Christmas. A day set aside to remember the most incredible gift ever offered. The birth of Christ was miraculous and momentous, but the gift goes much deeper than "God With Us." The true Christmas gift- the true Christmas miracle- is "God IN Us." That God would take up residence on Earth is wonderful, but that God would take up residence in the human heart is even more amazing! And what does God l...  Read More

I was able to break away and spend about 3 hours in the mountains yesterday. Yes- it's still bitterly cold. I listened to several sermons as I drove. This not only made the drive faster, it made it engaging and productive. God SPOKE to me through his Word and through other pastors. Through technology, we have the ability to listen to the Word of God, to Christian books, to excellent pastors and te...  Read More

As I was putting on my climbing gear, I saw on my phone that the temperature was 16°. I was wrong. I didn't notice that it was −16°. The moment that I stepped outside to put on my crampons I knew that it was cold. My years running a trapline in Alaska's interior have given me good internal temperature gauge. It was easily −20° at my house. Don't get me wrong- that's not a terrible temperature if y...  Read More

How hot was the fire? It burned everything that would burn. ALL of the glass, ALL of the tires, ALL of the dash, the steering wheel, ALL of the seats and upholstery had 'disappeared'... only metal remained. This is a picture of how God will deal with every Christian at the end of his or her life. Everything we've built- everything we invested in- will be tested by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says,...  Read More

Years ago- when all 5 of our kids were teenagers, we bought them an old SUV for driving to school. One day I got an interesting phone call. It was one of my sons saying, "Dad, the car's on fire!" After making sure everyone was safe I told him to run to a house to see if there was a fire extinguisher to put it out. He said, "We can't put it out, it's too big." This is the kind of fire that you and ...  Read More

I am active in winter, but nearly everything is harder in the cold. I can't drive with my winter gear on, yet when I park my truck and step out to gear up my fingers typically freeze before I'm finished putting everything on. Climbing generates a lot of body heat. If I dress so that I'm warm at the beginning I will be overheated when the mountains go vertical.We layer, yes, but no one wants to cli...  Read More

Yesterday I spent much of my day sawing wood with a hand saw and moving deadfalls in temperatures that were well below 0°. The strong winds the past 2 weeks (70 - 100 mph) blew over many trees across my trails. When I finally reached my cabin, the largest tree of all had fallen perfectly in such a way as to completely block my access. But there was a big difference- at my cabin I had to chainsaw. ...  Read More

Psalm 119:105- "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." When I am climbing in the early morning darkness, I use a very bright headlamp. This gives me enough light to stay on the path- enough light to take the next right step. Several times over the years my battery has died mid-climb. When this happens I will twist my ankles or lose my balance dozens of times from taking a wrong...  Read More

As a boy I shot thousands of rounds through my .22 rifle, but I never shot at anything that was moving. I had never shot clay pigeons with a shotgun, and only had a few 'misses' to my credit on flying pheasants. After college, when I moved to Montana, I found myself in country full of fish and game beyond anything I could have imagined.A rancher invited me to hunt deer with his family, but the onl...  Read More

At lower elevations, I climb through timber. I see very little other than the trail and the trees surrounding me. As a boy I never understood when adults would say of someone, "He can't see the forest for the trees." They were speaking of someone who loses sight of the 'big picture' because of all of the concerns and details of life surrounding them. It would be like my losing sight of my goal (th...  Read More

As we draw near to Christmas, to "God with Us," to the miraculous birth of our Savior here on Earth, I find myself continuously amazed at the thought. Young Mary was very pregnant at this point. Young Joseph had taken her home to be his wife, and yet had honored his commitment to stay separate until after the baby was born. They've had nearly nine months to talk about what all of this means- how t...  Read More

The wind was roaring as I climbed. Blowing snow was freezing to my eyelashes, causing my eyes to stick shut. I usually stop to pray, but the wind drove me off the top of the mountain. For over an hour, my eyes had been focused on the trail in front of me. Now that I was descending I got my first look at 'the view.' The night sky was so beautiful that it reminded me of a Christmas card. I was stand...  Read More