Missionary Broadcasting.com

Tonight I am posting an experimental podcast. It is an “off the cuff” recording based upon a series of lessons God has been teaching me lately. While I had been thinking about posting such material for quite some time, I could never find an opportunity to get a clear, quiet recording in my very busy (and noisy) three-child home. It seems the only free moments in my day recently have been in the car; so I took my favorite portable recorder on an errand tonight and captured the audio below.

Here’s a rundown on the topics we discuss:

• Purpose of my trip. (00:00)
• The difficulty of raising children. (01:58)
• How God uses children to teach us things about Himself. (05:10)
• Dumpster diving. (06:48)
• Military ministry opportunities. (09:07)
• Contentment during small sacrifices. (11:15)
• Off the cuff broadcasting. (15:50)

Download the Off the Cuff MP3

I don’t know if I will ever record a feature like this again - it was an experiment - but I found it just interesting enough to post online. It is extremely impromptu, very roughly recorded and edited (note the cars passing, turning signals, etc.), but it gives you a real-life Harper family update that is purely Alaskan; like us. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

One note of clarification on the content of the recording: at about 06:10 I say that “God doesn’t work”. I understand the theological problem with this assertion, and only meant that He doesn’t work “in the same manner” we work. More specifically; He is void of all the fatigue and frustration that often comes along with human work.

We have recently done some updating in our Family 2007 section, including a few pictures from the end of the year. An entirely new gallery has also been added, documenting some of our 2006 travel on deputation.

The above shot was taken in night mode on our terrific Sony camera. I had been stranded in Beaver, Alaska for a few days that December (2006), and was happy to see that Cessna in the foreground. The temperature was around 40 below zero.

Serving as Internet Coordinator at the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau over the past year has been fun, educational and rewarding. One of my favorite assignments has been the creation and ongoing development of a website called Inside Alaska. I began the initial work for a pre-launch last August, but have only recently completed all of the creative elements needed for an “official launch”. Reaction from staff, visitors and bureau members has be overwhelmingly positive. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Some of my favorite articles on the site include:

• Sharing Alaska Adventure - Fantastic entries from our photo contest.
• Photographing the Aurora - Tips on how to get northern lights pictures.
• Fairbanks Musher Pulls Ahead (for good?) - Promoting the Yukon Quest.
• 2008 Open North American Pictures - World’s best sprint-mushing.

How quickly our newborn Stephen James is becoming a “big boy”. Here you see a glimpse of the transition we observe on a daily basis. From his very first photo to his first captured smile, our little boy has been a joy. Praise the Lord for a beautiful and happy one month old! Larger copies of the above pictures are available here.

One of the questions a web designer often asks is whether or not his best content is being accessed by site visitors. With my work sites, I am always looking for better ways to feature articles and other items it has taken a lot of time to complete. I want to know how much my invested effort is paying off in online exposure. I don’t grapple with exactly the same question here, because frankly, I sometimes wonder whether this content is even worthy of exposure!

In all seriousness, I hope you are finding articles that are encouraging and helpful. They are intended to be a ministry, and I want to make sure the most relevant entries are easily discovered. That is why I have included both a Catalog (listing materials for download), and an Index, to help you better navigate while on the site. I would encourage you to get acquainted with both pages if you are looking for something in particular about the Bible, the Christian life, or our family and ministry.

The five most populated and well-visited Tags on Missionary Broadcasting.com:

• Joshua
• Ephesians
• Commitment
• Family
• Photos

I was pleased to have both Monday and Tuesday off for Christmas. This is one of the rare times I’ve had four consecutive days away from work. We have all really enjoyed our time together. Here are a few pictures from our four-day weekend.

Merry Christmas from the Harper Family! Hope you spent the day giving honor and thanks to God for the gift of His son. (And had some fun with family too!)

Did we really need these kind of temperatures during one of the longest, busiest two week periods of the year? That’s what I was asking myself today as I walked from the office to the parking garage at 36 below. I make this two-block trek every morning and afternoon, usually enjoying these few moments to get focused on the day, or the drive home. Today it was just miserable.

Even the inside wasn’t safe from the cold. When I arrived home I found ice forming around the bottom of the door and windows. It will continue to build overnight, until a warming trend begins, and we see a balmy high of -5 by Friday. Welcome to winter in Fairbanks, Alaska! By the way, you’ll notice in the above graphic we are already six degrees colder than the predicted low. That happens almost every day in the winter; it’s like no place on earth.

It has been a difficult and very busy week. Praise God for giving me two wonderful reasons to stop and just have fun. As you will see below, we have established a pattern around our house. When I get home from work, the girls know it’s playtime.

The week has been so rough, I have even missed my regular, daily devotion post. Hopefully tomorrow things will slow down and I can resume our Joshua series.

We had a wonderful, quiet, stay-at-home Thanksgiving this year. No doubt we had a lot to be thankful for. Two blessings at the top of the list sat right at the table with us. They were both very excited about all the cooking. As you can see Elisabeth was hovering around Momma in the kitchen, so I attempted to occupy her time with a book, among other things. Hannah said “nummy, nummy” I don’t know how many times, always wanting to be picked up so she could see what was cooking. They both love food, and just seemed to understand this was a special, holiday meal. It was great to see them having fun and giving thanks in prayer right along with us!

I have taken a bunch of photos over the past few days, and will hopefully be writing a post informing you of additions to our Gallery soon. Above you see a sample of my work. Hannah seems to enjoy staring directly into the lens. When I move the camera up or down, her head just follows. As you can see I moved the camera toward the floor…so went Hannah. Happy Thanksgiving!