I had the privilege of coaching in Alaska for more than 30 years. What is the purpose of competition? Most of the world gives a 2 word answer: TO WIN. I disagree. I never pushed my athletes to win... but I DID push them, and I pushed them HARD. I wanted each athlete to become the very best that he or she could be. I wanted individuals to learn to work together as a team. I wanted them to love and ...  Read More

We've talked about joy, but do you have PEACE? In other words, do you have the ability to set your struggles and your longings on the shelf, accept where you are in life at this moment, and simply be your best YOU today? This is what it means to live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). In spite of our challenges, we are blessed beyond measure and have an amazing life ahead of us. This is why, eve...  Read More

Joy often escapes us. You want to be joyful- you want to be the one who lights up a room as you go in, but you forget. Why? Because you choose to live a REACTIVE life. You walk into a room thinking of your own responsibilities and stresses and disappointments. You choose to live as though you are carrying the weight of the world. Everything in your face and demeanor, in your tone and questions and...  Read More

I've always enjoyed fishing from shore much more than fishing from a boat. I trace this back to my childhood when we would launch our boat on the Mississippi River in the dark and be out all day. No bathroom breaks, no stopping in somewhere to eat lunch, just long days in a small aluminum boat out on the water. Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to fishing from a boat. In fact, I generally like i...  Read More

I grew up in Minnesota and then lived in Montana before the army sent me to Alaska. One of the questions I get from my friends outside this time of year is, "Have you been catching any fish?" It's inconceivable to them that in late April we don't have open water. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." From the moment Christ ascen...  Read More

It has snowed for 7 days in a row at my house. This came after 7 days of glorious sunshine. While this is little more than interesting trivia, I would point out that we are beyond our 6th month of winter. Why do people choose to live here? For many reasons, but for me just one- God has called me here. I never intended to come to Alaska, and I never intended to stay. And yet, in this far away place...  Read More

From the moment of birth, life is a series of 'firsts.' We remember a baby's first crawling, first steps and first words. Later, it's the first day of school. As young adults, we have our fist day on the job or first day of college. For men who hunt, it may have been your first turkey or your first deer (or in Alaska, your first caribou or moose). And somewhere along the line, whether in early chi...  Read More

I've gotten back into my practice of morning climbs. Heavy socks, heavy mountaineering boots, hiking pants, 2 light layers under a thin wool shirt, gaitors, warm hat, light backpack with emergency gear, crampons,  hiking poles, warm gloves... this is my morning regimen of getting dressed for the climb. The photos from the top of the mountain are fantastic, but it isn't just the photos- BEING on to...  Read More

Every sunrise is special. It brings hope for a new day. It signals a fresh start. No matter what you went through yesterday, today is brand new. Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" Why should we rejoice? Because the God who created the universe knows us by name! He loves us and is preparing our future home- a NEW heaven and a NEW Earth wi...  Read More

They say that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Sometimes a picture seems to perfectly capture the innocence of a child. There is something a little surreal- holy- about that moment in time. Somehow, deep within us, we all recognize that this is how life is supposed to be. In that innocence we see a glimmer of perfection- of what it means to be created in the image of God- wonderfully and marvelou...  Read More

By the time we were back at the bottom of the mountain, we had little more than a hopeful guess as to the direction of the bear. We split up in the timber and began a slow meander trying to find the clearing. Soon I heard a shot, and my partner, Tim Hand, had a beautiful cinnamon colored black bear. It was then that we discovered another mistake. We had been in such a hurry to get to the bear that...  Read More

I laid in my tent waiting for daylight. As soon as I could see I climbed to the summit and began walking the ridgeline glassing for bear. My partner, Tim Hand, simply set up his spotting scope next to the tents and sat down to wait. I have never been good at sitting still. I walked a mile or so and then came back to the tent. I hadn't seen a thing. Tim, however, had spotted a bear at the bottom of...  Read More