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More from the Add-on Eskimo

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 27, 2021
 
The Lord was not long in bringing answers to the young teacher’s question. One day while he was at the village store, one of the Eskimos came up to the teacher, “Would you like to go with me to the other village this weekend? It’s 100 miles by snow traveler.”
 
Without hesitation the teacher said, “Yes, I would like that very much!”
 
“OK, we will leave then early Saturday morning and return Sunday evening. Dress in your warmest clothes.”
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, the sun sparkling on the deep snow as they made their way up into the island’s backbone of small volcanoes. The teacher stood on the back of a dogsled fastened to the snow traveler. They were going to use the sled to bring back some walrus meat for Savoonga.
 
At one point the Eskimo made a sharp turn around an out cropping of lava, whipping the sled around so that it turned over and the teacher was thrown off. He scrambled up and stood to watch the snow traveler disappearing in the distance.
 
He shouted, but the noise of the machine made it impossible for the Eskimo to hear, so he began to run. But the snow was so deep and the air so cold that he soon gave that up and began to trudge along the tracks the snow traveler had made. He knew he was in trouble if he got stranded out here with no food, no shelter, no water.
 
Soon, however, the snow traveler came back into sight. The Eskimo had looked back, seen the empty sled, and turned back to get his missing passenger.
They arrived in the village of Sivukuk just at dark. The teacher was invited to stay with the public health nurse, a young fellow from Wisconsin, a farm boy like the teacher.
 
After supper the teacher asked the nurse, “What’s your philosophy of life?”
 
“I’m a born-again Christian,” he answered. “God brought me here to provide medical care for this village, and some for Savoonga when it’s needed. It’s almost like being a doctor, as I’m called upon the deal with many situations—delivering babies, stitching up bad cuts, taking care of gun-shot wounds. It’s challenging, but I love doing what God has given me.”
 
“Wow,” thought the teacher. “He has much more responsibility than I do, but I sense a power in his life that I don’t have. That’s what I need!”
 
The teacher knew the gospel very well, having grown up in a good, solid church. He had, in fact, accepted Christ as his Savior three times: when he was six, nine and fourteen. At age nine he began reading the Bible every day, starting in Genesis. He had a hard time making it through some of those Old Testament books, but plodded on, completing the whole Bible by the time he was twelve.
 
However, his belief was only intellectual, he had not surrendered to Jesus as his Lord. In fact, when he was sixteen, he had said to himself, “Christianity is the greatest theory there ever was—but I’m not surrendering myself to a theory.”
 
He went on to college where he continued to live as a Christian, avoiding all the pitfalls and evils of society at that time of widespread drug use and immorality.
 
Then in his senior year he seriously sought a philosophy of life and settled on helping people. Wanting to help other people gave him direction, and when he heard that the BIA would hire teachers without a teaching degree, he took the national teachers’ exam and applied. Then he packed up and rode his motorcycle from Connecticut to Alaska, where he was hired in Juneau and sent out to the island.
Now, here he was, faced again with the claims of Christ. He returned to Savoonga on Sunday with his Eskimo friend, pulling a load of walrus meat.
 
As soon as he got home, he got out a book that had been recommended to him, “The Taste of New Wine “by Keith Miller (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1966). It was the story of a Texas oil man’s search for a relationship with God.
Like the young teacher, the oil man had resisted surrender, but one day while driving along, he was overwhelmed with his inability to handle life. So, he pulled off the road and prayed a very simple prayer, “Lord, I give you my will and take yours in its place.” A complete surrender.
 
“That’s what I haven’t done,” said the teacher to himself, “but I will.”
 
He got down on his knees in that dark arctic December night and prayed, “Lord, I give you my will and take yours in its place.”
 
Nothing happened, so he to bed, not knowing that great change was waiting for him in the morning.
 

Pictures: on the way to Alaska and the trip back to Savoonga with a load of Walrus meatMay be an image of 1 person, motorcycle and outdoors     No photo description available.

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Overflow

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 26, 2021
 
“In the day of my trouble I will call to you,” [this is to be my response to difficulty, disappointment, doubt and despair: to come to you] “for you WILL answer me” (Ps. 86:7).
 
This is a certainty, for
you are trustable,
you will act
and help
in the way and in the time you know is best.
 
I can praise you for that now, before any resolution comes.
 
“Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours” (Ps. 86:8).
 
