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When you go to West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, there are many attractions. When I was a teenager, I went on the roller coaster that goes upside down and twists, while rushing forward at high speeds. When I reflect on this teenage experience, I remember it as fun but a little tense. Then about six years ago I went on the roller coaster again because my daughters, who were teenagers at the time, went on some rides and somehow, I went on the roller coaster with my wife. When I...
Depression, anxiety and the Bible don't really seem to go together do they? I mean, the Bible is supposed to be a book of hope and depression/anxiety are very dark places, which we often don't like to admit we suffer. God's Word is full of stories of people who actually underwent much anxiety and depression. Since these struggles are part of the human experience, shouldn't they be documented in God's Word, the ultimate history book of human experience? What makes the Bible so...
I asked my 4-year-old grandson for the highlight of his day. He said, "Growing tobacco." Where he heard this, I'll never know. Here are other unfiltered thoughts from children: Jeanie said, "People are composed of girls and boys, also men and women. Boys are an awful bother. They want everything they see except soap." Reminds me of the thief who stole 30 bars of soap. Forgive me, but he made a clean getaway. A five-year-old was peeking into a baby carriage and saw twins. He...
Over the last few months, we have been working hard on creating apparel for ILM. Because we are coming into the summer months, where warm weather abounds, we're excited to announce that T-shirts sporting the Creator's Path logo will be available! The Creator's Path logo was designed by Don Monkman and tells the powerful story of the Creator-how He created the world, and everything in it. It tells of how the Creator sent His Son to the earth to take on the form of a baby. This...
One of the things that we work with here in NEFC (Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada) is Radio Broadcasting. We operate Native gospel radio stations across Canada. It's exciting to see God at work through our FM broadcast! The radio towers we use are an interesting concept. The freestanding (no wires) 96-foot tower stands tall and has no problem handling storms and gale-force winds! Sure, it's built pretty solid, but the key reason for its staying power is the tower...
When I'm having a bad day, I'm glad I'm not alone. At the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge England, a loose shoelace, a lack of handrails and a marble wall conspired to give one ill-fated patron an Inspector Clousseau moment while bringing a shattering conclusion to the earthly pilgrimage of three Qing dynasty vases. Mr. Flynn's misadventure began when he ascended the wrong staircase, pivoted, and tripped on an untied shoelace. "I couldn't stop myself," he said. Hurtling...
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...
One of the constants and givens of living life is change. Most of us don't like dealing with change, but there are always a few who will absolutely thrive on it! I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. Indian Life Ministries has come through a lot of changes over the years to survive and continue as the newspaper entity that it is. We have had to do some fairly significant morphing to keep going. Many of our readers wouldn't see those changes. You just continue to appreciate a...
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...
"There's darkness down there," our four-year-old granddaughter whispered as she peered down the stairs. She was right. Bright spots on planet earth seem scarce these days. I love cheering people up. In April, 2020, during COVID-19, I told my wife, "I'm pretty excited about my car. We just got 43 days to the gallon." But life can drain our joy tank. A few years ago, we made a can't-miss-investment in a hotel. The bank foreclosed. Thankfully, I invested in some airline stocks. O...
The windshield was cracked. Not just a hairline fracture but a spiderweb that had the potential to make Spider-Man sit up and take notice! So I got it changed. Such a difference-from the gravel-battered glass of yesterday to the clear, shiny drivability that I could now experience. It reminded me of how God's Word talks about His forgiveness in Isaiah 1:18 (NIV). "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as...
We had plenty of rules when I was growing up. No throwing cheese into the ceiling fan. Stop pouring ketchup on your pancakes. Obey your parents, that it may go well with you and that you may live past Thursday. Mom taught me other rules too: Love God with everything you've got. Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. Make the bed when you wake up. He who starts the day cleaning his own messes will learn responsibility and make a fine husband one day. Through the years...
Many times I have heard non-Indigenous people say that they wish Indigenous people would "just get over it." Just get over all this talk about residential schools and financial payments from the government, and just move on with life. Most of the people who say this already have an established career, or sense of stability in their lives. These aren't people who are necessarily well off financially, but they have managed to make strides with their homes and their jobs and...
