How God says "she's with me"

This is the image Sylvia's children saw as they were saying their last goodbys.

Which One is Me?

Pictures of me in Florida last week. Will write more about the the adventure later. Spending time with my siblings was such a wonderful, bitter sweet blessing. Praising the LORD and sending blessings Johanna's way for hearing His voice and saying yes!

Happy Birthday Elijah

My grandson in 8. Eight years ago yesterday I got to witness his arrival into this world. Eight years ago, his life began and my heart broke in two. Eight years ago yesterday...pride and joy, shame and sorrow. If it hadn't been for my precious Elijah, I don't think I would have survived those dark days. Never mind all that.  My first summer project will be to print off a hard copy of the mission blog and close it out. Maybe I will start one for Kirtland Hope. It's 4:00am Sunday, birds haven't started their chorus yet. Gotta work on the church bulletin. Ardy and Erica play typo bingo during Art's sermon. Maybe if I didn't do them at 4:00 in the morning there wouldn't be so many typos for them to find. Better get a cup of coffee. My mind seems boggled this morning.

National Day of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer?

Was our country really founded on Christian Principles? Back in the day, if you were a white European, you most likely considered yourself a Christian. Many of our founding fathers were deists – they believed in some god – but not necessarily the God of the Bible.   It is true that all the early documents on which our nation was founded, from the Mayflower Compact on thru the Constitution and Bill of Rights, mentioned God, and faith in God as an important factor. But again, some god, and I wonder really, what god? It is true that public schools were established in our nation because the leaders believed that educated individuals made good citizens, and part of that education was the ability to read the Bible for themselves. But the Bible, although honored by many, was being interpreted through (on the most part)  European, Protestant – mainly Lutheran and Calvinistic – lenses. The idea of Manifest Destiny, that God ordained the European – White – expansion across the North American continent, gave them the right and responsibility to clear the way of the “savages” who were here first.

What does it mean to a Native American today, when we claim that the United States of America was founded on Christian/Biblical principles? Do you realize that most “Indians”, even those who name the name of Christ and follow the Jesus way, believe that Jesus is the white man’s God? Those public schools I mentioned, and even so called Christian Schools run by missionaries, worked very hard in the 1800s and first half of the 1900’s to teach the “Indian out of the Indian.”  If our armies couldn’t kill them all, we could at least rob them of their culture and dignity. Basically, if they didn’t want to burn in hell, they were told, they had to give up everything that made them a unique and noble people. They had to become “white” in order to be saved.

Today there is a debate going on over the National Day of Prayer. Our country is trying to be tolerant and unbiased in the matter of religion, so when a Christian says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, and the only way to the Kingdom of God – their freedom of speech disappears into a haze of political correctness.  I think that is wrong. But to argue the matter claiming that this country is and always has been a Christian nation is also wrong. We did not deal with the First Nations in a Christ-like manner. We did not deal with the slave issue in a Christ-like manner. How long did it take for the Civil Rights movement to bring about change in this Christian nation of ours? Our founding fathers said “all men were created equal” yet denied the humanity of non-whites and even women. We are a nation where Christian teaching is beginning to be called hate-speech. We are a nation where the ultimate form of child-abuse is protected as a right which even outweighs the parents’ right of notification. We are a nation that justified mass killing of women and children in the name of Manifest Destiny. We are a nation with innocent blood on our hands. This National Day of Prayer, should be a National Day of Repentance. We dare to claim to be a nation called by “His” name.  Our leaders dared to sing “God Bless America” from the steps of a federal building when we were attacked. What god’s blessing were they calling for? We dare not name the name of Jesus – since that is not politically correct. Are our leaders praying to Allah? Buddha? Krishna? Isis?  There was a public reading of the Bible in Washington DC this week. Nehemiah, Chapter 8 records a similar event, and the people listening were weeping...because they realized that they had not been following His word?    

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Let this day be sacred to the LORD our God, and let our prayers be sincere and Christ centered.  I will be praying for my dear Navajo students, many of whom are lost in the darkness of self-doubt and intense identity crisis’. I will be praying for my friends on the largest Indian reservation in the country, trying to keep their rich culture alive, some living in the center of the United States without adequate electricity, heating or plumbing. I will pray that the 95% of Native Americans who are not “saved” will discover the truth of the Jesus of the Bible, who looked and lived a lot more like them and their ancestors, then those of the European’s who claimed they were founding this new nation on godly, Biblical, Christian principles.  

