Time for a Little Fun

Decided to take a side trip on our way home from church this morning. Turned left instead of right and headed for the hills. Only 5 minutes from home and it is very evident that winter is on it's way. The mountians just above town have a thick dusting of snow, won't be long until it's down here.

Morning Thoughts

A band of pink rings the sky about 5 degrees above the horizon where it emerges from the cold gray of the morning clouds. Bright at the bottom it slowly fades into the steel blue of the morning sky. It’s a crisp 30 degrees as Monday morning breaks over Anchorage, a precursor to what the winter has in store. Behind me the tips of the Chugach Mountains received the termination dust over the weekend letting us know that the true winter is soon to follow.
The frantic pace of a Monday morning in the lower 48 is nowhere to be found.  Anchorage moves at a slower pace than the world outside. No horns blowing, traffic cutting in and out, or congestion. Maybe it’s the serene surroundings or the sense that we all must rely on each other to survive in the harsh environment we call home. Friends and strangers both are welcomed with open arms, much reminiscent of a time 40 years ago, before sky rocketing crime, road rage, and the general self focus of humanity.
It is a simpler world we now live in. While the concerns of the outside world touch at the edge of our conciseness, they fail to overwhelm the rhythms of life. We are part of the heart beat of nature. Even with the advent of modern technology the life cycle of the far north is still guided by the same rules of nature that have prevailed for thousands of years. From the first Inupiat Eskimos the life of the land has directed the means for survival. From warm clothing to food, survival is decided by adhering to the dictates of the world around us. The soaring mountains around us only serve as an ever present reminder of our small and insignificant place in this vast wilderness. This is a world where the Moose, Bear, and Wolf reign supreme.
Many would ask why a person would chose to live in such a harsh environment. I contend that it is just that environment that calls us. From a desire to challenge our self to push our limits, to understanding the true nature of God as we see His presence and hand in everything around us. Every breath brings you closer to the inner being that we have buried through years of submersion in the modern culture. We are no longer the man that God intended for us to be. We have become a shell of His intentions, only an illusion of what the true being of His creation was. It is through the reconnecting with the world He created that we regain a sense of what was truly intended for us. Our true self will never be found in the creations of the modern world; it is only through His creation that we will truly find ourselves and the purpose for our lives.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

The Compasses Pull

Just as the magnetic pull of a compass, my heart has always been pulled north.

From Jack London and Robert Service to more recently James Michener and Nick Jans the beauty, grandeur, and power of Alaska have been romanticized.
As we set foot at the edge of this great land I realize that the tales they have portrayed come no where close to describing the beauty that lies before us.

The views before me draw me in, engulfing me in their majesty. And always I feel the pull north. Go north, leave the relative comfort of the lands edge. Endeavor to challenge the arctic lands that lay before you.

Northward, not for gold or glory, but for the grandeur of Gods creation that lies before you.

Follow us as we set forth in the adventure that God has planned for our new life in the Great Land.