Spirit Winds American Indian Fellowship

[spiritwinds]

Welcome to Spirit Winds American Indian Fellowship. This group is open to NDN believers in Christ. Non-Natives are welcome to join with the understanding that there will be no criticism of NDN history, heritage or spirituality allowed.

Spirit Winds NDN Fellowship​

A voice of peace and reconciliation.​

A vessel to usher in forgiveness and healing.​

It is time to heal the wounds of racism. ​

It is time to mend the Sacred Hoop.​

 

[spiritwinds]

Become a part of this friendship circle. If you are of American Indian descent, please do consider joining. Your Blood Quantum does not matter and is not important. Non-Natives are welcome to join.

Criticism of Indian spirituality, history, or culture will not be allowed. But on the same token, criticism of the white man's spirituality, history, or culture will also not be allowed.

The purpose of this club is to bring believers in Jesus, despite their denomination, race, color, gender, or age, together for fellowship, encouragement, and support. I would like to provide the opportunity for Non-Natives to learn about the rich variety of the American Indian culture, history, and way of life.

Fellowship of Believers in Christ

 

[spiritwinds]

Welcome to our Talking Circle. Please feel free to share your stories, hopes, dreams, and your life experiences with us. We are here for one another, for encouragement and support. I encourage you to invite your friends to join us. May each of you be blessed.

 

[spiritwinds]

Great Spirit, ​

Give us hearts to understand ​

Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give, ​

Never to destroy want only for the furtherance of greed, ​

Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty, ​

Never to take from her what we cannot use. ​

Give us hearts to understand ​

That to destroy earth's music is to create confusion, ​

That to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty, ​

That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench, ​

That as we care for her she will care for us. ​

Give us hearts to understand We have forgotten who we are. ​

We have sought only our own security. ​

We have exploited simply for our own ends. ​

We have distorted our knowledge. ​

We have abused our power. ​

Great Spirit, ​

Whose dry lands thirst, ​

Help us to find the way to refresh your lands. ​

Great Spirit, ​

Whose waters are choked with debris and pollution, ​

Help us to find the way to cleanse your waters. ​

Great Spirit, ​

Whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse, ​

Help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork. ​

Great Spirit, ​

Whose creatures are being destroyed, ​

Help us to find a way to replenish them Great Spirit, ​

whose gifts to us are being lost in selfishness and corruption, ​

Help us to find the way to restore our humanity. ​

 

[spiritwinds]

When Going to Church is Sin
by Randy Woodley

The pastor arrived early for the Wednesday night prayer meeting. As often the case, there would be the regular faithful few and possibly a visitor or two. The pastor began his regular routine of praying over every seat. He prayed that each person would hear from God and leave knowing Him better. He prayed that there would be healing in peoples' bodies and hearts and that he and everyone present would be changed for God’s glory and that the Holy Spirit would make His presence known. Above all he prayed that Jesus Christ would be honored.

As the people began to enter the church he welcomed them with a hug or handshake. They began with the familiar words of the chorus, “God you are great and we are small - thank you for your mercy.” After the opening song and welcome the pastor prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and asked anyone else who felt led to pray to please join in. Everyone present prayed with fervor and one visitor prayed silently. Several worship songs followed and finally it came to a time of sharing.

At least half of the people present shared at a deep level. One woman told how grateful she was to be in church after serving a prison term and through weeping eyes expressed her gratefulness to God for His great deliverance. Another woman asked for prayers for her wayward teenager. One of the men needed work and asked the congregation to remember him though he did not profess Christianity. Every so often someone spontaneously broke out in a song or prayer.

After everyone who wanted had the opportunity to pray the pastor dismissed the meeting. It had gone longer than usual but no one minded. They had made contact with God and His Holy Spirit filled their hearts. Many had come discouraged but now there was a renewed hope. They all hugged after the meeting then they shared a pot luck meal together and went home.

This meeting seemed innocent enough but later it was condemned as a demonic by many Christians. What was so disturbing to other believers about the meeting I described is that it took place inside a canvas hut where steam was produced by pouring water over hot rocks. It was a Native American sweat lodge. Was it the place that was so evil? Maybe the rocks or even the water?