I can trust you because you are so great:
great in character,
in integrity,
in wisdom,
in power,
in goodness,
in the certainty that you will act.
 
Therefore You are worthy
of worship,
of wonder
and of waiting for.
 
Glory be to you today in my life, Lord
as I trust in you,
so that you can fill me with all joy and peace,
and cause my life to overflow
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13)
May be an image of flower and nature
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The Ride

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 25, 2021
The most comforting Truth is scripture is that God has a plan! He knows what He’s doing and where He’s going, and He’s taking us along for the ride!
 
Praise be to you Lord God, that you are Ruler of all, King of Glory, Master of the universe, Lord over every circumstance.
 
I praise you that your hand is mighty and that you are the eternal Sovereign, Lord over all that goes on, all that comes into my life. Each thing arrives with your permission, with your goals, with your purpose.
 
Therefore, I can praise you for my present difficulty, trust you in it, rest before you in the help you will give before I can see it. This is setting my heart on things above, on your things, your outcome, your decisions, your plans.
 
Praise you that in the unresolved situation before me, I can praise you for the outcome now, while things still look dark and the horizon is disturbingly empty.
 
Our hope is in you, Lord God, Lord Jesus, Heavenly Father, Triune Lord who helps us at break of day.
 
“Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you” (Ps.143:9). Yes, I come to you, asking you to fight for me, guide me, give me wisdom.
 
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God…” (Ps. 143:10a). I do surrender myself to you in this situation, I commit to doing your will rather than following my own.
 
“May your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Ps.143:10b). I praise you that you are only good, that you will lead me on good ground, in a grace-filled way, in paths of righteousness.
 
“For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble” (Ps.143:11). Yes, do this to bring glory to your Name, do this according to your character, only you can correctly bring me out of difficulty.
Prayer: “Lord, help me to bow before you, to revel in your goodness, to delight in your holiness, to rejoice in your powerfulness, and to rest in your perfectness, for this brings you glory. I ask today for your direction, your guidance, your bringing to pass what is good and I praise you now for what you will do. Amen.”
 
May be an image of flower and indoor
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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 24, 2021
More from my autobio.
 
That winter my sister, Marcia, got engaged to Chris, a good friend of my brother, Les. Chris and Les had gone to college together, studied in Germany together, and lived together after college while working as computer engineers for the same company.
 
They had also made a trip together to South America by motorcycle, intending to travel the whole rim of the continent, but were forced to return home from Quito, Ecuador when both came down with severe cases of hepatitis A.
 
We had shared a lot with Chris about the Lord, but he was not interested. He and Les were very much focused on motorcycles, running and their many adventures.
 
One time when Marcia was out in Ohio, visiting Les at the house he lived in with Chris and three other bachelors, she and Chris were talking about spiritual things. At the end he finally said, “Look, I have a great job, great friends, and a great fiancé. I will never reach out to God unless my life turns upside down.” That was dangerous and prophetic thing to say!
 
Sometime after this conversation, Chris and his fiancé were traveling with her two small children to Chris’ parents’ house for Thanksgiving. A drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit their vehicle, killing Chris’ fiancé on the spot. Just a few minutes before, Chris had switched seats with his fiancé. During the accident, the van was left literally flipped upside down but neither Chris nor the children were injured.
 
Shortly after, recognizing that God had met his challenge and turned his world upside down, Chris surrendered to the Lord, was born again and began his very fruitful life-long spiritual journey.
 
Following his time of grieving for his fiancé, settling her estate and getting her children into the care of her sister, Chris was able to think of moving on with his life. Over the years, he had been interested in Marcia, but knew she wouldn’t be interested in someone who was not a committed Christian.
 
Now that this major barrier was removed, he courted her, and they were soon engaged. We were all enthused about this for Chris had basically been a member of our family for years and his marrying Marcia only made it official.
 
They planned a May wedding, on the 27th. Marcia not only wanted to get married on a Saturday, but wanted to hold the wedding in the yard of our house and have the reception in one of the tire business buildings!
 
I was not too happy with this, as it meant that we’d have to be closed on a Saturday, the busiest workday of the week, but I bowed to Dad’s desire to grant his youngest daughter her wish.
 
Barbara was due with our second baby on May 29th, so we were hoping that there would be no interference with the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was on the evening of the 26th. I had an upset stomach, so I stayed home with little Josh. Barbara said it was a great meal and even commented to one of her sisters-in-law that it was a good meal to have before a delivery.
 
