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God's Word makes it clear that children are to be looked upon as a blessing. He speaks about the worth of children throughout His book, the Bible. "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him" (Psalm 127:3, NLT). God's Word also tells us the importance of protecting children. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones" (Matthew 18:10, ESV). The world we live in often does not recognize the value of children. Sadly, evil abounds. But the Word of...
When I was adopted as a two-year-old, I went through a volatile time, like many foster children do, when they can't stay with their biological parents or family. I was moved around 12 times before settling with the Stelters who raised me. Then, by age five, I went to various child psychologists and psychiatrists to help me with my behavioral problems. I was even put on liquid valium to calm me down, but according to my child welfare file, it didn't work that well. The file...
Nothing brings up memories like Christmas. The good, the bad and the ugly-our favorite Christmas and our worst Christmas. People want to be happy at Christmas. They smile more and laugh more-even carols say, "Joy to the World" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." When my children were small, every Christmas was magically filled with love and laughter and gifts and toys and food and friends. We celebrated Thanksgiving by putting up our Christmas tree and decorating...
Recently a California delivery truck spilled 150,000 tomatoes across Interstate 80. To help us ketchup on this juicy story, news crews reported that the truck hit a central divider spilling its cargo. One car got stuck in the mess, causing a chain reaction of crashes involving four vehicles. Is this how they make pizza sauce now? I'd love to report that a truck came right behind hauling hot peppers, cilantro and onions, but it's not true. I'm told no one was seriously...
I don't know how many times I have watched different versions of the Cinderella story. My favourite may still be the original Disney cartoon, where the birds and the mice attempt to help poor Cinderella attend the ball where she meets her prince. She ultimately needs a fairy godmother to turn her rags into a beautiful gown and her pumpkin into a royal coach. I've probably watched every Christmas movie about a prince meeting the ordinary girl and falling in love. The girl comes...
I had a little creature roaming around in my bedroom. The noise he made at night was very unnerving. It was amazing that so much noise could come from such a little creature. I prayed that whatever type of creature it was, he wouldn't come up on my bed while I was sleeping. Unfortunately, soon he began his ruckus during the day as well. One time when I was reading on my bed, much to my surprise, the little creature ran out from under my box spring! I froze in terror as I...
When I was a kid, I was known for not being able to sit for any length of time and be quiet or still. I think this is the case for most children. Children need something to do with their hands and minds, and when there is too much quiet time, it drives them crazy. This is why in the average Sunday school class, the teacher not only talks and tells a story, but often does so with pictures. Then that leads to drawing, coloring or cutting and pasting. As someone who passed the...
The Bible mentions honey 61 times and it mentions bees 7 times. The Lord promises people they can dwell in the land of milk and honey, which sounds like a wonderful thing. Archaeologists have found written records of honey several thousands of years old. They've also actually found jars of honey in Egypt that were 3,000 years old and they ate some. They said the 3,000-year-old honey was as fresh and delicious as new honey. Apparently honey is the only food in the world that...
I love statistics. Here are a few I came up with myself: Somewhere out there a woman will give birth to a baby every quarter of a second. I say we need to find that woman and stop her. I'm kidding! God bless you, moms. You're awesome. Here are a few more statistics based loosely on actual facts: For every bank that gets robbed today, 2,872 puppies will be born and 32 hedgehogs will find new homes. For every plane that crashes, more than a million will land safely, with about 4...
Summer is leaving and autumn is arriving. Some call it Fall. I sometimes wonder if that is because it is related to the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden. We are falling away from green grass and colorful flowers and heading for white and brown frozen things. I'm not really depressed about it, as it may sound; I enjoy cuddling under a soft blanket and reading or watching a movie as storms rage outside. I just know that life is more difficult in winter. This changing season...
Shortly after Abigail Echo-Hawk, M.A., began her job as director of Urban Indian Health in 2016, she was astonished at what she discovered when she opened a file drawer. Inside was a 2010 comprehensive survey which asked Native American women residing in the city if they had ever experienced sexual violence. The survey of the148 women participants revealed that 94 percent had either been coerced into sex or had been raped at least once. But what astounded Echo-Hawk most was...
QUESTION: Some people use traditional medicine for healing when they are sick, and some go to a medicine man to put curses on people. Is it right for a Christian to go to a medicine man for healing or is it wrong. Since becoming a Christian I have gone for healing because our family needed help to live, but I prayed for the Lord to forgive me if it is wrong. ANSWER: Your question is one that, to answer it as thoroughly as possible, would take the whole of this newspaper and...
Prescription eyeglasses A wedding ring Nose ring Dog tags These are four items from our family that now call the bottom of Buffalo Lake, Alberta home. For the last 14 years, our family has headed out with special friends to go camping each year. This is a special time for us, and there isn't much, if anything, that gets in the way of these plans. Our kids have grown up at the campsite. They've fallen asleep under the stars, surrounded by the sounds of nature and a crackling ca...
