What ever the case, we would love to hear from you, your experience, and your preparation in reaching out to the 1,200 tribes of the Americas.

Tell us your expectations. Tell us what God showed you through the experience. Tell us about the people and the new discoveries you made in relationships.

In short, tell us your story…

Today is the 60th year of the National Day of Prayer.  People will take this day and pray personally and corporately for our country, nation, and leaders on all levels.

Prayer is a vital part among the Native First Nations peoples as well.  Today CHIEF wants to encourage you to pray .  May we suggest you begin by acknowledging the true character that God is. Secondly, concede how far away we may be from Him. Thirdly, thank him, for ways He has revealed himself to you, and lastly, share your concerns and needs to Him.

We want to encourage you to post your prayer requests, today.  How can we pray for your Nation?  How can we pray for your leaders?  How can we pray for the social issues of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas?

Be sure and view  the CHIEF Prayer Quarterly which gives more specifics requests for 31 days.  CLICK HERE

Whenever expressing thanks is in order—but not done—it may produce a literal break in relationship. This failure alone may cause diminishing support. One church I know of drops missionaries from the budget if they don’t hear from them. Donors may discontinue support to those who do not respond with gratitude for their giving. Aside from hearing that the gift was received, supporters need to be commended for their partnership in ministry. Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a great example of this, expressing thanks to God and their church for the gifts sent to him. Paul thanks God, commends the Philippians, and expresses his commitment to them, while also taking time to speak words of life to build them up.

You may wonder if I’m always great at this? No! Even as I write, I’m experiencing “conviction nudges” about several recent special gifts I need to acknowledge, affirming the timeliness of their check, and the way in which God used their generosity to encourage and strengthen me. The more we understand the role of thankfulness in our life in Christ, the more sensitive we become to His nudges for “right responses.” The importance of expressing thanks came home to me in a painful way recently. One person to whom I had gone out of my way to be kind and give gifts to gave little acknowledgment to my generosity. Then I had the opportunity to do similarly to someone else who immediately and graciously acknowledged my gift. What a difference that made to my gift-giving experience! It made me want to give more to the grateful person, while I found myself pulling back from the one who seemed to expect me to give to them, and with little thanks expressed.

A gift, whether small or large, deserves a personal thank you (not every ongoing monthly gift needs this, but first-time or single gifts certainly do). A quick response of appreciation, whether by phone, email, or personal note, will be a special encouragement to those who have blessed you. Ask the Lord for words of affirmation, so you’re not only conveying thankfulness, but also building up the other person.

Yes, expressing thanks is both an art and a skill. It requires listening and responding to the Lord, while also having tools (thank you cards, etc.) on hand to communicate gratitude and encouragement in a very practical way. May the Lord help each of us to “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18-19)

Visit their website: Excellent Resource!

You can well imagine the thoughts in Kathleen’s and my head. And the accompanying emotions of the heart. The next twenty seconds seemed like an eternity — as we waited for the news.

Then the police officer smiled – which seemed really strange. Like he forgot protocol. It seemed like the place and time where the director of this episode should holler, “Cut!”

Then the officer said, “Well I know Trevor. I had him do some log work on our house. He told me his parents lived in this area. And since I’m patrolling this area now I am just stopping in to tell you what a great son you have.”

It’s a funny feeling — a feeling of tremendous relief, but still feeling like you want to hit somebody. I resisted the latter. And reveled in the former.

I’m convinced that police officer had the best intentions. However, his communication skills could use a bit of work. That “bit of work” would include considering these questions: How does what I say come across to the listener? Can I predict that the listener will accurately interpret my message?

A Visit From the Missionary: A couple is working in their yard (in Alaska, or Yakutia, or Canada or South Africa – it doesn’t matter much where). They look up to see a person approaching. As the person approaches them, he says, “Hello. Nice evening. I’m here to tell you that God loves you. And He has a wonderful plan for your life.”

What is the couple to think? What does the speaker think they think? Or does he know? Or does he care? The fact of the matter is that it matters much. What concept of God already exists in the couple’s world? Would the Yakutian know what God you are talking about? Would the Alaskan have a pre-conceived concept of God that matches the speakers? Would the South African have a syncretistic view of God already firmly planted in his thinking? If the couple were to “accept Jesus” on the spot, what “Jesus” would they be accepting? And where would they fit him into their already-existing way of thinking?

Bottom line: Good communication involves more than just speaking. It involves listening, relating, and being able to predict the understanding of one’s words by the hearer(s). Even (or may I be permitted to say, especially) the proclamation of the Gospel requires such attention.

Perhaps you can share some similar experiences you may have faced.  We would love to hear from you!

Mike Matthews: Coordinator of Ministries to First Nations Peoples for Worldview Resource Group.