Then at 1:30 am she nudged me and said, “It’s time to go to the hospital.”
 
“Oh no!” I groaned, still feeling quite sick, and rolled over. She got up and got ready. I struggled out of bed and went over to my parents to tell them we were leaving. Their door was locked, however, so I went in through the cellar and upstairs to give them the news. And then we were off to the hospital.
 
When the doctor came into the labor room, he took one look at me and said, “Nurse, get this man some crackers and juice! He looks as pale as a ghost!”
 
Little Nathanael was born at 8:30 am. Unlike Josh, when he was brought to us, he didn’t open his eyes at all, but just nursed a little and then slept. They were two very different boys, right out of the womb.
 
I was home by 9:30 and got ready for the wedding, dressing Josh in the little suit Barbara’s mother had made for him (see picture below). The bride told me she thought he was the cutest little German boy there!
 
I was to be an usher, so I tucked Josh into the crook of my arm, where he sat like a little prince, and together we escorted people down the aisle in the yard behind our house.
 
As Chris and Marcia were leaving for their honeymoon, they stopped by the hospital to see Barbara and little Nathanael–very nice. It was an illustration of the kind of support they and my other siblings would give us throughout the coming years.
May be an image of child
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The Lord Almighty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 23, 2021
You, O God “who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is your name” (Isa. 51:15b) —
–your power, Lord, is unlimited,
–your wisdom is boundless,
–your greatness is without end,
–your glory is eternal,
–your holiness is without change.
 
Therefore you are worthy of exaltation and fear, of worship and honor, of praise and obedience.
 
Although you are so great and we so small,
although you are so powerful and we so weak,
although you are so holy and we so sinful,
yet you proclaim, “I am the LORD your God” (Isa. 51:15a)!
 
What a wonder, what a joy, what a foundation for life, what a comfort! You, who are so mighty and marvelous, managing the magnificent expanses of space, stoop down to make yourself our God: personal, knowable, loveable, trustable.
 
To have such a great and personal God means an end to fear: the fear of man,
the fear of the future,
the fear of failure,
the fear of loss,
the fear of suffering…
no need to “live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor…” (Isa. 51:13).
 
You are greater than the deceptive devil, greater than miniscule men, greater than puny people who seek to control, hurt, manipulate or use us.
 
You, the Eternal One, have made yourself our shepherd, our rock, our fortress, in you alone can we find rest. May we look in no other place!
May be an image of flower and nature
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Isaiah 51:12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 22, 2021
“I, even I, am he who comforts you.” Isaiah 51:12
 
Praise you, my Heavenly Father, the King of Glory, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Guide and Lover of my soul.
 
You are wonderful in your words of comfort: “Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth…’” (Isa. 51:12-13).
 
You are the Mighty One who made the measureless heavens, stretching them out light year after light year, in length and breadth, height and depth. You filled them with stars and galaxies, light and dust, space and nebulae. Your love of beauty, your enjoyment of variety, your penchant for order and the vastness of your power are all on display there.
 
You number the stars and call them each by name. The scope of your power is overwhelming:
–the power of planning to lay it all out;
–the power of creativity to make them out of nothing;
–the power of greatness to create stars so gigantic;
–the power of memory to know each one by name;
–the power of faithfulness to keep each in its place.
 
You, Lord God, are marvelously, amazingly powerful.
 
Then on a much tinier scale, in a little place tucked under one arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, you laid the foundations of the earth. You made the molten core, you clothed it in its mantle of minerals and metals, then you laid over it the garment of water and crowned it with a transparent atmosphere.
 
You placed it in just the right spot, provided it with a sun, a moon and sister planets, gave it just the right tilt, orbit and speed of rotation. Then through the millennia you have sustained each of those so that your creatures are able to live on it.
 
You, Lord God are marvelous in your creativity and wisdom, might and imagination. And this means you also use these in my life, doing things far beyond my imagination. So I can trust you when I can’t see how things are going to work out. If you can manage the universe, you certainly can manage my life! This truth comforts me.
May be an image of flower and nature
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More Add-on Eskimo Stories

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 21, 2021
More from the Add-on Eskimo
 
“Those are really impressive stories,” the teacher said, “Tell me, for you Eskimos, how was the New Way of Jesus different from the old way?”
 
Ayit smiled, “Let me answer that with what happened some years later when an anthropologist came to Sivukuk and sat with a group of us older men.
 
