Articles written by Sue Carlisle


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  • Why Do I Write What I Write?

    Sue Carlisle|Updated May 13, 2026

    I have been writing for Indian Life, now Intertribal Life, for over 21 years. I recently read the March/April 2026 issue and felt humbled to be a part of such gifted leaders, reporters, columnists and staff who develop this uniquely meaningful newspaper. I appreciate the editor, and I marvel at how Todd and Krystal and Kene not only contribute to and manage a newspaper and the publishing business but also share God's truth and encouragement through youth and community events...

  • Our Creator's Name

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Mar 16, 2026

    What are some of your favorite experiences of feeling our Creator's presence and knowing for certain that He is there and that He cares about you personally? It is a powerful feeling! At this point it is extremely important to know our Creator's name. So how can we know who our Creator really is? What are His ways? How does He want us to worship Him? If He truly created the stars and our planet, the earth, then He probably has His own thoughts. I've had many encounters with ou...

  • "If Only" at Christmas

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Dec 3, 2025

    I grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, not because I am Arapahoe or Shoshone (I am actually part Ponca), but because our doctor in Denver told my parents that my brother needed to live on a farm. Mom had several cousins living there, so that is where we went. I am not sure of the doctor's wisdom; my mother went from a house in Denver with its amenities to houses in Wyoming with no running water. Dad worked long hours as a farmhand and that basically meant moving...

  • Light Shines Beyond Right

    Sue Carlisle|Updated May 22, 2025

    I often hear myself saying, "That's just not right!" I want the situation to be fixed; I want justice for whomever and for whatever. Life offers an endless supply of things for me to be upset about. Do you ever feel like this? The Lord offers me different ways to think about life, and I appreciate His help. I often get around to thinking His way, but wanting life to be right is where I usually begin. Jesus said a lot about this subject in His teachings in Matthew 5–7. I c...

  • Living Fruit

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Nov 16, 2024

    What do you think about life's meaning? I have experienced retirement for a month now, so I have had more time to focus on world events. I have followed Israel's war in the Middle East, the devastating storms in the south (especially the losses in North Carolina mountains where my husband's family lives), the anti-Semitic rage on so-called elite campuses, and, of course, the presidential election with two assassination attempts. This, on top of closer-to-home issues like...

  • Living Seeds

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Sep 12, 2024

    In my last article, I shared information about a date palm tree, named Methuselah, (because Methuselah in Genesis lived 969 years). This palm grew from a seed found in a jar in the cliff caves near the Dead Sea. The seed was at least 2,000 years old. How does a dried-up date pit, that has sat in a cave for a couple thousand years, come to life? It is the wonder of being alive that fascinates me. This morning, I cut open a cantaloupe. There were so many seeds packed into the ce...

  • God's Dream

    Sue Carlisle|Updated May 14, 2024

    For years I've written about our awesome Creator, but sometimes I wonder how much truth sinks into my own heart. It seems that enjoying a tasty meal with all of its flavors or admiring a beautiful landscape is different than trusting the One who gave us all of it. I get frustrated with my own disconnect sometimes. I praise God because He is so great, but then I hesitate when He asks me to trust Him. Why is that? Do any of you have such issues? A situation from over 20 years...

  • Seeking Truth

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Jan 22, 2024

    I like to have a purpose or a goal-something that gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning-and the start of a new year seems like a good time to examine my purposes and explore new goals. I always thought I would like to be a treasure hunter. I watched a documentary the other night about how divers accidentally discovered a Spanish shipwreck from 1715; it had carried millions in gold and jewels. They set their anchor, flagged their location, and the show ended. Oh,...

  • Living Words

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Jul 14, 2023

    Words fascinate me. I like word paintings where wildflowers carpet a meadow and chipmunks chatter above the breeze whispering through the nearby pines. What sights and sounds would you add to your scene? I enjoy imaginative words like kaleidoscope. The colourful pieces at the end of the telescopic tube dramatically change patterns with the slightest turn of the tumbler. Combined words are the most meaningful. Chocolate is a good prefix to any word. What word would you use to...

  • New Life in an Old Heart

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Jun 23, 2022

    My life changed that day. I had prepared a visual feast for my Sunday school class. I loaded books on mountains and waterfalls, colorful birds and fish, animals from every continent, galaxies and snowflakes into boxes in readiness for the next morning. Just as a funny thought, I asked the Lord if He had anything to add. I did not really expect an answer; I thought I had covered His creation well and I was just doing a lesson. But He did answer me. I heard, "All things were...

  • The Giver and His Gift

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Nov 22, 2021

    Imagine how you would feel if you and your loved one had a harsh disagreement; painful words flew back and forth until you separated into different parts of the house or maybe even different parts of town. The next day you received a beautiful bouquet of flowers; you hurried to open the card, hoping to see words of comfort and unending love. As you tore open the card, unfamiliar handwriting assaulted your hopes; a friendly neighbor just thought you might need some cheer for yo...

  • Creative Artistry

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Feb 2, 2021

    After the political animosity, the protests, riots, killings, fires, floods, and COVID19, I need a break. Even though I did not lose my home or a loved one in the past few months, I feel the weight and stress around me. I get frustrated with the lawlessness and saddened and stressed by other people's losses across North America. (I don't keep up with the rest of the world.) Jesus warned His disciples about difficulties coming when He told them, "At that time many will turn awa...

  • Loving Laminin

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Dec 8, 2020

    To avoid my ho-hum attitude associated with taking earth and its marvels for granted, I try pretending. What if I lived in a distant galaxy and came to visit earth for the first time? What would I think of it all? I began my series on miracles with our atmosphere. I take it for granted. I breathe it in, walk around in it, view distant stars through it, and ignore the fact that without the atmosphere I would cease to exist. Flight is another matter. I have never lost my awe...

  • Created in His Image

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Nov 4, 2019

    God had a wonderful plan when He created humanity. "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). God gave us amazing bodies. Our hearts beat faithfully year after year; our lungs breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide without our supervision. Our blood flows, unseen, supplying nutrition to trillions of cells and carries away waste products to predetermined disposal sites. Blood cells vigilantly...

  • The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

    Sue Carlisle|Updated Jun 3, 2019

    I have recently thought a lot about light, water and seeds that God created. But I've also begun to see another pattern. It took me years to see the pattern. Even as I studied God's Word and linked it together with scientific facts, I failed to see the big picture until God focused the truth for me. Here is what He showed me: Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:3 reveals that Jesus is the Creator. The One who perfumed the flowers, flavored...