Thursday, August 29, 2013

Indian Version of the 23rd Psalm

Psalm 23

The Great Father above a Shepherd Chief is. I am His and with Him I want not. He throws out to me a rope and the name of the rope is love and He draws me to where the grass is green and the water not dangerous. And I eat and lie down and am satisfied. Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down but He lifts me up again and draws me into a good road. His Name is Wonderful.

Sometime, it may be very soon. it may be a long, long time, He will draw me into a valley. It is dark there, but i’ll be afraid not, for it is in between those mountains that the Shepherd Chief will meet me and the hunger that I have in my heart all through life will be satisfied.

Sometimes He makes the love rope into a whip., but afterwards He gives me a staff to lean upon. He spreads a table before me with all kinds of foods. He puts His hand upon my head and all the “tired” is gone. My cup He fills till it runs over. What I tell is true. I lie not. These roads that are “away ahead” will stay with me through this life and after: and afterwards I will go to live in the Big Teepee and sit down with the Shepherd Chief forever.

By George Hunt, Kiowa



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

August 28

"What is Empathy"

Through the Seasons of the Heart
John Powell S.J.
Page 252


It seems to me that the key to success in understanding and loving others is empathy. Empathy starts with an attentive listening and an intuitive reading of the uniqueness of another. empathy asks only one question: What is it like to be you? Empathy is getting inside of the skin of another, walking in his or her shoes, seeing and experiencing reality as it looks through the eyes of another. In the end, empathy offers not advice but only understanding. "oh, yes, I hear you." If the essence of empathy's listening to and living vicariously the life experience of another, the price of empathy is this: It requires a temporary leaving of one's self, one's own thoughts and feelings, one's values and belief. When I empathize with you, I leave where I am and go to be with you where you are. 

Carl Rogers
Quoted here on Page 252
Through the Seasons of the Heart

"That our experience of the human condition often involves feelings like those of a person who has fallen into a deep, dry well. the desperate man trapped in the well can't climb out, so he keeps knocking, knocking, knocking on the side of the well, hoping against hope that someone will hear him and realize his situation. Finally, after a long time of such banging against the side of the well, he hears a responding knock from the outside. someone has heard Him! There  is an explosion of joyful relief in the poor man. "Thank God!" Somebody finally knows where I am." Rogers says that when somebody really listens to us and registers understanding, we feel the same grateful explosion of relief: "Thank God! Somebody finally knows where I am. Somebody finally knows what it is like to be me!"




Saturday, August 24, 2013

Prayer of Repentance -

They said to me, America is in distress and reproach, and the walls of racial, religious and political separation have not been broken down and its gateways to God are burned with fire. Eight hundred covenants with Native Americans have been broken. Thousands of Indians were massacred to take their land. Slavery in our history was rampant as people were torn from their home land in Africa to become slaves. Thousands were abused to build railways and tunnels from the orient. Thousands of babies have been aborted. When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel,  Also America and all its inhabitants Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons and daughters of America which we have sinned against You; I, my father’s house and all Americans have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses and revealed through Jesus our Redeemer. Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion ...... So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our Presidents, our legislatures, our fathers and all the people of the land. “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men and women of America, the inhabitants of North America. And those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to Presidents, our legislatures and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;  nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.  Indeed all America has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem in all its history and especially 70AD when Titus destroyed the temple. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your Jewish people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day. You who brought our forefathers to America to flee religious persecution—we have sinned, we have been wicked. O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your Nation, Your holy Nation and people; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, America and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary and America. O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the Nation which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your Nation and Your people are called by Your name.”

Paraphrase Mine - Neh. 1:4-11a, Daniel 9:1-23 -

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Beating of my heart

There is a drum beating in the distance
            The warrior cry, the dust rising dancing stars, quiet moon
There is a drum beating in the distance
            Ancient eagles, now revealed, higher and higher in the sky
There is a drum beating in the distance

Hands clapping in rhythm
            Voices singing holding the note
Hands clapping in rhythm
            Praises ringing, It is love He spoke
Hands clapping in rhythm

Feet dancing, in the silence, like the beating of my heart
            In the shadows, the silhouette of a lion I see
Feet dancing, in the silence, like the beating of my heart
            In the shadows do you see what I see
Feet dancing, in the silence, like the beating of my heart


Listen, listen, quietly He is speaking
            Rise up, rise up, this is your day
Listen, listen, quietly He is speaking
            Into the fray
Listen, listen, quietly He is speaking

Let us Pray !

Finding Peace in the Indian Culture

I find it interesting that certain movies like Dances with Wolves and A Man Called Horse focus on white men who have found peace by becoming Indians. In both of these movies what is revealed is men trying to find themselves, men looking for peace and their place in this world. History shows it was not uncommon for white men to want to become Indian. In their heart of hearts, white men who were caught up in a world of dog-eat-dog competition and meaningless existences felt they were lost. For so many people in western society there is a sense of aimless floating from one cause to another. There is an endless hunt for meaning and purpose. No matter how much land they own, how many possessions they have, or how much power they wield there is still an emptiness.

