Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 354
Kanata is a Huron word for 'village' or 'settlement. The Hurons first named flocks of geese 'Kanata' because these birds bred close to Indian settlements. 'Kanata' was also the name given to the French settlement of Stadacona, now Quebec City and was conformed to the English name: Canada. That name was given to the geese as well. What came first? The goose's name or the country's name? Today, Canada geese are established from Canada's east coast to west coast, and from Mexico...
Ever been asked this question? Just who do you think you are? Teachers used to ask me this, and add “young man.” But if you were given ten words to describe yourself what would they be? Funny? Dull? Insanely good looking? Thin? Formerly thin? Smart? Perky? Engaging? Who are you? When I was young, I defined myself by the things my body was capable of. I was a decent athlete. I could lift things, throw things, and flex things. These days, when I lift things, I tend to throw thi...
There are many different styles of worship in Christian circles. We should never isolate it to just one style of music. Some of the (recent) traditional styles of worship were only created within the last 20 years or so; and so does that mean that all the people who lived on this earth-before these popular artists existed, didn't know how to worship God? Worship is so vital to the healing that needs to take place in our lives that we should spend less time determining what is...
Have you ever wondered how our eyes see and how our brains make sense of it all? I like to ponder such questions, especially if I am discouraged. When my faith begins to wobble, because of one circumstance or another, I like to focus on God’s marvelous creation. A sense of calm steadies my uncertainty. Our brains are even able to bring back recordings of previous sight adventures to use at a moment’s notice. (This is an amazing miracle in itself.) As I am writing this, I see...
It is so easy to love dogs. They are loyal, affectionate and faithful. This past summer my dog RD had many excitable moments. In fact, he was so excited that he would pull hard on his leash, temporarily making himself pass out. The heat and lack of oxygen would overcome him. At first I didn’t know what was happening and was so concerned, I thought maybe there was something wrong with his diet or that he had some kind of sickness. I will never forget the first time it h...
If I only had one more opportunity to communicate to our readers (and I hope this is not my last article), what would I want to say? There is only one foundational truth that makes life worth living and that is GOD LOVES YOU. Personally, I struggle with such a truth. I can explain it in my head; I know lots of Scriptures to put with it and I've heard dozens of sermons on it yet this truth often loses its way on the path from my head to my heart. I think of my failures and all...
When you read the words of encouragement that Jesus gave His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, you will see a solution to the problems of our nation. Our world is filled with people with broken hearts. The reason they have broken hearts lies in the fact that we have all been born with a sinful nature, and our natural reaction to life is to be sinful, rebellious and hurtful. When Jesus gave what is known as The Sermon on the Mount, which starts in Matthew chapter five, we...
By touch, the soda can felt a bit warm for her liking. So she did what any normal person would do, she placed it in the staff refrigerator. About an hour later my boss asked me for a few rags and cleaner. A strange request, because I'm the one who does the cleaning at work. "What happened? I mean, do you need me to clean something for you? Whatever it is, I'll do it." I felt strongly about doing it. How could I allow my boss to get her hands dirty? "No, I'll do it," she...
Do you remember the first time you thought to yourself, I just might be a sinner? I was four when this happened to me. I was standing by the bathtub and I had an irresistible urge to flush a fluffy washcloth down the toilet. I knew it was wrong, but a voice said, "Do it!" so I did. The pipes were not made for items of that size and I found this out when a very puzzled plumber showed up to retrieve the washcloth. He showed it to my equally puzzled father who frowned at me. I...
In the nation of Colombia, a woman is killed by her husband or partner every four days. The problem is so serious that sociologists have coined a new term for it: femicidio, or femicide. I also know that abuse is very prevalent on many reservations in North America. I've often quoted the statistics about domestic violence, but when I was in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, I saw the scars up close. The emotional pain I encountered while praying with and counseling women...
What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done? A man might answer that question by saying he fought in a war. A woman might say letting her only child leave home took the most courage. I’ve survived fires, floods, blizzards, accidents, earthquakes and illness but what has taken the most courage wasn’t disasters. What has taken the most courage has been small things that went unnoticed by others. It takes courage to do things we don’t want to do but know they are the right t...
Water in nature is a beautiful thing. It travels in a continuous cycle. It is lifted from the oceans and lakes by the sun's energy; it is condensed into clouds. Water's face is constantly changing expression. It's the ocean, creeks, rivers, lakes, rain, and snow. It is endlessly fascinating. Beautiful clouds towered up through the haze of the sultry afternoon as I watched the storm approaching from the other side of the lake in Maine. I remember as a young child being fascinat...
As the 1800s drew to an end, tribal women began to enter the armed forces as nurses. In 1898, the Daughters of the American Revolution Hospital Corps contracted four Native American Indian Catholic nuns as nurses to serve in the Spanish-American War. Beginning in the spring of 1898 and lasting fewer than four months, it was the first war involving the United States in which nurses were assigned as a special, quasi-military unit. All four Native American nurses were members of...
