7-21-2010 Anchorage: Being Used Already

My plan for yesterday was to get an idea of what the next week would look like for me in the morning and then head out to take the bus around Anchorage to see the city. I went to get my morning coffee, but there wasn't any ground coffee left to make a fresh batch. It wasn't a big deal, coffee is just something to do in the morning while you are still waking up.

When I research what I am going to do I usually try to setup shop at a place where I can spread out with my computer, maps, and brochures. There is a great place at the hostel I am staying at to do this. Before I got to far into my research I wanted to do some reading. I started going through Joshua and read chapters 7-9. Joshua's army, following the will of God, killed all the men of Ai, an enemy of God. His army even burned the entire city down. Though I believe that God no longer calls us to conquer people, this was incredible to read because in so many churches men are emasculated while in the Bible the men of God are never weak.

I got back to my research after a little while and was almost overwhelmed by the number of options of things to do in Alaska. There are countless cities and activities to do. I wanted to go fishing, hiking, and get an idea of what it is like to live in Alaska. You can do any of these things anywhere you want here. I received a phone call that gave a lot of clarity to the direction I would head for the next week. Jared from a company called me. Jared is an architect for in Fairbanks, about 380 miles north of Anchorage. I had contacted Jared with a question a few weeks ago about green building and sustainable design in Alaska. His call was just returning the voicemail I had left him the week before. He said that he would be interested in meeting with me and telling me more about the green building industry in Alaska. In order to meet with him I would need to go up to Fairbanks.

Across the table from me was a woman named Eryn from Oklahoma who was about to go on a four week NOLS course in the Alaskan wilderness. To my side was a woman about the same age as me from Germany. They were both friendly and seemed to be looking for adventure just as I was. I heard Eryn say to the German woman, "I'm Unitarian". I really am unfamiliar with the denomination, but I could tell from what she said it was not Biblical Christianity. I enjoyed talking to her about the word of God and the character of Christ. I told her that there would be a lot more believers if people lived like Jesus. Jesus was the smartest man that ever lived, he was the most gentle while also sticking to the law of God perfectly, and he is passionate about His children. Eryn was drawn to the fresh perspective of Jesus I was able to describe to her. She was able to see how many of the insecurities women face go way when you know you are a daughter of the most high king. Eryn allowed me to buy a few books for her, I wanted her to learn more about the character of Jesus. I ended up getting her an NIV Bible, a Beth Moore book, and The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. I hope that she is able to find the true life and joy comes from a perfect and loving God.