Merry Moose-mas

Before we moved to Port Graham the only kind of hunting I did was for a good deal at my favorite home décor store.  I could move silently down the aisles and quickly scope out all the red tag sales until I found the perfect deal.  After paying for my prize, I’d bag it and pack it home.  Quick, easy, no mess.

Then we moved to Alaska.

Here in Alaska hunting looks a little different.  Oh it still involves moving silently down the aisles (of trees) and scoping out your surroundings (to make sure you’re not being followed by any number of hungry four-legged creatures), and the head of the prize can still be used in home décor but that’s about where the similarities begin and end.  I’m still growing accustomed to this sort of hunting…and decorating.

Moose hunting is a big deal in the village and this year's hunt did not disappoint.  Never having seen a moose up close and personal before, and thinking we could help pack it back to the village, we hopped on our ATV and drove out to the site.  If you’ve ever wondered how big a moose is, imagine a minivan with hair and hooves and you’d have a pretty good idea of the size.  Then imagine having to pack that hairy minivan with hooves through a swampy field, up a treacherous hill, and down a gravel road to the village.  Now I know why meat is so expensive!

The minivan, er, I mean moose, was disassembled and stuffed into hunting backpacks.  Anxious to help, and ignoring the butcher’s sideways glance and raised eyebrow, I confidently stepped up to receive one of the backpacks loaded with delicious moose ribs. “Load me up!  I’ve got this!”  Three steps later I was questioning my ability to carry the pack through the field and back up the steep hill to the truck but I was not going to ask for help.  No way.

Now I am not the most coordinated of people, and gravity seems to have a stronger pull on me than the average person so it was no surprise when on the way up the hill I stepped into a hidden two-foot hole, fell forward into Maddie who flung out her arms to balance herself and subsequently nailed me in the noggin with her elbow. Little stars danced around my head, and for a moment I thought I saw Elvis singing in the field. Standing back up and dusting off my pride, I continued up the hill.

With each step the backpack got heavier and I slowed to a snail's pace.  When I was half way up the hill (which seemed like Mt. Everest at this point) my foot slipped off a log and my top-heavy load pulled me backwards.  Instantly I transformed into a human windmill trying to prevent the inevitable fall, and when I finally landed I looked like a turtle on its back--there was no way I was going to get out of this one on my own.  At that moment I heard a rustling in the bushes above me and all of the sudden it occurred to me that I was wandering in bear country with a blood-soaked, meat-laden backpack attached to me.  I was like a giant bear snack!  Just before my imagination had me in the jaws of a hungry black bear the rustling stopped and out popped the village Chief.  I'm not sure which one of us was more surprised, but the Chief recovered much more quickly than I did and made no attempt to hide his amusement at my predicament.  After he recovered from his side-splitting laughter, he climbed down the hill, lifted my pack and helped this turtle get back on her feet.

Once I had regained my composure, I had to admit my little mishap with the moose ribs (I like to think of it as tenderizing the meat) was a pretty good reminder about the Christian life.  You see, life loads up our packs with all kinds of anxieties and burdens, but we think we’re strong, independent and capable of bearing that heavy load without anyone’s help.  We’ve got this, right?  But the longer we carry that burden on our own, the heavier it gets and we often stumble and fall under the weight of it all.  But God never intended for us to carry our burdens alone!  He gave us each other and commanded that we “Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

As we look in the rear view mirror for this year, we are greatly humbled by the number of people who have helped us carry our load. Without the power of the Holy Spirit and your prayers, encouragement, and support we would be as ineffective as a turtle on its back.  We are truly grateful for your love and friendship.  May you be richly blessed this Christmas season and in the new year ahead.

The Great Equalizer

It is a cold and snowy December afternoon when the small plane pulls to a stop on the village runway.  Many villagers have gathered to welcome home one of their own, but this is not a joyful reunion.

