Though nothing was coming into my bear stand, I made the drive and hike into the mountains night after night for several weeks. I continued practicing with my bow and was confident that if I was given the opportunity I could make a good shot. I had been out of the army for about 4 months, and Laura and I had the opportunity to go to Glennallen and Kenny Lake to officially accept our first teaching...  Read More

When Laura and I were first married I decided I was going to hunt black bear with a bow and arrow. My Hoyt compound bow was the first quality piece of hunting gear I'd ever purchased. I had met 2 guys at the archery club who also wanted to hunt. We made a good plan. We decided to set up 3 stands in different locations and then we would take turns hunting whichever stand had bears coming in. In tho...  Read More

For many years I have found that 'getting' in shape and 'staying' in shape do not come automatically. More than that, both are in many ways unpleasant. What I want NOW is a terrible master. What I want NOW is to eat more than I should and exercise less than I should. Our physical bodies make wonderful servants, but when allowed to lead, they soon become tyrants and dictators, don't they? So here i...  Read More

All of humanity once had one language. For any kind of relationship to exist, there must be communication. For people to work effectively and in unity, there must be communication. So why did God confuse mankind's language? Why did he- in a moment in time- separate people by language groups? Ultimately, it was because of the sin of PRIDE. It was not by mistake that Satan named one of his great mov...  Read More

Did you know that God has called you to LEAD others? Too often Christians feel almost as though they need to apologize for their faith and convictions rather than using those opportunities to encourage others and point them to Christ. As literal sons and daughters of the King (not some temporary earthly king, but the TRUE KING), we need to embrace our position- our standing- in this world. When Ki...  Read More

I didn't have a deadline. There was no pressing matter involved. I was a little impatient, but it wasn't directed toward anyone or causing me to have a bad attitude. But it impacted my judgement. It caused me to move forward when wisdom would have waited. And it cost me. Not in a life-changing way, but certainly in a way that I could feel the pain. Have you ever moved forward when you knew that yo...  Read More

I saw 2 photographs yesterday- one of Laura's dad when he was 3 or 4 years old, and another of her mom and dad when they just started dating. We live in the present. God is not constrained by time. When he looks at you, he sees that little girl who loved to twirl, that little boy who dressed up like a cowboy. He sees you as you were learning to read and to write. He remembers every accomplishment-...  Read More

The complexity and beauty of the created world never ceases to amaze me. The Great Smoky Mountains were bursting with fall colors as we drove narrow, winding roads to Gatlinburg. We had the added pleasure of seeing a black bear and two wild turkeys on the drive. The 6 kids (ages 3-9) were mesmerized at a beautiful aquarium for more than 2 hours. Even at my age I saw a number of creatures I could n...  Read More

Our luggage came off the carousel one piece every 10 to 15 seconds. We stood for almost an hour and a half, and when we left probably 3/4 of the plane had not yet received theirs. Two very long phone calls during our layover held my rent a car reservation for 24 hours... they said. But that was not the case. Somehow the message never made it from Thrifty corporate offices to the desk in Atlanta. A...  Read More

Mmmm. Morning again. What did I say about travel? Sixteen to twenty hours one way? We're 28 hours and counting. If all goes well, about four more should do it. But- I shared Jesus with a server from Mexico, with a couple on their way to Kona for vacation., and with a man standing in line next to me. I shared my testimony and the gospel with a gold miner on his way home to Nevada, and got to know a...  Read More

Travel' means something different for those in Alaska. Airplanes are a necessity, but even then travel is often long, difficult  and expensive.  When you add weather delays and 'bad service' delays we often have 12 to 20 hours on a single one way trip. But... it's a lot faster than a ship or a horse or a covered wagon. I need to remind myself that travel is not simply about the destination, it's a...  Read More

Snow. It had to come sooner or later. I look out my window and see a covering of white. Everything is fresh and clean and beautiful. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Snow is a beautiful reminder that God forgives- that he's always willing to make us clean- to give us a fresh start, a new beginning. Come to him with your sins- be open and honest...  Read More