“‘Why did you choose to become Christians?’ She asked. Several of us gave her answers.
 
“‘The New Way is easier, that is, more predictable. In the old way we could never know what the spirits would do, and often it was not good.’
 
 
“‘It eliminated the constant sacrifices—a life for a life—and ceremonies the spirits had required us to keep.’
 
“‘Through Jesus, our God, Apa, has come close to us. Now we know that he loves us and helps us. He is not distant as he was before we came to know Jesus.’
 
“‘The new way is much more satisfying because we will go to heaven when we die, a prospect that is open to all.’
 
“‘Now with Jesus, we can call upon him to use his power to heal us, to help us with hunting, to provide for us. We know he loves us, not like the capricious and cruel spirits.’
 
“‘Jesus healed my son.’
 
“‘Jesus gave us a safe delivery for our baby.’
 
“‘Jesus gave me shelter in the storm, saving my life.’
 
“‘The new way is much less complex. Jesus’ love is so simple. We don’t have to perform endless rituals. We only need to obey what we know to be true about him. It is a much better way!’
 
“The reasons went on, each showing that the speaker’s faith was not theoretical, but based both on the Word and seeing God reach into their lives. They were convinced that this was the right way and were committed to living it.”
 
Ayit leaned back and smiled at the young teacher. “Following Jesus is the best way,” he said. “Jesus is God. He is powerful. He is good. So, as I chose Him those many years ago, I continue to follow Him in His wisdom and grace. I continue to be what my family calls me: the Add-on Eskimo. I continually strive to add to my faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. I hope you also follow Him like that!”
 
The young teacher smiled weakly, knowing that, compared to Ayit’s, his faith was feeble, incomplete and inadequate for life.
 
As the days and weeks rolled by, the teacher became tired and discouraged. His work was never ending, there was little social outlet, he could go nowhere and buy only what was in the sparsely stocked village store. He was stuck on the island.
One evening in November as he at sitting at the table in his little house when suddenly he had a realization. Although he had come with the purpose and desire to help people, he was doing the opposite. His students had no desire to sit in class and learn about George Washington, verbs and new math.
 
They wanted to be out hunting seals, driving dog sleds and visiting the reindeer herd. He was, he thought, only teaching his students to hate school, hate him and hate white men. With this realization, the teacher fell into a depression that deepened each day.
 
Before coming to the island, he had spent quite a bit of time seeking a philosophy to live by, examining religion and different worldviews. The one answer he had settled on was that his purpose was to help others, but now this proved inadequate to provide the support he needed. If a philosophy was to be valid, it must work in every situation.
 
As he thought on it, he had three possible choices. He could end his emotional and mental pain by committing suicide, which he thought seriously about doing, but as he contemplated what that would do to his parents and his students, he decided to make that the last option.
 
Second, he could quit and leave the island and go home. But he innately realized that this was the most important juncture of his life and he needed to work it through.
 
Or third, he could find a new philosophy of life. He decided to start there. He went to Jim, the principal, and asked him what his philosophy of life was.
 
“Well, life is like building a stone wall. When you are gone, people will say, ‘Jim was here.’” The young teacher shook his head; that wasn’t much to live by. Besides the principle teacher wasn’t doing well himself.
 
No answer there. So he determined to look elsewhere, not realizing that the Lord had an answer coming for him in the near future.

Picture: the young teacher with a white fox pelt given to him by one of the Eskimos.

May be an image of one or more people, people sitting and indoor

 
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Beauty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 20, 2021
As you , Lord Jesus, “lead me beside the still waters and restore my soul,” I am learning to think like you, rather than being swayed by my feelings. This growth is your doing, Lord God, to your glory, in line with your greatness.
 
I praise you for your faithful, deep work, your gracious goodness in bringing this change as I spend time gazing upon your marvelous Character. You truly are Glorious, Great and Gracious!
 
You definitely lead me in paths of righteousness: warning, guiding, teaching, disciplining. You nudge me when I am about to say something negative, out of bounds, unhelpful or gossipy.
 
And when I heed your warning, there is a sense of freedom—freedom from the selfish desire to give myself a thrill by being the one to pass on information or to be the authority in some matter. To deny self, to obey you, that is following you in the paths of righteousness.
 