We stand at a distance and watch as the family disembarks and then turns to wait silently for their 2-year-old son to join them.  Moments later a small wooden casket emerges from the belly of the plane.  Their son is home.

As the local pastoral family our presence is expected in this sacred moment; as a Chaplain I long to comfort the family; as a mother the haunting scene brings me to my knees and a tidal wave of deep grief floods my being.

A short while later we join the silent procession of villagers as they walk the little boy to his final resting place on a hill overlooking the bay.  It is as if a vacuum has sucked all the oxygen out of the air as the men lower the flower-laden casket into the ground and begin to cover it.  If only the hole in our hearts could be filled so easily!

As I look around at the tear-stained faces I am reminded that death is the Great Equalizer.  It cares nothing for age, wealth, fame, position, health or happiness.  It shows no favoritism.  It takes everything and owes nothing.

The family’s pain will lessen over time but it will never disappear completely, and the question of why will not be answered on this side of heaven.  Don’t wait another minute to hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.  You might not get another chance.

In the Beginning...

Klaira's Thoughts

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and Earth."  A few months ago I started reading a really fascinating book about creation by an organization called Answers in Genesis. And then God put on my heart to actually read Genesis itself. At first, I had no idea that Genesis would play such a large role in my relationship with God but the more I study it the more clear it becomes that Genesis is a crucial part of the Christian Faith, and can even help us with Apologetics, or defending our faith.

Genesis 1:1 is a very popular verse. And, like many other verses we skip over what should be a basis in our relationship with God. Many Christians believe the Earth was created  millions and millions of years ago, and, if we don't have a strong faith in God, we can fall into the deadly trap of believing the theory of Evolution. That is why it is incredibly important to believe the truth in those first few chapters in the Bible.  If we don't believe the first few chapters of the Bible are credible, why would we believe the rest of the Bible?!  And if we don't believe in what the Bible says, our hearts become hardened which ultimately results in eternal separation from God, the Creator of the world, and author of Genesis.  

Living here in breathtakingly beautiful Alaska has confirmed to me that God made EVERYTHING, from the massive snow-capped mountains to the stunning details of a fish scale.  Nothing was formed by sheer happenstance billions of years ago. 

I hope you will read and study the Book of Genesis (especially the first 11 chapters).  In today's world where the truth is under attack, understanding Genesis will deepen your relationship with the Lord and help you defend your faith.  And if you're like me and are interested in the scientific facts about the beginning of the earth, I encourage you to check out the great resources at Answers in Genesis. 

By faith we understand that the Universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ~Hebrews 11:3

More of You

The Ristow girls with Amy and Zeppelin, the new home owners

It was one year ago today that we handed the keys to our beloved home over to its new owners. Tears burned my eyes as we strolled through the empty rooms and down memory lane one last time.  A small sob escaped from my lips and echoed throughout the halls.  It was time to go, time to close the chapter.

As we drove away from our home for the last time, Steve turned on the radio just as Colton Dixon's song "More of You" began to play:

I made my castle tall

I built up every wall

This is my kingdom and it needs to fall

I want You and no one else

Empty of myself

Until the only thing that's left is

More of you

Less of me

This life I hold so close

Oh, God I let it go

I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul

So take it all

I abandon everything I am

You can have it

The only thing I need is

More of you

Less of me

Make me who I'm meant to be

You're all I want all I need

You're everything

Take it all I surrender

Be my king

God I choose

More of You

Less of me

More of You

All to You I surrender

All to you my blessed Savior

I surrender all

We've listened to that song many times since then, and each time I find myself wishing that the lyrics were as easy to live out as they are to sing.

Please God, let there be more of You and less of us, and may we continue to experience YOU as we seek to build Your kingdom instead of our own.

Great Ball of Fire

I’ve never been a sun lover.  In fact, since moving to Alaska I’ve discovered that I’m really a snowman trapped in a human body (and all those years I thought I was sweating—turns out I was actually melting!). 

