Natives Follow Jesus
The Natives Follow Jesus podcast recognizes that following Jesus as Native American / First Nation disciples is getting more and more challenging. You don’t have to follow Jesus all alone. Join me every week where you can find positive and encouraging content as you seek to follow Jesus as best as you can. Daron Butler is the host of this weekly show where episodes drop every Monday morning at 6am. Daron is a full-blooded Navajo. His Navajo family are followers of Jesus spanning three generations. He has served as a pastor in the local church and serves as Hospice Chaplain in...
Episode 87 More Than A Mascot--We are Made in God's Image
Native identity is sacred, not entertainment.
This episode explores why Native mascots, costumes, and caricatures continue to affect Native people today. While many people say they intend to honor Native Americans through mascots, the reality is often very different. What is presented as appreciation frequently becomes a shallow stereotype that reduces living cultures to symbols, costumes, and mascots.
This conversation is not about anger. It is about dignity.
It is about seeing Native people as human beings created in God’s image rather than symbols used for entertainment.
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Episode 86: We’re Still Here--Confronting the Myth That Native Americans Only Exist in the Past
SHOW NOTES:
Indigenous Peoples are not mascots, myths, or museum pieces. We are living peoples created by God with stories, beauty, pain, humor, and purpose.
We’re starting a new series, entitled, Beyond the Stereotype. This series is designed to help Native and non-Native listeners confront harmful stereotypes, reclaim indigenous identity, and a desire to follow Jesus with honesty, strength, humor, and dignity.
Many people talk about Native people as if we disappeared. This episode reminds listeners that Native communities are alive, evolving, resilient, and still carrying culture, language, faith, and identity.
...
Episode 85: Counting Blessings--Celebrating Birthdays and Spiritual Milestones as Indigenous Followers of Jesus
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Birthdays are more than getting older. They’re reminders that the Creator carried us another year.
This week on Natives Follow Jesus, we talk about celebrating birthdays as Indigenous followers of Jesus — and why spiritual milestones matter too.
Celebrate:
your healingyour sobrietyyour baptismyour growthyour survivalyour journey with JesusSome victories are quiet…but they still matter deeply. Walk in beauty, relatives.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt...Episode 84 Memorial Day: Honor, Grief, and the Indigenous Warrior
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Memorial Day can feel complicated for Indigenous people. Many Native communities carry both pride in our veterans and pain from the history our people endured.
This week on Natives Follow Jesus, we talk honestly about:
• Native warrior traditions
• Indigenous military service
• historical trauma
• faith, lament, and healing through Jesus
We honor Native veterans while refusing to erase the truth of history. You can hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Walk in beauty, relatives.
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Sign up...Episode 83 Vision for where God is leading Native Followers of Jesus next
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Where is God leading Native Followers of Jesus next?
This episode reflects on healing, identity, community, and the importance of encouraging the next generation with an authentic faith.
The next season may not be louder or flashy--but it may be deeper.
Listen now and reflect on what God may be growing in your life.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement...Episode 82 Finishing Well: Lessons from mothers who have walked long with Jesus
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Some of the strongest followers of Jesus I’ve ever known were mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and mother-like people, who walked faithfully with God through hardship, sacrifice, and prayer.
Their faith wasn’t loud—but it endured.
This episode honors the women who planted seeds of faith into generations and teaches us what it means to finish well.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the moveme...Songs and Stories That Endure--Preserving faith through culture, art, and memory
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Songs and stories have always been central to Native identity. They carry memory, meaning, and truth across generations.
As followers of Jesus, we have an opportunity to preserve something even deeper—our faith.
This episode explores how our songs, stories, and creative expression can point to God and shape future generations.
As we approach the National Day of Prayer, we’re reminded that our voices matter. Prayer is part of the story God is writing through us.
Take a moment this week to reflect: What story are you...
Episode 80: Planting Seeds for Tomorrow--How Your faith shapes future generations
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Our faith was never meant to stop with our generation—it’s meant to be passed down to the next generation.
Psalm 78:4 calls us to tell the next generation about the goodness of God. As Native followers of Jesus, we carry stories, traditions, and faith that can shape the future.
The question is: What are you planting today?
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Sign up for the newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Follow me o...Episode 79: The Secret Garden--A Call to Wise Stewardship of God’s Creation
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As Indigenous followers of Jesus, we understand that the earth is a sacred trust. God created the earth and placed humans in His creation. He asked the First Man and First Woman to take care of the Garden.
