I am constantly reminded of the saying, “You can't move forward if you are always looking back.” A few weeks ago we had some couples from 3 local churches at our house, and we were talking about some of the challenges we face and what it takes to truly “make disciples” here on Navajo. I found myself thinking about Psalm 34:8,

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

For many of our people, what they have tasted and seen of the Lord is not good. 

Many of the older Generation still live in the memory of the boarding schools where children were forced to take “Christian Names,” not allowed to speak in their own language, and faced all forms of inhuman punishment or even death.  Some who are here and serving alongside me today were forced to attend these boarding schools and

churches, where they were baptized so many times that the Baptism Ceremony has lost its significance in their lives. 

The gospel has been attached to all kinds of gimmicks and has been prostituted in exchange for people getting things they want or need from the church.  Some time ago, I was speaking and praying with a person whose daughter had gone out with a pastor's son 2 years ago, and they never returned. Her body, along with another body,

were only recently found. Last fall I was talking to a man who left another church where the church leaders did not want the Natives touching their sound equipment for fear that it might get taken. I was talking with a local ministry leader, he explained that the students he is in contact with don’t see the love of Jesus in the Gospel because the love

of Jesus has been replaced with legalism and hatred. This causes me to hang my head in shame for what we, the Church, have done. Many have said they just need to get over it. Get over it? The persecution has not ended yet. This answers the question of why the Gospel is seen as white man's religion, and why today our people are asleep to the good news of the Gospel: because what they have tasted of the LORD has not tasted good.

So where do we go from here? We love unconditionally. believe this saying came from a friend from South Dakota: “We love until they ask why.” We serve endlessly. We serve until our tank is empty. And we serve some more so the people can see the love of Jesus in us, through us, and around us. Not just by what we say but by what we do. We point people to Jesus. When we want to give people hope, give them hope in Jesus. When we want to help people with their identity, show them who they are in Jesus. When we want to help with their quality of life, show them their value in Jesus. This is not just what is needed on the Navajo Nation but in all of the world. The whole world needs a good healthy heaping dose of Jesus.