3.8.21: Matthew 4: Learning by Example
Matthew 4: Learning by Example As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they […]
3.4.21: John 10 Warriors Standing in the Gap
John 10 Warriors Standing in the Gap ——— Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come […]
3.3.21: Matthew 15–The Words You Speak
Matthew 15–The Words You Speak ——– Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” ——– There is great power in the spoken word. In the beginning, God spoke the word of […]
3.2.21: Isaiah 40: On Wings of Eagles They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
Isaiah 40: On Wings of Eagles They shall mount up with wings as eagles. ——– Native people have countless stories of literally being lifted up on eagles’ wings. One is the story of Billy Mills, the only American who has ever won Olympic gold in the 10,000 meter race. Mr. Mills is Oglala Sioux. His […]
3.1.21: Mark 1: With the Wild Animals
Mark 1: With the Wild Animals ——– At once the Spirit sent Jesus out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. ——– In popular European stories like Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, […]
2.22.21: Mark 1: On the Shoulders of Ancestors
Mark 1: On the Shoulders of Ancestors ————– The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for […]
2.25.21: Mark 1–The bird’s message
Mark 1–The bird’s message ——– Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ——– In Native American teachings, birds are never just birds. They come bearing spiritual messages for those who listen. Among the Cherokee, the chickadee is […]
2.23.21: Mark 1–Going to Water
Mark 1–Going to Water ——– At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ——– Baptism was Jesus’ doorway to public ministry. It marked a new direction in his life.Sometimes this gets lost in translation. John came preaching a baptism of repentance. That doesn’t mean guilt and […]
2.24.21: Luke 4–Shopping Cart Spirituality
Luke 4–Shopping Cart Spirituality ——- Jesus ate nothing during those 40 days, and at the end of them he was hungry. ——- These days all the cool folks want to be spiritual but not religious. People push their mystic buggy around the aisles of spirituality and choose whatever looks appealing. “I’ll take a little Tantric […]
2.22.21: Mark 1: On the Shoulders of Ancestors
Mark 1: On the Shoulders of Ancestors ————– The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for […]
2.18.21: Jeremiah 6–Peace, Peace, when there is no Peace
Jeremiah 6–Peace, Peace, when there is no Peace ———- From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” ———- When it comes to […]
2.17.21: 40 Days with Jesus
40 Days with Jesus The season of Lent is a journey to the cross and the resurrection. Through this season of Lent I’ll share devotions with a Native perspective. ———— Matthew 4: Into the Wilderness ———— Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. ———— In Jesus’ […]
2.16.21: Ecclesiastes 8: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
Ecclesiastes 8: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry ——— So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. […]
2.15.21: Acts 22: Freedom
Acts 22: Freedom —— Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman Citizen? He said, Yes. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. —— We all tend to think that freedom is our birthright. […]
2.12.21: Genesis 3: Sin and Sacrifice
Genesis 3: Sin and Sacrifice ——– The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” ——– The Christian Gospel says that God Almighty came in human flesh to lay down Life, […]
2.11.21: Genesis 2: Naming Creation
Genesis 2: Naming Creation ——– Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave […]
2.10.21: Genesis 2: Not Good
Genesis 2: Not Good The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” —— There aren’t many times God says, “Oops! That’s not good.” Turning Adam loose by himself was one of those times. As far as we know, it was the first “Oops.” God created us to be social […]
2.9.21: Genesis 2: Sabbath
Genesis 2: Sabbath ———– Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he […]
2.8.21: Genesis 1: It’s ALL Good!
Genesis 1: It’s ALL Good! ———- God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. ———- Turn on the news. Any news. Anywhere. Any station. It’s all bad news. Rascals on every hand. Conspirators and kingpins. Subterfuge and side bets. Accusations and […]
2.5.21: Genesis 1: God’s Gift
Genesis 1: God’s Gift ———— Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the […]
2.4.21: Genesis 1: Rulers of Creation
Genesis 1: Rulers of Creation God blessed humanity and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” ———– Sometimes this passage is taken as a […]
2.3.21: Genesis 1: The Image of God
Genesis 1: The Image of God Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” […]
2.2.21: Genesis 1: Old Wisdom
Genesis 1: Old Wisdom And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and […]
2.1.21: Genesis 1: Waters of Life
Genesis 1: Waters of Life And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their […]