Since 1976 Mike Matthews has worked in Alaska, Canada, and Siberia in various cross-cultural ministry roles – church planter, Bible teacher, curriculum developer, field director, and church planting consultant. Mike is a PhD student in religious studies. He coordinates Worldview Resource Group’s training with agencies that work with First Nations peoples. He and his wife, Kathleen, live in Spokane, Washington, where they enjoy gardening and spending time in nature. They have four children and six grandchildren.

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans” and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.

The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.

In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.

Theme for this year’s heritage month is “Pride in Our Heritage. Honor to Our Ancestors .”

Crisis is often that which leads people to seek comfort. Some turn to alcohol and drugs during this time. Others grow bitter instead of better. Yet it seems all have deep underlying questions about God during this time. Where is he? Why me? It is how we respond to these questions that lead us to form new core beliefs out of which arise our feelings and actions.

We have been teaching God’s truths from the Bible for the stages of grief, loss and pain to help replace Satan’s lies that often steal, kill and destroy lives. (John 10:10) One of the reservations we visited shared with us about an 11 year old girl who hung herself after being molested. Her family had told her after being molested “you’ll get over it.” Yet those who come for help to our classes are struggling with losses and pain that is not only fresh but happened years ago as well. The wife of a traditional medicine man was willing to walk into the church we were at for the first time because of her anger and inability to cry for two years since her grandson was shot to death. A reservation pastor shared that we don’t like to have them come do suicide prevention classes here anymore because suicide cases always rise after they have been here. Programs like this and drug and alcohol education focus on the symptoms of grief, loss and pain rather than the solution. Even a tribal Women’s Coalition shared with us that victims don’t come to services for domestic violence because of the shame related to how they are coping with their loss and pain.

Yet the response we have found to the help we have offered for the underlying causes of their suffering is making a difference. It brings understanding of God’s plan of HOPE for us. What are you seeing among Native peoples regarding grief, pain and loss and the process of healing taking place in your communities? How can we pray for you in your ministry to the brokeness in our world? What words of encouragement have been healing to you from God’s Word?

WE SHALL REMAIN presents America through Native eyes. The provocative five-part television series from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows how Native peoples resisted expulsion from their lands and fought the extinction of their culture — from the Wampanoags of New England in the 1600s to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the momentum of the civil rights movement.

Episode 3: The Trail of Tears is airing Monday, Nov. 1.

The Cherokee would call it Nu-No-Du-Na-Tlo-Hi-Lu, “The Trail Where They Cried.” On May 26, 1838, federal troops forced thousands of Cherokee from their homes in the Southeastern United States, driving them toward Indian Territory in Eastern Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died of disease and starvation along the way.

For years the Cherokee had resisted removal from their land in every way they knew. Convinced that white America rejected Native Americans because they were “savages,” Cherokee leaders established a republic with a European-style legislature and legal system. Many Cherokee became Christian and adopted westernized education for their children. Their visionary principal chief, John Ross, would even take the Cherokee case to the Supreme Court, where he won a crucial recognition of tribal sovereignty that still resonates.

Though in the end the Cherokee embrace of “civilization” and their landmark legal victory proved no match for white land hunger and military power, the Cherokee people were able, with characteristic ingenuity, to build a new life in Oklahoma, far from the land that had sustained them for generations.
Watch FilmAbout the FilmCast & CrewBehind the ScenesBuy the DVD…

 

We welcome your thoughts and questions in this cultural forum regarding the series.

 

]]> http://chief.org/2010/11/01/native-american-heritage-month/feed/ 4 http://chief.org/2010/10/12/poll-how-would-you-rate-yourself-of-knowledgeable-issues-concerning-native-americans/ http://chief.org/2010/10/12/poll-how-would-you-rate-yourself-of-knowledgeable-issues-concerning-native-americans/#comments Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:00:56 +0000 Admin http://chief.org/?p=5397 of knowledgeable issues concerning First Nations Native Americans?

 

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

What might be the issue of most interest or concern when speaking of First Nations/Native Americans?

]]> http://chief.org/2010/10/12/poll-how-would-you-rate-yourself-of-knowledgeable-issues-concerning-native-americans/feed/ 2 http://chief.org/2010/09/22/following-faithful-leadership/ http://chief.org/2010/09/22/following-faithful-leadership/#comments Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:45:37 +0000 huron http://chief.org/?p=3379 Joshua 1

Focal: Joshua 1:2,7-9,12-13a.16-17

 

During the children of Israel’s exodus from Egyptian bondage, God provided leadership through Moses. In their disobedience and rebellion, the Israelites failed to heed Moses’ constant warnings. After nearly forty years of wandering and upon Moses’ death, God spoke to Joshua, asking him to assume the mantle of leadership. The times were troubled and dangerous, but God assured Joshua of strength and courage to undertake the task. Can we learn a valuable lesson from the ancient children of Israel?

