Posts with the category “daily-devotions”

I heard a 'huff' off in the distance and knew it was a big bear. I was in the foothills of the mountains in spruce and birch forest, and the 'huff' sounded like it was no more than 100 yards away. For the past hour the woods had been almost completely silent. This sudden noise was a reminder that in the Alaska wilderness you are never really alone.God sent me another reminder last night that he so...  Read More

Still climbing in the snow. Still need my crampons. This is not like climbing mountains in Arizona. Each place has its own distinctive beauty. Each has its pros and cons. Arizona has blistering heat for months, while central Alaska has 6-7 months of winter. What do they share in common? Many things, but none so important as this- they are both filled with men and women and children who were create...  Read More

There are many things in life that we 'don't like' that we've never actually tried. I'm like this when it comes to food. The look, the smell, even the 'idea' of eating some things is distasteful to me. If I shoot something, I want to eat it. For years in Alaska's interior I 'passed' on grizzly bears because I didn't want to eat one. I heard the meat was no good. Then a friend of mine served me a g...  Read More

'Wing shooting' is one of the most exciting ways to put food on the table. Ducks and geese, ptarmigan and grouse, (and for those of you outside) pheasant and quail- there's nothing quite like it. I had an opportunity to hunt ducks and geese for the first time in many years in January. As enjoyable as it was, nothing stirred me like the beauty of the sunrise. I am continuously in awe off God's crea...  Read More

Snow this morning. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I have to work on that. Just yesterday, I was thinking to myself about how great it was that the roads were dry. This disappointment and 'longing for the new life of Spring' may be just the tiniest taste of what the early Christians felt as Jesus lay in the tomb. They had tasted life- TRUE life- HIS life, but now they were longing for it....  Read More

Drawing a blank. Have you ever been in a situation where you really wanted to say something- felt like you needed to say something- but your mind was absolutely at a loss? Later, after the opportunity is behind you, the thoughts come flooding in! 'Drawing a blank' is a natural response to stress, but it can most certainly be overcome. How? By training yourself to PRAY for the other person even in ...  Read More

I spent four hours in the mountains yesterday on a climb that was new to me. Other than 'post-holing' through some snow patches near the top, it was glorious to be climbing on bare rock and ground. It was much steeper than I expected and much farther to the top, but the time seemed to pass quickly because I was hiking with a good friend. We shared hunting stories and bear stories and life stories ...  Read More

We have over 3 dozen teenagers and adults in North Carolina right now. They are serving people who were devastated by Hurricane Heleine. More importantly, they are doing it in the name of JESUS. This is a MISSION trip, not just a 'helping' trip. The youth group and Christian school raised thousands of dollars, while the parents and students themselves paid thousands more.Why? Because Jesus said, "...  Read More

Alaska has more public land than you could walk in a lifetime. It has more mountain peaks than you could ever climb. It has more lakes than you could ever fish. We have a 'super abundance' of wilderness, but how do we ACCESS this abundance? There are so many roads going in and out of Los Angeles that google can't even give you a number. But Anchorage has 2 roads, one north and one south. We have o...  Read More

As a boy, virtually everything I loved involved a ball. Baseball, kickball, dodgeball and football were often included multiple times in the same week. Countless games of 'horse' were played on the basketball hoop my dad planted in the middle of the grass in our back yard. I wasn't born with a ball in my hand, but as you can see, I started early. Kicking, throwing and catching seemed to come as na...  Read More

I was meticulous when it came to keeping my meat clean. The snow helped but I still had to be careful where I laid it down. It was strange. The palms of my hands were hot from working with the meat, but the blood on the back of my hands glazed over into ice. It was a new and unpleasant experience, one I've had many times since. I continuously held the backs of my hands against the warm meat to tha...  Read More

With the fresh snow I didn't have to worry about finding my way back to camp. The caribou tracks were easy to follow, and my feet and body began to warm. I was still cold, and was thankful for the work of carrying a pack and rifle over uneven terrain covered with snow. Suddenly there they were- seven cow caribou and one young bull. Though the limit was five caribou, I only shot the bull.I had been...  Read More

"You'll starve to death before you catch those caribou." Ira Krueger was an experienced hunter and didn't want me wasting time and energy. It was November, bitterly cold, and I was on my first caribou hunt. We pitched our tents in the snow, melted snow for water, and wished we had brought warmer boots. Even from the air we hadn't seen a single track much less an animal, but overnight a small band ...  Read More

