January 27 - Daily Feast
Volume II
Trust is a fragile gem that most people never intend to lose. Too often a promise is easily made and easily broken. It reveals a deeper nature that may never have been trustworthy. A Cherokee elder once commented, "Indian may forgive - but Indian never forget." No grudge, but wisdom that a trust shattered one time may well be broken again. Trust is a stand - a ga to gv - says the Cherokee. If the Spirit is trustworthy, then we should be trustworthy. He is the Gem, the Power of the stand we take. We personally have no power - but the Gem has it all.
~ The Indian world was devoted to living; the European world to getting. ~
HISTORIAN, 1764
"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 27
"There is no death. Only a change of worlds."
--Chief Seattle, SUQWAMISH AND DUWAMISH
The Elders tell us of the other dimension, the Spirit World. Our spirit in our bodies does not die, it only looks that way to our eyes and our brains. Some of our ceremonies allow us to see into the Spirit World. Death is only part of a process of life. It shows the transition into the Spirit World. The Elders tell us this is a joyful life journey.
My Creator, help me to understand both the seen world and the unseen world. Let me not be afraid of the world You live in.
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'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
There is much to be said of small things. Even in this age of emphasis on bigness we must realize that bigness is only a mass of small things. An idea is a small thing. With it we can change our world. We can take a tiny seed and give it careful attention and reap a hundred fold. We can take a little idea and give it our attention and build it into a fortune.
A smile is a small thing. Smile once at someone in passing and three will return the smile. Smiling is so contagious that it moves from person to person until a hundred smiling faces are the result of one.
A thought is a small thing. One thought inspires another and another until a mental image is formed. From that mental image blueprints are drawn. And from those blueprints worlds are built.
Hope is a small thing. One tiny glimmer of hope can lift us out of the deepest pit of darkness. One whisper of encouragement will help us to know that as long as there's hope there is an excellent chance.
A wish is a small thing. Like a little prayer, it climbs the steps to an idea that makes a smile and gives us hope to make our wishes come true. For in small things are all great things formed, in little beginnings the possibilities of great events.
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Great Spirit Prayer
"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy
Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.
Aho , Amen , e-men .
Ancient Prayer
"May you always walk in Beauty."
Aho , Amen , e-men .
Big Thunder (Bedagi), late 19th century Algonquin
"The Great Spirit is in all things, is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us; that which we put into the ground, She returns to us...."
Aho , Amen , e-men .
The Rock
The rock lays near
While light comes and goes
The rock only exists
Said to have no soul
The rock cannot be sad
It knows not the time
It has no life to hold
It canít feel love
As we admire it
It remains in stillness
Yet in its own way
May watch!
Aho , Amen , e-men .
God's Minute
THEN OUR MOUTH WAS FILLED WITH LAUGHTER, AND
OUR TONGUE WITH SINGING.
( PSALM 126:2 *NKJV )
Dear Member's,
Now in keeping with our Saturday tradition I will share a
laugh or two with you this morning. The following message
was sent to us by one of our Sister's-In-Christ, and it is
titled "Kid's In Church." I hope that you laugh as hard as I
did when I first read these, so let us begin.....
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"KIDS IN CHURCH"
3-year-old, Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name. Amen."
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A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make
me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good
time like I am."
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A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments.
They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked
if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand,
stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the
neighbor's wife."
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After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason
sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His
father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the
boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up
in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."
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I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the
Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime, she would
repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided
to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated
each word right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into
temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail."
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One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our
trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our
baskets."
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A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were
on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to
be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because
people are sleeping."
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Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were
sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out
loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not
supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to
stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the
church and said, "See those two men standing by the door?
They're hushers."
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A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5
and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get
the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a
moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin
turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be
Jesus!"
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A father was at the beach with his children when the
four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led
him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
"Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died
and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a
moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"
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A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she
turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you
like to say the blessing? "I wouldn't know what to say," the
girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife
answered. The daughter bowed her head and said,
"Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
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A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "What was
Jesus' mother's name?" One child answered, "Mary."
The teacher then asked, "Who knows what Jesus' father's
name was?" A little boy said, "Verge."
Confused, the teacher asked, "Where did you get that?"
The boy said, "Well, you know they are always talking
about Verge n' Mary.
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With My Love & Prayers,
your servant , Pastor cougarmoon