But here in Port Graham where the mountains rise higher than the sun for three months out of the year, even a non-sun lover like myself can begin to feel the negative effects of sun-less days… weariness, sadness, depression, and a feeling of imprisonment (not to mention that terrible glow-in-the-dark skin color us whities get)!  Who knew the sun was a giant battery charger for our bodies?!  

A few days ago, just when I was convinced the sun had been swallowed up by a black hole and was never going to shine again, I caught a glimpse of that great ball of fire. For ten glorious minutes its beautiful rays shone between two mountains, and I stood in the middle of the road (children, don’t do this at home) with my arms spread wide, my eyes closed, and my face lifted toward the sun, basking in its warmth.  Amazing.

And then it hit me.  The physical effects we suffer from lack of sunshine are strangely similar to the spiritual effects we suffer from lack of “Son-shine”.  Weariness, despair, complacency, and prisons of addiction can plague our lives and slowly drag us away from the Son.  But unlike the physical sun in Port Graham, the Son of God can rise above the mountains in our lives and shine his forgiveness, grace, love, and healing into our souls.  

Are you feeling Son-starved?  Why not crack open God’s love letter to you and bask in the warmth of His words.  It will do wonders for your health.

 
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"   --John 8:12

Earthquake!

When we moved to Alaska, we were on an adventure to experience God.  Little did we know that would include a taste of His power through a 7.1 magnitude earthquake!    Early Sunday morning, we were jolted awake by a loud "Crack!" followed by a whole lot of rattling, rumbling and rolling.  For over a minute (which seemed like an eternity) the ground beneath us shook, shimmied, and swayed, and then it stopped as suddenly as it had started. 

The next morning at church when the Chief of the village asked if I was going to give a sermon on the power of God, I replied, "I'm pretty sure God preached that sermon last night, and I have nothing to add!"  Thanks be to God who protected us (and our village) from any serious injuries or property damage.

Today our nerves have calmed down, our wall pictures are straight again, the contents of our cupboards are newly organized, and we are grateful we didn't have to do any tsunami surfing...God is GOOD!  Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, texts, and emails over the last couple days.  It is such an encouragement and blessing to know that although thousands of miles separate us from most of you, we are close in mind and heart.

Let There Be Light

A few weeks ago I discovered a treasure at the local store.  I found some of those battery operated tea light candles (it’s the small things!).  Candles of any sort are a little hard to come by in the village and these little tea lights were going to put the finishing touch on one of my decorations.  

With great anticipation I opened my package of candles and flipped the power switch to “on”.  Expecting the warm glow of candlelight to emanate from my new decoration (okay, so maybe LED light isn’t exactly warm, but you get the idea), I was quite surprised and more than a little disappointed when nothing happened.  No flickering LED light, no warm glow, nothing.  

Thinking the problem must be the battery, I opened the back of the candle to investigate the reason for the lack of light.  What did I find?  A little plastic shield that prevents the battery from providing power to the candle. Of course if I had read the instructions, I would have saved myself some frustration because the instructions clearly stated that you “must remove the plastic shield over the battery before the candle will operate”.  Oh.  Right.  It’s amazing how things work when we follow instructions!

Isn’t that just like our life?  When we discover the treasure of Jesus and choose to embrace him, he promises that we are a brand new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and we will be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Sometimes however our light doesn’t work and we wonder why.  But when we read God’s instruction book, it clearly states that in order for Jesus to power-up our light we have to remove the thing that prevents us from tapping into His power:  sin—anything and everything that displeases God (Romans 8:13). The more we indulge our sinful nature, the further we get from God’s power, and the dimmer our light grows until it finally disappears altogether.    

Together, let's turn away from the sin in our lives that prevents us from tapping into God’s power.  Then, and only then, will the warm glow of the Holy Spirit emanate from our souls and shine so that those around us will discover the treasure of Jesus, too.  (Matthew 5:16)