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The worldview of an Indigenous people comes from all aspects of life being connected physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Today, I want to look at the title of this column through spiritual eyes. How can we realize that a certain amount of healing is possible on this side of the grave? Even when harsh and unimaginable things happen to us? Even when we feel like our hearts have been broken? As someone who has lived for 57 years, I can testify to the fact that...
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...
In May 2013, Harrison Okene's boat of 12 crew members capsized off the coast of Nigeria and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Harrison, who was the cook on the boat, spent 72 hours in a watery grave 100 feet underwater, in complete darkness and isolation from the outside world. He was the only survivor who managed to find a small air pocket in a bathroom. Because he saw some movement and light in the water from a recovery diver who was looking for bodies, he reached out to the...
You don't meet many musicians who would sooner play to a handful of people than to a thousand, but my friend Mark is one. He's been my friend since the day I spoke at a church where he pressed a business card into my hand and said those three magic words, "Let's golf sometime." And so, we did. Together with our sons, we hacked and duffed and mulliganed our way around a golf course; it was the thing of which friendships are made. Recently, Mark and his wife, Cori, took my wife...
Many people believe in "luck" but don't really believe they are "lucky." I've survived fires, floods, and car accidents and almost drowned twice. When I was a teenager, I walked into a store and saw a man using a knife to rob the owner. I turned and ran and was stabbed in the back. The police arrived, arrested the thief and drove me to the hospital, where I was "stitched up." I'm a survivor, even though I could have died a dozen times. Moku was a rabbit. He would have been an...
"The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, the Roman Governor, 'Do not write, "The King of the Jews," but, "He said I am the King of the Jews."' Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'" -John 19:21–22 (NKJV) When asked, "Why do you believe in the white man's God?" by those who reject Christianity, many, if not most, Indigenous Christians may feel a level of discomfort. The long history of mistreatment of Native people by Euro-Americans, on many levels s...
Question: I have struggled with alcohol for many years. I decided to follow Jesus about six months ago. I thought when I started to follow Him, the addiction would be over, but that's not how it worked out. How can I find freedom over the addiction? Answer: First, thank you for being honest about this. That takes courage. What you're experiencing is very common among people who begin following Jesus while carrying long-term struggles like addiction. It does not mean your...
I am currently doing time at a correctional centre. I am thankful for being here because I have found the Lord while being locked up. I was bored and the chapel here offers mail-in Bible studies [Emmaus Bible study, ILM offers these]. So I did them not knowing that they would change my life forever. I am now a believer in Jesus and can find the silver lining of coming to jail. I am on the path that I was meant to be on now and I thank the Lord for putting me in jail so I can...
As long as I remember, music was always in our house. Dad had a mandolin, ukulele, piano, harmonica, fiddle, and always a guitar! I sure remember that, but when I think back on the kind of guitars he had, I recall them as being kind of rough and not exactly great instruments; he just didn't have a lot of dollars available back then. He had a beat-up SS Stewart (with a warped neck) until 1970, when he got a Pan 12-string (I learned on that one!). Somewhere in the late 1970's, h...
January 1, 2026 marked the launch of the Council Fire podcast. With 1638 downloads in the past 60 days, we have been hearing story after story coming in from listeners, letting us know how they have been encouraged by it. Read what a few have to say: Peter writes, “I have lived as a Christian all my life. Always read or heard devotionals. Council Fire is special! Simple, inspiring and addictive! Thank you, Council Fire creators.” Gary called us to say, “I was on my way to th...
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 We heard a story recently of a missionary living up in northern Canada. One cold winter night, he went out to the trapline on his ski-doo with a friend. After finishing up, he dropped his friend off at his home and started back to his own home. He drove in what he thought was the right direction for his way home. But after a short while, he...
The lady directing my GPS does not always know what she is talking about. We were visiting Halifax and had our hotel in sight; we only needed to continue straight for two blocks. For fun, we decided to listen to our GPS and see how it would direct us. We wound around through the neighborhood, turning right and left, and left and right, and ended up behind the hotel. The most tragic example of travelers depending solely on their GPS is when a couple took a suggested road throug...
When I think of everything that I've been through in my 57 years on this earth, it sometimes overwhelms me. At other times, I feel like a warrior for surviving all these years. Through the ups and downs and all of the hairpin turns. There were seasons when I felt that I was in complete rebellion with our Creator. There were seasons when, just like the gospel song, "Trust and Obey," says, "When we walk with Lord in the light of his words, what a glory he sheds on our way." As...
