Pastor Brad Rud

One of the great privileges of living in Alaska is the ability to harvest salmon for our families. In some places people put out subsistence gill nets, in some places fish wheels, but for urban Alaska, our opportunity comes through dipnetting. A family of four can take over fifty Sockeye, which provides a good meal twice a week for a year. But here's the thing- only those who have packed gear for half a day, driven for half a day, camped for 2 days, driven for half a day, and then unpacked and processed fish for 2 days really understand what this involves. Most of life's blessings come with work attached. Years ago my good friend Larry gave us a roadkill moose. A friend of Laura's, new to Alaska, said, "I want one." I responded, "Do you know how to cut one up?" She got a confused look on her face and replied, "What do you mean?" She thought that someone just filled our freezer with packages of meat from a butcher shop. When we explained that she would have to do it herself, she said, "Oh! No, then I don't want one." This falls into the category- 'Be careful what you wish for.' Laura and I have always tried to make the work as enjoyable as possible. We involved our kids before they even started school. Enjoy God's blessings, give thanks for the work, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Last night I enjoyed a view that few ever experience. Though the trees blocked most of my view, Mt. McKinley was right there. The Athabascans call it 'Denali,' which means, 'The Great One.' A more fitting name would be 'The Great Mountain,' because the God who placed it there is truly 'DENALI'- truly THE GREAT ONE. When Noah and his sons and their wives came off the ark, they began to repopulate the earth. Very soon their grandchildren, with the whole world at their fingertips, began to forget about God. I can almost hear one of them saying, "I'm really not interested in religion. My grandparents were religious, but I have my own beliefs." That's how quickly people forget about God. It takes only one generation to utterly change a culture. We've seen it happen in America. But don't despair, it will only take one generation to turn things around! Young people are coming to Christ in unprecedented numbers. They are turning away from the spiritually meaningless lives of their parents and grandparents, hungering for something deeper- something REAL. Like them, discover The Great One, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

A young bull moose walked into our yard and fought it out with my whitetail deer archery target. Though he clearly won, I can't help but think that he was disappointed. Like that moose, it's not uncommon for you and me to be deceived- to be tricked- to believe something that simply isn't true. 'Scamming' people is now a global industry. While there is a degree of corruption throughout politics, lying, cheating, stealing, and attacking those who expose their crimes has become the entire political platform of the Democrat party in the last 20 years. It's about DECEPTION to GAIN POWER, but that shouldn't surprise us. Satan, the great deceiver, did the same thing to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Twist the truth, lie, control. It's a simple and often effective game plan. This is also true in matters of faith. False teachers (led by deceiving spirits) lead people astray. This is why it's so important for us to distinguish between the counterfeit and what is actually true. God said the Berean Christians were 'more noble' than others because they TESTED EVERYTHING THEY HEARD against the Scriptures to see if it was true. Don't be deceived. Don't allow evil to be called good, or good to be called evil. Discern what is real and true from what is counterfeit, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Sometimes the best course of action is to let opportunities simply 'walk away.' You are offered a better job, but you would be away from home so much that you'd miss your kids growing up... so you let it walk away. You have the opportunity to date a person who is interested in YOU but not in Christ... so you let that opportunity walk away. You are invited to go on vacation with friends to Hawaii and you'd love to go, but it's not in your budget... so you let it walk away. Just because an opportunity is GOOD doesn't mean it's RIGHT. Life is filled with good things, good opportunities and good experiences. Pray first. Ask God if this is something you SHOULD do. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you and your spouse PEACE before moving ahead. And if you don't have peace? Let that opportunity walk away, and you WILL be blessed! -Pastor Brad

By the time I shot my first moose in Alaska, I had already taken a lot of deer... but this was different in a BIG way. It was impossible to lift and impossible to drag. I didn't have a saw or a hatchet, and by the time I quartered it and got it home I discovered that I didn't even have room in our tiny apartment to process the meat. That's when a random hunter recommended that I take it to a local man named Bill Jones who would cut your meat in his butcher shop while you wrapped it. The first time I pulled into his driveway I backed out- certain I was at the wrong place. I ended up coming back a second time. Bill turned out to be both a great storyteller and a great teacher, showing Laura and I everything that we needed to do to get an animal that big into the freezer. There are times in life when it isn't enough for people to TELL us, they need to SHOW us. This is why Jesus spent three years living every day with his disciples. He could have TOLD THEM the good news of salvation and how to live a Christian life in a matter of minutes. Instead he spent three years SHOWING THEM. Your unsaved friends and family are watching you. Tell them you are a Christian, yes. Invite them to church, yes. But know this- when you SHOW THEM a life of optimism and joy and kindness and generosity- that's when your faith becomes REAL to them. Be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Bill outside his butcher shop.

The bull was ALMOST legal. I ALMOST came home with a moose... but not quite. You see, to ALMOST get something is to NOT get it. To ALMOST get the job is to NOT get the job. To ALMOST go on vacation is to NOT go on vacation. This is the story of literally millions of people in America who go to church every Sunday. They are ALMOST saved. They are ALMOST followers of Christ. After all, they believe that PARTS of the Bible are true. They believe that SOME THINGS Jesus said are true. What their lost pastors don't know is that to ALMOST be on your way to heaven is to NOT be on your way to heaven. Jesus doesn't make room for 'almost.' Our faith is ALL, or it is NOTHING. He said in Matthew 12:30, "Whoever is not WITH me is AGAINST me, and whoever does not work WITH me works AGAINST me." Come to Jesus just as you are. Confess your sins and ask Him to forgive you and to save you. Let the words of the beautiful old hymn be true for you- "I Surrender All."
Trust Him with your life and your eternity, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad

My priorities have changed over the years. I still love to hunt. I still try to fill the freezer, but if I'm going out for a few hours to call for a moose, I bring my Bible along. Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." I feel that intensely. No matter what I'm facing, I open my Bible and God speaks directly into my life. After all, "The Word of God is living and active..." Can you pray this prayer with me? "Lord, CHANGE me, SHAPE me, USE me." Be blessed! -Pastor Brad

Four days in the wilderness and we've pretty much seen it all. Heavy rain, fresh snow and warm sunshine. The sunshine is my favorite. I'm at an age where hunting out of a 'lodge' is starting to sound really nice. Go out and hunt hard all day and then come inside to a warm meal, dry your clothes, sleep in a bed...
It's only wishful thinking, but hey, a guy can wish, can't he? At the moment the sun is shining and I'm starting to forget being aching and shivering cold. Fall is my favorite time of year... when the sun shines. But then, I love summer and spring... when the sun shines. Take a moment to thank God for two gifts- the sun and the Son- and you will be blessed! Pastor Brad

There were so few deer in Southeastern Minnesota when I was growing up, that the 'gun' season only lasted 2 days. It was absolutely unheard of for someone to 'pass' on a legal deer. Even a 'spike' buck was highly prized. When I graduated from college and moved to Montana, I took this perspective with me. I shot the first whitetail buck that I saw, not realizing that it was a long, beautiful fall and that I would have dozens, if not hundreds of opportunities for better bucks. Later that season I had to pass on a trophy Mule Deer, because I had already used my tag. Sometimes the best course of action is simply to WAIT. I've had to learn this lesson over and over again in life. I've purchased cars and homes that weren't right, and then had to go through the whole process again. So often, in life wisdom says, "Wait" when everything in us is screaming, "I want a solution NOW!" Be patient, my friends, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad
My first Montana buck.