In today's episode, we join Craig and LaDonna Smith in their recent visit to the On Eagles' Wings Leadership Center on the campus of Hutchcraft Ministries in Harrison, Arkansas where Craig was spending a week teaching the On Eagles' Wings team members who were part of this year's class.  While there, Craig was asked to share a staff devotional message to both the OEW staff and students and the staff of Hutchcraft Ministries.  In this devotional Craig has titled The Supernatural River of God, he takes the audience into the book of Ezekiel to an incredibly important and relevant imagery Ezekiel presents on this supernatural river of God.  While Craig brings the implications of this mighty river to the Hutchcraft and OEW staff, the implications can easily be made to every ministry and worker who takes the gospel of Christ, like yours, into dry and dead places across the globe.  See how the relevance of this message has on you, dear friend, and the work God has called you to.  I'm sure you'll take away some encouraging words from God's Word on staying in the middle of this mighty river of God, as you bring the hope of the gospel to those within your reach.

In today's second and final episode from Craig Smith's message on suffering, preached at the First Baptist Church in Coweta, OK, he continues to explain the miraculous way God intervened in both Craig and LaDonna's lives by sparing them from their graves.  Most certainly, they should have died in this horrific accident as both suffered catastrophic injuries that most certainly take people's lives immediately.  But here they are, sixteen years past this life altering event, continuing to serve the Lord and His purposes.  Most importantly, Craig unpackages how the indwelling Christ made all the difference for him in his deepest time of trouble and trials, sustaining him, embracing him, healing him, and comforting him in a way only the risen Savior could.  Craig ends the message with a clear and compelling explanation of what happens for the believer at death's door.  You won't want to miss this extremely important study into life, death, and finding shalom in the presence of ongoing and life altering pain and suffering.  As Craig tells the worshippers there at First Baptist Church, you may not need this message right now, but someday you will, as we are all heading to the date on the right side of the hyphen on our tombstones.  Be blessed as you listen to Craig share his personal journey on finding shalom in the midst of suffering!

Today, Craig and LaDonna share a message Craig preached in mid-April 2024 at the First Baptist Church of Coweta, OK.  Pastored by the Smith's dear friend, Dr. Vern Charette, Craig shared about the Shalom he found in the midst of great suffering in the aftermath of their Miracle at Mile Marker 313.   The Smith's have many  listeners to the podcast that have recently joined them and are unaware of what happened on June 9, 2009 when both the Smiths should have died from the injuries they suffered in a catastrophic auto accident in northern New Mexico.  Please be sure to listen to both episodes to learn the great lessons the Lord has taught the Smiths in their school of suffering.  It will be a great encouragement to you and helpful in your walk in Christ!  Shalom!

In today's third and final episode of this enlightening series, Craig and LaDonna Smith continue their visit with Nick Liew (Apache) and Wes Francis (Navajo), young and emerging leaders in the highly successful On Eagles' Wings ministry.  Their maturity and effectiveness in ministry is highlighted in today's episode.  As the two continue to discuss what On Eagles' Wings is all about, the visit concludes with the Smith's taking you to the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in upstate New York to hear Wes  wrapping up the OEW visit there with a powerful presentation of the gospel.  It shows how God is using these Native youth to bring Christ and His power to Native communities across North America.  The Smith's think you'll be amazed at how clearly the gospel is conveyed to lost people through these amazing and emerging Native leaders, who will serve Christ well in their generation.  The take away is this...the gospel will continue to ring out loud and clear into the generations that follow the years Craig and LaDonna Smith have invested in their generation of serving Christ!  And for that, they rejoice with a loud shout of praise!

In today's episode, Craig and LaDonna Smith continue their visit with Nick Liew (Apache)  and Wes Francis (Navajo), leaders of the On Eagles' Wings ministry.  Along with them continuing to share the story of God's work in their lives, they begin to explain how God is using this team of Native youth evangelists to reach Native communities with the gospel.  They  begin to explain the three-pronged focuses of the ministry, including their annual leadership conference, called Warrior Leadership Summit,  their Summer of Hope tours where this team goes into a number of Native communities to share the gospel, and the brand new On Eagles' Wings Leadership Center  in Harrison, Arkansas, where team members are further discipled and equipped to begin fulfill the calling of God on their lives.  It's a fascinating continuation of the visit that started in last week's episode.  If you are just joining us, we'd encourage you to listen to last week's Part One episode first before listening to Part Two.  It's one of the bright spots in Native North American ministry that Craig and LaDonna Smith love to talk about.

Today, Craig and LaDonna focus their attention on Going Young as they introduce listeners to an amazing  and effective Native youth ministry called On Eagles Wing' (OEW). This was a ministry Craig and LaDonna were privileged to help lead from 2003 to 2008 along with co-founders, Ron and Karen Hutchcraft.  This  ministry has recruited, trained, and equipped many Native Christian youth to share the gospel among their peers over a thirty year period and they have traveled to well over 100 Native communities in both he U.S. and Canada, seen countless Native youth respond to the gospel, and saw team members become Christian leaders for their generation in an unprecedented way.   In this three part series, you will meet two of the OEW team members who now help lead OEW's continued ministry, Nick Lieu (Apache) and Weston (Wes) Francis (Navajo).  In today's episode, you'll begin to hear the hope story of these two leaders.  You'll be amazed at how God has intervened in their lives, bringing them through great trials and tribulations and turning them into powerhouses of the gospel.  Throughout the series, you'll see how God is using this youth focused ministry to bring hope to many communities in desperate need of hope.  We trust you'll be blessed as Craig and LaDonna bring to you the amazing story of On Eagles' Wings, and the lives they continue to impact for God's glory!