Have you ever become filled with anxiety because you knew you were running out of something? Maybe your battery power on your phone was low during an awesome concert, and you didn't have any way to charge your phone so you could take pictures of your favorite entertainer. Or have you ever been low on bread, eggs, or milk, knowing that funds wouldn't be coming in for another couple of weeks? Or maybe you have a deadline for a certain type of work you have been hired to do, and...
I've been reading a book called The Book of Lists. It includes things like "10 Celebrities who have seen UFOs." These include Muhammed Ali and William Shatner of "Star Trek" fame. Another list is "11 Cats Who Traveled Long Distances to Come Home." At the top of the list is a two-year-old part-Persian named Sugar who was left behind with a neighbor when her owners moved 1,500 miles from Anderson, Cali. to Gage, Okla. Two weeks later, Sugar disappeared. Fourteen month after...
It's not just about a New Year because every morning when we wake up, we have the opportunity to begin again, start over, change our lives, change ourselves. We will not make the same mistakes we made last year. We can pray with the psalmist, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). Isaiah 43:18 tells us, "Remember ye not former things, neither consider the things of old." Forgetting those things which are behind, I reach...
Question: I prayed the prayer to be saved. Now what? Answer: Rejoice! The Bible says in Luke 15:10 (NLT), "In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents." There is a celebration of angels rejoicing over you when you put your faith in Jesus. How exciting is that! You made the most important decision that you will ever make. You have also become a child of God when you believed and accepted in Jesus Christ. John 1:12 (NLT) says, "But...
"... I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live," Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV A while back, I had the chance to drive my 11-year-old grandson to his hockey practice (about 130 km away). It was a real good time to talk and catch up on where he was in life! We talked about everything from dinosaurs to hockey equipment and Bible verses. Then we ended up talking about the future-his future, and what that would l...
"Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” Philip Stanhope is credited with first writing a form of this quote to his son in 1746. I heard it many years back, likely from my parents, and I found myself repeating it to our adult son just the other day. He is studying to write his third-year test for an apprenticeship program at a polytechnic school close to home. Upon hearing me say this, he smirked and jokingly rolled his eyes at me, followed with, “I know, Mom.” I guess I’ve...
Starting a new year, 2026, we look forward with anticipation as we consider the doors that are open for Intertribal Life Ministries. We’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on why we do what we do. What various endeavors are Intertribal Life Ministries involved in, and why are we involved in them? Simply put, the love of Christ compels us. When Jesus walked this earth, He was intentional about truly seeing people. About looking beyond what he could see with his eyes, and going deeper, into the heart of the matter, teaching other...
Question: I was reading in 1 John 4:9–10 about Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. I don't understand what sacrifice Jesus made for our sins, and why He had to do it. Answer: The context of 1 John 4:7–21 seems to be the love of God that was displayed or evidence for us sinners who are saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus lived a sinless life and therefore was the Perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29). First John 4:9...
Council Fire, daily devotionals written exclusively by Indigenous and Native American followers of Jesus, has been our best seller this year. We have printed and distributed over 30,000 copies with more reprints to come. That's 30,000 copies in 2 years! We praise God for giving Intertribal Life Ministries such an opportunity as this, and for our many partners who have helped make this publication possible. About a year ago, the Intertribal Life Ministries team, along with...
In 1998, Fender Guitars and country and western singer Merle Haggard teamed up together to create a guitar line called the "Merle Haggard Tuff Dog Telecaster." It was a strikingly beautiful instrument with extra sustain and a warm, rich, resonant tone. An American-made Tuff Dog in good shape sells today for between $6,000 and $12,000 USD. That kind of pricing kicks the door wide open for the production of counterfeits, and they can be easily found and bought (brand new) for...
The journey of FamilyLife Canada's Family Matters began about 25 years ago in Mistissini, a Cree Nation town nine hours north of Montreal. A local police officer named Noah Coonishish began to feel a burden on his heart as he saw pain and brokenness in the homes around him-couples struggling, families hurt by violence and addiction. "During my career as a police officer, I saw a lot of violence in the community," he explains. "When we got married, I wanted to be a good...
A few weeks ago, we were invited to a conference in Steinbach, Man., by the pastor of our home church in Langdon, Alb. The conference was about personal renewal; renewal of the spirit and soul. We learned many things, but it all came back to the fact that when individuals are renewed, this results in churches being renewed, which results in the worldwide church being renewed. It was a life-giving weekend for us individually, as a couple and as the director duo of Intertribal...