Let’s explore what it means to wisely steward the care of God’s creation as a follower of Jesus. I do not want you to respond out of guilt, but to act out of a deep-seated love for the Creator of All Things and to care for His creation.
Through a faith-based lens...
Episode 78: Life After Easter--Living with a Resurrection Mindset
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What happens after Easter?
The resurrection of Jesus invites us into a lifelong journey of hope, renewal, and purpose. In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore how Indigenous followers of Jesus can live with a “resurrection mindset” every day. Join us as we reflect on faith, resilience, and community.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesusSend me an email at nati...Episode 77: The Theology of the Cross--Why the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Changes Everything
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Why did Jesus have to die? And why does His resurrection matter today?
In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore the deep meaning of the cross through an Indigenous lens—connecting suffering, restoration, and new life.
This isn’t just theology. It’s transformation.
The resurrection means your story is not over.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Ins...Episode 76: Voices from the Garden--Engaging Easter as an Indigenous Follower of Jesus
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What if Easter isn’t just about the empty tomb… but the surrendered heart in the garden?
In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we enter Gethsemane through dramatic storytelling and Indigenous reflection.
Come listen, reflect, and walk with Jesus in the tension before the victory.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesusSend me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com to c...Episode 75: Everyday Miracles – Recognizing God’s Presence in Ordinary Moments
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When we hear the word “miracle,” we often think of something dramatic.
But what if God is moving in ways we overlook every day?
In our newest episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we reflect on how to recognize God’s presence in ordinary moments—through conversations, provision, peace, and small acts of grace.
Sometimes the miracle isn’t loud.
Sometimes it’s quiet and steady.
🎧 Listen now: Everyday Miracles – Recognizing God’s Presence in Ordinary Moments.
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Sign up for monthly news...Episode 74: Following Jesus in the Digital Age – Navigating Online Spaces with Integrity
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Today we’re talking about something that touches nearly every part of our lives: the digital world. Phones. Social media. Online conversations.
For many of us, these spaces are where we learn, connect, argue, laugh, and sometimes struggle. But here’s an important question:
What does it mean to follow Jesus in digital spaces?
How do we bring integrity, humility, and wisdom online as Native believers?
Listen to this episode to discover best practices for navigating the digital world.
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Sign...Episode 73: Faith Around the Fire – How Stories, Meals, and Fellowship Nurture Discipleship
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In this episode discover the gift of community. Learn how to follow Jesus not only as individuals, but as a people--the people of God.
You are not alone.
You can grow in your faith as the people of God gather. Faith often grows in simple places, with simple people, and with simply a meal.
Your faith can grow around tables.
Around fires.
Around shared stories.
🎧 This episode of Natives Follow Jesus explores how storytelling, meals, and fellowship nurture discipleship.
LINKS + RESOURCES FRO...
Episode 72: Work as Worship--Bringing Your Faith into Daily Responsibilities
SHOW NOTES:
What if your daily responsibilities are holy ground?
Whether you’re working, care-giving, creating, or serving—
God sees it all.
Many of us were taught that worship happens only in church or in a special ceremony or sacred location, but the Bible tells us something different.
This episode reflects on Colossians 3:23 and how your everyday responsibilities--jobs, care-giving, service, and community work--can become acts of worship to the LORD God Almighty.
This episode is for anyone one who feels tired, unseen, or wondering if their work real...
Episode 71: The Put-Off Put-On Practice to Follow Jesus Better
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Put Off. Put On.
Growth in Jesus isn’t instant — it’s intentional.