Perhaps it was the fact that a few “non-christians” were present?Whatever the reason—the other Christians considered it unholy and would never fellowship with that pastor or that church again.

Consider the ritual that occurs in not all, but in hundreds of thousands of church buildings every Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. People wear their best clothes often because they are concerned about how others will view them. They watch a pastor, song leader or choir deliver to them what they think they need for inspiration and most often the members do not get to share what God may be saying to them. They leave without even saying a word, somewhat inspired but feeling somewhat unimportant and an hour later forgetting everything that was said by the Pastor.

Of course there could be Native American Sweat Lodges as well as churches that have lost their sense of spiritual life but how many of those churches who religiously perpetuate dead religion are condemned wholesale by the rest of the church?

It is easy to criticize that which we do not understand—it is our human nature to do so. Ever since Cain tried to silence the voice of his brother Able, people have hated the difference in the ways that others worship God.

As Native American believers in Jesus we have a different history and culture than the rest of American society. Though Satan has tried his best to get us to be ashamed of our culture, often using the church to do so—we are happy to be just as God has made us. We will change everything that displeases the Father but disregard arguments and accusations brought by those following the way of the Judaizers spoken about in the Galatians. The circumcision debate ended in Acts 15 with the Council at Jerusalem.

This single issue, whether it be the use of Sweat Lodge, praying with smoke from plants like cedar, using eagle feathers, or any other sacred ceremony has kept untold thousand of Native Americans away from the church and from hearing the wonderful message of Jesus' love for them. Let us go on from here content to glorify God together in what we do understand and to practice tolerance in what we don’t. People need to know Jesus Christ.

“Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

Eagle's Wings Ministry

 

[spiritwinds]

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice... ​

"Let me tell you a story." ​

"I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It's like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.
I have struggled with these feelings many times." ​

"It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way." ​

"But...the other wolf... ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason.
He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing." ​

"Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit." ​

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather ?" ​

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed." ​

 

[RigalCygnos]

"Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us.

The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it.

Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

One thing we know - there is only one God. No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all."

 

[spiritwinds]

Watch this video ~ Praise Him by Redsun

 

[spiritwinds]

 

[spiritwinds]

Welcome to my Friendship Circle, RigalCygnos. Thank you for sharing the Song of Chief Seattle. I pray that you will be blessed here. Please take a moment to introduce yourself. My name is Neawana (nigh-yah-wah-nah), but I am known here as Spirit Winds. It is nice to have you here. Welcome.

 

[spiritwinds]

 

[spiritwinds]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - May 16​

"It's time. If you are to walk the path of heart, then it is time..." - Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE ​

If not now, when? If not me, who? To walk the path of the heart is a great honor. Every human has the choice to walk this path, but very few will decide to make it. Why? Well, because you can't act and behave like everyone else behaves. You must be the person who will learn to look within. You must be the person who will be fully accountable for yourself. You must be the person who prays and meditates. You must be the person who will sacrifice. You must decide to be a Peaceful Warrior. What will you decide today?

Oh, Great Mystery, lead me on the path of the heart. ​

 

[spiritwinds]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - May 17​

"If the Great Spirit wanted men to stay in one place He would make the world stand still; but He made it to always change..." - Chief Flying Hawk, OGLALA SIOUX​

The Elders tell us change occurs in two directions. They say, "That which is built is constantly being destroyed; that which is loose is being used to build the New." In other words, change is constantly going on. Many times we hear people say, "I hate change." Does it make sense that the Great Spirit would design people to hate it? The Great Spirit designed people with change abilities such as visioning, imagery and imagination. Maybe we need to learn to use these tools and then we'll look forward to change.

Great Spirit, today, let me see the harmony of Yours, truly changing world. ​

 

[spiritwinds]

If almost 3 million people had never heard the Gospel, would you say that the church had neglected them? That is what has happened to the 510 tribes of American Indians living in the United States alone. The majority of churches in this country have and still are neglecting the indigenous peoples. Why is that? Are these people unworthy of attention? Are their lost souls less significant than the souls of other peoples? Only around 2% of American Indians today are Christians, even though there has been over 500 years of attempted christianizing of the indigenous peoples.

