Weve Been Duped

Iraq is not the main issue; while the world, the citizens of the USA and American Christians have been obsessed with events in the Middle East a more sinister plot is being unveiled. Have you ever wondered why the Iraq war has dragged on for so long, especially when we consider the awesome military might of the United States? How a small group of under equipped rag tag Arabs holds the greatest military might the world has ever known to a stand off? It is becoming crystal clear that the Iraq war is serving as a diversionary tactic in order to mask the objectives of the Internationalist's agenda. We have been duped by a wolf in sheep's clothing! George Bush will go down in history as the president who sold us down the river. Not only that, Bill Clinton's fling with Monica Lewinsky will be nothing in comparison to Bill and Hillary being in bed with the Bushes. Remember when Bush number one stood up and declared the invasion of Iraq the beginning of a "New World Order?" Under our noses the Internationalist's agenda has been perpetuated by the Clinton's and the Bushes, the next phase to be executed by Hillary who has already been anointed by the Bush/Clinton club to be the next president of the United States. Conservatives were astonished and could not understand why their super hero George Bush came out for amnesty for illegal aliens, and why he failed to secure the southern border with Mexico. It became crystal clear when I saw Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico, on television trying to sell his new book. Fox revealed, that in a secret meeting, he, President Bush, and the Canadian Prime Minister agreed to establishing a North American Union. That is the reason for Bush's stand on immigration, and that is the reason for unmarked Mexican trucks being allowed to enter the US without inspection and to travel the North American Super Highway. Last week Bush pushed for the United States Justice System to come under International jurisdiction. Not only that but the International Trade Agreements, NAFTA, CAFTA, and so many others have served as that giant sucking sound of American jobs and industry going over seas. All of this going on while the sovereignty of the United States has been sold down the river by a bunch of traitors. Can't you see? If it wasn't for our obsession with the war it would not have been so easy. Americans, wake up!

HE WHO LIVES BY THE SWORD

I would like to share a revelation that up until this point in time has been hidden. With the rise of Islam and the Spirit of Antichrist we are beginning to see and understand prophetic scripture more clearly. In the book of Revelation 13:10, "He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity, He who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword." Jesus reiterates this prophetic word in Matthew 26:52, "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." This word must be understood in context with Revelation thirteen which is speaking of the rise of a one world government under the rule of Antichrist. Revelation says, he was given authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation. In addition, it was granted to him to make war on the saints and to overcome them. I have identified the Islamic Antichrist system as the beast from evidence in Rev. 13:1 thru 3. First of all, this system arises out of the sea which represents a group of people that rises from throughout the vast sea of humanity. The "Nation of Islam" is identified as the worldwide following of Islam throughout the world. It is estimated that Islam is nearing one and a half billion people worldwide, and is one of the fastest growing religions in this century. Revelation identifies the beast as a leopard, a lion, and a bear; these were all world empires that ruled in the middle east at some point in history. The beast takes on all of the characteristics of these past world empires, and is given authority from Satan himself to rule with an iron fist. The ten horns on seven heads represents, nations and governments of Islamic world; one of the heads was mortally wounded, but was miraculously healed which caused the world to wonder with amazement. I believe this wounded head is Iraq, and in the near future we will see Iraq miraculously restored and become a prosperous and powerful nation. Islamists believe that Al Mahdi will arise out of Iraq, so this may be the seat of the Islamic Caliphate. Then in verse four a statement is made, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war with him?" We can see paralytic fear already operating in the nations of the world. In the United States the spirit of liberalism exudes a pacifistic philosophy, and the cry of Democratic politicians promotes weakness. The false prophet of Iran, Aqmad Amadinejad, is the mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies, leaving the nations quaking in his aftermath, and saying, "Who can make war with the beast?" Islam has been at war with Christianity since its inception, but in these last days will be given authority to rule over them (God help us). Verse seven says, "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them." Who do you think grants him the power? The nations of the world, or the United Nations will act, much as they did when they gave the U.S.A. authority to invade Afghanistan. It is not clear whether "the saints" refers to Christianity or Israel, or more probably both. Here is the revelation of "the Sword"; I believe the United States is going to lose its sovereignty because we have as a nations chosen to use military force first. In other words, we live by the sword and so we will die by the sword. Forces are at work in our country right now to undermine our sovereignty, both from the left and the right. I was watching late night TV and I saw an Islamic organization with the ACLU and Homeland Security promoting the Islamic agenda. The right wing is working hard to bring our nation under the umbrella of the Internationalists. I do not have a good feeling for the future of our country. Now these movements I have mentioned are working toward bringing us into captivity, and they are being aided by the prophetically blind right wing Christian Coalition. Now, what choice do we have? Either live by the sword, or go into captivity of Islam? I believe there is another option. As I have said in my other blogs, this warfare is spiritual in nature and so must be dealt with on the spiritual level. The third alternative is to empower Holy Spirit filled evangelists to go into all the world and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Islam must bow to the name of Jesus for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord's. We must be willing to give our lives for this cause.

