Monday, September 24, 2012

Rising Warriors


Prayers are needed every day for the people on the streets of Whiteclay and on the Reservation. It is our vision, put in motion by the hand of God, that we establish a teaching center in our building there, allowing regular workshops and classes on being empowered by The Word and offering a place for teachers to come and share their knowledge and love. We can see many people brought to the foot of the Cross through preaching and sharing, but what is sorely lacking on the Rez is a way for continuous teaching to take place; for disciples to be made as the Lakota believers grow in God's love and His power.  God desires to renew our minds...and that renewal is a process not an event. Yes, through his Word and the meeting of needs in love, we are shining God's light on these beautiful people, but God showed us recently that we must not overlook the light that is already there. The Oglala Nation has a light of its own that was long ago placed in their hearts and in their spirits and He longs to wipe away the tarnish of hopelessness that keeps it from being a light in and of itself...a light to all people.

Many years ago, Billy Graham said that Native Americans, the people of the First Nations, were a sleeping giant. Many on the reservation say the giant is stirring. And when it awakes they will see that Jesus did not come to abolish the Lakota Old Way. He came to fulfill it. Many Lakota believers refer to this as the Jesus Way. It is very different from the "Christianity" that taught them that everything about their way had to go in order for them to embrace the Gospel. Much of what they said had to go was cultural not spiritual. In trying to erase the culture Christians attempted to erase an entire People. A very simplistic way of looking at this is to say that if a Scotsman becomes a Christian he can never again wear a kilt. That is part of the Scottish culture. Nothing more. I will blog about this more as time goes by.

So after 500 years the people of the First Nations are becoming Rising Warriors proclaiming that they are no longer a "mission field", but are instead ready to stand tall in their faith and for the work completed on the Cross and they will become light bearers to their generations and to the world.

Please lift up the Lakota People in prayer daily and our ministry as we seek to teach, encourage and love them. If you would like to help us purchase Bibles, teaching materials and play a part in our setting up the teaching facility in our building shown here... you may send a payment to us via Paypal at lipstickranch@yahoo.com or call me at 719-510-3433 to use a card.


Thanks and blessings to each and every one who reads this blog and follows in their hearts what we are doing in Pine Ridge.