Since the coming of Columbus in 1492, tens of millions of North American Indians have died due to sickness, slavery, massacres, and extermination. The European missionaries looked at Native Spirituality as a worthless superstition inspired by Satan. And for those not slaughtered many were forcibly converted to Christianity. In the last century, NDN spiritual leaders ran the risk of jail sentences of up to 30 years for simply practicing their rituals. But in 1978, this came to an end when the Freedom of Religion Act was passed.

As one can imagine, Christianity is not well received among many NDNs. But seems to me that the majority of churches have already abandoned the souls of unsaved NDNs anyway. Perhaps these churches feel that such a task is an unworthy cause, a waste of time, energy and money to reach the indigenous peoples for Christ. These churches will send their missionaries across the sea to witness to remote villages in the jungle or to Hindus, Buddhists or Muslims, but they will not send their missionaries to an NDN reservation (no matter what the distance).

Although I am not full-blood, I have encountered great hostility and criticism from other white Christians because I have embraced my Cherokee and Choctaw heritage. I have been told numerous times that I cannot be Indian and Christian at the same time. I must be one or the other. I have been told that to embrace my heritage is to betray my faith. I do not embrace the spirituality of my Ancestors, although I believe it has been greatly misunderstood by many who are not of Indian descent. Due to the pressure I felt, more than one time I have denied my Indian blood, and at other times I have walked away from my faith in defiance. Finding peace and unity between my white man and red man heritages and my Christian faith has been a great struggle for me.

There is great resentment that has taken root in many American Indians against Christianity because of what was done to our Ancestors in the name of God, and I have known of some who have left the Christian Church because they, too, have encountered great hostility and criticism from white Christians, who tell them that they must worship our Great Father as the white Christians worship him. Now I see this as a tremendous problem for the Christian Church, but I do not see many from either side who have the desire to help resolve this problem. Forgiveness, healing, and peace need to the take place of hate, racism, and resentment. I would like to open a dialogue in the hopes that we can learn from one another, and be encouraged to reach out to the indigenous peoples for Christ.

American Indians over these many years have been so stereotyped, demonized, and romanticized that the perception of these peoples is now so terribly distorted. And because the culture and spirituality of the American Indian has been exploited and greatly misunderstood for so long, they are still disrespected, oppressed and treated like social outcasts. American Indians are not a relic of the past. American Indians are not mascots, squaws, redskins, savages or 'wild' Indians. We are people, and it is time that we are treated as such. And it is time for the majority of churches and (white) Christians to start valueing our souls just as they value the souls of other peoples.

​

 

[spiritwinds]

May you all walk in peace in the footsteps of our Prince of Peace. Be thankful for the many blessings that our Great Father has given you. Be kind, compassionate, and patient with others. Give to those who are in need and forgive those who have wronged you. May you be blessed and may you be a blessing to others.

 

[spiritwinds]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - May 18​

"...Grandmother the Earth. That power is here all the time. It is continuous, and nobody controls it." -
Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA​

There are certain powers that the human being has no choice but to obey. We cannot negotiate or barter with this power. Our choice is either to conform or to live out of harmony. Whatever our choice, it will be the end result in our lives that we notice. So it is with the powers of the Earth which produce life. The Earth has the life force power. If anyone plants a seed, the seed will grow. The Earth treats everyone equally. The human cannot interfere, only obey. We should all show great respect for the Earth and Her powers. ​

Great Spirit, today, let me honor and respect the power of the Grandmother, the Earth.​

​

 

[RigalCygnos]

Hope others will see these posts and speak to us. This is good... to see such forest echoes from my longlost brothers and sisters. I am part Cherokee and a lot of spiritual kinship with nature has been inside me ever since I can remember. When I was a child, I thought that the rain, thunder, and lightning spoke to me, that the winds were my friends and I used to hug trees. When I was a child.

I believe in the spiritual ways of the indian; I seem to just understand so much when I read about them and what they were like.

I consider nature as one of so many paths to seeing the hand our Creator, because those things created before us had no other ways of becoming reality.

I was born and raised a Christian, as were my whole family. But they were just simple country people, who had only respect for all other peoples and what others chose to worship, because they thought other people in the world were like their neighbors.

Indians lived more closely to the land and to the skies, they were the children of the Great Spirit.