THE INDIAN LEADERSHIP VOID

Where has Tribal leadership disappeared to? During the last century Native American leaders have looked a lot more like General George Armstrong Custer than like the great Chiefs of the past, leading our people to our "Last Stand"! Our modern Indian chiefs lack prophetic insight and strategic vision that is necessary to position our Indian Tribes in a competitive position for today's world. While Black leaders command the media, Asian leaders economics, and Hispanic leaders liberal politics, our Native leaders maintain the "Victims Complex" for Indian people. We are the Commanders of the Welfare Syndrome! Indian leaders fail to grasp principles of leadership that can leverage the advantages that are inherent to Indian people and Indian reservations. Tribal councils consistently seek for a messiah to turn things around on the reservations. The last half century they put their hopes on liberal politicians who would bring home the bacon, back in the seventies it was energy development, then the gaming messiah got everyone excited. We Indians are always hoping for "de claim, de claim". I think Sitting Bull had it right. He was prophetic, he had strategic vision, he was able to leverage power, and his ambitions was for the good of the people and not personal. Indian leaders need to transition from a local (tribal) worldview into a global vision. Tribal leaders need to escape from a victims mindset into an attitude of empowerment. That means trust and responsibility. If we don't do it for ourselves we will find ourselves in museums. "If the blind be the leaders of the blind, both will fall into the ditch!"

THE BOOK OF HEAVEN STORY

My wife Traci's Grandfather was the son of the last Assiniboine Chief Redstone. They are members of the Assiniboine clan known as the Wadopana or Canoe Paddlers. The Clan name came from the story of early Assiniboines warriors who went on a long journey across the sea in round hide boats. The warriors had been selected by the Medicine Man who had a vision in which the Great Being (God) appeared to him and gave him instructions to take a long journey to the land of other human beings. The long journey was harsh and they encountered harsh conditions surviving attacks by sea monsters and camping on islands that dotted the great sea. After many days, the party arrived on shore and saw other human beings, but their faces were covered with hair like on their heads. During the night the Great Being visited the Medicine Man and said, "You have arrived at the end of your journey. These people you see will not harm you but will help you and your people live better." After many days, the party returned to their people but when they arrived they found no one in sight. The people had feared the party had been killed on their journey and that these were their spirits. When a spokesman finally came forward he discovered that these were indeed the loved ones they had sent. The Medicine Man spoke up, "It is I and my four young men, we have brought our people good words, we have brought friends who will teach us many new things." These types of stories are common among the Native people. Long before the White Man arrived Native prophets and holy men had received visions and dreams of a new race of people who would come. Many of the visions were of the "Book of Heaven", and others were of Holy Men coming to teach the people how they may better serve the Creator. The hearts of the Native people were being stirred to receive the message of the Son of God and His gospel. Among the Plateau Tribes in the northwest the influence of prophetic visions was especially strong. Many of the tribes like the Spokanes, Nez Perces, Salish were so desperate to see the prophesies fulfilled they gathered around the coucil fire and made plans to travel to the land of the White Man to get the Book of Heaven and to bring missionaries to teach the people. A Spokane Prophet by the name of Siimxnotylmilakobok received many of the earliest recorded revelations; among them was the vision of the Book of Heaven which would teach the people how to better serve the Creator. A Pondera Prophet by the name of Shining Shirt received visions of Black Robes who would come and teach them the right way. It was these types of prophesies that fueled the expectations of the western tribes. In 1831 a delegation of Nez Perces warriors set on a journey to find the Book of Heaven. Two of the party were killed by attacks from hostile tribes, and four arrived in St Louis and began to inquire about the Book of Heaven. Because of their strange language it was difficult to communicate and so they were brought to Captain William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Discovery Expedition had been rescued from starvation and assisted on their journey by the Nez Perces. Lewis and Clark promised the tribe that after them men would come with the Book of Heaven. The Native party weas put in contact with the Catholic church and came away disappointed when their request for the book and their Macedonian call was rebuffed. During the winter two more of the warriors died in St Louis leaving two to carry the sad news back to their people. Captain William Clark reported that the delegation had inquired about the White Man's Book of Heaven and had requested missionaries to come and teach them the right way. In departing they made this speech, "We came to you aver a trail of many moons, from the setting sun. You were the friend of our fathers who all have gone the long way. We came with our eyes partly opened for more light for our people who sit in darkness. We go back with our eyes closed. We made our way to you with strong arms, through enemies and strange lands, that we might carry much back to them. We go back with arms broken and empty. Our people sent us to get the White Man's Book of Heaven. You took us where they worshipped with candles but the book is not among them. We are going back the long sad trail to our people. When we tell them, after one more snow, in the big council that we did not bring the book, no word will be spoken. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. Our people will die in darkness and they will go the path to the other hunting grounds. No White Man will go with them, and no Book of Heaven will make the way plain. We have no more words." The picture of the Bible on the healingforthenativesministries.org home page is an authentic 1832 Bible from St Louis. The incredible story of how this Bible came to us in 1999 is a supernatural story of how God never forgets His promises. I received a revelation in the fall of 1998 to hold a camp meeting on the Agnes Vanderberg campsite on the Flathead Indian reservation; this revelation was confirmed by three native brothers who came to visit me. The purpose of the camp was to call together Native leaders to hold a council on how to reach our Native people with the gospel of Jesus. In July of 1999 we set a gospel tent up at this traditional campsite. This was the first time a Christian event had been held on this traditional native ground where tribal members go several times a year to conduct jump dances and sacred ceremonies. You could sense the ominous presence of evil spirits and spiritual strongholds. We began to pray over the land, and as we prayed over a sweat lodge the largest ugliest toad I had ever seen jumped out of the lodge. This was the beginning of many spiritual battles we would go through on this ground. We had just set up our cook tent when an older Ford pickup with tepee poles on top pulled into the camp. A man jumped out and approached a group of us with greetings. He explained to us how the Holy Spirit told him to come to this camp and asked if he could camp with us. I said, if the Holy Spirit had sent him he was welcome. As we talked I noticed he had a leather pouch hanging on his side with a bible in it. I inquired about the book and he said, "This is an 1832 Bible from St Louis." This statement almost floored me! I asked, "Do you know the story of the natives seeking a bible in St Louis." He answered that he was not really familiar with it but that he was retracing the journey of Father DeSmet and he knew the Indians had gone to St Louis. I told him the story, I shared above, and how the Indians returned heart broken and empty handed. I also explained that our campsite was on traditional Salish ground and that they were one of the tribes who had desperately sought for the Book and for missionaries. I asked, "Why do you think an 1832 Bible from St Louis would come to the land of the Natives who were searching for it over a hundred years ago." The Holy Spirit fell upon all who were there, and Brother Jeff Sindelar fell on his knees and with tears said, "Brother, I believe God wants me to give you this Bible." You must understand that this Bible had been in his family for over one hundred years. His family had settled in St Louis at the turn of the nineteenth century and this Bible was one of their most precious possessions. This Bible was in St Louis when the Indians were there searching for the Book of Heaven. For Brother Jeff to give me the Bible was a tremendous sacrifice. I asked the Lord, "Why Me?" I believe this was a prophetic message from God that He has not forgotten the Native people. Even after one hundred and sixty seven years He was answering the cry of the Native people. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness for the Church of America to return to her original mission to the Native Americans. During this campmeeting there were several manifestations of angels. The unique thing about these angels is that they were all dressed in Indian regalia and had horses. As the services increased in intensity these angels would gallop around the tent like a whirlwind. On the last day of the meetings the Lord instructed us to command these angels to return to their reservations and to prepare them for revival. Now it is up to the Church of America to respond to the call of God to fulfill the mission He originally sent them to do. Why should God give us another mission if we have not obeyed the first?

