I worry about our generation of parents who feel obligated to satisfy their children’s curiosity. We strive to sound kind and reasonable. Most have never asked their kids to trust them implicitly. How long has it been since you’ve heard a mom or dad say, “Because I said so,” when their child asked, “Why?” Is…
“Gramps!” I turned to Ivan’s voice and my heart stopped beating. Ivan stood inches from a 14-foot drop at the edge of the shop roof, smiling proudly. He was four years old. I had been nailing roofing panels, my focus upon lining up edges on a chalk line. The steep pitch didn’t scare me much.…
Someone told me that God isn’t allowed in our schools anymore. Is that true? In 1962, the Supreme Court deleted a teacher’s ability to lead students in prayer or promote Christianity. Institutions are now designed to inoculate children against “unhealthy” and “dogmatic” beliefs. But isn’t God still omnipresent? We can’t blame secularists for winning over…
God’s love is unconditional—No exceptions. No matter how deep our sin, God loves us. God’s love is invulnerable—Nothing impacts or influences God’s love for us. God’s love is perfect—No secret agenda lies at its core, no destructive ulterior motives. God’s love is constant—Always at its peak power and proficiency. It never diminishes. God’s love is…
Elda “Elle” Mae Smith, 96, went to be with Jesus on April 29, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska, at Twin Hearts Assisted Living for the Elderly. Elle was born on January 13, 1926, in Douglas Arizona, to Clifton and Mildred Smith. She is survived by her son, Richard, two daughters, Kasandra and Janette, seven grandchildren, and…
II Peter 3:8-15 (NIV) But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. A THOUSAND YEARS… Our understanding of time is skewed by what we judge to be critical to our existence. Climate conversations. Energy discussions. Technology…
Covid nailed my wife and I. We’re doing better now, but for some reason it is taking time to get our strength back. We are not Covid positive anymore. We’re walking for exercise again. Outside our Alaskan home, snow hates to melt, and ice in our yard (underfoot) is fighting to stay relevant. I dare…
So much of my anxiety comes from an overwhelming sense of helplessness. I worry out scenarios before they take place, and my anxious thoughts accomplish nothing. I have a control issue. I like to have everything clearly defined so that I can do the right thing (according to my personal version of “right”). I have…
Do you believe that God parted the Red Sea for his people to cross on dry land? “Certainly.” Do you believe that God saved Noah’s family from a deluge of water that covered the earth? “I do.” Do you believe that God restored DNA in Lazarus to bring him back to life? “Of course.” Do…
Have you ever considered how blessed you are, if the graybeards in your family are/were God-fearing, gentle souls? I look at my own family and feel cheated that my grandfathers hoarded their wisdom and experience during their golden years. I never met Grandpa Smith. He commercial fished in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a…
Lately, a trip to the ER reminded me how quickly my life can be upended. I weathered the overnight ordeal, but came home as weak as a kitten. Then, not 5 minutes ago, as I sat at my computer writing this, a 5.9-point (on the Richter scale) earthquake hit the Anchorage area. Every nerve in…
Mrs. Clancy’s husband died in his leather recliner — an island surrounded by half-empty pill bottles, moldy food on plastic plates, man-sized diapers, and Car and Driver magazines. Mr. Clancy, in his prime, had owned a car dealership. He bequeathed his unhappy wife substantial funds from an insurance policy which she spent liberally to satisfy bizarre hoarding…
Jesus tells the story (parable) about three managers who were given wealth to invest for their employer. Two wise managers increased their patron’s funds by 100 percent. (Matthew 25:14-25) But one of the three managers believed that their patron was prone to exploitation ——– · To protect himself, the fearful manager buried the patron’s funds.…
Carol and I offer this glimpse into our 48-years of marriage to remind you that Jesus heals all wounds. Don’t give up! ———– SHE SAID: Love isn’t always normal. You romanced me with nothing. You drove an old pickup. You lived in a studio apartment. But I said “I do” to a boy with a…
“All my life I was taught how to die as a Christian… but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die.” – The late Billy Graham in his book Nearing Home. >>>>>>>>>>> I know what he meant. My grandparents failed to warn me about what I’d face……
It might be the right season. It might be the right reason. But it may be the wrong place… Late one night, a neighbor in Kodiak, Alaska, noticed two bow hunters driving along the street “stalking” a bear that had been busy foraging in trash cans. The street was clearly within city limits, and…
– It’s Not Always a Bad Thing… Every Christ follower will cross the line into the “zone of uncertainty.” The zone of uncertainty is territory where we acknowledge and trust God’s wisdom and motives in the face of nagging doubts. Crossing the line into uncertainty feels intimidating — but when we cross, our commitment to…
Isa. 64:4 “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” —– In other words, God’s way of deliverance will shock you. You will find no logic in it. Acting on your behalf has its…
A C-124 Globemaster, one of the Air Force’s largest heavy transport planes in 1952, hit a cliff on Alaska’s Mount Gannett, killing 41 passengers and 11 crewmen. Due to severe weather, the military gave up trying to reach the crash site. Layers of snow and ice entombed the shredded plane, as well as the remains…
What God sees when he sees me: My future:God sees all of my next thoughts, next mistakes, next hopes, next decisions, next relationships, next commitments, next desires—and my final breath. At this moment, God sees me living with him in his spiritual realm forever. My present:He sees all my immediate thoughts and why I am…
Shadows of spawning salmon fascinate my dog, Ruby. Salmon live at sea for years before traveling up Alaska rivers and streams to spawn in brooks or lakes. In these water courses, male salmon fertilize the eggs that females lay. The eggs hatch into alevin (hatchlings) then grow into fry. From fry they grow into smolt…
With sticky watermelon slices in our fingers, my sons and I hiked toward the sound of a frothy roar. The boys trotted ahead and found a flume spewing water through a natural canal. My eight-year-old gauged a leap to the opposite side of a concrete structure and bounded like a whippet. He waved his melon…
When Belle was a girl, she listened to Deg Hit’an legends told by her elders in kashims (community houses). She never imagined that someday she would be honored as an Alaskan Native artisan in Washington D.C. Belle lived around Grayling and Anvik, Alaska, where Deg Hit’an men sawed trees to power the steamships…
A family can learn a lot from Alaska’s singing voles. This rodent constructs a labyrinth of chambers about seven inches below ground. The singing vole prefers raising a family just a little above the tree line, in the “moderate” climes of northern and southern Alaska. Our vole vocalist is also called the hay mouse,…
“How would you feel if your baby died?” Chief Marie, the last Indian fluent in the Eyak tongue, explained how she would have felt if she had allowed her ancestral language to become extinct. According to linguists, 19 of the 20 indigenous languages in Alaska may die out as English replaces everyday Native words. Linguists…
Cache of Grace 