In this week’s episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we start a new series--More of Jesus, Less of Me by exploring Ephesians 4:22–29 and how you can lay down old patterns and put on Christ daily with the Put-Off / Put-On Practice.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesusSend me an emai...Episode 70: The Quiet Voices – Honoring Native Women Who Lead Through Prayer, Art, and Service
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Not all leaders stand at the microphone. In Native communities, some of the most powerful spiritual leadership flows quietly—through prayerful presence, creative expression, and acts of service. This episode honors Native women who reflect biblical models of active faith, leading not through volume or position, but through obedience, humility, and love for God the Creator-of-All-Things and for their families and their community.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Jo...Episode 69 Faith Passed On – Honoring Mothers, Daughters, and Faith-keepers in Native Communities
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Faith in Native communities has often been carried quietly—through stories, prayers, daily example, and resilient love. This episode honors the women who have kept faith alive across generations and invites listeners to reflect on how Native believers in Jesus can intentionally pass faith on to children, youth, and future generations in ways that are relational, culturally rooted, and Christ-centered.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Check out the wo...Episode 68— Women of Strength and Spirit – Courageous Faith in Native and Biblical Story
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This episode of Natives Follow Jesus honors Native women whose lives reflect courage, wisdom, and spiritual strength. Drawing from Proverbs 31:25 and Indigenous experience, we explore how Native and biblical models of womanhood reveal God’s heart for dignity, faith, and hope.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesusSend me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com to connect with me or to ask me a qu...Episode 67: From Mission Field to Mission Force – Native Believers Sent by the Spirit
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For generations, Native communities have been spoken about as “mission fields.” But Scripture tells a deeper story. Jesus never calls His followers a project—He calls them witnesses.
This episode invites Native believers to reclaim their God-given calling as a Spirit-filled people sent to bless the world. Rooted in Acts 1:7–8, we explore how Indigenous followers of Jesus are uniquely equipped to carry the gospel across cultures, nations, and generations.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond...Walking Forward Together – Building a Hopeful Vision for Native Christian Communities
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Hope for Native communities is not found in returning to the past or waiting for dramatic spiritual moments—it is found in walking forward together with Jesus, grounded in faith, hailed in story, mindful of the land, and building relationships with God and with humans.
This episode invites you, listeners to imagine a future shaped by healing, wisdom, and faithful presence, where Native believers move ahead together on the good road as we follow Jesus together as best as we can one day at a time.
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...Episode 65 Restoring Broken Circles – Healing Divisions in Communities and Churches
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Division, Misunderstanding, Hurt Feelings have fractured families, churches, and Native communities—often leaving wounds that run deep across generations. This episode invites listeners into a hopeful, biblical vision of reconciliation. Rooted in Indigenous understandings of the circle and Paul’s call to the ministry of reconciliation, we explore how Jesus restores broken relationships and calls us to walk the good road together again.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join...Episode 64 The Journey of Renewal – Revival, Restoration, and Hope in Native Christian Communities
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Across Native communities, God is quietly and powerfully at work—restoring hearts, renewing faith, and awakening hope. Revival doesn’t always look loud or dramatic; often it begins in quiet prayer circles, in family kitchens, at youth gatherings, and with humble obedience. This episode invites listeners to recognize the God the Holy Spirit’s movement, celebrate stories of renewal, and step into God’s restoring work together.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get...EPISODE 63 From Hopelessness to Hope – Enter the New Year with Hope
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The New Year often brings mixed emotions for Native and First Nation communities—hope, grief, resilience, fatigue, and longing. This episode invites Indigenous believers to step into the New Year not with shallow optimism, but with deep, Jesus-centered hope rooted in God’s faithfulness, healing, and promise of renewal.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter.Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesusRead about the stats of MMIP, the Missing Murdered Indi...EPISODE 62 Jesus and His Advent – How Native Believers Can Engage Christmas Uniquely as Followers of Jesus
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Christmas can be complicated for Indigenous believers—carrying beauty, joy, pain, and cultural tension all at once. This episode explores how Native followers of Jesus can engage Advent and Christmas in ways that honor Christ, respect Indigenous identity, and hopefully heal past wounds. We reflect on Advent as a season of waiting, hope, and re-engaging how God the Creator entered into His Creation among the overlooked.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and ge...Episode 61: Community Prayer Circles – How Native Believers Intercede for People and Land Together
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Prayer was never meant to be carried alone. For Native peoples, prayer has always been communal—gathered in circles where every voice matters and Creator is present among the people. In this episode, we explore how Native believers in Jesus intercede together for families, communities, and the land, blending Indigenous wisdom with biblical teaching on shared prayer.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Rea...Episode 60: Praying with the Land – Connecting Prayer with Place and Creation
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For Native peoples, the land has always been a place of prayer, of memory, and of encounter with God the Creator. Scripture affirms this sacred truth: creation itself speaks of God’s glory.
In this episode, we explore how praying with Creation—on the mountains, by the rivers, in the fields, and under the sky—deepens your relationship with God and invites you to listen in new ways.
