I am not a Christian by 'blind' faith. Based on irrefutable evidence, I could prove the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ in any court of law as easily as I could prove that George Washington was our first President. Evidence matters. Seriously study the evidence for Christ and you, too, will have rock-solid faith. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on August 6, 2026

When I was a young man, I read a quote somewhere that said, "You can't judge a day by the weather." I have come to believe that it was written by someone who lived where the weather was nearly always good. Even so, I get his point. Even in the midst of difficulties and trials, God is able to do good things- EXCEPTIONAL things- in our lives. Because this is true, we are to face each new day with confidence and hope and optimism.

Written on August 5, 2026

How's your attitude when you have a difficult job to do? If the job MUST be done, why grumble and complain as you're doing it? How does that help you? Why not put on worship music and sing? Why not pray for the people you love as you are working? At the root of it, grumbling and complaining is evidence of a lack of gratitude.

Written on August 4, 2026

The feminist movement (which is blatantly anti-feminine) teaches women to focus their lives on pleasing themselves. As a group, it would be hard to find women who are more angry, bitter or disappointed in life. A feminine woman finds joy in serving others, and quickly discovers along the way that she has countless opportunities to do things that also please herself. Ladies you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Embrace what it means to be 'woman' created in the image of God, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on August 3, 2026

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on August 2, 2026

How important is family? God said in 1 Timothy 5:8- "A man who does not provide for his relatives, and especially for those in his own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." In a very real sense, God has created his church to be an authentic, genuine family. We are not supposed to be 'like' a family- We ARE family! So? Plug into a Bible-teaching church. Get connected to YOUR family, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on August 1, 2026

2) Encouragement- When we host the Chinooks baseball team, missionary families and others in ministry, our goal is to encourage them- to show that others know that what they are doing is important for God's kingdom.

4) RELATIONSHIPS- This one overrides them all. Whether hosting a Bible study or simply having someone for dinner, we are getting to know people better (thus learning to love them on a deeper level).

Written on July 31, 2026

But as I looked closely, I saw tiny flowers growing hidden among the rocks. From the standpoint of 'color' the big picture was bleak, but peering intently changed my perception. There were tiny patches of color tucked away all around me. When life gets hard, this is the way that we are to examine God's Word. This is how we are to seek HIM out.
be blessed in what he does." Even when you don't see it or feel it, life and color and beauty are all around you. Seek HIM in the gray times, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Friends, that's a guarantee you can stake your life on. Why is Christianity not only surviving- but thriving? Because thousands witnessed his miracles and because hundreds saw the resurrected Christ over a period of forty days after the resurrection." Eyewitnesses by the hundreds, and within two months after Christ ascended to heaven the church had grown to more than three thousand!

Written on July 29, 2026

Many of life's challenges need to be handled one piece at a time. It may be night classes over several years that launch a better career. It may be working 2 full-time jobs for a year to pay off debt ( there are 168 hours in a week, you would only be working 80). We tend to become impatient. If we can't complete something quickly we don't even start. Just as often we start something and then don't finish.

Written on July 28, 2026

To spend only two days in the woods and to actually get the bear I was after was an unexpected blessing. I have learned to be thankful for my time in the wilderness. Whether we are talking about hunting, paying off your mortgage, putting in extra effort to advance your career, disciplined exercise, or saving money for the future- persistence pays. The Apostle Paul says that we are to "Run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Keep running your race, don't give up, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

So often in life, people are 'waiting' for life to begin. "As soon as I graduate..." becomes "As soon as I get a good job..." which becomes "As soon as I'm married...", "As soon as I buy a house...", "As soon as we have kids...". Do you see what's happening? As you are 'waiting to begin", life is passing you by. Friends, live your life NOW. Do something productive while you wait, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Our senses are a gift from God. I've wept at the sound of beautiful music and been flooded with wonderful childhood memories at the smell of fresh cut hay. And WHY did God give us our senses? that's an easy one. It's so that we can KNOW HIM MORE. While our knowledge of Him comes primarily through his written Word, we also see and experience him in all of creation.
A bear's nose- a BIG nose- guides him.

In this way, you can tell the difference even if it's a young, small bear. In a similar way, Christians can be known by the 'tracks' we leave behind. Signs of TRUE faith are visible. Among them are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self- control. These are saturated within our conversations and actions, and are the platform of our witness for Christ.
Grizzly claws.

While I am rarely anxious for the first snow, I love seeing that pure, white blanket covering the earth. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." 1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin." But then John makes it clear that God has set a condition on this cleansing.
Sons Hunter, Michael and David enjoying the snow

Chief Harry Johns, a wonderful brother in the Lord who preached for decades in the Athabascan language at his church and on the radio, told me that in the wintertime, before the Glenn highway existed, that they would walk from Copper Center to Palmer during the coldest part of winter (− 50°). To do this, they had to walk up the frozen Tazlina River and across the lake, over the pass and down onto the Matanuska glacier, and then walk the frozen Matanuska River to Palmer. Imagine doing that with women and children and needing to camp without tents and light fires along the way.