The reality is that Native Americans were living many of the Biblical principles long before the white man got here. This is clearly shown by the life style of "being in the world but not part of the world". We are just passing through and it is our responsibility to not own the earth but to be the stewards of it during our pilgrimage here. Treat others the way you would want to be treated was built into the protocol of honor for all living things. In our world today as we watch life move at lightening speed; more and more people are lost and thus the suicide rates keep climbing. For many there is an aching for simplicity, relationships, friends, and community. I believe that it was God's intention for Europeans to come to this land to learn how to slow down when things were moving so fast. Today more than ever there is a need to unplug from the matrix and find what is really important in life. The fact is our Native American hosts have known these truths for thousands of years. Yes God gave us The Book of Heaven and this gift was intended to be shared with our First Nation brothers and sisters, NOT our religion. Religion, they knew intuitively, is what separates us from God, breeds prejudice, and stops God from being free to lead us deeper into a relationship with Him and others.

Over the many years I have lived in the world system, I find that it engulfs us; it is sucking the life out of us all. The fact is we work to live. From cradle to grave many live numbed lives of existence and at the end die unfulfilled, knowing all the years were wasted for the job’s sake. It is not that we should all quit our jobs today, however our Native brothers and sisters and our Native ancestors who knew the Jesus Way hold more keys than we have the current comprehension to grasp. Yes we need science, industry and inventions, however the fact is, when all is said and done, we need to face what in our own lives is dross. What in our lives is simply wood, hay, and stubble? What have you laid up for yourselves in the treasure house of heaven? It has been said, "We will not be judged by how much we did but how much we loved". There is a story in the Book of Heaven, The Bible, of a man who worked his whole life and at the end sat back and said to his soul, "Soul, take your ease. The barns are full, your bank account is filled to the top.” It was at this point the Lord said, "Today your soul is required of you". I believe by walking the Sacred  Red Road we will find our way back to the Creator and His intention for us individually and as a nation. What we are looking for is what the Blackfoot Indians call "Sk Na" - - Peace !

Thursday, August 22, 2013


Ee Doh Moh
The Creator designed nations, languages and cultures to reveal the diversity of His nature. Jesus did not come to destroy culture, but to reveal the nature of the Creator through culture. This blog explores the dynamics that are behind today's issues.

Ee Doh Moh
"First into Battle"
Lockley Bremner
 

Saturday, August 10, 2013

One Church Many Tribes - A must read

Many people have asked, "Where do we begin"?

It is important for us to know what to do today by learning about our past and seeing what God's intent has always been for America.

One Church Many Tribes - Richard Twiss


Friday, August 9, 2013

The Key to reformation by Billy Graham - Native Americans



"The greatest moments of Native History may lie ahead of us if a great spiritual renewal and awakening should take place. The Native American has been a sleeping giant. He is awakening. The original Americans could become the evangelists who will help win America for Christ! Remember the forgotten people!"          
Dr. Billy Graham, March 1975

Thursday, August 8, 2013

The Trail of Tears

There was weeping in the distance
    I did not want to hear
There were children crying
    I did not want to see

There were mournful songs being sung
    I did not want to feel
There were broken promises
    I didn’t want to know

There was a man lying on the side of the road
    I walked on by
There were outstretched hands looking for acceptance
    I did not want to touch

There was the sound of drums beating out the honor dance
    I did not want to move
There was a world a part; not my world
    I did not want to think

There were ancient voices calling  
    I did not want to go
There was poverty languishing
    I did not want to give

There was a yearning in my heart for God
    For what I didn’t know

It was the Creator weeping at Wounded Knee
It was the Creator crying don’t you see
It was the Creator singing over His children, now I hear
It was the Creator lying on the side of the road His appearance unappealing
It was the Creator’s arms outstretched from a lonely Tipi
It was the Creator’s heart beating out the rhythm singing of the people made to flee
It is the Creator’s world we are a part
it was His voice calling and asking, “when will you start”?
It is the Jesus way; It is His heart.

There is a yearning deep within my soul
    I don’t know which way to go
    I don’t know what to do
    I don’t know where to start

Softly the hand drum and flute sing the song in answer to the rhythm of His heart; the rhythm of my heart; simply saying, “Follow the trail of tears”

This is the key to reformation in America

We have heard repeatedly through prophetic voices, "A great revival is coming". Many of us have been searching for the key to release this revival. It as if we were looking for a needle in a hay stack. Regardless of how many books have been written and how many messages we have heard, this revival has not happened yet.

We are convinced we have found the key. The challenge is, it may not be the key that people in general want--just as Jesus came to His own and was rejected because He did not come the way they wanted or expected. Regardless, we believe this is the key to healing America.

We believe the key to the last "Great Awakening" will not come without reconciling what the Anglo race has done (often in the Name of God) to the Native Americans of this land. Since Europeans first came to the New Land, eight hundred covenants have been broken by our government. A wedge has been driven so deep between the races, many Native Americans want no part in a God they have seen modeled. Healing needs to start with us individually through information and knowledge. Once again honor between all people must be the norm.  We must learn what it means to honor one another so we may trust the words we speak.

It is our hope by starting this blog we are able to begin a dialogue of reconciliation in the context of cultural and societal reformation in America. 

It is for America's sake and the future of this nation that we face the sins of our past, confront them, and repent of them. Only in doing this will we see the curse lifted from the nation and the release of the Great Revival we all have been hoping and praying for.