GOD CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF by Robert Soto

GOD CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF by Robert Soto

January 16, 2010

Daniel 4:35 "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"

I am on the way to a pow wow seven hours away. I'm not driving so please do not think that I am driving and writing this at the same time. It is a nice windy rainy day as we make our way down the freeway. The wind is blowing from north to south, we are traveling slightly east making the wind hit against my van. As much as one tries to be in control, the wind is sort of in control. The driver is trying to keep my van on the road but with every gust of wind the van has a tendency to go from side to side. With each gust of air, the wind is telling us that we are not in control and that it can do as it desires. We can do all we can to stay on the road but the force of the wind will tell us that it has the power and we have to live with it.

As I sit here praying that the driver keeps my van on the straight and narrow road, I cannot help but think of God my Creator. God is the Creator of this world and all that is in it; we are in the grasp of His hand. He looks at the people on earth and as God, He will do whatever it takes to get a hold of our hearts and minds. We can try to do whatever we want to do, but God is still in control. He is in control of me and of you and all that is around you. He will do as He pleases and nothing can stop Him or hinder His actions. Daniel wrote, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" None of His Creation can hold Him back for He is God and in control of all He does. Just as no one can control the winds that blow through the earth, no one can control God.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church

January 17, 2010

WHEN THE ELDERS CEASE BEING ELDERS

Lamentations 5:14 "The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning."

It is always fun meeting new people. Recently, I have been reconnecting with family members that I have either never met or have not seen for over 30 to 40 years. I love to sit and just hear their stories of life and stories of some of my ancestors which once made up some of the population of our tribe. Last night I came into a house of an older cousin that I had not met in more than forty years. The last time I saw him, he recalls, I was eight years old and my family had taken me to his wedding. Soon after that he moved about seven hours north and I never saw him again. One thing that I loved as I walked into his home was the pictures. Pictures share a thousands words. They told me their history as I saw their children grow up to adulthood and now have families of their own.

Then there was this picture that caught my eyes. It was a black and white picture. The subjects of the picture all looked like they were in their late teens. As I asked who they were, I found out it was two of my grand aunts and one of my grand uncles. One of them was a picture of the only surviving grand aunt I have today who is in her late 90's. I could not help but stare and stare at the picture. All I could think about was the first time I met my grand aunt. I recall the wisdom and understanding that she carried. The history of her words and stories that she shared with us. But it also reminded me of what happens when the elders stop being elders. Then the lifestyle stops and the stories stop and the songs stop. The writer of Lamentations wrote, "The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning." When our elders stop being elders, we die as a nation.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church