Not only that, but every baptism in the Bible came AFTER a person put his or her faith in Christ. During those first months, I sensed the Holy Spirit telling me again and again, "You know that you need to do this." And so? I surrendered. I was baptized right here at The Crossing. It was the first time that I had ever publicly taken a stand for Christ. I still remember the beautiful experience to this day. IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU! Take this step of faith, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

To them, following Christ is the most natural thing in the world... but someone needs to TELL them! We praise God for every child who came to Christ this week, for every family who drew closer because of the excitement of their children, and for every staff member and volunteer who made it happen! Jesus said of children, "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." Invest in the spiritual lives of your children, and you (and THEY) will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

A grizzly came in overnight and completely ate the hind quarters right to the bone and half the backstrap. It was a stark reminder that even in the wilderness we are not alone, and that there IS danger in the world. This same thing is true spiritually. We are never alone. Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you;" and, "Lo, I am with you always, to the very end of the age." But God also tells us, "Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."

Written on June 5, 2026

Every young person learned a critical lesson yesterday. They learned that the secret to climbing life's mountains is this: DON'T QUIT!! Whatever challenge you are facing in life- continue to MOVE FORWARD, continue to CLIMB, don't QUIT- and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Friends, life can be challenging enough without our adding fuel to every little fire. If you find that your bad choices have caused your life to be upside-down at the moment, what should you do?
2)Take responsibility for your wrong actions.
4) Do the next right thing.

Written on June 2, 2026

I discovered this as I lay on my back in the mud with an upside-down 4 wheeler on top of me. My right knee was on my lips with the leg pointing forward, while my left leg lay on the ground pointing the other way. It was kind of like doing upside-down splits.

My bones might be bleaching out there in the forest if another rider hadn't come along. There are times in life when we find ourselves in a difficult circumstance that we simply can't fix or manage on our own. This is why God tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:9, "Two are better than one, because they have a better return for their work." A friend makes life BETTER! SHARE LIFE, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

What was the difference? We used all 16 anchor ropes- they did not. Setting ours up was a headache, believe me. It probably took us 2 extra hours if time and energy just to anchor and stake our tent. In the same way, the Word of God provides many anchor lines for life's challenges. Prayer, worship, meeting together, serving- even giving is a secure anchor line.
Sarah with her first caribou.

There is certainly nothing wrong with having a new car for those who can afford it. I think that's great. The problem comes when people go into debt to purchase things that they cannot afford. Proverbs 22:7 says, "The borrower is slave to the lender." Stay FREE- live on a budget- only buy what you can afford- and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on May 30, 2026

We made it about 10 miles before setting up camp as darkness was settling in. We estimated that we were still several miles from the foot of the mountain, so we decided to build a small fire and make our dinner. As we sat talking quietly and drinking a cup of coffee, a large black bear ambled out 20 yards from us and began stripping berries off the bushes. We had already agreed that we would not shoot a bear on the way IN because that would end our goat hunt. As the bear drew closer I just looked at my friend and said, "George, if my wife was here, we'd have to go home now." The reason that we were unconcerned is that we had two loaded rifles within arms reach. Because we were properly equipped, we had no fear.

Friends, don't allow the devil to deceive you- don't allow him to trap you in a place of stress, worry and fear. Those chains have already been broken! You've already been set free! Live without fear, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on May 29, 2026

You see, when we were young and broke and raising a large family, I felt a great deal of pressure to provide meat for the freezer. I still feel it, but not nearly to the same extent. I spend a lot of time alone in the mountains, but nowadays I seldom even leave home if the weather is bad. Feeling a degree of pressure to provide is actually a good thing for men. You see, God has commanded us to provide for our families.
Laura and son David with a limit of rainbow trout.

It is so easy for us to be lured into sin through alcohol, drugs, sex or even the lust for money. But those things are simply the tip of the iceberg. The problem with sin is that it always takes you farther than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and costs you more than you wanted to pay. Many lives, families and marriages have been shipwrecked because people did not recognize the danger lurking beneath the surface.
Standing on the tip of an iceberg.

We once rented a vacation house in Tennessee and our phone led us, just as it was getting dark, directly to a dilapidated shack. In truth, it ALMOST led us to the right place. The problem with 'almost' being right is that you are still WRONG. There are even religions that are ALMOST right. They emphasize peace and love and caring for others. Many even claim to be Christians.
A photo of our 'almost' Air BNB.

My friend Dan and one of his many sheep.

