By keeping our destination in sight, we made it safely across the glacier. We achieved our goal but found ourselves utterly disappointed. It wasn't what we expected. We were on the wrong side of a raging torrent of water. After all of that misery and hard work, we expected things to be easy. We were hopeful that things would be perfect. At the very least, we expected things to be a lot better. Thi...  Read More

A friend and I once spent hours on the ice- in the rain- crossing Kennicott Glacier. We had no crampons, ice axes, or ropes. We had no maps or aerial photos. We were picking our route 'as we were going' with no idea what lay before us. Only one thing kept us motivated and on track- we could see our destination. So many of life's wrong turns- bad decisions- stresses, fears, and anxieties- could be ...  Read More

I've always had an excellent internal compass. I was helping my dad look for a big whitetail buck he'd shot with an arrow. He shot it right before dark and didn't have a flashlight. By the time he made it out to the road, drove to a phone, called us and we made it down with lights, a couple of hours had gone by. He was scouting out a new river bottom and had climbed a tree when he shot the deer, s...  Read More

Jesus, in words to his followers, said in Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth." That's you. That's me. Salt. Salt influences everything where it's spread. Whether you use it on a steak, french fries, or put it in a glass of water- salt changes things. Salt preserves things and adds flavor, but it is also critical for life. The average adult has more than a 1/2 pound of salt in his or her ...  Read More

Another moose hunting season has passed me by without seeing a single legal bull. But we did have the chance to help another hunter and invite him to church. He lives in Anchorage so I told him that we had just started a new church there. He asked the name and where it was. I said, "It's called 'The Crossing' and it's in South Anchorage in Sand Lake." He replied, "I was just at that church last Su...  Read More

Time passes swiftly. I know this will sound strange to you young people, but high school honestly doesn't seem that long ago. I don't want to go back to those days. In all of eternity, we only get to 'age' once. Embrace it. This is the experience of a lifetime. Ask God to grow you and teach you and show you everything that He desires for you to learn in this brief moment of your eternal history.  ...  Read More

In the old days, rafts were not self-bailing. An essential piece of gear for whitewater was 'scoops' (generally, coffee cans, buckets or a milk jug with the bottom cut out). A group of friends invited me to 'paddle raft' Lion's Head- a stretch of serious rapids on the upper Matanuska River. My job was 'bailer.' That seemed like a waste of time to me. I thought perhaps I should have an oar and simp...  Read More

Cold outside- snow on the mountains- yellow leaves falling like rain. Everything in Alaska is getting ready for winter. People are cutting and splitting wood while the bears pack on their last pounds along the salmon streams and the berry covered mountains. In life there are often 'seasons of preparation.' It may be studying or training for a career, it may be getting a house ready for a new baby,...  Read More

I detest hunting from a treestand. I still do it- willingly- when I have the opportunity, it's just hard for me to sit patiently for hours hoping that something will walk by. I'm a wanderer at heart. I love the experience of silently hiking up and down hills and through valleys- always listening- always looking. Yet even though I prefer walking, I have seen a great deal more wildlife and been far ...  Read More

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