Who Told You

Who told you you can only belong to one American Indian Tribe? I am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, but my Dad is Cree, and I am also Gros Vent re. My kids are enrolled in the Haida Tlingit Corporation, but they are also Blackfeet, Cree, Gros Vent re, and cannot qualify to be enrolled in a recognized American Indian Tribe. However, my kids were raised on the Blackfeet Indian reservation and they identify with and claim the Blackfeet tribe as their heritage. As a Tribal member I have always taught my kids that they are Blackfeet, and as my children, they can lay claim to their cultural heritage. We as Indian people have been duped into discriminating against our own people. Our ancestors would never cut their children or grandchildren from their heritage because of blood quanta. In the early days of drafting our tribal constitution our leaders innocently bought into blood quantum requirements for enrollment, and institutionalized the one tribe requirement. This requirement was done ignorantly by tribal leaders in order to protect tribal sovereignty. What they did not realize was that down through the years tribal mixing would become a common occurrence. Their original fears became obsolete as blood quantum requirements and the one tribe policy became threats to tribal populations. It has been statistically proven that eight out of ten American Indians are of mixed blood, and in the near future nine out of ten will be of mixed blood. Its a fact of life we must deal with. When are we going to wake up and understand that blood quantum and one tribe requirements were a part of the assimilation effort to get rid of Indian reservations. In todays world what is going to protect tribal sovereignty is increasing and large populations. We must compete with other minorities and growing immigrations populations. Numbers and votes are what will get attention. Power comes from larger tribal roles protected by language, borders, tradtons and culture. Blood Quanta Intertribal and interracial mixing was common among Native American tribes making it difficult to clearly identify which tribe an individual belonged to. Bands or entire tribes occasionally split or merged to form more viable groups in reaction to the pressures of climate, disease and warfare. A number of tribes practiced the adoption of captives into their group to replace their members who had been captured or killed in battle. These captives came from rival tribes and later from European settlers. Some tribes also sheltered or adopted white traders and runaway slaves and Native American-owned slaves. So a number of paths to genetic mixing existed. In later years, such mixing, however, proved an obstacle to qualifying for recognition and assistance from the U.S. federal government or for tribal money and services. To receive such support, Native Americans must belong to and be certified by a recognized tribal entity. This has taken a number of different forms as each tribal government makes its own rules while the federal government has its own set of standards. In many cases, qualification is based upon the percentage of Native American blood, or the "blood quanta" identified in an individual seeking recognition. To attain such certainty, some tribes have begun requiring genetic genealogy (DNA testing).[28]. Requirements for tribal certification vary widely. The Cherokee require only a descent from an Native American listed on the early 20th century Dawes Rolls while federal scholarships require enrollment in a federally recognized tribe as well as a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood card showing at least a one-quarter Native American descent. Tribal rules regarding recognition of members with Native American blood from multiple tribes are equally diverse and complex. Wikipedia.com/American Indian/Blood Quanta

