Category Archives: Alaska

Dec 16 2011

Hope in the Darkness

Winter can be a particularly trying time for those who struggle with depression and bipolar disorder. The increased darkness outside can begin to reflect in our hearts and so increase the darkness within.

I know Pr. Bryan has posted here before about the challenge of winters in Alaska where the days are extremely short. But even in the Pacific Northwest, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a big problem. When you drive to work in very little light and drive home again in pitch dark, which is even darker when it is raining, it is hard to remember the long days of summer.

It is during this dark season that we must cling even more to the Light of Christ so that the darkness does not overcome us. We must cling to the faithfulness of our God who brings the sun every morning and the seasons in their turn, so that we know spring and summer will follow the darkness.

Thinking about this one dark night earlier this week, I wrote a poem, which I posted on my blog, Linda Kruschke’s Blog, as a Thankful Thursday post. I hope you like my ode to God’s promise of hope and light that stands firm even in the darkness, and that it reminds you of the hope we have in Jesus.

Hope in the Darkness

Sun sinks below the horizon
Darkness envelopes all life in my view
Each night the darkness comes sooner
Each morning the sun arises anew

This season, winter, brings darkness
It seems to engulf the light of my soul
Sometimes the darkness is deeper
And blacker than the blackest mine of coal

But winter does not last forever
Spring and summer bring sun ever near
Hope of a Light everlasting
Is all that my darkened soul needs to hear

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:4-5 (NIV).

Related articles
May 30 2011

A List of Alaskans Who Died in the Vietnam War

I would like to post this list of the KIA during the Vietnam War.  This is a complete list of everyone who died from Alaska in combat during this difficult time.  We can question this war, but we cannot challenge or impugn their honor and sacrifice.  I intend to do this, on Memorial Day, 2011.

I simply don’t want their names to be forgotten.

Name– Rank– Branch– Hometown– DoD

  1. ANDERSON THOMAS EDWARD CPL MARINES SPENARD 6-Oct-62
  2. BANTA MICHAEL DEAN PFC ARMY CORDOVA 2-Oct-70
  3. BARR EDWARD NASUESAK SN NAVY BREVIG MISSION 3-May-69
  4. BARR THOMAS M SP5 ARMY ANCHORAGE 12-May-69
  5. BAUER RICHARD GENE SP5 ARMY ANCHORAGE 4-Nov-69
  6. BETTS LARRY LE ROY 2LT ARMY EAGLE RIVER 21-Nov-69
  7. BROWN CHARLES EDWARD PFC ARMY THORNE BAY 6-Dec-67
  8. BROWN DAVID DEE JR PFC MARINES WRANGELL 16-Apr-68
  9. BULLOCK GARY EDWIN SP4 ARMY ANCHORAGE 31-Jan-67
  10. CHILDERS WILLIAM STEVEN WO ARMY FAIRBANKS 3-Jan-69
  11. CHMIEL DONALD GEORGE SSGT ARMY CHUGIAK 25-Aug-70
  12. COOK CLINTON ARTHUR SGT ARMY HYDABURG 28-Apr-70
  13. COX DANIEL FRANKLIN SP5 ARMY ELMENDORF A F B 15-Jan-71
  14. DUNCAN WILLIAM BRADLEY WO ARMY ANCHORAGE 31-Jan-68
  15. EATON WILLIAM ALBERT PFC ARMY SOLDOTNA 18-Apr-70
  16. ELISOVSKY DAVID HENRY SGT ARMY CORDOVA 23-Jan-66
  17. ELLIOTT ROBERT THOMAS III 1LT ARMY ANCHORAGE 9-Sep-68
  18. FERRY DAVID LYNN SP5 ARMY FAIRBANKS 22-Aug-68
  19. FLEENER NICK ULYSSES SP5 ARMY SPENARD 29-Jul-70
  20. GAMBLE CHARLES F JR SP4 ARMY JUNEAU 28-Oct-69
  21. GRIFFIN DALE ANTHONY LCPL MARINES ANCHORAGE 14-Mar-68
  22. GULLIKSEN HOWARD WAYNE SSGT ARMY SEWARD 30-Jan-68
  23. HARMON DANIEL LEE SP4 ARMY KODIAK 2-Jun-67
  24. HIBPSHMAN WILLIAM EARL SP5 ARMY ANCHORAGE 25-Jun-69
  25. HOKE MICHAEL THOMAS PFC MARINES ELMENDORF AFB 21-Dec-67
  26. HORN JERRY VERNE SP4 ARMY SOLDOTNA 16-Sep-67
  27. INT-HOUT KURT SP4 ARMY KODIAC 29-Jan-72
  28. IVEY SAM PFC ARMY MC GRATH 16-Sep-65
  29. JONES WAYNE ELMER CWO ARMY FAIRBANKS 17-Aug-67
  30. KETZLER GILBERT JR PFC ARMY FAIRBANKS 10-Oct-69
  31. KILBUCK GEORGE GREGORY PFC ARMY BETHEL 27-Aug-65
  32. KITO DONALD HARRY LCPL MARINES PETERSBURG 8-Jul-67
  33. KOSLOSKY HOWARD MARK AN NAVY ANCHORAGE 2-Oct-69
  34. LA BELLE KERMIT HAROLD JR PFC MARINES FAIRBANKS 28-Jul-67
  35. LANG MICKEY DANIEL PFC ARMY ANCHORAGE 19-May-71
  36. LAPE DAVID ALEN WO ARMY CORDOVA 27-Nov-67
  37. LEE ROBERT EDWARD SP4 ARMY FAIRBANKS 17-Feb-66
  38. LINGLEY NORMAN LEWIS PFC ARMY DOUGLAS 6-Nov-66
  39. MC INERNEY PATRICK M PFC ARMY FAIRBANKS 12-Mar-69
  40. MILLHOUSE KENNETH BRUCE SP4 ARMY SPENARD 18-Dec-68
  41. PAULSEN WARREN BM3 NAVY VALDES 23-Jun-69
  42. PIASKOWSKI WILLIAM FRANCI SP4 ARMY ANCHORAGE 14-Mar-68
  43. PLETT LARRY JOE PFC ARMY ANCHORAGE 20-Jul-70
  44. PRENTICE DAVID SHELTON GSGT MARINES ANCHORAGE 29-Jul-67
  45. RAINEY LLOYD STEVEN CWO ARMY ANCHORAGE 12-Dec-71
  46. RICE ANDREW WILLIAM JR GMG3 NAVY FT RICHARDSON 23-May-69
  47. RICHARDSON FLOYD WHITLEY COL AIR FORCE ANCHORAGE 4-Oct-79
  48. RIDLEY NORMAN FRANKLIN AA NAVY METLAKATLA 8-Jan-69
  49. ROBISON DONALD ROBERT CAPT ARMY COLLEGE 12-Mar-68
  50. SANDERS DONALD RAY PFC ARMY ELMENDORF AFB 25-Mar-67
  51. SIMEONOFF FREDERICK M WO ARMY SPENARD 17-Apr-70
  52. SPERL DONALD WALTER CPL ARMY JUNEAU 8-May-68
  53. THOMPSON WILLIAM ARTHUR CPL ARMY KETCHIKAN 12-Jul-68
  54. VANDERPOOL JOE WAYNE PFC MARINES ANCHORAGE 1-Mar-68
  55. WALTERS WILLIAM FRANCIS CWO ARMY ANCHORAGE 12-Jun-70
  56. WHITNEY ARTHUR JOSEPH JR PFC ARMY KETCHIKAN 5-May-6
  57. YOUNG DAVID REESE JR 2LT ARMY FAIRBANKS 15-Mar-68