I believe were are all created by God and were given the land as our Mother and all living creatures beside us.

Only Chief Seattle could say it for me.

 

[spiritwinds]

In 1854, the United States Government offered to buy two million acres of Indian land in the Northwest. Below is a translation of Chief Sealth's (Seattle) reply to resident Franklin Pierce in December of that year. It has been described as the most beautiful and prophetic statement on the environment ever made.

"The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. The Great Chief also sends us words of friendship and good will. This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return. But we will consider your offer.

How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us...

This we know: All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. But we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We live apart, and in peace.

One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover -- our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land: but you cannot.

He is the God of man; and his compassion is equal for the red man and the white. His earth is precious to Him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.

But in your perishing you will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man. That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, and the veiw of ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket? Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. So we will consider your offer to buy the land.

If we agree, it will be to secure the reservation you have promised. There, perhaps, we may live out our brief days as we wish. When the last red man has vanished from the earth, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people. For they love this earth as a newborne loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell our land, love it as we've loved it. Care for it as we've cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you take it. And preserve it for your children, and love it... as God loves us all. One thing we know. Our God is the same God. This earth is precious to Him. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see..."

 

[spiritwinds]

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians
and anxiously wait for my reply
thinking your words warm my heart.
Instead they send a chill down my spine. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Be my Indian guide; take me to your people.
Be my Tonto; I'll be your Lone Ranger.
I'll be your Custer; you be me White-Man-Owns-Him. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
You've always dreamed of this:
A two-week adventure with lifetime bragging rights,
Indians left to live or die with the consequences. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Have you, your church, your denomination
ever opposed the slaughter, the theft of land,
the termination of our ways of life? ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Is this the burden of Columbus and Smith,
of Bradford and Amherst and Sevier,
of Wayne and Harrison and Dawes? ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians
to kill the Indian but save the man?
The only good Indian is the one who died
or behaves as one already dead. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Is this the burden of the gospel of greed
that comes calling itself civilization
preaching the salvation of selfishness? ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Is this the burden of a cannibal culture
prowling around, looking for one to devour,
crossing earth and sea for a single convert? ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Who am I to pass judgment on another?
But, you will know them by their fruits.
Grapes will never grow on sawbriers. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
Did Creator lay such a burden on your heart?
"My burden is light," the Great One says.
"You are the burden and I will cast you off." ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians.
The white man's burden lays a heavy load
that bends and breaks the backs
of all for whom he is burdened. ​

A burden for the Indians, you say
you have a burden for the Indians,
and you anxiously wait for my reply.
GET OVER IT! I say; then maybe we Indians can
get over 500 years of your burden lain on us. ​

For those non-Indians who feel they have a burden for the Indian: The "white-man's burden has consistently made things worse for American Indian people. You may be thinking that what you are feeling inside is different. I hope it is. Are you willing to help without seeking to control? Are you willing to listen before you speak? Are you willing to observe before you ask questions? Are you willing to acknowledge the neediness of your own people and of your own self as well as the neediness or "plight" of the Indians? Are you willing to acknowledge that the healing of your people and the healing of other peoples, including American Indian peoples, is intricately bound together? Are you willing to understand that healing for Indian peoples does not mean Indian people becoming more like you? Are you willing to lay aside the idols of civil religion and denominational or religious dogma that you may hear the voice of the Spirit and act on what you hear? If you have answered "Yes" to, at least, some of these questions, there is hope. Let's talk.

Native American Indian spiritual helpers live in poverty on a fraction of what white ministers or white missionaries to Indians are paid. This disparity remains regardless of the level of education achieved by Indian helpers or ministers. If you really want to help American Indians, encourage your church to get involved in financially helping an American Indian helper who is working within the culture (the only New Testament approach) of his/her own people. To make this a reciprocal, helping relationship, encourage your church to invite that person to speak in your church periodically (not five-minutes before worship to explain the "plight" of the poor Indian but the whole worship time to meaningfully share in ways that will help the people of your church).

Bible References: Matthew 23:15; Romans 14:4; Matthew 7:16; Matthew 11:30; Jeremiah 23:33​

 

[cristianna]

Excellent posts!