Yahweh, Creator God, Living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit God, bless this Land and its people. Protect the innocent; strengthen the Christian leaders and guide all our leaders. Bless Your people with wisdom, provision, and Shalom – peace that passes understanding - and make us strong in our walk with You. Shed Your light on those lost in the darkness, from sea to shining sea! Forgive us for not taking a stand for truth and justice, while singing our patriotic songs and arguing politics.  Forgive us for what we have done and what we have failed to do. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen!

Kingdom Planning

Planning

Genesis 1:14 - And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky...for signs and for seasons and for days and for years...

Psalm 90: - ...teach us to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart.

Two weeks ago, Kirtland Hope Evangelical Church had a planning meeting. One of the people who had been going to church at the Free Methodist Mission recalled that 4 days after our strategic planning meeting there, we were informed that the mission had been sold and the ministry was being shut down. I don’t think we have to worry about that this time. Right now our average attendance is 20 with about 1/3 of those Native American . We have about 10 kids but they are not all there every week. Easter Sunday we had 33 people, two were visitors from another state, and 2 were visitors who are very active in another church. With the combined congregations, I’d say we have about 25 regular attendees.

We are not a mission, although we are currently worshiping on the Evangelical Church’s mission site. Our focus is the Native American, in particular the Navajo, people, although many of us are white or mixed race/Hispanic. Our worship style is a mix of contemporary and traditional Christian and contextual /Native American - our worship focus is Yahweh – Creator God, Father Son Holy Spirit. Our teaching (Pastor Art is much more a teacher than a preacher) is Bible Based (Diyin God Bizaad). Our goal is to grow, by bringing people into a vital saving relationship with Jesus and providing the unchurched with a healthy church family.

We’ve planned a few outreach events and are trusting the LORD to provide the needed funds to pull them off. We have the “Horse Whisperer” coming in July. I’ll post more details on that when I get them. Right now all we really know are the dates, July 13, 14, 15. We are hoping to follow that up with a western/horsey themed VBS July 19,20,21,22. We will have a Back-to-School carnival either August 8 or 15th. We will host a Pastor’s Seminar for some of our neighboring churches on the reservation in September and we will be doing some sort of outreach during Shiprock Fair.

Some of the men that Pastor Art is counseling through the Brethren in Christ (BIC) overcomers program are expressing interest in coming to our church at the end of their session. A few of the people who we bonded with thru the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation have also said they would pay us a visit. We are also hoping to bring home some of the “family” who had been attending the Free Methodist Church on the mission before it closed or Kirtland Hope before it moved. Some relationships need to be mended and trust needs to be rebuilt.

Since we are small, and many of our people are on limited incomes, our weekly income is sparse. Our model for giving is 2 Corinthians 9: 7-8. I’d ask you to consider those verses as well, as we could use some saints willing to contribute to our ministry. And as always we can use prayers – for wisdom, provision, and healthy growth. Prayer is the key, the first step in anything we do, the glue that holds any ministry together. The Evangelical Church can arrange mission trips out here. We even have a place for teams to stay. It’s a good way to visit a third world country without needing a passport or shots. It’s a great service experience, rich in culture, eye opening, life changing. Pastor Art and I love showing people life on the Rez.

Art (Brokop) is on face book and I use his page/wall to keep in touch with our “friends”. Our e-mail has been the same for the past 12 years – artandme@juno.com. Our snail mail address is 301 E. Hopi, Farmington NM 87401. You can leave a message on this blog, if you don’t have a google account - just check anonymous. We’d love to hear from you. May God bless us all and we go about Kingdom Building. Soon and very soon (?) we are going to see the King. Sincerely in His service...Maryellen

Back Stage at the Phil Thomas Performaning Art Complex

The Lord's Supper

Jesus before Pilot

Poetry by Maryellenbernadetteiachettageniipuffbrokop

March 12, 2009

Greet the dawn,
You who are loved by God
You with the golden hair
Greet the dawn – a new day for you to learn
Be it cloudy, or sunny – like your many moods
It is a new day – and you are loved by the God who made it
Greet the dawn