Jesus, the 12th Imam

Out in the world we are being led as lambs to the slaughter. In my past blogs I identified the true nature of Islam, as the spirit of Anti Christ, and challenged Christianity to make a commitment to the evangelization of Muslims worldwide. There is a Muslim extremist jihad underway which aims to destroy western civilization and establish an Islamic caliphate. As it was created, as it has existed for 1300 years, and as it exists now, Islam is an evil political ideology empowered by spiritual darkness, the goal of which is a world wide Islamic Caliphate. An Islamic Caliphate is a world wide reign of Islam. The overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world embrace Islamic law or Shari’a as divine and authoritative. This law mandates a world wide Islamic Caliphate as a reality in the here and now, and is the underlying motive of most Muslims. Shiite writings describe events surrounding the return of the Mahdi in apocalyptic terms. The Imam Mahdi believed by Shiites to have disappeared as a child in A.D. 941. When the Mahdi returns, they contend, he will reign on earth for seven years before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world. According to Shiite tradition, Imam Mahdi will appear on Judgment Day to herald a truly just government. The 12th imam will prompt a global battle between good and evil (with striking parallels to biblical accounts of "Armageddon") resulting in an Islamic Caliphate. Even more controversial is Iranian President Ahmadinejad's repeated invocation of Imam Mahdi, known as "the Savior of Times." Surprise, surprise! Ahmadinejad and all of his evil cohorts are going to be surprised when they discover that the next caliphate is going to be under the rule and reign of Yeshua, the Son of God. The Bible in Ephesians 1:10 declares that in God's economy and under His management of the culmination of times that Jesus would sieze the headship bringing all rule and power under His dominion. The interesting thing about this passage of scripture is the use of the word caliphate in the original Greek language. The bible uses the Greek word "kapale" which means to strike on the head, seizing the head. The picture we are given is that of Jesus seizing the spiritual headship. In the spiritual realm, Jesus is laying hold of the ruling spirits, the Prince of the power of Persia, throwing them down and taking the headship as Chief, or the ruling authority. His dominion, Daniel 7:14, is an everlasting dominion, and all peoples, nations, and languages will serve Him. Yes there will be a caliphate but it will be under the rule of Yeshua the Son of the living God, and not the usurper of authority, Allah.

Reservation Myth Busters

We hear tribal politicians campaign on the slogan of change, but in reality nothing ever changes. Things on the rez go on as usual, just the faces around the council feed trough change every two years. The promises of change vanish as soon as the new council is sworn in. Change is just a myth! Here is a list of popular myths on the rez:

• Myth #1 The Tribal Council is the primary creator of economic development on the reservation. Myth Buster 1: In reality reservations operate under a communist economic system. Under communism everything is created for the state and by the state. This type of system operates under the assumption that individual Indian people are too dumb to do anything on their own. Most councilmen believe that it is the duty of the Tribal Council to create new business owned and operated by the Tribal Council. They believe that if the tribe can create new tribal businesses it will translate into jobs for the people. Unfortunately this logic usually ends up translating into minimum wage jobs for the Indian people and fat paychecks for consultants and high roller executive types.
• Myth # 2 Indian people are dumb and lazy and can't be trusted. Myth Buster 2: I was once asked if I would rather be dumb and ugly or poor and lazy? Not a very good choice, but it does reveal some of the choices Indian people are handed. It is true, the economic climate on reservations for individual Indians is very dismal. We have been handed the short end of the stick as far as economic opportunities are concerned. However, I have worked with and met some of the most talented, hard working, intelligent, friendly people on the planet, if only they were given the chance to excel. I believe Native people are a sleeping giant waiting to be unleashed. We should never allow our disadvantages to become our prison. We can defy the odds and become a prosperous people if we are willing to rise to the challenge.
• Myth # 3 There are no opportunities on the reservation. Myth Buster 3: We have been programmed to believe that opportunity is created by the tribal council. We take all of our best ideas and present them to the council and hope they will embrace and approve our schemes. Not! Opportunity comes out of creativity! You are limited only by your imagination and your willingness to take a leap of faith. Some of you are sitting on million dollar ideas.

TRIBAL ENROLLMENT CALAMITY

"Old Man was sittin by the creek gazing into the water when a reflection of a branch of dark ripe choke cherries caught his attention. Old Bear was sittin close by watching the Old Man enjoy the summer sweetened berries. "Go ahead, you can have those berries down there" Old Man said pointing to the relection in the green hole. Old Man laughed as Bear dove in." Have you ever noticed Indians are always expecting something really good only to discover broken promises? The story of "Old Man" contains elements of deception, gullibility, greed and unfulfilled expectations all too familiar to Indian people. Indians have been doped into believing that the maintenance of a high degree of Indian blood among members will protect tribal soveriegnty, guarantee federal treaty rights, and increase their share of payouts. Indian tribes zealous to protect land base and soveriegnty have adopted racist policies that has resulted in the loss of future generations. Blood quantum enrollment requirments is institutionalized bigoty and has poisoned the American Indian psyche with a racist under-current. Tribal populations have become infested with prejudice and discrimination toward their own children and have left a generation of youth with no identity. Shame, shame! Native people are quick to accuse White people of racism but are blind to the fact they are resposible for racism and bigotry toward their own children. Who is or what is an Indian? There are four basic ways Indians have been defined. First through blood quantum - the cut off is established by individual tribes, and is restricted to those meeting enrollment criteria, 1/4, 1/2, 1/16 etc. Secondly, the federal government define Indian as a person with at least one quarter degree Indian blood or is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Thirdly, lineal descent is described as being anyone who has an ancestor who was a full blood member of a tribe. The fourth way is subjective identification or a person who believes they are Indian, whose friends believe they are Indian, are considered Indian by the white community and are accepted by the Indian community. These synthetic definitions don't come close to defining what an Indian is; they fail to describe the emotional and cultural bonding that occurs when one is born into an Indian community. Tribal ancestors were much wiser in determining membership; they were more concerned with the well being of their children and the perpetuation of the tirbe then with artificial cut off numbers. Being Indian was a matter of kinship and family bonding, a common ancestory and a shared history. A tribal elder would never consider severing their children from their linage. Membership in communtiy is the right of every person born within an ethnic group and they have the right to lay claim to the history, traditions, heritage, symbols, and land of its people. I propose that it is the parents and the culture a child is born into who determinies ethnicity. Citizenship is not deterined by the division of blood but belonging to family and culture, and choosing to participate as a citizen. Our ancestors practiced inclusion. Membership was based upon an individuals right to lay claim to the community, culture and language of their people and not by division of blood. This guiding principle kept tribes strong and population growth guaranteed protection against other tribes. The ancestors never referred to ones blood degree, nor were they concerned with purity of race, but a stong cultural base was maintained through tradition. A vision for a generation of Native people thriving in a global community in the Twenty First Century must emerge. A new definition must emerge in a new imaginative way linked to the wisdom of the past. Tribal leaders must reject policies born out of fear and prejudice by embracing descendents and instilling Indianness into the culture. A visionalry leadership will assure a futute for its members.

