One of the great privileges of living in Alaska is the ability to harvest salmon for our families. In some places people put out subsistence gill nets, in some places fish wheels, but for urban Alaska, our opportunity comes through dipnetting. A family of four can take over fifty Sockeye, which provides a good meal twice a week for a year. But here's the thing- only those who have packed gear for ...  Read More

A young bull moose walked into our yard and fought it out with my whitetail deer archery target. Though he clearly won, I can't help but think that he was disappointed. Like that moose, it's not uncommon for you and me to be deceived- to be tricked- to believe something that simply isn't true. 'Scamming' people is now a global industry. While there is a degree of corruption throughout politics, ly...  Read More

Last night I enjoyed a view that few ever experience. Though the trees blocked most of my view, Mt. McKinley was right there. The Athabascans call it 'Denali,' which means, 'The Great One.' A more fitting name would be 'The Great Mountain,' because the God who placed it there is truly 'DENALI'- truly THE GREAT ONE. When Noah and his sons and their wives came off the ark, they began to repopulate t...  Read More

Sometimes the best course of action is to let opportunities simply 'walk away.' You are offered a better job, but you would be away from home so much that you'd miss your kids growing up... so you let it walk away. You have the opportunity to date a person who is interested in YOU but not in Christ... so you let that opportunity walk away. You are invited to go on vacation with friends to Hawaii a...  Read More

By the time I shot my first moose in Alaska, I had already taken a lot of deer... but this was different in a BIG way. It was impossible to lift and impossible to drag. I didn't have a saw or a hatchet, and by the time I quartered it and got it home I discovered that I didn't even have room in our tiny apartment to process the meat. That's when a random hunter recommended that I take it to a local...  Read More

The bull was ALMOST legal. I ALMOST came home with a moose... but not quite. You see, to ALMOST get something is to NOT get it. To ALMOST get the job is to NOT get the job. To ALMOST go on vacation is to NOT go on vacation. This is the story of literally millions of people in America who go to church every Sunday. They are ALMOST saved. They are ALMOST followers of Christ. After all, they believe ...  Read More

My priorities have changed over the years. I still love to hunt. I still try to fill the freezer, but if I'm going out for a few hours to call for a moose, I bring my Bible along. Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." I feel that intensely. No matter what I'm facing, I open my Bible and God speaks directly into my life. After all, "T...  Read More

Four days in the wilderness and we've pretty much seen it all. Heavy rain, fresh snow and warm sunshine. The sunshine is my favorite. I'm at an age where hunting out of a 'lodge' is starting to sound really nice. Go out and hunt hard all day and then come inside to a warm meal, dry your clothes, sleep in a bed...It's only wishful thinking, but hey, a guy can wish, can't he? At the moment the sun i...  Read More

There were so few deer in Southeastern Minnesota when I was growing up, that the 'gun' season only lasted 2 days. It was absolutely unheard of for someone to 'pass' on a legal deer. Even a 'spike' buck was highly prized. When I graduated from college and moved to Montana, I took this perspective with me. I shot the first whitetail buck that I saw, not realizing that it was a long, beautiful fall a...  Read More

Fall. Crisp, cold mornings and (on occasion) clear, spectacular, sunny days. The colors have changed, leaves are starting to fall, blueberries are ripe, and hunters are in the wilderness by the thousands. Winter will soon be here. Jesus once challenged his disciples by telling them that though they could read the changing weather they failed to understand the spiritual signs that were all around t...  Read More

Black bears are excellent climbers and can get comfortable almost anywhere. They are also able to adapt to nearly any climate as long as they have food and water- whether the red rock deserts of Arizona or approaching the Arctic Circle. How about you? Can you get comfortable almost anywhere? Are you adaptable to any climate?I don't simply mean the weather, I'm talking about changing life circumsta...  Read More

Growing up in Alaska, all of my kids became excellent snowboarders... but not the way you might think. On our budget, they usually went to Alyeska Ski Resort at most once a year, and to a small lift in Anchorage or on the military base once or twice. How, then, did they learn? By climbing small hills (and sometimes mountains) carrying their boards, again and again and again. If you want to do some...  Read More