Greet the dawn
You who’s God is the LORD
You with the sky blue eyes
Greet the dawn – young warrior with laughing eyes
Be angry at unfairness – fight your enemies
It is a new day – and your God, the LORD is with you
Greet the dawn

Greet the dawn
Little bird, with your sweet laughter
You who are new to this world
Greet the dawn as your ancestors have
Begin this day with a song of joy – little bird
It is a new day, and you have the love of many nations in your heart.
Greet the dawn, and the God who loves you, the LORD who is your God

Greet the dawn children of a new generation
Greet the dawn.

Green Sleeves in Shiprock

12/07/04

What child is this all dressed in black
With long dark hair and eyes so bright
Who thinks her future is just as dark
As the clothes she hides behind?

He looks so angry this bright eyed son
The world he lives in is so unkind
But should he smile at a hint of joy
His face can light up the shadows

Jesus, Oh Lord I cry
Release an army of warriors
Fight, Fight the demons here
So the children can see the light.

What child is this without a dream
Dressed in black and shadows
Who cannot hear a word of hope
For the din of the angry clatter

Jesus, Oh Lord I pray
Release an army of angels
Drive away the deafening throng
So they can hear your whisper
Open your hearts while the way is clear
See the truth around you
The Joy and Promise of the Living Light
The truth of the stories you’ve heard.

 

Friday, October 24, 2008

For Michael

I see you
You are not invisible to me.
I see you all
Walking with your head down,
Dragging you feet, wearing out your souls.
I see you
Vacant men walking past Vacant houses
Men of the Land, who don’t seem to care anymore
about the Land around them
Dry, like the Land you are born to
I see you
Making your way into town
For a drink, for a job, for a change
And making your way home again
To the old mother who still cares
To the old grandmother who still prays for you
To be greeted by a long sad sigh and an open door
I want to say, “hold your head up high”
I want to say, “be the brave you were born to be”
I want to say, “I am sorry.”
I want to cook for you, and sing you songs, and tell you stories
Great Stories, Living Stories
I want to give you a hot cup of coffee on a cold night,
With lots of sugar and a dash of hope.
I want to drive you home
To the son that needs you
To the woman that loves you
And I want to say…
Look past the stars, Look past the moon
Look past the tent meetings and revivals
Seek God!
He is there waiting
He sees you.
Learn to sing His songs
He is calling you.
Believe His stories
He has a plan for you!
All of you. Each of You.
Walking this Land for a Divine purpose.
He is not the White Man’s God
He is every man’s God
He is not the missionary’s God
He is the People’s God
He formed you, He knows you, He sees you.
You are not invisible to Him.

cameras. mirrors, and memories

I am discovering the joy of Facebook...connecting with friends, searching for shadows of my past, chatting with my sisters. And I am becoming more and more aware of my face. When did I get so old? When did I start looking so much like  my mother. Some of the friends I found, some of the shadows, look really good. I'm just a frumpy, grandma type school marm. The mirror over my sink doesn't mock me as much as that nasty camera when it turns on me. I think, if I try, I can remember being young and thin. But in all honesty, I wasn't very happy back then. Lost you might say. I'd like to be healthier, which would mean that I would have to drop a considerable number of pounds. I think being a better steward of the body which the LORD has given me, would enable me to serve Him more effectively. I'm trapped in an exhausting cycle of being to tired to get in shape, and being tired because I am not in shape. Does that make sense? Actually right now I am killing time - I need to get busy before I waste the day. Tonight Pastor Art and I are going to Albuquerque to worship and share fellowship with some friends at Thunderbird Ministries. Tomorrow night is the first performance of the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation. I have a 3 day weekend coming up because Monday is Navajo Nation Sovereignty Day. Maybe I will borrow Tziporah and her stroller and take a nice long walk.

Passion Play of the Navajo Nation - Rehearsal

He's Alive!

