Mt Redoubt may blow it’s top anytime!

I wrote the following paragraph on February 12, 2009

As many of you may know Mt Redoubt could blow at any moment. I mean it’s front page news in the Peninsula Clarion today!!!!!!! We are set to go, or not. It’s weird living just off Redoubt Ave in Soldotna, Alaska knowing at any moment we could be covered with ash or not.

March 23, 2009

Mt Redoubt blew it’s top last night, in fact it blew 5 times during the night and once this afternoon! We are so grateful that the ash didn’t come our way. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not happy for the few small villages and sparsely populated woods out west of us that got a good dusting. However we have so many more folks that live here on the Kenai Peninsula that much less damage is being done.

I had decided that Mt Redoubt had gone back to sleep for a while. The experts were saying that was a good possibility. It made sense to me for sure. However the Mountain had other plans!!!

Volcanoes have a mind of their own. I really don’t understand the whole lava, sulfur and toxic gases thing. I mean where does all those gases go and why don’t they eat a whole in the Ozone Layer? Why don’t they cause massive impact on “global warming”? I am so amazed at this Mountain.

It sent ash over 60,000 feet into the air six times in the last 24 hours. Can you imagine the pressure that must be built up inside that thing!!!!! Then there’s the heat factor!! Wow! That’s just unreal to my simple little mind.

It makes me wonder what is inside this old ball of dirt we call earth! There really must be some really “hot stuff” inside this planet.

More Later,

Pastor Alan

Global Warming!!!!!!

Now I will be the first to admit that I am no scientist. I am extremely limited in my scientific knowledge at best. However it sure seems a whole lot colder this “spring” than most of the ones I remember here in South Central Alaska. It was around -8 this morning and I don’t think we got up much above the low +20’s. Not bad for the first day of “Spring”.

I have only lived in Alaska for 22 years. Now for some people that seems like a long time but for many “old timers” I’m still a “Cheechako”. I have talked with many old timers and they all agree this has been one of the coldest winters in many years.

I understand that last October was the coldest on record for Barrow and much of the northern part of Alaska. We also had one of the top three longest running cold streaks of below zero weather on record this year! There are so many unanswered questions about this whole “global warming” thing. I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I’m not sure I understand all the questions!!!!

However it doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to know that the planet is getting warmer or something! This entire state and much of North America was at one time covered with glaciers. This planet has been warming for many years.

I wonder what started the warming trend way back when? It could have been the volcanoes that erupted all over the planet or may be the dinosaurs burping and stuff? Maybe it was the cave man’s fires all over the planet that started the whole thing melting?

I don’t have a clue but I do believe that God almighty, Creator of all that is, has a clue. In fact I am certain He knows every detail of the whole planet and solar system and universes etc. etc. etc. I believe that God, as I understand Him, created it all. I believe He has a Divine Plan and no matter how much money we spend on getting “greener” we won’t be able to slow down or speed up that plan! That’s what I believe!!

The Bible, hold on don’t tune me out yet, in Gen. 1:1 says “In the beginning God…” Now that may not be enough for you but it sure is for me. That is the greatest explanation of all this that is I have ever heard. “In the beginning God…” How much more profound do you need?

Now I know you and I can’t get our mind around that concept and for that reason many people reject the whole idea of a God creating everything. However can you really get your mind around “all this came from a cosmic EXPLOSION”? Hello!!!!! Can you get your mind around “all this just came out of nowhere, caused by nothing”?

No, and neither can I. I suggest to you, you consider your heart and your inner mind! When I say heart and inner mind I mean that deep part of you that you have tried to shut down or board up for all these years. I challenge you to look deep within and ask your self some of the tough questions about God!

I submit to you that He is real. He is there and if you will look and listen you will find he isn’t silent or hiding. If you will look and seek and ask, He will make Himself known to you. Please “Be Still” and listen. He is there! If you look you will find Him. Don’t let others answer the questions for you, read His Word for yourself. Check out the Bible at biblegateway.com. I like the New Living Version myself. I would recommend start reading in the book of John in the New Testament.

Yes the planet is warming however it will get a whole lot warmer before it ever gets cooler!!!!!!! Don’t wait! Start today!