Our times are troubled as we review the Indian history of broken treaties, lives, and homes. God-fearing leaders need to become the instruments to restore a once-proud people.

One of these God-fearing individuals the Lord has raised among the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico is Michael Naranjo. As a mischievous youngster in a nearby religious boarding school, Michael (a Pueblo Indian from Santa Clara) was being encouraged to become a priest by the nuns who were caring for this orphaned child. He rebelled from this imposed direction. The Lord, however, had greater tasks in mind for young Michael. In the early 1950s, Michael came to know the Jesus way through the untiring efforts of a pioneer missionary named Pauline Cammack. Though Michael was a successful carpenter during the construction boom in Los Alamos (home of the first atom bomb), he responded to the call to minister to his Indian people.

Within five years he built a church building for a growing Indian congregation in Santa Clara Pueblo. Because of the strong opposition, Michael built this sanctuary to God on his own property. Within a year he moved to Taos Pueblo. This pueblo (of all the eighteen Indian pueblos along the Rio Grande of New Mexico) was so traditional that the Anglo missionary assigned to minister to Taos was not allowed to enter the reservation or transport believers to the nearby town. Michael planted and nurtured the seeds of salvation in Taos for twenty-two years.

In 1975, Michael’s health began to affect his ministry. But the Lord was preparing a young man (Bennie Romero) to assume leadership. Bennie came from a prominent family with strong political and Indian religious ties. In 1976, Michael left Taos Baptist Indian Mission. A native son, Bennie Romero, was pastor and missionary to the Pueblo Indians.

To some people this passing of the leadership may seem as if it happened by chance. God, however, works in mysterious ways. His power and strength are mightier than Satan and all his forces.

Can you put the power of the Lord to work in your life? He may be calling you to be responsible for His sheep. Can He find a Joshua for a Native American/First Nations church without a pastor? Perhaps a beginning ministry is needed where Native American/First Nations people have not been told of the love of Jesus Christ. You may be that person.

 

 God Spoke to Joshua (1:2,7-9)

 

The solemn charge of Moses became real as God made His command clear to Joshua. In the words “Arise, go over this Jordan” (v. 2, KJV) are many implications of faith. The Lord could rely on Joshua’s faith. In Numbers 14:6-8, Joshua and Caleb were dismayed at the murmurings of the people upon hearing the spies’ negative report of the Promised Land. The Lord’s wrath was kindled against these ten spies. God punished the people in this way: those who listened and feared the inhabitants of the land would wander in the wilderness for forty years.

Joshua and Caleb called this God given land an exceedingly good land. They recognized that God would give them this land that flowed with milk and honey. Such faith was exhibited when circumstances were overwhelmingly dismal. Now, forty years later, this faith had been sustained and strengthened by the assuring presence of the Lord. Joshua was indeed ready to arise and go over the Jordan River.

The Lord is also charging the Indian people to rise and cross over obstacles and barriers that keep us from claiming God’s promises. With the help of faithful and consecrated leaders, such a call becomes easier to accept. We, as Native American/First Nations people, can also choose to remain on the other side of the Jordan. There we may never fully realize the power of God but remain a defeated people.

As God spoke to Joshua, he instructed him on the conditions of success.  Joshua 1:7-9 clearly states the following conditions:

 

Be strong!

 
What does the Lord mean for leaders or people to be strong? Ephesians 3:16 tells us He grants these attributes according to the riches of His glory to strengthen us with might by His Spirit in our inner being. The Lord’s strength will become our strength. Colossians 1:11 says we will be “strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that [we] may have great endurance and patience.”

Most Native American/First Nations communities are close-knit and tradition bound. When one person (a believer) does not conform or follow the well-beaten path of century-laid ceremony and ritual, opposition may occur. Verbal threats, physical abuse, and even being disowned by family, friends, and tribe are even possible. Leaders cannot afford to waver or bend to the pressures of the Native American/First Nations community. God must be honored as the Creator and Master of all life. Native leaders must be strong in the Lord and His ways. They cannot measure strength by the world’s standard of force and might.

 

Be courageous!

 

These words were spoken many times (see Deut. 31:6-7,23; Josh. 1:6-7,9,18; 10:25). In Deut.31:7, Moses encouraged Joshua and the people to be of good courage. As the Lord appointed Joshua to succeed Moses, He again admonished Joshua to be courageous. “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight’ ” (Josh. 10:25).

God-fearing leaders can help their people (through their personal lifestyle of obedience and courage to the Lord) to choose the God of Joshua.

 

Observe and meditate!