Last year, I was asked to write a song about a man I didn't know. The friend who requested it sort of figured it wouldn't be hard to figure out something to write about the guy, but I was at a total loss for words, not knowing anything about him! So I made a bunch of phone calls, sent a few emails and fired off a myriad of texts in my quest to find out all I could about this unintroduced stranger. My hunt was successful!! I found out he was 87 years old, a USMC veteran...
I was picking up a birthday cake for the drop-in center where I work. As I walked out of the grocery store, I realized that the plastic cover on the cake wasn't as firm as I had thought. It had dented in, and I smeared a small part of the icing on the side and top of the cake. I thought I would go back and see if they could fix it. The lady working at the counter was visibly disappointed; she rolled her eyes and was quite dramatic as she went to work. I commented to the other...
As I go through life on this journey of ups, downs, valleys and mountain peaks, I discovered a few things. One of those things is that when you do something on a regular basis, it usually produces results. As an Indigenous man and believer in Jesus, I want to produce fruit that will last. Someone who professes to be a Christian should also not only believe in Jesus and the scriptures, but should live that faith out in action (Matthew 3). Then those actions should make...
As darkness retreats at sunrise, there is no place quite like the mountains to enjoy the first rays of morning light. Shimmering rays dance across the lake, inviting wildlife to leave their shadowy shelters for a cool morning drink. Through the stillness I hear the familiar plink of a fish jumping to snatch an insect. Insistent jays and chattering chipmunks urge me to pay attention to the glory around me. Indian paintbrush, yellow buttercups and purple mountain columbine...
If you could use a little good news today, here are a few stories to cheer you up. We begin in Rio Linda, California, where last December a man dressed as Santa was in for a shock. Highway Patrol reported that jolly old St. Nick was flying a parachute with a motor and wheels. He was on his way to deliver candy canes to community kids when he found himself entangled in power lines. As you might suspect, this sparked the gathering of quite a crowd. Colleen Bousliman, who lives...
There was a man named "Regret." His mother died giving him birth and the only word she said when he was born was "Regret." His father blamed the boy for causing his wife's death and said his mother regretted giving him birth. When he was only a few days old, his father gave the boy to an aunt to raise-he was never loved and was mistreated by everyone; he was the boy who "killed his mother." When he was fifteen he ran away and worked at whatever jobs he could get, he was often...
Just before we left on a tour to Alaska, I bought some cheap bass guitar strings. Figuring that they'd do for the trip, I saved a few bucks and wound them on to my Fender Precision. We were only three days in when the first one broke! I didn't think too much about it until the second one snapped a week later. Then the third!! Before the E string followed the doomed path of its predecessors, I changed it and since there was no place to buy new strings, I finished the tour on...
I wonder how many doors you and I stepped through today? I probably stepped through various doorways in my house at least 15 times since waking. When I went downtown, I stepped through the post office door and the insurance agency door. I entered each purposely. I was on a mission; I needed to get to a certain place that only had one way in; I had to go through one particular door. My will totally dictated my movements and the direction I was going. There is another door that...
As I reflect on how many of us as Indigenous people have contributed to the highest set of statistics, in a variety of social ills, I'm left with many thoughts. It makes me think more deeply about all the obstacles to success we as have faced throughout North America. So many different tribal groups and so many souls. When I do think more deeply about all we've been through over the last 500 years, my own life fits part of those higher statistics. It's a process of reflection...
Have you ever sensed life passing so fast that you couldn't keep up with it? Every ten days we have to do laundry, and I constantly say, "I just did laundry yesterday!" Christmas always takes me by surprise. I turn 75 this summer; yet I'm sure I turned 17 only a few months ago. I heard of someone doing this with their age, so I tried it and was amazed by what I saw. I imagined a tack pinning the end of a string on 1947, the year I was born. Then I extended that string up to...
What scares you? I fear having a heart attack while playing the game Charades. And public speaking. I fear heights. I get woozy on a stepladder, or looking down a staircase, or when I sing gospel classics like "Love Lifted Me." That's what you get from living your entire life on the prairies, where the largest hill in sight is that mound of dirt a gopher pushed up in your backyard. Of course, fear is healthy if you stumble on a grizzly bear and her cubs. It'll stop you from gi...
My daughter, Storm, has an incredible memory. She can remember everything I ever did that was wrong. Recently she reminded me of an incident that happened when she was a teenager. It was late at night and I remembered I needed some cash for something I had to do the next morning. I didn't want to drive to the bank alone to use the ATM machine so asked my daughter to go with me. She was ready for bed, wearing pajamas with cows jumping over the moon printed on them and house...