Sincerely Yours,

Pastor Alan

Vision 2009 in Seattle WA

Miriam and I are in Seattle WA for Christian Faith Center’s Vision 2009 Leadership Conference. Casey Treat is the founder and pastor of CFC and has been a friend for almost 20 years. This is one conference that we haven’t missed since 1992. We attended in 1990 and missed 1991 and asked the Lord to help us to not miss again. So far we have been every year since.

We have developed some awesome relationships with friends all over the globe. The teaching and fellowship are some of the finest I have ever experienced. If you are a pastor or a church leader I would highly recommend attending this conference.

We missed Brian Houston last night but he was awesome this morning. He spoke on the importance for a love for the local church. It was a fantastic message. Casey also spoke this morning and he was tremendous as always. I don’t think I have ever heard Casey speak that I didn’t receive something to grow on. He is a great communicator.

Tonight Kong Hee spoke and again it was fantastic. He spoke on the three spaces in every believer’s life. The first space is the church, the second is the market place or our job and the world around us. The third place is the place of government, leadership and the entire influential world of media and entertainment in our society.

I can’t do his message justice by giving a synopsis here but it was powerful. He spoke of how so much of the church is comfortable in the first space but we spend most of our time in the second space but aren’t really comfortable or influential. He observed that very few of us ever get into the third space where the real influence or our culture takes place.

I would strongly recommend ordering the entire set of CD’s or DVD’s at CaseyTreat.org

I am so blessed. Miriam and I have had a great time of rest and refreshing in Hawaii and now a great time of refilling and inspiration here at Vision 09. We are very excited and can’t wait to get back to Alaska and get to work for the Lord in the harvest field where He has called us to labor.

If you are reading this and you are from another local church other than Soldotna Church of God I would highly recommend you send your pastor to at least one or two conferences per year. It will be a great investment of time and money for your church. I would also recommend at least several small vacations per year as well.

I heard a pastor say one time that “the devil never takes a vacation so why should we”. Another pastor also commented that the devil isn’t our example, Jesus is and He often got away in a solitary place for rest.

Praise God for a wonderful church in Soldotna. We are so blessed to be a part of what God is doing in this awesome community.

Pastor Alan

Miriam and I Celebrate our 35th tonight.

Miriam and I had a great evening at Hy’s Steak House in Waikiki. We listened to our good friend Audy Kimura sing and play. If you are ever in Honolulu Hy’s in one of the finest places to eat for fine dining you will find here. We met Bob the manager and several of the staff this evening. What a great time we had. Today was Audy’s Birthday, we had cake and all. What a great place for a birthday or anniversary celebration. I can’t recommend it too highly. This is not a paid advertisement; it’s just a great place with great people to enjoy a great meal together.

Check out our photos on our Facebook page. These were taken by the staff. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. I am so thankful for a wonderful awesome incredible wife for these 35 years.

Good night to all and to all a good night,

Pastor Alan

Celebrating 35 Years of Marriage!!!!

Miriam and I will be married 35 years this year!!!!!! Wow! It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. I really think we are more in love today than we have ever been. She is the most wonderful woman in the world. I know Jerry loves Margaret and all of you love your wives as you should but I am so in love with my beautiful wife.

We are celebrating our 35th this week in Honolulu. It is awesome! I can’t imagine life with out her. God has blessed me soooooooo much in so many ways and Miriam is at the top of the list, second only to my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that our love has grown over the years beyond anything I could have ever imagined. When we spend time with a person and trust that person with all that we are and have we can grow closer as the years go by. I think trust and time are two of the most important keys to a long healthy happy marriage.

No, our marriage isn’t perfect. We still have our stuff and issues but we are in love for sure. I love her more than words can express. I could go on and on about all the feelings in my heart but I don’t have the space or the time. However I do have the desire and the passion to communicate to her all that I am for the rest of my days on this planet. I am hers until the Lord calls me home.

I am so thankful to all my family and friends at Soldotna Church of God. We have been so blessed to be their pastor’s for almost 22 years. It has been our privilege to serve in Soldotna for the past 22 years. It is so much easier to serve in a church where you are loved by so many wonderful people.

Thanks for listening,

Pastor Alan