 

Joshua was instructed to meditate day and night that he might be careful to do everything written in the Book of the Law.

Meditation is deep, serious thought. It is not just reading; it is digesting (chewing over and over) that which we have read. Our thoughts become the inner nature of our life, mind, and soul.

Pueblo Indians offer daily prayer to the four directions as the sun casts its first rays of the day. No matter the season, the offering of cornmeal and prayer is given in meditation for sustenance. How much greater should the daily meditation of our hearts be to the Creator of all the universe?

The Lord promised prosperity and success to Joshua and his charges. Genuine spiritual leaders do not always prosper or succeed according to the standards of the world. Prosperity and success are synonymous by the world’s standard of measure. This standard measures success by accumulation of material wealth and acclaim. God’s standard is the godliness that is found in keeping His commandments. God assures us of the same promise of His never-failing presence in our lives. This is true prosperity, not the measure of success by the world’s standard.

 

Joshua Spoke to Israel (1:12-15)

 

Why was there a need to remind the two and a half tribes of the obligations they were under to go over Jordan with their brethren? For one, they were to leave their wives and children behind. Even their possessions were to stay on this side of the Jordan. Instead, they were to arm themselves to aid their fellow Israelites. Here we see self-denial and even going against the grain (the natural course of action).

Indeed, if we are to follow Christ or His appointed leaders, we must be prepared to deny ourselves. Native American/First Nations, like other people, are comfortable where we are. But often to claim the promises of God, we need to think and act in terms of God’s will.

Joshua further reminded them, “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you” (v. 13). Some people may have thought Moses was dead and they were no longer obligated. Other people would simply find any excuse to remain behind. Joshua let them know Moses’ command and promises were still in force.

As Joshua spoke, he recalled, “The Lord your God is giving you rest” (v. 13). The wives and children of these tribes were at rest, satisfied with their settlement. They had the peace of mind in knowing God provided a good land.

To have this peace and rest is great, but not when so many tribes and families are still unsettled. They are still outside the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So many thousands of our Native American/First Nations people are unsettled in the bondages of sin and man-made traditions and rituals. Only God can give His people rest. He needs our help to accomplish rest for all.

Joshua reminded these tribes of their agreement to help their brethren in the wars of Canaan. They were a close-knit people. They were to look on themselves as members one of another. Only in observance of their promises would they have continued rest and enjoy the land they possessed.

Native American/First Nations also must be mindful of our kinship to one another. We cannot seek our own personal welfare. We must be constantly aware of the welfare of less-fortunate people. We have an obligation to fulfill. God will hold us to these obligations so that all our Native people may come to know Christ, and His power will be made real in our lives.

 

People Spoke to Joshua (1:16-17)

 

The three tribes accepted the responsibility of spearheading the thrust of Israel’s forces into Canaan.

The response was given not by the two and a half tribes only but by the officers of all the people. They did it heartily and promised obedience without murmuring and disputing.

In addition to unwavering obedience, they also prayed for God’s presence to be with Joshua, “Only may the Lord your God be with you [that you will be prosperous and successful] as he was with Moses” (v. 17).

God’s leaders among the Native American/First Nations people need this support from the people they lead. Native churches and missions are on the threshold of crossing the Jordan in the name of the Lord.

The leaders helping people carry the gospel to other reservations and tribes need to be lifted in prayer to the Lord. Native people are comfortable in staying close to home in familiar surroundings. Yet untold thousands have never heard about the Jesus way. We as Native people must take the initiative to carry the gospel to the outermost parts of the world.

Indeed, the true spiritual leader is but an instrument in the hand of God. This instrument is one through whom God will lead people to His way.

 

The Call to Commitment

 

Now the challenge comes to us. What do we need to do as willing instruments to carry out God’s Commission? What is the relationship between the pastor and church members?

The place of leadership is a lonely position. When burdens overwhelmed Moses, he was able to speak freely to Joshua. Joshua would listen, understand, and keep his leader’s confidence to himself. Pastors often need someone to trust and share burdens with. Such a relationship is a mutual relationship developed over many life-sharing experiences.

Every pastor needs a champion someone who will dare stand alongside him when problems and difficulties arise. Such persons try to understand the problem and the pastor. Our strength, added to that of God’s leader, can turn possible defeat into victory.

During the early 1950s when the newly appointed missionary Michael Naranjo was building a church on his personal property, there was opposition from the established church and tribal leaders. God worked in His own miraculous way. Michael’s brother-in-law was elected governor of the pueblo. He came to know the Lord as his personal Savior, and the opposition to the construction was laid to rest. This newly elected governor insisted on freedom of worship. He discouraged any further opposition. Today this church stands as a beacon to a dark community in sin.

What is your personal commitment in fulfilling God’s purpose?  Would love to hear from you!

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