My Feelings Got Hurt

My feelings got hurt because a man called me "Split Feather" and "Squatting Bull". Every where I went this guy would show up and yell across the room, "Hey Split Feather". I was embarrassed and belittled by his constant public harassment. With so many Euro Americans surrounding me I wasn't sure of how I should react. At first I ignored him, then I laughed at him, next I called him a "Honky", none of this seemed to work, and his barrages continued to get worse. What could I do? Should I hang my head and let him bully me? Should I take on a belligerent attitude and join in his verbal insults? Or maybe I should kill him, cut his head off and spit down his throat? Human dignity is a precious gift. We can give it away so easily by reacting to insults and accusations. I chose to keep my dignity and this man went on to embarrass himself, and lose his own dignity. I think we are seeing Islam expose itself with its reaction toward the news paper's caricature of Mohammad. My feelings get hurt everyday, but does that give me a right to threaten, kill, or destroy property. Don't you think God is big enough to take care of Himself? Your actions reveal what is in your heart.

Global Voices Online

Global Voices Online BEING AMERICAN INDIAN IS A MENTAL DISORDER I saw a book recently that helped me formulate a title that accurately describes the modern reservation Indian experience; the title of the book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder". Taking my writers privilege I expanded on the idea and changed it to, "Being American Indian is a Mental Disorder". There is an insane Indian world view that is vastly different than the Euro American perspective. We Indians are quick to point out that according to the White Man's world view, he sees the world and time in a linear fashion, while Indian's way of thinking is a circular perspective. I don't know if this is good or bad, but it leads me to believe that we Indians pretty much have the view, that what goes around comes around. Maybe this is why some things never seem to change in Indian country. I was broke this year, I was broke last year, and I suppose I'll be broke next year. The old Tribal Council ripped us off, the current Tribal Council is ripping us off, and I suppose the next one will rip us off too. A friend of mine shared the definition of insanity with me, "When we do the same old things, the same old way, and expect different results, this is insanity. The truth is, if we do the same things the same way, we can expect to get the same results." This pretty much sums up the the rationale of leadership in Indian County. Every two years we hear the call for change from Indian polititians. Voters, frustrated with the old regime throw out the old council in hopes that new faces will improve the quality of life on the rez. Hello! When are we going to wake up to the fact that the system we have been handed keeps us in a perpetual cycle of curruption and failure? For two hundred years we have been standing in line playing, "Mother May I", with the federal government and its representatives. Our Tribal governments are laughable. With shrinking federal funding our reservations are caught in a pythons grip, dying a slow death. The only hope Indians have, is that maybe the Democrats will get into power next election. This also is insanity, what have the democrats done for Indians that has improved the quality of life on the rez? Nothing! Real change will not come under the current system. Indians love to use the word "Sovereignty". But I think it is too long a word for us to grasp what it really means. Until we are ready to change the way we see things we will continue to be caught in the same old rut. The more I think about it, truly, "Being American Indian is a Mental Disorder">

Reply to "The Bible and Self Defense"

This post is a reply to an email message "The Bible and Self Defense" by Don Walker that was posted by the Visionary Advancement Strategies website www.vision2acvance.com. My response was to the spirit of his message from quotes such as the following, " The greatest problem with this viewpoint is that neither Christianity nor the Bible teaches non-violence or pacifism. The Bible shows us in both the Old and New Testaments that our God of love is also capable of violence, retribution, and vengeance. Force is never condemned in the Scriptures – only the misuse of force. Love and force are not incompatible in the mind of God, neither are justice and force. In each situation they are only opposite sides of the same coin. Religious humanism has put all the emphasis on the side of love and pacifism, most of which has been drawn more from Mahatma Ghandi rather than the Lord Jesus Christ and a clear Biblical standard. " Dear Brother Walker, I was disturbed by the spirit of your message on. "The Bible and Self Defense". The thing that troubles me is that it represents the militant attitude that is prevalent in the American Christian community. This mind set has given place to the unjustified killing of countless innocent people around the world, and we will give an account for what we have given permission to. Yes, I would protect my family if an intruder broke into my home. I am a firearm owner, and a veteran of the Viet Nam war. I am also an honored warrior of the Blackfeet Indian Nation. As a Native American the Lord revealed to me the National mindset and attitude of the Christian world during the conquest of North America. We must step back sometimes and take a look at the bigger picture of what is going on in the spiritual realm. One of the tactics of the enemy is to create a mindset where we justify the killing of our enemies. He creates a frame of mind to where we dehumanize and vilify other human beings. And we as Christians use the Bible to justify the invasion of sovereign powers, and conquest of other nations. I can see in your rationale that you have been influenced by satanic scheme of militarism. You have been poisoned by the spirit of American imperialism that is perpetuated by the media that is owned and controlled by the American Military Industrial complex. The business of war is being generated by the rich elite, who are expert at manipulating and controlling the masses through propaganda and lies. These same tactics were used in the conquest of the Native Americans. I am astounded that the western Christian world has not been able to discern between good and evil. I believe that the need for the violent self defense you are advocating is because of the failure and disobedience of Christianity to follow the ways of the Lord Jesus. We have failed in the arena of spiritual warfare, evangelizing the world, and walking in apostolic authority. What we fail to confront today in the spirit realm will come back tomorrow and haunt us. This is revealed in the rise of militant Islam. Christianity failed in the times of the Crusades because they chose militarism as an answer to their problems. They justified the taking up of the sword and the killing of multitudes in the name of the Lord. We have created a modern day city of Babylon with our mega churches and prosperity doctrines. We are comfortable and have need of nothing. We sit in our pews and are spoon fed pop psychology and inner healing. I believe God is going to scatter our over fed, over seminar attending, selfish church. Jesus says, "After you have received the Holy Spirit you will receive power to become martyrs." This is the kind of attitude He is looking for. People who will lay down their lives for the propagation of the Gospel. We must fight this war by God's standards. I sincerely remain, His servant. Please take this email in the spirit of love for which it was intended. Pastor Lockley Bremner