And yes, this was a glorious Easter Season. Actually it's not over yet. Not until April 23/24, when the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation is presented in Shiprock, New Mexico. Pastor Art will be playing Peter in that production. I am helping with the crowd scenes. We've been involved with Passion Play for 12 years, and this season has been exceptionally exciting. We were part of the first Spanish Speaking production in Farmington, and then in the English Speaking version. Counting dress rehearsals we did 10 presentations in 10 days. Now we have 3 more weeks of rehearsals with the Navajo Cast. This has been quite a multi-cultual, multi-generational experience, and we've made a lot of new friends.
Three weeks ago we were asked to take over the pastoring of Kirtland Hope Evangelical Church. Our little congregation had been joining their little congregation in worship for a few weeks prior. Their congregation is primarily Navajo. The two groups seem to be binding together well. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. There was a Sonrise Service around the drum. A yummy Easter Breakfast and a slightly more "traditional" or should I say, conventional worship service at the regular time - 10:00am. Altogether we had 33 people worshiping the risen Christ!
The Evangelical Church owns a house and double wide trailer, which houses visiting mission teams and serves as a ministry center. There are 2 "missionary" couples assigned to this area who are part of our Church. Currently our worship services are in the trailer. We are planning on having a planning meeting soon. Resources are sparse but potential and hope abounds. And we serve a great God! I'm posting pictures of the Easter Egg hunt we had for the church kids at our house, and of the Easter Sunday SonRise Service. Please continue to pray for our ministry. And May God Bless Us Everyone!

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Breakfast

Sonrise Drum Circle

Merry Christmas

Tziporah's first birthday - with brother Elijah
2 of Jeremiah's kids - 12/19/09

All Things Work...

This blog site used to be a place of debate, and personal reflection on theology and faith. For the past 2 1/2 years my "free time" has been spent in ministry, planting seeds, and waiting for harvest. And most of my blogging has been reporting the slow and steady progress of The Farmington Free Methodist mission. It seems that that chapter is coming to its end. And I won't be blogging much anymore.

But I need to post the following paragraphs because I don't want them to be wasted. Just before I found out that "The Mission" was being sold and "The Ministry" was being shut down, I put together 3 special news letters. The pictures and annoucements would be the same, but the scripture reference and focus paragraph would be different. One would be sent out to the many families that participate in our events, get help from our food and clothing distribution, but do not come to church on Sunday. Another would be for the small churches on the Rez, and the area ministries that have partnered with us. The third would be for our donors, and potential doners.

Hebrews 10:24,25

What is church and why is it important? Ask 10 people and you’d probably get 10 different answers. Here at the Mission on the Bisti, church is a tiny, 50 year old chapel. It is a group of people, multi-generational and multi-cultural. It is singing songs to the creator – contemporary Christian songs, old time hymns in Navajo and English, and songs to the beat of the drum or the haunting melody of a cedar flute. It is Sunday Morning at 10:30. Studying the Bible with Pastor Art and having refreshments afterwards. It is children participating in worship and making crafts or playing Bible Bingo during the sermon. It is important because the Bible says so. It is important because the Great I Am commanded it. If you are looking for a church, where you and your family can grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the LORD, where you can learn and serve as well... we invite you – we welcome you – come to our “church” at the Mission on the Bisti – Be blessed.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20

Partnership? That’s what we are hoping for here at the Free Methodist Mission on the Bisti. We don’t have much in the way of resources, but what we have, we want to share with our Navajo neighbors and we want to reach out a hand of friendship to the other “little” churches in the area. We don’t want to “steal your sheep” but rather we want to work with you to reach the “lost sheep” that are wandering around in the darkness of sin and hopelessness. Some of our plans include a special luncheon for area pastors and ministry partners on December 12, a Saturday Seminar on Spiritual Gifts in January, and an Open House – Children’s Ministry Workshop – what is Free Methodism? event in February. You might want to tell your congregation that we have a clothing and food distribution every Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30pm. Why not give Pastor Art a call, just to say Ya’aateh. He’d love to hear from old friends or get to know new ones!


