Posted with permission from Judi Ballweber-Ruban, missionary to Ukraine —— Seldom do we encounter such credibility and insight. Please pray for Judi and her husband, Volodymyr —— Hello, Our Dearly Beloveds! (You!) Happy Thanksgiving Week! This (and Christmas) are my favorite times of the year! No doubt enhanced by the fact that Thanksgiving Week is…
And so, today, I can’t muster up the faith that preachers say is required for God to answer my prayers. It’s a David Day, and I feel like ___________. God? I don’t even have the strength to ask you “why?” anymore. Christians aren’t supposed to act this way, or feel this way, or admit defeat……
Are challenges looming ahead? Hebrews 11:1 NIV Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Comment: Faith is the confidence (certainty) that the resolution we (Christ followers) hope for, will happen. His resolution is divinely guaranteed. Faith is our intentional conviction that God is healing,…
No time to think. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a burly moose lumbering down the hillside next to the Glenn Highway. Anyone who has field dressed a cow would have calculated her to be about 700 pounds on the hoof. She planned to sprint across the Glenn Highway, barring any obstacles in…
Ze-rub-ba-bel — what a name. His name meant “Seed of Babylon (or one sown of Babylon)” but his Hebrew pedigree included the future Messiah, Jesus Christ. After the Persians conquered the Babylonians, the Persians appointed Zerubbabel to be governor of Judea, and honored his request to rebuild the Jewish temple at Jerusalem. Zerubbabel led…
The lanky couple dodged around us, careening down the narrow, dusty Matanuska Peak Trail. Veins throbbed in their foreheads and necks. Sweat trickled off their chins — but they chatted cheerily, as if strolling in an Anchorage mall. They nodded to us over-the-hillers, paying a sniff of homage to our graying ascent of years. Carol…
We recently attended a “celebration of life,” where a saint’s story of a vision from God came to light. Long before her cancer diagnosis, the woman whom we were honoring told a confidant about her spiritual visitation. She saw herself carrying garbage bags filled with trash up a long flight of stairs. In the vision…
Not many of our younger folk have Christian “old fellas” involved in their lives anymore — old guys who have failed God, received his bottomless mercy, and scraped themselves off the dirt and kept going; old guys like me who have confronted the great “why Lord?” flying at us like mortar rounds. Jesus is not…
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…
Cache of Grace 