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"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). This verse above seems to contradict the way the whole world lives! Everything seems to have to be validated by sight. People will not put their confidence in something unless they see it. If it's a business transaction, you want to see the money first, right? When you chat with people online, it's always great to connect through video so you can see the person with whom you are chatting. People will flock to...
After taking a year off from all my writing projects, I feel a sense of renewal and I possess a new focus. In 2009 I completed my master's and doctoral degrees from two different seminaries. I also moved three times and got three children through high school. One still lives with my wife and me. Another went home to be with the Lord at the tender age of 22. Then the third, who was still living at home, moved to Victoria where she works as a barista. I also worked as a pastor,...
We all love soft, fuzzy things, like kittens and rabbits and puppies. Nobody likes porcupines. Nothing is lovable about porcupines. They are not cute or cuddly, and they don't make good pets. Fortunately, porcupines live in the forest; they can weigh as much as twenty pounds and can live as long as thirty years. I can understand why God created horses and kittens and deer and birds. I don't know why God made porcupines when it seems their only purpose is to create pain to...
I like say to the grandkids, "I don't wanna alarm anyone, but I think someone in this room may be an owl." They all say, "Who? Who?" And then they laugh. I love admiring the weird, wild, wacky and wonderful creatures God has created. One bird that I give a hoot about is the owl. Those who study this amazing bird are called Know-it-owls. Or ornithologists. Owls are wise because they have big bright eyes and they don't say much. But their wisdom isn't what has researchers so exc...
It has been a rough day for the Andersons. Every one is tired. With supper over, they are getting ready to relax. Walter is watching television, his wife is finishing up the dishes. Bert, their teenage son, has gone to the community center. Suddenly the phone rings. Walter answers it. "Hello," he says. He listens for a moment, then he speaks again. "Yes, this the Andersons." There is a pause. Then Walter's face goes pale. "No, it can't be! There must be some mistake!" He...
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 (NKJV) Well, there was no such thing as summer hockey before artificial ice. Now, in the month of June, the Stanley Cup is being contended for well into the best part of our summer. That's the NHL, but some people might have wondered about me when they recently saw me walking across a parking lot with a hockey stick on a hot summer day! Yes, I was a hockey enthusiast...
My husband, Wes, had a serious heart attack last month, and thanks to competent paramedics and a cardio team, he is alive. Life is extremely short-even if a person lives a hundred years. We have lived over three fourths of that time already, so eternity is coming up fast. I have been fascinated with details about heaven from credible individuals who had died and were then resuscitated. Dr. Mary Neal, a spine surgeon, went over a waterfall in her kayak and got stuck on rocks...
Question: In most indigenous cultures, respect and care for our elders is deeply rooted. What is our responsibility in caring for our elders, according to God's Word? Answer: In our family growing up, Mom and Dad never actually said much about respecting elders, but their lives and the way they treated older people modeled it. When Dad would go hunting and kill a moose, he would make sure that he would share with the elders, and this would make them very happy and...
Thank you for sending me your newspaper. It is a great way for me to stay in touch with my people, as there aren't a lot where I live. The stories are inspirational and add to my strength. Thank you for sending it to me. -R. Barkley Thank you for sharing about the Native Youth Conference. It is so wonderful to see how many youth are coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and that 256 youth received Bibles. It is encouraging to read that our youth are volunteering and encouraging...
Dreaming. That is perhaps how I would describe the summer of 2025. Dreaming about what the Lord could be inviting us in to, and what He may be encouraging us to set aside. We spent much time in reflective prayer, whilst remaining diligent in ensuring we continued to produce a top-quality newspaper such as Intertribal Life, for you, our dear readers. As we kick off the next four months, the last four months of 2025, we are delighted to report that we will be heading down to Bem...
"... a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!" Galatian's 6:7 TLB I remember as a 19-year-old, working on reservation housing renovations and how nearly every morning, I would cut it close in getting to work on time. My boss, Pitcheech, would be standing by his truck, looking at his watch as I pulled up in my rusty, "less than trusty" 1966 Ford van. If I was more than three minutes late, he'd be shaking his head and demanding a reason! "I had a flat tire." "My...
"Man oh man, it's a ton of work to keep fanning these flames!" I said out loud to no one in particular, as I feverishly attempted to keep the flames burning on our wet firewood. Yes, you read that right. I was trying to keep wet firewood lit. Why? Because it was all we had, and I desperately wanted to sit around the fire, enjoy the flicker of the flames, and warm up. As soon as my exasperated words came out of my mouth, I started to think about how I was fanning the flames of...
The two most difficult emotions to work through in our lives are rejection and grief. Grief, which is an overwhelming emotion, isn't always accompanied with rejection, but grief is always the result of rejection. I have no doubt that every person reading this has had his or her share of rejection and grief; I wonder how you have learned to process such strong emotions. Obviously, healthy ways and a not-so healthy ways to deal with grief exist, but no way is easy. The...