What if the Bible is true? That question runs through my mind constantly as I listen and watch the world around me, and in the age of technology, that is quite a large world. I can’t get away from the question. There is an actual pain near my heart as I listen to the news media and watch the entertainment industry proclaim values different from God’s Word. I hear the Deceiver’s voice as they proclaim a false love for God and humanity. I picture a large rowboat filled with...
Have you ever gone for a walk in the forest and had the feeling something was watching you or following you? You are certain something is looking at you and you hope it is a deer and not a bear. Most of us aren’t in any real danger of being attacked or eaten by a bear. That doesn’t’ mean we aren’t afraid or that there aren’t dangerous things in our lives. We worry about our families, our health, our finances, our jobs, our friends. These are very real fears to us. Other people...
As we start this New Year, let's focus on the beginning. You might say, "The beginning of what?" Well, the beginning of creation. You might think, "Why should we do that?" Well, the reason why we can choose to do that is because that is where we find hope for the future. That's where we find the Word of God. That's where we will find healing for our broken hearts. John 1:1–5 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the be...
So you want to honor our Native people by keeping the Washington Redskins? Answer these ten simple questions first. 1. The Washington DC area is the homeland of which native nations? 2. Which of the four major sports were invented by Native people? 3. Which football teams played the first game in which the forward pass was legal? 4. Who was the quarterback that invented the spiral pass? 5. Who was the first president of the National Football League? 6. Which pro football player also played professional baseball, was a...
1. The Pamunkey and Piscataway nations: both of which have thriving cultures and communities in the US capital region. 2. Ice hockey, a winter form of the Native game lacrosse invented by the Iroquois and basketball taken from the Mayans of Central America. 3. Villanova versus the Carlisle Indian School, September 26, 1906. 4. Hawley Pierce, Seneca Nation, Carlisle Indian School, 1902. 5. Jim Thorpe, Sac and Fox Nation, voted president on August 20, 1920. 6. Jim Thorpe; he played baseball for the New York Giants, Cincinatti...
They chained me with the intentions of Breaking me through incarceration. Not knowing that to imprison my flesh, Was fuel for my will to break the chains. Each Day, my mental brow is stronger For me to give in spell's doom, Something I can't see... They hate that I see with my mind's eye Instead with what the eye can see. They hate that I think now, Instead of following my feelings. They are mad that I take the extra step To challenge myself, instead of The illusional...
Isn't it hard to believe another year has come and gone? Time waits for no man, and very few women, my father would say. Like the New Year, the wise men came after Christmas. They're not really part of the nativity set. Scholars believe the magi were Gentiles who had come from the east and that it's possible perhaps that at least one of them was a Canadian and probably Native. You see, the others brought gold & frankincense, but the Native brought myrrh, which if you know...
Autumn would pass, the first snow would fall, We tried to wait patiently for Dad to call: "The pond is frozen! Grab your gear. The skating pond is smooth and clear!" Our skates were sharp and polished like new And Mama pinned mitts on our parkas, too. "Hurray!" We'd shout bundled head to toe Thinking Mama would never let go. So many clothes seemed to get in our way But we hurried to the pond, on a prairie winter day. Dad always stayed near, within sight of us 'Cause he knew...
It was Christmas Eve, last year. How I dreaded its arrival! I knew I shouldn't feel that way-but inside my little house the silence had become unbearable. My only company was the TV and most shows weren't the kind that held my interest long. I had my daily Bible reading and my prayers. I often talked to God during the day, and there was comfort in that. I tried not to think about the past, but when the Christmas season arrived, I couldn't help thinking about the past-about...
We must not regret the things that God has allowed us to pass through. We are not here to take the temporal view. He works all things according to the counsel of His will, ‘tis true. Life has twists and turns as we seek to do His will, We must learn that He is seeking to conform us to His image still. This has a far greater reward than any loss during this life of ill. Jesus is Lord, despite the popular opinion, I am learning through and through that God is sovereign No m...
The other day I was out running some errands on a time crunch. I caused myself some anxiety from my very long "to-do" list that I created by my obsessive desire to check every item off my list before heading into work. I was driving myself crazy. Do you ever do that? Do you ever cram so much onto your list that it becomes unreasonable? As I was running errands, zipping in and out of the stores and trying to answer my never ending cell phone calls, I was getting overwhelmed....
A great-granddaughter of Mountain Chief, one of the West's legendary leaders, Elouise Cobell (Yellow Bird Woman) was born into the heritage of Blackfeet activism. She graduated from Great Falls Business College and attended Montana State University. An accountant who was active in community development, Cobell was also involved in many other organizations that benefited Native Indian people. Cobell never planned to be a banker, but when the residents of Browning, Montana...
