I Killed a Dog

When I was a young boy living on a reservation farm I murdered a dog! This dog followed me around for days. A stray that had innocently wondered into my territory. I didn't want him, but he wouldn't leave me alone. His soft brown eyes looking for my attention, wanting a pat on the head. He never did anything to provoke me to anger. He never complained or criticized me, just wagged his tail and begged for a pat on the head. One day I was out shooting gophers, and this brown dog followed me. I couldn't get rid of him. I was setting there waiting for a gopher to pop up and this brown dog looked me in the eye. Right there, I judged him, condemned him, and executed him. I shot him right between the eyes! How does that make you feel? It makes me sick to my stomach to remember that incident. I have confessed my sin and acknowledged my guilt to the Creator, and I believe His forgiveness is there for a rotten low down sinner like me. What about Terry Schiavo? She was more helpless and more pitiful than that dog! It made me sick to my stomach to watch an innocent woman being starved and dehydrated to death. She couldn't speak for herself; she couldn't protect herself. But just like that dog, standing there with his soft brown eyes looking at me, Terry laid in her bed and smiled, her soft brown eyes lovingly looking at her so called protectors. What crime did she commit? What law did she break that was deserving of the death penalty? Yet, we sentenced her, and put her to a slow death. I did nothing to help her. I wanted to go down there and forcibly rescue her, but I did nothing. I am just as guilty as the rest. We kill our innocent, our helpless, our most defenseless. We will be judged for this. One day we will all stand before our Creator and give an account for what we are responsible for. We cry and bemoan the killing of animals, but what about our invalid and helpless?

INDIANS & AMISH Part 2

Last Sunday a Healing for the Natives ministry team traveled to the Amish settlement and spent a day with our Amish friends. During the three hour drive home I contemplated what had just taken place. How could a bunch of crazy Indians hold a meeting for these devout pious modestly dressed people? We sang, played the drum, danced, shouted, rejoiced, preached, and these Amish couldn't get enough. They were enthusiastic and animated. They responded to the word preached, and basically put most, so called charismatics to shame by their sensitivity to the anointing of the Holy Spirit. One lady commented, "your people are very different than ours." Laughing, I said, "Yeah, we are very loud." She responded, "Yes, and we are very quiet, but we need to learn how to be loud." These Amish people are desperate for God. They are desperately hungry for a move of the Spirit, and they are encountering severe persecution from their own people for this. The most recent charge brought by their denomination is called, the "Swiss Kiss"; basically an attack on the reconciliation movement between the Swiss National Church and our Amish friends. The traditional Amish leadership has singled out this new movement and have attacked the principles of forgiveness and unity that are behind the reconciliation movement. I spoke to several young Amish people who have recently joined the new movement and they explained how they are rejected and shunned by their people for following Jesus. How many of us are willing to pay the price that these Amish people are paying just to follow the Lord? Just for them to open the door for Indian Christians to come to their camp and preach was a huge step. But their love for the Lord is greater than what man can do to them. Two years ago I received a phone call from Robert, an Amish Elder, who very gently and humbly explained to me how God was leading them into reconciliation with the Bride of Christ and healing ancient divisions in the Anabaptist community. He went on and asked if they, the Amish group, could attend our annual camp meeting. Robert humbly begged, "We desired to be reunited with the Bride of Christ, and we would like to reconcile with our Native American brethren. We have seen how this country has treated the Native American people. How your land was taken, even the land we now live on, and now we want to ask you for your forgiveness?" Immediately my head started spinning and my heart pounding, old prejudices rising up inside of me. I remembered the hurtful comments of the Hutterites and my anger over the land they were intruding on. These people who spoke with German accents and reminded us of the European invasion wanted to reconcile with me! I sat stunned. The Holy Spirit urged me to welcome these new brothers with open arms. When the campmeeting arrived we had the most wonderful time of reconciliation and foot washing. The presence of the Holy Spirit fell upon us as they asked us to forgive them for the atrocities against Native Americans, and I asked them to forgive us of our prejudice and resentment. What a time of crying and rejoicing we had. The Amish brothers danced harder than the Natives that night as we played victory songs and celebrated the glory of the Lord. This unlikely reconciliation of people who are so different was a great lesson for us, and as I will explain in a future blog was an important part in the fulfillment of our destiny.