Being made in God's image also means that we were created to create. God gave us the ability to imagine things that do not yet exist, and to draw and paint and build and write. And for some, these talents flow out of them as naturally as the air that they breathe. My eight year old granddaughter Harper painted a picture last year of a famous building in Russia that I couldn't paint today. While ou...  Read More

Have you ever done something just for the challenge? Something that took time and effort and money and in the opinion of some people didn't make lick of sense? Many years ago a friend and I built a paddle boat that you pedal with your feet. It was an engineering disaster, heavy and slow, and we took it all the way down the Mississippi River from the headwaters in Minnesota to New Orleans. It was d...  Read More

So often in life we come to a place of decision. They range from as simple as, "What shirt should I wear?"; or, "What do I want for dinner?"; to extremely important- "Where do I want to live?"; or, "Where will I go to church?" So let me ask you, do you simply 'float' from decision to decision or do you actually HAVE A PLAN for your day and week and life? Trust me, your life is much too valuable fo...  Read More

There is no shortage of evil in the world, but remember this- there is also no shortage of the OVERCOMING of it. 1 John 4:4 "He who is in us is GREATER than he who is in the world." What does this mean in a practical sense? Because our FREEDOM has been purchased by the blood of Christ, the devil can no longer lay any claim on you or me. In the face of every temptation, of every attack, of every wr...  Read More

The human body is an amazing machine. People who have virtually destroyed their lungs smoking find tremendous healing within a single year of quitting. Skin that is cut and bones that break grow back together. Even a level of fitness and strength can be reclaimed and restored. But none of those things can be made brand new- not in this lifetime. The opposite is true spiritually. 2 Corinthians 5:17...  Read More

As you read through God's commandments you discover that every one is intended to make sure that we LOVE well. "Don't lie, don't steal, honor your parents, worship God..." In fact, Jesus acknowledged that the first and greatest commandment is this: "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength." He said that the second greatest co...  Read More

I took my granddaughters for a walk in the woods yesterday. Naturally we went 'off trail.' I don't know where she got it, but Ember (who is 3 years old) said, "Will you hold my hand so a bear don't bite me?" I taught them how to walk quietly and to stop and be completely still to listen. At first we heard nothing... but then a woodpecker and a song bird and a squirrel chattering. I taught them to ...  Read More

My dad used to say, "I've never been lost in the woods, but once I was bewildered for about 4 days." Being lost is an unomfortable feeling for anyone, but people have very different thresholds for when and if panic sets in. While most of the world (understandably) finds security in the familiar, there are a certain few who love the challenge and the adventure of being completely 'out of their elem...  Read More

Each person leaves a legacy. For some, it's a legacy of joy and love and generosity. For others it's a legacy of selfishness, anger, and bitterness. But for MANY in that first group, their ultimate legacy is not the joy or love or generosity, it's the fact that they have loved to their children and grandchildren to DEATH. They have led their families away from Christ (The LIFE) rather than toward ...  Read More

Laura's dad, Jon Davis, will be 89 years old this summer. He still drives his Thunderbird convertible to church. Last night he played his accordion for his great-grandchildren. It was a blessing to see him letting all those little girls push the buttons while he made music. The young and the old- what a beautiful picture of God's grace. Our bodies- these earthly tents where we live- grow and matur...  Read More

As I read the Word of God, I'm always finding something new. Though I've read a passage dozens of times I will open it up and go, "Wow, I never saw that!" Some things the Lord only reveals as we DRAW NEAR to him. Other things are revealed at a time in life when WE NEED them. This is the beauty of a written word that is alive. That's right, I said ALIVE.Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living...  Read More

Laura and I were newly married, and we went with her parents out Petersville Road (past Talkeetna) in their old, beat up motor home. Grouse season was open, and I brought along my bow and a few arrows with blunt tips. I shot 'instinctively'- which means with no sights. We saw our first grouse, and over the course of the morning a second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. With six shots I had six gr...  Read More

Snow is still coming down. It looks like about 10 inches. I washed my truck 2 days ago because the roads were dry. Alaskans always know when they are in a different state because the cars are clean. Here it's common to not be able to tell the paint color through the grime. But the beauty is there. It's underneath. It's hidden from view, but we KNOW it's there. Many of the marginalized people in ou...  Read More

Six inches of fresh snow at my house. We haven't seen this much in a single storm since the end of October. For months I wanted snow and didn't get it. Now I don't want it, and here it comes. Oh, well. I've already been out shoveling and I know the exercise is good for me. No matter how long it takes, I know that spring will come. Once again we will see green leaves bursting forth, and soon after ...  Read More