I praise you, Father, for you have set your Spirit in me to lead. I praise you for your great patience in working with me to help me to quit worrying, to reject complaining, to refuse to feel sorry for myself, to walk away from disappointment and discouragement, choosing instead to walk with praise in the demanding paths of righteousness that you have prepared and where you lead me.
 
I praise and thank you for your wonderful shepherding, for your faithful goodness, for your continued, gracious patience. You are marvelous, merciful and magnificent in your persistent, powerful, positive transforming work in the lives of your children.
 
As the Great Shepherd, you are leading, guiding, disciplining, protecting, providing, commanding—therefore you are worthy of all exaltation, worship, glory, honor and praise. It will require more than eternity to give you what you deserve, and I glorify you for that!
 
Prayer: “Today, may my drinking of the pure waters of your Word and my walking in the path of righteousness you have prepared, bring glory to you, Lord, and transformation to me so that I may give you more and more honor each day. Amen.”
May be an image of nature, lake and tree
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The wonder of the Word

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 19, 2021
“…he leads me beside the still waters., he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”Psalm 23:2b
 
Glory be to you, my Good Shepherd, my Lord Jesus, for leading me beside the still waters. Every day you call me to your Word to drink deeply from the waters of Truth, to be refreshed with the revelation of your character, to be washed with the water of the Word.
 
I actually don’t see a great deal of change on a daily basis, but you are definitely at work, altering my soul, bringing growth, deepening and transformation. You are restoring my soul, moving it in the direction of its original, pre-fall condition so your relationship with me can be more profound, more transparent, higher and deeper.
 
Praise be to you, my Great Shepherd–
my Heavenly Father,
my Heavenly Brother,
my Heavenly Spirit
–for this faithful, powerful and wonderful work in my life. As I spend time with you in worship each day, you have been giving me strength in my soul, you have been quietly transforming my being into the likeness of Christ, so that when the disappointments of life come, there will be strength in me to pass through them with your endurance.
 
As a result of your work, my soul is no longer weak and flabby, able to be pushed this way and that by circumstances, feelings, and discouragements that come in life. You are making my soul strong, firm, muscular, able to stand in the face of opposition.
You are removing my fear of man, empowering me to make tough decisions for the good of the people involved without letting fear of how they will react control me.
 
You are teaching me to think like you, rather than being swayed by my feelings. This is your doing, to your glory, in line with your greatness.
 
I praise you for your faithful, deep work, your gracious goodness in bringing this change as I spend time gazing upon your marvelous Character. You truly are Glorious, Great and Gracious!
May be an image of nature and tree
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Trust and Acceptance

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 18, 2021
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
Ephesians 3:16b,17
 
Recently a friend was giving away old books, and I got one called Don’t Just Sit There, Have Faith by Ron Dunn. Faith, the author points out, is our response to the revelation of God’s character (the Almighty One, the Holy One, the Faithful One, the Just One). Faith is looking beyond the visible to the unseen: “My grace is sufficient for you” no matter how things seem (2Cor. 12:9,10).
 
Here’s a quote from the book, telling the story of a pastor’s wife’s illness and death, an illustration of walking in faith. The pastor wrote: “I had hoped for the miraculous healing of Sara and that we might bear a dramatic testimony to the direct intervention of God. I had a sermon ready. But it was not to be….
 
“My disappointment was intense but sober thinking has changed my view. If a dramatic experience of healing had been ours it would have been sensational, but…. Most of us do not have such miracles. Our loved ones die…and we need a word for those who walk the Valley with no happy ending to the story on earth.
 
“So I preach and write for a host of fellow travelers through the Valley whose hopes, like mine, were not realized and whose deepest wish was not granted. If we can move through the Valley and come out in victory, we have found a greater blessing than if our personal wish had been fulfilled in some miraculous way.” (Don’t Just Sit There, Have Faith by Ron Dunn, Here’s Life Publishers, 1991)
 
Truly, knowing Jesus is enough for joy, period. If He answers our prayers with “Yes” or “No” or “Wait,” faith says, “Fine, Lord, I trust you to do what is best.” Our focus must be on Him rather than the answer. Then, in the light of His wisdom, goodness, power and grace, we can accept with praise what He gives.
 
Prayer “Lord, may this day be one with my knowing you better, and growing in faith, living a life with the keynote of praise. In my exercise of the faith you’ve given me, may I be an encouragement, beacon and help to all those around, like this rainbow in this picture. Amen.”
May be an image of nature and sky
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