All things new

 Good book I just finished. This was one of my favorite lines: "The cross of the battered Christ will be the battering ram for the barricade of Eden." - Matt Chandler The Explicit Gospel

One does not need to look far to see that there is something broken in the world around us. Something deep and pervasive. Something spiritual and natural. We also know there is hope in the brokenness. We can see it in the "feel" of the changing seasons. Spring is showing hints that winter's icy grip is being loosened upon the interior of Alaska. Days are growing longer, daily temperature highs are reaching into the 20s (above zero). Hope is returning. There is a unique sense of hopelessness that comes as a result of the drudgery of winter. Haul wood, burn wood, try to get outside when the sun's up...repeat. A pile of firewood is the ultimate illustration of what Solomon meant when he said that everything was vanity. You do all this work cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking. What happens to all this work...it turns to smoke. Vanity. There is a lingering memory of warmer days, and sunshine. But as the season changes, we are reminded that there is something more splendid coming than what we are experiencing now.
The more I talk with people who are believers and non-believers alike I find hurt and longing. Hurt as a result of the wounding of sin and death. Longing as it relates to the ancient memory that we once walked with God. Everyone feels that there is (at the very least) the possibility of something better. For those who, by the grace of Christ, have become disciples of Jesus we have experienced the reality that He "makes all things new." (Rev 21:5) We know the end of the story. We've seen the promise of spring. We know that in the end He will "wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17) I've seen a lot of tears over the past several months, and I long for that holy day when God's almighty finger gently removes the last tear ever cried. He promised it, and he is not one to break a promise. Until that day, I am reminded that there are tears to be wiped by me, there's wood that needs to be hauled, sermons that need to be prepared, and people who need to hear the Gospel that Christ has by his cross made all things new.

Teaching young men how to fell a tree. We've done an event the past two months for young men teaching them basic "manly skills" and sharing the message of the Gospel in how it relates to who we are as men.

Hauling wood. Thanks to Jim Hibbard from Arctic Barnabas for his help on this trip!

Things you can be praying for:

• We are attempting to host a marriage conference, April 1-3rd at the Galena Bible Church. Pray that all of the resources and man power would organize for us to be able to do this event. 
• Pray for safety for the men of the Bible Church as we cut firewood this month. 
• Martin Hornfischer and I will be traveling to Aniak to connect with other missionaries for training this week. Pray that God gives us clarity in how we can best reach our communities and unreached villages with the Gospel.