I served in the U.S. Army as a Combat Medic, from 1979 to 1982.  I understood my heritage, and I honor those who served and all those who went before me.

Date: 1966
Title: A Medic and fellow soldier of the First Cavalry Division.
Source: Photo by Henri Huet, REQUIEM By The Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina, Random House 1997

Source, and more right here on: http://www.ngl.org/Home/tabid/40/Default.aspx

Aug 7 2010

Sunday Funnies: Computers in Alaska

Alaskan Computer Terms

 

Log on: Make the wood stove hotter.
Log off: Don’t add no more wood.
Monitor: Keep an eye on that wood stove.
Download: Getting the firewood off the truck.
Floppy Disk: What you get from trying to carry too much firewood.
Ram: The thing that splits the firewood.
Hard Drive: Getting home in the winter.
Prompt: “Throw another log on the fire”.
Window: What to shut when it’s cold outside.
Screen: What to shut during mosquito season.
Byte: What mosquitoes do.
Bit: What the mosquitoes did.
Megabyte: What BIG mosquitoes do.
Chip: Munchies when monitoring.
Microchip: What’s left after you eat the chips.
Modem: What you did to the weeds.
Dot Matrix: Old Dan Matrix’s wife.
Lap Top: Where kitty sleeps.
Mouse: What eats the food in your pantry.
Mainframe: What holds the house up.
Web: The things spiders make.
Web Site: The garage or attic.
Cursor: Someone who swears a lot.
Search Engine: What you do when the truck dies.
Screen Saver: A repair kit for the torn window screen.
Home Page: A map you keep in your back pocket just in case you get lost when hunting moose.
Upgrade: Driving up into Atigun Pass.
Sound Card: One of them technological birthday cards that plays music.
User: Buddy down the street who keeps coming over borrowing stuff.
Network: When you have to repair your fishing net.
Internet: Where the fish get caught.
Netscape: When a fish gets away.
On-line: When you get the laundry on the clothesline.
Off-line: When the clothespin lets go and the laundry falls on the ground.

May 6 2010

Crane Song and Common Grace

They sing to God


“And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.  The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.”  Hebrews 1:2-3 (New Living Translation)

  

There is an idea that there exists a common grace effecting every person on this rock called Earth is most interesting.  What we are suggesting with this is that every person has access to grace; at least on a basic level, such as nature, government, medical, education and judical.  We all are sharing in grace whether we are saved or not. 

Common grace explains a great deal, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45) They both benefit from His care, whether they believe or disbelieve.  On the other pole, lies special grace.  It is different.  It is grace that is given to those who put their trust in the promises for salvation, deliverance and healing.  These promises can only be enjoyed by a Christian believer.  Special grace is grace that God gives to each one who is in a covenant relationship with Himself. 

I got up early the other morning, with a cup of coffee in hand and went to sit out on my steps.  I have to tell you that mornings are truly delightful here in Alaska.  As I sat looking at the trees and watching the clouds,  the sun was caught by the trees and they began to glow.  (I always think of the burning bush of Moses and secretly wonder if trees don’t remember and try to emulate their ancestor so long ago.)  I hear “crane music” from the lake.  And all of this touches me.  Just as I physically awoke 20 minutes ago, I now awaken spiritually. 

Common grace makes this all possible.  I share it with every person God created.  “Common grace curbs the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men.”  –Louis Berkof, Christian theologian. 

I love common grace.  It makes it possible to enjoy my coffee in the sunshine on the deck.  Common grace allows me to hear the crane’s special song.  People everywhere are drawing from the common well of common grace. ”The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” (John 1:4)