2 Corinthians 8:1-6

Here at the Mission on the Bisti, we are all about restoration. Restoring families, restoring hope to wanderers lost in the dark, restoring relationships with reservation churches, and restoring a 7 ½ acre site that was desolate and in ill repair for many years. We are about planting seeds. Handing out treat bags and sacks of potatoes at the Shiprock Fair parade (and upcoming Holiday Parade in Farmington), distributing canned goods and warm coats on Tuesday afternoons, inviting our Navajo neighbors to eat with us, play with us, and worship with us. Our needs? Of course we need cash donations. Walmart cards come in handy too! We need tangibles such as: personal size toiletries – lotion, chap-stick, handi-wipes (no mouthwash) socks, gloves, and hats (it does get really cold here during the winter months), hard candy, little toys (brown skinned dolls are especially appreciated), kids’ books and blankets or quilts for the elderly. Mostly, really, we need your prayers! May God continue to bless us, everyone!

Well, that's that. I still can't believe this is over. After the Healthy Church Growth Seminar we went to last month, and the strategic planning meeting we had last Sunday, and the prayer vigil pastor and I were having...I really thought it was time to begin harvesting, not time to plow it all under, well - to everything there is a time...turn turn turn

Life is a great adventure...

one of our young men observed that life is an adventure, you get started and there's no turning back, you just have to keep on living...
one of the joys of my life is being a grandmother...and here is a picture of our littlest one, playing drums with grandpa art...

Eli

Blessed are those who mourn – for they shall be comforted.
To everything there is a time, and a season for everything under heaven.
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Friends of mine just lost an infant grandson. Since my own little nephew passed into Jesus’ arms over 25 years ago, I’ve often reflected that the death of a child has to be the most faith shaking experience of all. Whether the baby lived only a few hours like little Eli, or a few years like little Nicky, it has to be one of the hardest things a person, especially a mother, has to endure.
I was thinking about that during my devotions yesterday, and thinking of the babies I know of personally, whose mortal lives were so very short.
When Nicky was nearly the end of his battle against Leukemia, I remember lamenting to our God, who clearly said “Ask and you shall receive…what so ever you ask in My Name…” but He will miss so much, and hearing the LORD say to my heart, “but he will be spared so much” and I remember praying, “LORD, he will be scared when it happens, will you hold him for a while, ‘til he gets used to this new place?” Then I thought how stupid that prayer was. How many babies die at any given moment? How could God have time to rock each one? And the LORD said to my heart, “Maryellen, never limit Me to your understanding of time, I will rock Nicky as long as he wants.” It occurs to me now that in some way our Heavenly Father might still be rocking him. And Eli, and little Emily. Little Emily was my best friend’s grand-daughter. She was born with a multitude of problems, and everyone knew she wouldn’t last very long. I got to hold her days before she passed on. I whispered in her little ear “give Jesus a big hug for me when you see Him.” It was a strangely peaceful experience, knowing that this little angel, sleeping in my arms, was soon going to be in the presences of God, in His heavenly kingdom. I suppose the question often comes up in such circumstances, when surely the parents and grandparents and friends of the families, especially in all these cases when the babies were born into families that were “Believers”, prayed for a miracle – why didn’t God say yes? Why didn’t He heal? Surely death wasn’t part of His original plan. Surely He is able to heal the sick, even raise the dead. It is hard, nearly impossible for some, to simply sigh and say “Thy will be done.” I just don’t know. I do know that God is Love, and death is not the end of things, and Heaven is a wonderful place. I know that life is hard. I know that 7 minutes or 70 years of life, its so short compared to eternity. I think of little Eli, fearfully and wonderfully formed within his mother’s womb, a few breaths of our air and heaven bound. No reasons, no excuses, no what-ifs will make a bit of difference. So I mourn with those who mourn, and I trust the LORD who counts our tears, and I know blessings will come and peace that passes understanding. I saw a thunderstorm in the mountains today – The God of glory thunders, and I saw a rainbow – God keeps His promises. And I said a prayer for my friends…and I think of little children dancing in Heaven and I smile.

Renaissance on the Rez

School's out. I'm already looking forward to August 15 when I get to start all over again. I love my job! Here are some highlights of the last week of school. Our classroom Renaissance Fair, our end of the year dance, and my favorite - the promotion ceremony when all my students are so nicely dressed and refined. Bless their hearts.