I don't know about you, but I am finding that we are living in a day and an age that is full of inconsistent information! Everybody is sure of something but nobody's stories seem to agree. Contradictions fly at us from our TVs, cell phones and our laptops. How do we know what to believe? How do we know who is telling the truth? Yesterday, I was visiting a man on a local reservation, and he was certain of a very important truth. He told me that Jesus is the way, the truth and...
I make a lot of lists to remind myself of things I need to do. I make grocery lists and more often than not I leave them on my kitchen table. I go to the store without them and forget to pick up a few things. Then I have to make a second trip later in the week to get salt or butter or onions that I forgot. When I get a new calendar I go through it month by month and circle the dates of the birthdays of my family and friends. They are important to me. My friends would survive...
I was part of the Sixties Scoop generation and so although I am Indigenous, I grew up in a different world, compared to my relatives on the reserve. Growing up in the city, we used to have company over to our house on a regular basis-especially on Saturday night. My parents were also part of a church bowling league and so on Saturday night my brother and sister would babysit me and have authority over me for that night. As I got older, I would go to youth night, where we would...
Question: I recently asked Jesus into my heart and I want to know if this means I shouldn't be living with someone I'm not married to? What if we have children together? Answer: When you asked Jesus into your heart you were born again. You are a new person and have a new life In Christ. "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT). God wants you to live the new life you received in...
It happened twice, two days in a row. Both times I was forgotten. Time moved, but I didn't. I was left alone, cuffed, in a stand-up-only cage. I love business. I truly enjoy the art of growing a business and pivoting to keep up with demands and market trends. Business comes easily to me. I am intrigued by the working parts, especially sales and P.R. (Public Relations). All businesses are, at core, based on sales, and to sell itself a business needs P.R. The image of the...
Tabloids do their best to start rumours. Here are a few headlines I'm not making up: "Farmer shoots 23-pound grasshopper." "Man's 174 MPH Sneeze Blows Wife's Hair Off." "Satan's Skull Found. Bible experts call it the find of the century." Speaking of the devil, I heard a rumour that he was going out of business. He had a Blow Out Sale at his store there on 666th Avenue, offering to sell his tools to the highest bidder. His minions welcomed customers with sneers. Tools were...
Our way of life has been changed in the last few months. Fear has gripped society. Social media and our news channels are bombarding us with all kind of stories, and we don't know what to believe! This tiny virus called COVID-19 has shaken the world! I wonder what the Lord Jesus would have to say about our response to such pandemic. Perhaps this for starters: • Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). • I am the...
I was meditating the other day on the concept of gratefulness-a close cousin to the concept of thankfulness. Both have the common denominator of appreciation. It was just a few days after Covid-19 hit and many people were really concerned about where this all was going. I started to think about what all we had been blessed with. I thought about having a home-not everyone does, you know. I thought about how all my kids and grandkids were safe, secure, and had enough to eat-not...
Question: I am from Ottawa and Chippewa heritage. I am incarcerated, but I've renewed my relationship with Christ and would love for the helpful information on how to walk closer on the Creator's path, as well as Indian Life newspaper. I am struggling with some of my Native sisters and their beliefs. I need help to bring them to Christ. They believe Jesus is for white people and was forced on us because our parents were removed and placed in Catholic boarding schools and so...
Q: I am a 42-year-old mother and my daughter told me she "loves to get high." What can I possibly say to her to make her realize I love her and desire what is best for her? How do I pray for her? I have a son who has been battling with addictions since he was a teenager. I've heard him say that a couple of times. "I love drugs and alcohol." We love our son very much and totally at a loss to say or do anything. If we tried, he would sarcastically say, "I know! You don't have...
A Ring of Fire I have corresponded with Indian Life Ministries for about 10 years, and your newspaper, books, fliers and correspondence have been nothing short of a joy and blessing in my life. You have truly helped to instill the love of Jesus into my life. And that love has spread to countless people who have been around me and around those who were around me. It's very similar to a tiny spark that builds into a ring of fire. The difference being, that ring of fire is...
I took the time the other day to count the doors at our place. It took me about 30 seconds to figure out that we have 12 of them. It was kind of a mundane exercise, but it got me thinking about Closed and Open Doors and how God uses both kinds in our lives. The Open Doors are the opportunity ones. They can be captivating, motivating and exciting or, on the flip side, intimidating, overwhelming and downright scary! You see, open doors usually mean change! Change is a great...
