A few of us are blessed with a primeval sense of abandon. We live for the satisfying shudder, bungee jumping from a rock face, or standing pat in the face of a grizzly’s false charge. Far more of us are contented to partake of the perils on the Last Frontier at the safe end…
When I reach down deep and nothing reaches back. When my heart beats hard and I have no strength. When no one knows the darkness inside. When something whispers, “Run!” but I stay. When hope is a mirage. When love is a word without substance. When all that is familiar seems foreign. When making sense…
The mundane. Such monotony. Sameness, day after day — until the lightning strikes. And in a flash of recognition you know God is speaking. His contact comes in a thousand different ways: while you lend a hand to someone; or give of your substance; or speak encouragement; or you listen to someone who needs to…
A few years ago I wrote the book: “Rangers in the Gap” about Dave and Karen Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers. Their movie depicts the impact of their “boots-on-the-ground ” ministry, and opened in theaters around the nation.
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [Romans 1:20]
The Story of Chaplain Mike Ensch, Former Administrator of Chaplaincy Services for the Alaska Department of Corrections. Written by Richard Drebert (c) Good Catch Publishng Please note: I interviewed Chaplain Ensch in 2011 for a book written by several authors for Alaska Correctional Ministries called Warriors of Transformation. Mike passed away Monday, 11/11/19 and his…
An Alaskan storm roared outside his cabin as Grandpa tucked his granddaughter into bed one evening. Thunder crashed and the child snuggled deeper beneath the covers. “Can you leave the light on, Grandpa?” she asked. “Sure.” “…and not turn it off ALL night?” “Of course, sweetheart.” Granddaughter looked thoughtful, listening to…
Psa. 46:-1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. God is an “ever present” help. He is nearer…
1. Be attentive to God’s voice: the one you listened to when accepting Christ as Savior; the voice you heard when he called you to a ministry; his voice warning you about a wrong direction, or the time he rescued you. Call to mind the tenor of THAT voice. 2. Immerse your consciousness in the…
Eustice dropped his bulldozer’s blade and squinted through drizzle where I pointed. “See it?” “Nah… Oh, wait… A-yuh!” A good-sized black bear hunkered on its haunches staring at us, motionless. Eustice flipped the bulldozer’s kill switch and twisted in his seat to get a better look. He shook his head. “Not movin’ a dite…” I…
The male Red-waisted Whiteface Dragonfly (Leucorrhinia proxima) lives around marshes, lakes, and ponds. It eats soft-bodied insects, pond larvae, and even small fish. This species of dragonfly ranges from Alaska to Nova Scotia. Females wear yellow aprons around their waists instead of metallic red ones like the males. God created the dragonfly with 30,000 compound…
Isn’t it amazing that a drop of saliva can identify the culture “soil” from which we sprout–European, African, Asian, Middle Eastern…? Our family fathers were stone masons, preachers, lawyers, engineers, and outlaws! Like old journals, their values gather dust until we face life-altering choices. Then it matters what kinds of fathers we have as a heritage.…
The trial was in its final days. Ms. Gentry had been questioned by the defense, and Prosecutor Hand had cross-examined her, but he wasn’t finished. Hand stood before the witness stand, and Ms. Gentry blanched at the question. “Did you hear me?” Hand delighted in pummeling defense witnesses. “I’ll ask you again: Does God talk…
God used my firstborn son to grind off some of my sharp edges. Sparks flew, and God positioned my second and third son to file down more barbs and burrs. I felt pretty smooth. But my wife looked over their work, and she immediately had a conversation with God–like I wasn’t even in the room.…
. When I reach down deep and nothing reaches back. When my heart beats hard and I have no strength. When no one knows the darkness inside. When something whispers, “Run!” but I stay. When hope is a mirage. When love is a word without substance. When all that is familiar seems foreign. When making…
Have you ever considered how blessed you are, if the graybeards in your family are 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…
Don Higgins sniffed at my pathetic resume and hired me based on nothing but a couple of questions, one of which was, “Married?” “Yes, Sir. We have a baby…” He stroked his mustache with manicured fingers and nodded. “Good enough.” No one ever left Don’s store without feeling appreciated, and I felt it too. His…
Like every family, ours has had its share of upheavals and trials. We live out our relationships imperfectly–and radically forgive one another to survive family life. I would be neglecting my calling if I let my 60+ years fade without encouraging you to live a Bible-principled life. I am convinced that knowing Jesus Christ delivers us to…
I worked at the Anchorage Times for about three years. Alaska statehood pioneer Bob Atwood published the newspaper, and his staff kicked out three-to-five editions a day. At the Times, a newspaper headline summarized the content of a story as succinctly as possible. A copy editor would proof a reporter’s story and often write and…
Two young women felt something like insects swarming in their clothing as they hiked Rainbow Mountain near Anchorage. At Rainbow Mountain’s crest, Yvonne brushed away cobwebs from her face. She stopped by a boulder that was shaped like a giant thumb—and it seemed to be humming like a hive. Yvonne’s hiking partner, Ruth, swatted at…
Cache of Grace 