CALLED TO MARTYRDOM

In my last post I identified the true nature of Islam, and its true enemy(Christianity). In this post I want to discuss strategies and remedies for the cancer of Islam. In general, the modern Christian world has been asleep, ignored and underestimated the threat of Islam. Islam has spread like an undetected cancer, infesting most of the western world. Today Islam worldwide holds over a billion and a half souls in its python grip. Western Europe has fallen under its influence and polititians offer policies of appeasement and political correctness. In the US Muslims number over six million, with over twelve hundred mosques. With its rapid population growth Islam has become the fastest growing religion in the world. At that rate you can plan on loosing your head or bowing down to Allah in the not too distant future. So what can we do to face this threat? I have always said, "What you fail to face today, will face you tomorrow." Historically Christians have confronted Islam militarily. The goal of the Crusades was focused more on the liberation of the Holy Land than on stopping Islam. Today, George W. Bush has resurrected the mantle of the crusades and like the crusaders of old has achieved some military success, but has failed in winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim people. Military planners fail to see the beast they are fighting. Islam is like an octopus with her tentacles spread around the world. You cut off one tentacle and there is another one to take its place. At the rate we are cutting tentacles we will exhaust our resources and energy before we win the war. I believe God has allowed the rise of Islam to provoke the Body of Christ into arising into her destiny. In the book of Revelations 19:10, "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy;" I have paraphrased this verse, "The martyrdom of Jesus is the judicial decree of heaven that is shaping the destiny of the nations." God has a plan to bring the entire universe under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has chosen the church of Jesus as His instrument to accomplish this purpose. In many ways the church has failed miserably in her mission of evangelizing the world. As a Native American I have many bones to pick with Western Christianity on the way they evangelized my people, or should I say subjugated the Indians. Much of the energy and resources of missionary organizations has focused on East Asia and Africa, but very little in the direction of the Muslim world. While our attention has been diverted elsewhere, Islam has crept in the back door. Fear is one of the reasons Native Americans were not evangelized, and I believe fear is the main reasons we have not evangelized the Muslims. The image of heads being cut off, and Christians being jailed and killed is enough to strike fear into our hearts. In the book of Acts 1:8 Jesus said, "I have given you power to be my witnesses." A correct interpretation of that scripture should be, "I have given you the grace to be martyrs for me." I believe the church will not come into the glory and power of God until we have surrendered our lives to this cause. Islamists have perverted the doctrine of martyrdom for their evil purposes while we Christians sit in our air conditioned auditoriums listening to prosperity preaching. As I said in my last post that the true nature of Islam is spiritual and therefore we can only achieve ultimate victory through spiritual warfare. Yes, God has given our nation authority to use the sword to combat threats, and I believe we must use that sword to survive as a people, but the ultimate victory can only be won when the church of Jesus rises up into her destiny and wins the battle on the spiritual playing field. In my next post I will define spiritual warfare, and strategies for winning the victory.