Did you ever hit your head on a car door? I hope not. But if you have, you know it hurts. So, imagine my surprise when I saw a woodpecker clinging to the side of a metal lamppost, slamming his beak into that metal tree. OUCH! I thought, This is not the brightest bird in the flock. He's one feather short of a wing. How could he possibly pound his head into metal at lightning speed without one colossal headache? Without turning his brains to pudding? We humans can handle 5 Gs...
Someone had abandoned a beagle at the gate to our farm. People from the city frequently abandoned a cat or dog along our country road. Maybe they had pets they no longer wanted or couldn't take care of or maybe they were moving away and were hoping some farmer would adopt their pet. We had an "Old McDonald's Farm." We had horses and cows and sheep and goats and chickens and ducks and several stray dogs and a half-dozen abandoned cats. When someone abandoned a very pregnant...
I heard a thought this week on YouTube from Pastor John Burke. I have been working this over in my mind, so I will share it with you to see what you think. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . " (Matthew 6:19–20). We cannot send funds into heaven. We cannot take our treasures with us. I have been watching the wildfire evacuations happening i...
I got a letter in the mail after my 64th birthday saying I was eligible to apply for my Senior's Pension. It reminded me that there was a big change coming when I turned 65! We had a good chuckle when I told my friends that I was becoming an Elder! It got me thinking about the phases of life. I thought about my grandchildren, and how my youngest granddaughter was going from Grade 1 to Grade 2. And then my grandson, going from Grade 4 to Grade 5. Our oldest granddaughter will...
My friend, I lived years of my life without hope. I grew up being bullied and made fun of to the point that I hated my life. I would often wish I were never born. I felt alienation, rejection, and ostracism. Yes, I know what it is to live without hope. Suicide has impacted my family in more ways than one. I confess that I attempted suicide; it was after my own daughter took her life at the young age of just 14 years old. Fourteen years old! I remember sitting there wondering...
Council Fire, the 366-day devotional written entirely by Indigenous and Native American followers of Jesus continues to be a hit. As of July 1, all three volumes have required a reprint! That means over 18,000 copies have been distributed! We rejoice and praise the Lord, as only He could do such a thing. Choosing the Creator's Path, currently in poster format and tract, is in the process of becoming a hands-on Bible study. One of ILM's Board members, Becky Kew, who is also a...
Back in 1991, country singer Garth Brooks cowrote and recorded the song, "Unanswered Prayers." The lyrics center around a situation in which a man encounters his sweetheart from back in high school and introduces her to his wife (awkward!). The man thinks back to when he had prayed so fervently for God to let him marry her-but it never happened! And now he thanks God for unanswered prayers as he looks at his wife and appreciates the lady God gave him, rather than the object...
Just a few days ago, we were catching a plane to travel to beautiful British Columbia to attend a pastors' and leaders' conference in Aldergrove. We got up early, loaded our luggage into the vehicle, and made the 45-minute drive to the airport. After going through security, we patiently waited, coffee in hand at 6:45 am to board the plane. Finally, after much waiting, it was time to board. We got in line, pulled up our boarding passes, and grabbed our driver's licenses. Upon...
My mother tried to abort me twice and failed. The day she went into labor, she was found digging a grave for me in the hog shed. My grandfather dragged her to the hospital where I was born. She refused to feed me, and my grandmother made formula for me with maple syrup, coffee and canned evaporated milk. We lived in a tar-paper shack that had been a chicken coop. It didn't have electricity or water. We lived with a mattress on a dirt floor and had bed bugs. Our only light was...
Prayer is powerful. I know it is because prayer has helped me out of some hard situations, but I don't want to pray to God just to get out of trouble. I want a real relationship. And God wants a real relationship with you! That relationship began when you and I prayed to the only One who could save us from our sins, Jesus, the Christ, God's eternal gift to us. It was then that our prayer life to God as a new believer began, and it is only through His only Son and mediator, Jes...
"His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21–23 ESV I'm a coffee drinker. Ever since I was 14 years old, I've revelled in the liquid satisfaction of the life-enhancing elixir that Heaven blessed this Earth with! From my truck-driving days of guzzling 16 cups a day to the much more balanced intake of only 4 to 5 daily indulgences now, I continue to relish that delicious cupful! BUT . . . if java isn't fresh, java...
On days when the weather permits, because our home is close to the Intertribal Life office, I choose to walk. For the past number of weeks, I have seen a father walking his two daughters to and from school, with his arm securely held in place by a sling. I've never been close enough in proximity to talk to him about his arm, but today, as I was walking towards the crosswalk, he was walking towards me as he finished crossing with his girls. It was the perfect opportunity to...