In today's episode, Craig, Ryan, and Paul continue to provide information on the development of the newly formed National Association of Native Evangelicals.  Its stated purpose, mission statement, and how interested folks can learn more about it through their new website is all included in today's finale.  The trio ends the conversation with how listeners can become involved, through prayer, financial support, and other practical ways as NANE hits its stride.  New initiatives not considered before are brewing in the minds of the original Board of Directors, and Craig, Ryan, and Paul bring you into the conversation so you know how to pray and become a supporter and promoter of NANE.  Craig and LaDonna believe what you'll come away with from this three part series is these men are committed to seeing this organization up, running, and flourishing.  You'll also see the heart these men share for the Word of God, prayer, and biblical leadership from their deep devotion to Christ and His Word.  To learn more about NANE, you can go to TheNANE.org.  Help us spread the word about this new fellowship of likeminded leaders serving across the Native American landscape!

In part two of this three part series, Craig Smith continues his interesting discussion with colleagues, Paul Straubel (director for the Center for Indian Ministries in Bemidji, MN), and Dr. Ryan O'Leary (Ojibwe), the newly appointed president of the National Association of Native Evangelicals, as they discuss this newly formed organization, its goals, purpose, and vision.  In today's episode, both Ryan and Paul share their perspectives on why they have sensed the time is now for such an organization to be established to help serve the growing Native evangelical ministries reaching American Indians with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Ryan opens a window into his new relationship with the larger and nationally influential National Association of Evangelicals as its most recently elected leader to its Board of Directors.  Craig, Ryan, and Paul have been applying the model of the larger NAE organization to the structure in which they are setting up the new NANE organization.  The partnership with the larger NAE organization is already opening new doors of communication and much needed dialogue with ministry leaders who could help move cross-cultural ministry right here in the United States forward as they become more aware of the needs and opportunities across Native America.  Craig and LaDonna trust this series will be informational and inspirational to you, our dear listeners, as you, too, become aware of this new effort to advance the gospel forward to the many tribes within the borders of the United States of America.  

In today's episode of Indigenous Faith, Craig begins a three part visit with dear friends Paul Straubel and Dr. Ryan O'Leary (Ojibwe), as they introduce a new emerging organization called the National Association of Native Evangelicals (NANE).  Along with several other leaders, Craig, Paul, and Ryan have been developing this new organization, designed to serve all Native evangelical ministries and their leaders with training, equipping, and mentoring of next generation Native Christian leadership and new and innovative ways of working together in a Kingdom of God unified way.  Also, this organization will serve as a voice to the larger evangelical leadership through Dr. O'Leary's election to the larger and influential body of leadership called the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).  Native American ministries has never had an official voice on this board, which is comprised of denominational, academic, and missional leadership throughout the evangelical Body of Christ, until now.  Ryan has been selected by the initial Board of Directors for NANE as the first President, and he has in turn been elected to serve on the nationally recognized NAE Board as a representative of NANE and all Native evangelical ministries who choose to partner with NANE.  It's exciting to see these developments happen in the early days of this new organization, and its founding leaders hope it will be a model for other Indigenous leaders worldwide to do the same.  Tribal Rescue Ministries, which is the organization Craig and LaDonna Smith lead, is the sponsor of this Indigenous Faith broadcasting ministry, and are pleased to use its growing presence worldwide to promote and encourage involvement in the National Association of Native Evangelicals!  We pray you'll be encouraged by the vision these leaders share in for NANE's future and impact.  Remember to pray for the continuing growth and establishment of this new representative body for God's glory!

Today's episode of Indigenous Faith is the finale in the series on not just King Josiah, but on the Smith's review of some of the kings of Israel and Judah.  Have you enjoyed this series as much as the Smiths enjoyed sharing it with you?  They trust and pray that it has not only been an enjoyable journey but enlightening as well.  There's so much to learn from God's Word in both the older and newer Testaments.  To wrap it all up, the Smiths would remind you that there's nothing new under the sun, and all the things the current culture is embracing and promoting is nothing short than a revisit to the Old Testament pagan gods who are messengers of Satan and not the God of the Bible!  We must never compromise by syncretizing our Christian faith and practice with that of what we discovered is the Unholy Trinity of demonic empowered gods of Baal, Asherah, and Molech.  They are alive and well in modern American culture and find their ways into our Indigenous communities as well as the gods of our ancestors.  Christian life and practice are completely opposite of the false gods who've been around since the creation of the world. May we all have our faces intently facing towards the finished work of Christ on Calvary's cross, His atoning death, his sacrificial burial, and his remarkable resurrection from the dead, proving to all mankind that He was God, Himself, come to earth to pay the penalty for the sin of all mankind.  Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but by me!  So, let's live our lives in alignment with Him and His Holy Word!  There's no other way to live in order to please the One who is the Giver of Life and the Grantor of Eternal Life!  Join the Smiths again next week as they launch a new area of study, all intended to help build biblically healthy lives in the context of our Indigenous cultures and communities!  We'll see you then!