arctic Circle.

As we sat at the airport with over 1,000 pounds of meat, waiting for our flight out, a large group of fishermen came and purchased every seat. My friend and his brother, as employees, were both able to ride in a jump seat, but I was stuck for another 4 days on Adak until the next flight out. I decided to look at this as an opportunity, and began putting word out all over the island that I would be having a church service on Sunday morning. At that time there were only 63 people living on the whole island, and 13 of them showed up for the first church service held there in years.

Packing out a large Adak bull.

This is the story of most of our neighbors- of most people everywhere. They are very confident about the direction they are heading. Some choose the party life of alcohol and drugs, and for many it's still exciting and fun. Some choose education and career and they are so confident that they know where they are headed. Everyone has their sights set on something that they need or desire.

Written on April 9, 2026

The disciples knew what it was to go fishing and not catch anything. Once after an entire night of fishing without a single fish, Jesus told them to put out to deeper water and cast their nets. When they did, they caught so many fish that their nets began to break, and they filled two boats to the point of almost sinking.

Written on April 8, 2026

The same thing is true spiritually. If you feel lukewarm or cold in your faith, the problem isn't the temperature of the world around you. The world will always be cold toward Christ. The problem is that you've been sedentary- you haven't been active- you haven't been working. SERVING generates heat. PRAYING (not mouthing a few words, but honestly staying in one place for an hour and PRAYING) generates heat. Spending time in spiritual conversation with a brother or sister in the Lord generates heat. Be an ACTIVE Christian- LIVE your faith-and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Each time you share the gospel- each time you invite someone to a Bible study or gospel- preaching church, you are on a rescue mission to literally storm the gates of hell. Of the thousands upon thousands who were saved yesterday, the overwhelming majority heard the gospel because SOMEONE INVITED THEM to come! Allow God to use YOU and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

This earth-shaking news spread quickly throughout the Middle East and intoSouthern Europe and Northern Africa. It eventually made it to wherever you are sitting today. I pray that MILLIONS will come to Christ on this Resurrection Sunday. "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) Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

When those believers didn't have Jesus physically with them, He was utterly and completely absent. But you and I have an incredible advantage over them. We have the Holy Spirit in us, and he guides us into all truth. Thank the Holy Spirit this morning for his comfort, counsel and guidance. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on April 4, 2026

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."

On that day in our future- at that incredible banquet- it will seem as though we'd always been fasting. This will be our first meal in heaven- our first taste of what life was ALWAYS meant to be. As your fast draws to a close- as we prepare to break it tonight with communion and a meal- give thanks for the meal that is to come! Be blessed! Pastor Brad