I enlisted in the infantry without even knowing what infantry was. The recruiter told me that I would be able to choose a job once I got to basic training. My drill sergeants got a good laugh out of that one. One of them said, "Boy, you done chose." Some choices- even big choices- we make in total ignorance. This is how I was spiritually- ignorant. Because of that, I made many choices that were no...  Read More

Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." In Alaska it is an easy thing to lift up our eyes to the mountains. In much of our state those who do not live ON a mountain live 'at the foot' of a mountain. And these are not the 'friendly mountains' found in some places. Ours are not filled with cof...  Read More

Snow. It's true, I'm disappointed, but it IS only March. For some reason the lack of snow this winter has made me even more ready for Spring. A part of us was made to yearn for the next season- for our most beautiful life- for eternity. It isn't that here and now can't be good- at times it is VERY good. And yet somehow we all know that we were created for something more. We hunger for the PERFECT ...  Read More

For some reason, doing hard things alone is a lot more work than doing them with a good friend. The time seems to pass more swiftly. The tasks seem to be less 'painful.' Our minds can be distracted by good conversation. This is why the word of God says, "Two are better than one." Yesterday I was able to climb a mountain with one of my daughters. Our schedules don't often work out. I enjoy climbing...  Read More

Jesus never married and yet he lived a perfect life. Even so, for the overwhelming number of adults in the world today, being single is a great burden- a source of continuous longing and heartache. You see, except for a tiny number of people (like the Apostle Paul) we were CREATED to be married. God said, "Let us create man in our image, in our likeness." And then God said, "It is not good for the...  Read More

I'm old enough now to look back on a large 'collection' of experiences. I was trying to think if there's been a time in my Christian life when I've ever felt helpless or hopeless. I was by myself  over 40 miles into the mountains with no cell service, laying face down on the tundra with five fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and a crushed foot... but no... I don't remember feeling helpless. I never...  Read More

Yesterday morning on the mountain was even better. The trail up Mount Baldy had more snow and less ice than Bear Mountain. It was 28° and blue skies. Something about the sunshine is good for my soul. As strange as it may seem, I LOVE to climb in the dark, but I love climbing in sunlight even more. Over 100 air miles away, Denali was strikingly clear. Jeremiah 10:12 says, "The Lord made the earth b...  Read More

Yesterday was perfect weather for climbing- 21° and clear. The trail up Bear Mountain was basically sheet ice under a couple inches of snow. Even so, it felt good to be out. Even with crampons I had to step carefully going up and even more carefully coming down. Choosing our steps carefully is one of the great secrets of successful people. When Christ is at the center of everything- when honoring ...  Read More

By the 2nd month our pattern was established- 5 AM climbing Bear Mountain or 5:30 AM climbing Mount Baldy. On a light week we'd climb three times, on a busy week seven. I was getting stronger. My climbing was getting less painful, but I wasn't losing my extra weight. I was actually consuming more calories now that I was working hard in the early morning. I was becoming more disciplined in one area...  Read More

I 'bit the bullet' and purchased mountaineering boots, crampons and other gear. The rigid sole of the mountain boot maximized the effectiveness of the crampons and was a game changer for me. Tom taught me how to 'French step,' and the more vertical chutes- while still a battle- became more 'doable.' The right boots with crampons also made coming down absolutely stable. I had never imagined that I ...  Read More

Tom was so patient. My first climb was VERY slow. I was out of shape and out of wind. To say that he had the gift of encouragement would be an understatement. He was also a great teacher and literally taught me to breathe and how to step on those near vertical slopes. He distracted me with 'mountain climber' conversation, and always wanted to talk about the Lord. When we finally got to the top, we...  Read More

A man I knew but had never spent time with soon became one of my very best friends. It all started when he said to me after church one Sunday, "When you're tired of being fat and lazy, why don't you come climbing with me?" I made excuses why I couldn't climb in winter, but he wouldn't let up. The next morning, he was at my house at 5:30 with an extra set of crampons and we climbed Bear Mountain. W...  Read More

It was the most unbelievable night of fishing I'd ever had. Being in the middle of Alaska's interior in the middle of June, it was light all night and we fished from 11 PM to 6 AM. I went to the same spot on the same date a year later with a different friend, and we didn't hook a single fish. My partner the second year was an exceptional fisherman and had much better gear than me. It didn't matter...  Read More