WAKE UP OR LOOSE YOUR HEAD

The Christian world has buried its head in the sand, and is not facing the war that is being waged against it through radical Islam. God has allowed Islam to raise its ugly murderous head to shake up a Christian world that has been sleeping. While Christianity plays with her sermonettes and indulges in her delicacies, Islamic mullahs are fueling the flames of hatred and murder in her constituencies. There are several points I would like to make to wake us up to the Islamic threat. I watched a large powerful man get taken out by a smaller weaker opponent. Ultimate Fighting is a sport where participants are allowed to use any style of combat, including boxing, wrestling, karate, jujitsu, etc. There was a huge man, six foot eleven, weighing two hundred and eighty pounds fighting a smaller man two hundred and ten pounds. The large man was very powerful and intimidating. He pounded the smaller man around the ring and appeared to have the advantage due to his strength, coordination and power. From the first round the smaller man, being weaker absorbed much of the punishment, but every chance he would get he kicked the large man in the knee. At first it didn't seem to do any damage, but the smaller man was persistent kicking the larger man time after time. The large man didn't seem to defend against this attack because he was punishing his opponent around the ring and seemed to have the advantage. By the end of the second round the large man had a slight limp as he returned to his corner. As the fight progressed the knee became very painful and the large man would bend over to guard his sore knee, each time he bent over, smack, the smaller man would hit or kick him in the head. The large man began to drag his sore leg behind in order to protect it. Finally, smack, the small man with one powerful kick, buckled the large man into a pile of pain. He had worked on this one soft spot until he finally knocked his more powerful opponent into submission. Islamic militants know that militarily they are weaker, as a result, they have resorted to the strategy of terror. By striking vulnerable innocents they instill fear and paralyze the hearts and minds of ignorant westerners. If we don't wake up to what is going on, one day this whole western civilization is going to crumble. Who is the real target of Islam, and what is the true identity of Islam? Jihad, Holy War, of Islam is in reality a spiritual warfare, and their true target is Christianity. Islam at its root is antiChrist! The only reason they have single the United States out is not because of Hollywood or American foreign policy, but because this country is the heart and soul of Christianity and world wide revival. The Koran spells out and identifies Jews and Christians as infidels that must be killed. The true goal of Islam is world control and domination, and they will use any means to accomplish their ultimate plan. The smoke screen that has gone up that Islam is a peaceful religion is a lie, because the mullahs and mosques are the incubators that spawn radical Islam. Deep down Muslim clerics are giving permission to the propagation and spread of Islam through terror, war and any other means. In reality Islam is not a religion. The true identity of Islam is a death cult! The demon of Islam can only by pacified by the shedding of innocent blood, especially Christian blood. Using the definition of a cult more closely identifies Islam than by using the definition of religion. However, Islam is much more subtle and deceptive than most cults, posing as a peaceful religion. Some cultic characteristics of Islam are; spirit of control, isolation, rule by fear, intimidation, brainwashing, radical and controlling leaders, suicide pacts. Islam fears and suppresses individual libery, individual identity and free thinking. The worldview of the Islamic world has been shaped and warped by the inhuman, antiChrist spirit that controls their ideology. Christians wake up, Islamists are out to kill you, your lifestyle, and your children. In my next post I will reveal the only way to defeat Islamic terror.

BEING INDIAN IS A MENTAL DISORDER

I saw a book recently that helped me formulate a title that accurately describes the modern reservation Indian experience; the title of the book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder". Taking my writers privilege I expanded on the idea and changed it to, "Being Indian is a Mental Disorder". There is an insane Indian world view that is vastly different than the Euro American perspective. We Indians are quick to point out that according to the White Man's world view, he sees the world and time in a linear fashion, while Indian's way of thinking is a circular perspective. I don't know if this is good or bad, but it leads me to believe that we Indians pretty much have the view, that what goes around comes around. Maybe this is why some things never seem to change in Indian country. I was broke this year, I was broke last year, and I suppose I'll be broke next year. The old Tribal Council ripped us off, the current Tribal Council is ripping us off, and I suppose the next one will rip us off too. A friend of mine shared the definition of insanity with me, "When we do the same old things, the same old way, and expect different results, this is insanity. The truth is, if we do the same things the same way we can expect to get the same results." This pretty much sums up the the rationale of leadership in Indian County. Every two years we hear the call for change from Indian polititians. Voters, frustrated with the old regime throw out the old council in hopes that new faces will improve the quality of life on the rez. Hello! When are we going to wake up to the fact that the system we have been handed keeps us in a perpetual cycle of curruption and failure? My daughter recently asked me if I would go to the Indian clinic, and pick up a prescription for her. What an eye opening experience! When I got to the pharmacist window there were at least fifty Indians standing in line waiting for their medicine. I was praying no one would have a seizure before they got to the window. When I stopped to say hello to an old friend the whole line bristled, thinking I was cutting in line, or as they say on the rez, I wuz cheezen in. This was pretty scary seeing there was some pretty big mean looking Indian women in that line. My point is, why are there so many sick Indians and why do they have to stand in line for their medicine? Two points; first, we Indians are use to standing in line, and second, reservation life is filled with stress. We are like an abused woman, we feel like this is what we deserve. I had a philosophical dispute with a young Indian leader recently. He had just been promoted to a position of authoriy, representing Indian people, and was seeking council on how to approach this new position. I advised him to take full advantage of his position, and he has the authority to act and make decisions to benefit his Indian constituency; by virtue of the position and authority he was appointed to. He responded by saying that before he made any big decisions it was necessary for him to make friends with the superior authorities. That was two years ago, and the last I saw, he was still rubbing up to the big wigs, and not much happening at the bottom of the food chain. Ever since Indians first came into contact with the White Man we have been trying to gain favor. For two hundred years we have been standing in line playing, "Mother May I", with the federal government and its representatives. Our Tribal governments are laughable. With shrinking federal funding our reservations are caught in a pythons grip, dying a slow death. The only hope Indians have, is that maybe the Democrats will get into power next election. This also is insanity, what have the democrats done for Indians that has improved the quality of life on the rez? Nothing! Real change will not come under the current system. Indians love to use the word "Sovereignty". But I think it is too long a word for us to grasp what it really means. Until we are ready to change the way we see things we will continue to be caught in the same old rut. The more I think about it, truly, "Being Indian is a Mental Disorder">

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.