Listen now.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form...EPISODE 59 Prayer as Relationship, Not Ritual
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Prayer was never meant to be merely a ritual. It’s a relationship. In our newest episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore how Indigenous and biblical traditions both invite humans into honest, intimate conversation with God Himself.
Come rediscover a way of praying that feels like connection, not pressure; like intimacy, not just words to speak out into the world.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Joi...Episode 58: Walking Forward in Faith — Vision for the Next Year
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“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more,” a quote from Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Professor
My vision for this Podcast is for you to discover who you could be; an appeal to be better yourself, a call to become something more—someone more like Jesus.
In Indigenous communities, vision is scarce. To walk the good road is unclear and seemingly impossible. This episode looks forward with anticipation, inviting you and this community into the nex...
Episode 57: Looking Back with Gratitude--One Year of Native Follows Jesus
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In Indigenous communities, gratitude isn’t only taught—it’s expressed and modeled. Elders teach by example, and by presence, and by passing on what it means to walk the good road. This episode celebrates the one-year journey of the Natives Follow Jesus Podcast and give thanks to God, the Creator for every story and step so far.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @natives...Episode 56: Passing on Wisdom – Teaching Faith Through Storytelling and Example
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Faith is meant to be shared—not just with words, but with life. In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore how storytelling and example carry faith across generations. Listen and learn how to pass on wisdom that lasts.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Hear how powerful story remains among Indigenous people. Listen to the story of Katha (Catherine) Lafferty here. Th...Episode 55: Dreams, Visions, and Discernment – Understanding Spiritual Experiences in a Jesus-Centered Way
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Do dreams and visions still matter? In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore how God speaks through spiritual experiences—and how to discern His voice with wisdom rooted in Scripture and Native tradition. Listen and learn to walk in the Spirit with clarity and peace.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com...
Spirit Realities – A Native Christian Caution about Halloween
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As Native followers of Jesus, we know the spirit world is real. In this special episode, we talk about why discernment matters during Halloween and how to honor Creator while guarding our hearts and homes. Listen and walk wisely.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Follow me on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.comJoin us for the next episode when you...
Episode 53: Listening Hearts – Learning to Hear the Holy Spirit’s Voice in Silence and Story
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The Holy Spirit still speaks—but are we listening? In this episode of Natives Follow Jesus, we explore how Indigenous wisdom and biblical truth meet in the sacred practice of listening.
Through silence and story, we learn to hear the gentle voice of God--if we but get still, remain silent, and quietly listen.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Follow me on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Read about hearing Go...Episode 52: Walking in Wisdom: How Native Elders embody Godly Wisdom
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Wisdom isn’t just what we know—it’s how we walk. In this episode, we honor Native
elders who live out godly wisdom, connecting Indigenous spiritual tradition and
biblical truth. Listen to how they walk the good road with Jesus.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.comJoin us for...
Episode 51: Indigenous Peoples Day 2025
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On this special episode, we pause to reflect on the meaning of Indigenous Peoples Day in 2025. We'll recount history, share stories, explore how faith and culture intersect in remembrance and hope, and invite you listeners to live faithfully--not only on this day, but every day.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Follow CHIEF ministries here. Disclosure: I am on the Board of CHIEF a...Episode 50: Celebrating the Journey of Natives Follow Jesus
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This special milestone episode celebrates God’s faithfulness in bringing Natives Follow Jesus to 50 episodes.
It will honor the journey so far, highlight key themes and testimonies, and share vision for what’s ahead.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.comJoin us for the next episode when you discover how biblic...
Episode 49: Creation speaks—Hearing God Through Nature and Ceremony
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Creation speaks if we’re willing to listen. In this episode, we explore how God reveals
Himself through nature and how Native ways can help you hear His voice. Join us
as we walk the good road of listening to Creator through creation.
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Sign up for monthly newsletter. Click sign up link, scroll down to email form, complete form, respond to email prompt, and get my newsletter. Join the movement on Instagram @nativesfollowjesus Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com...
Episode 48: Stewards, Not Owners--how to live on the land God gave you
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The earth is the Lord’s — we are only caretakers. In this episode, we explore what it means to be stewards, not owners, through Scripture, discipleship, and Native values of land as sacred. You will discover how you are a caretaker of God's earth. You are a caretaker of what God already owns!
Listen and be inspired to walk gently upon creation.
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