Written on July 22, 2026

In the same way, life has so many things that can 'trip us up.' IN Christ we are able to walk above all those things. No longer bogged down by lust or addiction or selfishness or greed- life somehow becomes lighter- vastly more simple to navigate. Not EASY- life will always contain its share of work- but SIMPLE... UNCOMPLICATED... CLEAR.

Written on July 21, 2026

We certainly learn from others and can 'imagine' their adventures, but some things you simply need to experience for yourself. Truly following Christ is like that. Before I became a Christian, I didn't understand people carrying Bibles, much less being excited about going to church. I didn't understand why these people seemed to care so much for each other and why they looked so happy and why they were always talking about Jesus.
Come to Jesus. Experience the 'gentle whisper' of walking with Christ, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on July 20, 2026

Of course, it was impossible for me to step forward with a large dog standing on my snowshoe. The only solution was for me to command him to "sit" and "stay"- walk 50 yards- and then say, "Come!" This would be repeated as long as needed. Walking with large, Alaskan snowshoes is incredibly hard work... but nothing compared to the work of walking without them. Following Christ requires hard work.

Written on July 19, 2026

I've spent hundreds of days hunting or running my trapline on those long snowshoes- many times at temperatures of −30° or colder. At first, they are a bit cumbersome and tricky. To stay out of trouble you must learn to WALK in a NEW WAY. The same thing is true of following Christ. When I became a Christian, I had to learn to WALK in a NEW WAY. It wasn't easy. When I walked away from the party life, I had some good friends who walked away from me.
Hunting ptarmigan with a friend.

Look- everything in that list (except attending church and Bible study) is 'as you are going.'  They don't take extra time, they don't interrupt your schedule, but they DO EQUIP YOU to meet life's challenges head on. Equip yourself, and you will be blessed! -Pastor BradAbove the Arctic Circle with a quality bow, rain jacket and tent.

Within an hour we had landed our limit- 12 beautiful fish. Think about that for a moment. The fish were jumping everywhere on the surface, but they were feeding much deeper. The activity that we saw on the surface was actually evidence of deeper life. The same thing is true in our spiritual lives. As a general rule, when we see believers actively sharing their faith, actively serving their church and others, actively praying and studying their Bibles, that surface activity is evidence of a faith that is much deeper. This 'deepening' of our faith is a never- ending cycle.

As we are obedient to Christ, our faith grows deeper. As our faith grows deeper, we desire and practice greater obedience- which leads us deeper still. If there is no spiritual life ON the surface, there is rarely much life BELOW the surface. So- when people look at you, is evidence of your faith visible? Do they see a person utterly committed to Christ? Do they experience love and generosity and kindness and encouragement from you? They should. Remember, OBEDIENCE leads to DEEP FAITH. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on July 16, 2026

One thing I've learned in my decades in the mountains is that the weather can change instantly. This is what I was hoping for as I climbed. I got within forty yards of a beautiful ram, but it might as well have been four miles. The gale force winds ruined my chances. There are so many things in life that are utterly beyond our control. The weather is typically a small thing, but everyone knows that we also face big things. A faithful, loving spouse is abandoned. An accident or illness takes the life of a loved one. An exceptional employee gets laid off because of the economy.

I remember as a very young child, my mother reading a book to me in which a little chick went around shouting, "The sky is falling!" Don't live that way. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life- and have it to the full!" Yes, hard things will come your way that are utterly beyond your control. Live a FULL LIFE anyway, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on July 15, 2026

I continued to pressure him while he evaded giving an answer until finally when I asked again, he responded, "One time?" I said, "Yes, how much could you bench one time?" He replied, "Oh, I guess I could do 400." Later I learned that he had run a full 26.2 mile marathon when he was ten years old. He moved from rural Alaska to Indiana for high school. This was back when Indiana had only one class for sports. You competed against each other, whether you were from a town of two hundred people or two million.

You are a unique masterpiece created in the image of God. In Jeremiah 1:5 God said, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." Psalm 139:13-14 says, "You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God says of those who belong to him, "You are my treasured possession." We were literally created to LOVE GOD and to LOVE OTHERS. Be your very best YOU, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Written on July 14, 2026

We set up camp 25 miles into the mountains, the last 8 miles traveling on foot. Though the weather was perfect and though I had been hunting since I was a boy, this was a level of work I had never imagined. More than that, I didn't understand how we could travel mile after mile in beautiful mountain country without there being a single Dall sheep. I asked Tim about it, and he said we had to GO DEEPER. Eventually we got deep into the mountains- deep enough to find little bands of ewes and lambs, and finally a band of rams.
My first sheep camp.