Two Worlds 

Reservation Suicides

While driving nine hundred miles home, from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota in the middle of a snow storm, I was trying to make some kind of sense of the mind boggling number of violent deaths that are occurring on our Indian reservations. News had just come in about the school shooting on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. What would possess a fourteen year old boy to kill his grand parents, a teacher, a security guard, five fellow students, and then to turn the gun on himself and take his own life? I spent the night in Poplar Montana, tribal headquarters for the Fort Peck Indian Rez, with my inlaws. My sister inlaw who works as a jailer reported to us that they had booked eleven people into jail that night. The majority of incarcerating on the reservations are drug, alcohol, and violence related. The next day I continued my journey through the snow storm, watched a speeding van hit the ditch on the Fort Belknap rez, and finally had to hold up because of the storm in Browning on the Blackfeet Rez. I spent the night at my sons house. A few people stopped by to visit and shared some shocking statistics from a public health forum they had attended that day. On the Blackfeet rez in the last three years there have been nine hundred plus suicide attempts and over sixty successful. From 1998 to 2002 on the Standing Rock rez there has been over six hundred attempts and two hundred twenty four successful. On New Years night 2004 on the Standing Rock there were six attempts. For the four year period Standing Rock had the highest teen suicide rate per capita in the USA. That's not all, while on Standing Rock a friend came to visit and shared shocking news from the Fort Thompson rez in South Dakota. Fort Thompson has now taken over as the suicide capital of the US. Reports are now coming in that the Alaska natives and Eskimos are taking their own lives in shocking numbers. What is going on? To give a little perspective, since the beginning of the Desert Storm there have been fifteen hundred American soldiers killed. That is about the same number of Indians that have been killing themselves or each other in the same time period. Nobody seems to care if an Indian blows himself away, but we rise up in protest when one American soldier is killed. Maybe its because, since we haven't been able to assimilate the Indians into the larger culture we will just let them blow themselves away. The federal government has sent in teams of experts without much success, tribal governments are ineffective, no one seems to be offering a solution that is more powerful than just turning out the lights. In my first article, "NO MORE MULLAHS", I spoke about empowering. The idea of empowering is to invigorate, to enable someone to succeed. But the opposite of empowering is to weaken, to disable, impotence, ineptitude, incapacitate. I think the latter describes the Native American reservation experience. What I see is a people who have been stripped of their identity. Author, Kent Nerberg described it best in his book "Neither Wolf nor Dog". Nerberg illustrates the life of a people who are walking the edge of the dominant culture and desperately trying to cling to the old ways that are slipping away. In observing the reservation youth I see our young people imitating gang bangers, MTV culture, Goths, the drug culture, rappers, and more or less the culture of death. The values of past generations, and the identity of Native cultures has lost it's impact on the youth. Our reservation fathers and mentors are lost in a perpetual state of adolescence and offer no positive direction. So what am I trying to say? Its time to wake up. We have a real problem and the sugar coated solutions of the past are not working. We need a revolution of ideas. We need to break out of the mold and we need to be empowered.

Amish at Healing for the Natives Campmeeting 

Indians & Amish

Indians & Amish Who would ever make a connection between Native American people and the Amish people? Both of these people groups have one thing in common, disentanglement from the world. Both groups fiercely protect their cultural boundaries and try to live within the safety of what they have created. They are like water and oil; they just don’t mix. Having spent the majority of my life on the rez there is a sense of comfort and safety when I return. I remember the day I returned home from four years of military service. My eyes searched the horizon for a glimpse of mountain peaks off in the distance. When I crossed that rez line I felt the security of home. When I was growing up on the rez we encountered strange people called Hutterites. The Hutterites, Mennonites, and Amish are branches of the European Anabaptists. Hutterites settled mostly in the Midwest and Canada where they operate collective farms. Well, the Hutterites would stop by our dusty little farm house and sell my mom vegetables. I remember the dogs going crazy when these men in black clothes and black hats with long beards would come knocking on our door. We couldn’t understand their strong Germanic accent and they couldn’t understand our Indian lingo. I remember the boss man always called my mother, Mrs Hubberd. It was probably because he saw twelve kids and no food in the cupboards. I never did know the reason my dad took to chasing one of them around their truck one day. It’s a good thing he didn’t catch him, but there was one scared Hutterite. When I got older I had my own encounter with the Hutterites. They were building a new colony and several contractors had bids on their buildings. Being a builder myself I put a bid in on their work. That day I developed a deep prejudice in my heart when the job boss told me, “We don’t want any of you Indians working around here, the last Indian we hired took his first paycheck and went on a drunk.” Growing up rez has a way of spawning prejudice towards any one different, Mexicans, Blacks, and especially the White Man. Indians are so prejudice we hate each other. We hate Crows, Crees, Flatheads, those short west coast Indians, Cherokees, and any other tribe. We are even prejudice against our own children and grandchildren. Full bloods hate half breeds, half breeds hate full bloods, Catholics hate Pentecostals, Pentecostals hate traditionalists, and traditionalists hate them all. With all this prejudice going around who could ever imaging Indians and Amish coming together. Of all of the Anabaptist groups the Amish are the most separate of them all. They do not want any contact with the outside world unless it is unavoidable. They fiercely maintain their ancient traditions and religious practices. They have no electricity or modern equipment, such as cars and trucks. They still drive the horse and carriage and have maintained their traditional wardrobe. Men have beards, the ladies wear bonnets, and they continue to speak in their native German language. One thing about the Anabaptists, they love Jesus and remain devout pious Christians. I think God looked down from heaven one day and said, “I’m going to stir things up a little bit.” I’ll tell you about it on my next post.