Psalm 46:4 says, "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells." Instead of just driving past them all week, pull over- take a little time to walk along a river or stream this week- and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on May 24, 2026

Because, unlike women, men do not come to church to meet our relational needs. For that we'll work on a project together or go fishing or some type of outdoor adventure. Men have little tolerance for liberal churches that are little more than 'religious social circles.' They want hard truth that impacts their lives. When it comes to building relationships, they want action.

Don't get me wrong- Christ is always at the center of our activities, but we come together to DO things. THEN- once relationships are established- we start meeting together for Bible study or coffee. My advice to men? Get connected. My advice to women? Help your husbands and sons to get connected! In John 21:3 Peter said, "I'm going fishing," and the disciples replied, "We'll go with you." Believe me, it wasn't about the fishing- it was about being together. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

There are times in life when people put themselves into dangerous situations, but sometimes danger comes to you. As a child of God we are to make wise decisions. We are to avoid those things that Satan uses to destroy lives. And when that unavoidable danger comes? Do not fear! God said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Pray. Rest in the confidence that you belong to the Savior. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on May 22, 2026

God says that the same thing is true of people. On the surface people look one way, but when you go deeper you find so much more. Some look good on the surface, but underneath are desperately evil. Some look rough on the surface, but underneath are absolutely beautiful. Most are somewhere in between. It's important that we not make quick judgments based upon the way that things appear. We need to go deeper.

Written on May 21, 2026

In times of natural disaster we are reminded of how little control we have over many things in life. But we also see people racing to help others, pitching in to solve problems, and working together to restore what has been broken. GOOD coming out of BAD- hope rising from the ashes. But it isn't just earthquakes- many things in life cause us to be 'shaken.'
A local road after the 2021 earthquake.

The more difficult my circumstances, the more evident this becomes. In the wilderness I've experienced a week of continuous rain with temperatures in the low 30's and I've experienced temperatures colder than -50°. The right equipment makes the difference. The same thing is true spiritually. When we start our morning in the Word of God - reading from Proverbs or the New Testament, we equip ourselves for the coming day.

Written on May 19, 2026

Late in the day, having seen nothing else, we went back to where Michael had taken his shot. We were dead tired from dragging that sled through deep snow, but we didn't want to quit. We decided to follow the caribou tracks in the fresh snow from earlier in the day to see if we could catch up with them. That's when I saw it- a speck in the snow about the size of the head of a needle that didn't look right. I gently scooped it with my mitten and held it up close to my face. We were 100 yards from where the caribou were standing when my son took the shot, and I said, "Mike, this looks like blood." That was it. No blood trail- just one tiny speck.

As Christians, the righteousness (GOODness) of Christ has been gifted- imputed- to us. Philippians 1:6 tells us, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." But how, exactly, can we keep this good work of God from being corrupted? Only by the Word of God. God's Word protects what is good, and keeps what is good from becoming bad.
Fish rack at Illiamna with oldest son Hunter.

Jesus understood this. He knew that his followers would be hunted down like animals, but he didn't tell them to have courage in the face of fear. No, he said to them, "Do not fear the one who can kill your body and after that can do no more." DO NOT FEAR. His was not a "push forward in spite of your fears" message. DO NOT FEAR. I love that.

Written on May 16, 2026

When we got home she did not help process the meat. But in the coming weeks I saw a change that was very noticeable. Getting those roasts and steaks and burger out of the nice little wrapped packages in the freezer was just like getting it from the supermarket. We were dead broke and waited for 6 weeks for our first paycheck, so this meat literally took care of us. She was proud that she had provided for the family.

Written on May 15, 2026

No matter how hard you train, your body eventually wears out and breaks down. In fact, the Apostle Paul refers to his body as a 'tent' where he lives. Though God created these 'tents' to be eternal, the curse of sin brought about death. The Good News is that every Christian will one day have a brand new perfect body! More than that, the Word of God tells us that we will be "clothed with immortality." Forever young. More and more I like the sound of that.

Written on May 14, 2026

I read of another young star athlete- a young man who earned millions and was drafted number one to play professional sports- who died tragically- mixed up in drug use and dealing. What happened? He built his life on a wrong foundation. He wasted his fortune and lost his fame when he was cut after 6 years. His foundation of being a professional athlete- trusting in his athleticism and money- trusting in the continuous attention lavished on him- proved to be shifting sand rather than solid rock.

Written on May 13, 2026