The temperature warmed up to −5° yesterday, so I decided to break in a snowshoe trail. This serves two purposes. First, the snow where I've broken trail will 'set up' and become hard and thereby easier to walk on. Second, the next time we get a big snow dump my trail will still be visible. Having a path to follow, especially in the dark or in white-out conditions, is a tremendous advantage. When f...  Read More

The 4' tall grass kept moving above us as some kind of large animal made its way toward us- 15 yards... 10 yards... 20 feet... 10 feet... We had our rifles up and ready to 'fire.' It was a little surreal. The animal was so close and yet completely hidden. Though I was new to Alaska and had never shot a bear, I couldn't imagine what else it could be. Whatever it was, it was walking right into us. A...  Read More

I was backpacking with a friend into Ptarmigan Lake near Moose Pass. We were on a narrow foot trail about halfway up a mountain and paralleling the valley. In some places grass about 4 feet tall bordered the trail. We paused at one of those places to glass the valley below us for bear. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the grass above us moving. Something big was walking toward us, but it wasn...  Read More

5:15 AM and I've been shoveling for the better part of an hour. The weather is clear and cold. Though not full, the moon is just bright enough to cast faint shadows on the ground. For me, there has always been something peaceful about shadows. Psalm 91:1 says, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." We rest secure knowing God is with us. We see the...  Read More

Last night I shoveled snow for the first time since November. It felt good, but only because we've waited so long for snow. Sometimes you GO to work and sometimes work COMES to you. Either way, the ability to work is a gift, a blessing. When the world was perfect, God gave Adam a job. He put him in the garden of Eden and told him to care for it. We've all been given our own 'garden'- the place and...  Read More

The weather finally broke. It's 5° at my house and we have several inches of fresh snow. I'm looking forward to 2026. Will this be the year that Jesus comes? Will this be a year of great revival in Alaska? Will this be a year of breakthrough for those struggling with addiction? For those suffering from depression? For those in bondage to the same old sins? Let me answer those questions according t...  Read More

The temperature at my house hovers around −20°. I feel like I've been cold for weeks. When it's this cold, everything seems to get harder. Cars don't want to start, fingers freeze against the cold steering wheel, on the gas pump, and even the on car door getting in and out. But... life must go on. We all have places to go and things to do. We cannot allow life's little inconveniences to disrupt ou...  Read More

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Christian, this is YOUR spirit, the spirit God GAVE YOU. Instead of fear, POWER. Instead of fear, LOVE. Instead of fear, the ability to SEE and UNDERSTAND things as they really are. If you have already died to SELF, if you've already truly surrendered your life to pleasing God and doing his wil...  Read More

Coming home from the airport at 3 AM I received a toll free call. The caller was not identified, so, of course, I didn't answer the call. Who calls at 3 o'clock in the morning? I figured that if it was something important, they would leave a message. Well.... I DID have a message. The call was from the airline to let me know that we had forgotten one piece of luggage. IF I had known who was callin...  Read More

Very few Alaskans travel to cold places over Christmas. Here in Minnesota, the temperatures have ranged from 34° on arrival to well below 0°. We've also had several days of snowfall. My parents hosted 30 for Christmas, 17 New Year's Eve, and dozens in between. Why would they go through all of the hard work, all of the inconvenience, all of the sacrifice? LOVE for FAMILY.  Where God gives blessing,...  Read More

My grandfather Ellsworth 'Al' Rud loved to fish. He also loved a good 'fish story.' When I was a young man teaching school in Montana, he once made the 800+ mile drive to come and see me. We caught our limit of beautiful rainbow and brown trout weighing between 1.5 and 3 pounds. He was so excited to show off these fish to his friends that he didn't even spend the night. We packed the fish on ice, ...  Read More

According to the way some people think, anything stored in a car garage must be an automobile. After all, they assume that they are Christians because they 'go to church.' If this is true, then why did Jesus call a group of religious leaders- people who NEVER missed church- a "nest of poisonous snakes?" In fact, he said to them, "You belong to your father, the devil." But notice- it is without que...  Read More