Episode 91: Poverty is Not Our Identity

Episode 91: Poverty is Not Our Identity

SHOW NOTES: This episode is an opportunity to challenge one of the most persistent misconceptions about Native communities: reducing us to poverty. Listen now as this episode acknowledges real economic hardships without allowing those hardships to define Native identity. Hear how Indigenous People celebrate the joy, laughter, creativity, and hope that have sustained Native people across generations. May you correct misconceptions as I seek to paint a fuller picture of Native life and faith. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: * Sign up [https://natives-following-jesus.captivate.fm/] 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 [https://www.instagram.com/nativesfollowjesus?igsh=YWxwZ3ZnZnpjNHJn&utm_source=qr] * Send me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com [nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com] to connect with me or to ask me a question. Thanks. * Check out native business owners: Myron Lizer [https://navajotimes.com/rezpolitics/nez-picks-businessman-as-running-mate/], Ace Hardware, Gallup NM and Karen Schell, Chee's Indian Store [https://cheesindianstore.com/about], I-40 eight miles from Arizona-New Mexico stateline. * Peruse James Tsoodle's artwork [https://jamesdtsoodle.com/]. James is Kiowa. * Read about the use of native traditional quillwork for Lily Gladstone's Oscar dress here. [https://www.vogue.com/article/lily-gladstone-oscars-dress-gucci-joe-big-mountain] * Follow native creator, Jennifer Berg, who creates knitted native clothing--on Instagram, @native.knitter [https://www.instagram.com/native.knitter/] to view her amazing creations. * Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com [https://www.podchaser.com/NativesFollowJesus] Join us for the next episode when you discover Native Joy as resistance to hopelessness.

Episode 90: We Are Not All the Same Spiritually

SHOW NOTES: Native followers of Jesus often feel misunderstood by both Native and Christian communities. Some people assume all Native Americans practice the same spirituality. Others assume that becoming a Christian means leaving Native identity behind. Many Native followers of Jesus live in the tension between these assumptions. Some have been told they are “not Native anymore” because they follow Jesus. Others have felt misunderstood in churches that viewed Native culture with suspicion. This episode explores how following Jesus and honoring your Native identity are not mutually exclusive. It also invites listeners to distinguish between the person of Jesus and the painful ways Christianity has sometimes been used by people in positions of power. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: * Sign up [https://natives-following-jesus.captivate.fm/] 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 [https://www.instagram.com/nativesfollowjesus?igsh=YWxwZ3ZnZnpjNHJn&utm_source=qr] * Send me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com [nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com] to connect with me or to ask me a question. Thanks. * The 3D Gospel resource--view a video summary of the three worldviews: Guilt/Innocence; Shame/Honor; and Fear/Power here [https://youtu.be/n2XNoAFtqOw]. I believe Native and Indigenous Worldview is a Fear/Power worldview. * For those who have experienced "Church Hurt," this video [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4sxoc7eDpkI] offers a good explanation that someone's hurtful actions do not represent Jesus. Thanks to @seansarantos for his succinct overview. If you associate Christianity with those painful experiences perpetrated by others, then you are mistaken. Their harmful actions do not reflect the character of Jesus. * Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com [https://www.podchaser.com/NativesFollowJesus] Join us for the next episode where you will confront the reservation stereotype that poverty is the plight of all Native American and First Nation Peoples.

EPISODE 89: The Strong Silent Native

SHOW NOTES: Native men and women are often expected to stay silent about pain. This episode explores the difference between strength and silence, and why emotional healing is an important part of following Jesus. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: * Sign up [https://natives-following-jesus.captivate.fm/] 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 [https://www.instagram.com/nativesfollowjesus?igsh=YWxwZ3ZnZnpjNHJn&utm_source=qr] * Send me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com [nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com] to connect with me or to ask me a question. Thanks. * Listen to the story of Heather Demaray here [https://news.prairiepublic.org/native-american-stories-of-resilience/2015-11-10/heather-demaray] from Prairie Public News Room. * Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com [https://www.podchaser.com/NativesFollowJesus] Join us for the next episode when you can find out how we are not all the same spiritually.

Episode 88: No, We Don’t All Look the Same as Indigenous Peoples

SHOW NOTES: Native identity is diverse. One of the most persistent stereotypes about Native Americans is the belief that we all look alike, dress alike, think alike, and share the same culture. The truth is much richer. There are hundreds of tribes, hundreds of histories, and countless ways Native people express their identity. This episode challenges the idea that there is a single “Native look” and encourages listeners to embrace the beautiful diversity that exists within Indigenous communities. Most importantly, this episode reminds Native listeners that they do not need to perform their identity for anyone else’s approval. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: * Sign up [https://natives-following-jesus.captivate.fm/] 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 [https://www.instagram.com/nativesfollowjesus?igsh=YWxwZ3ZnZnpjNHJn&utm_source=qr] * Send me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com [nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com] to connect with me or to ask me a question. Thanks. * Check out the Lumbee Federal Tribal Recognition that happened in December of 2025 here [https://www.lumbeetribe.com/federalrecognition]. * Peruse the Native Blood Quantum discussion from these two perspectives online: The California Law Review [https://www.californialawreview.org/online/blood-quantum-and-the-white-gatekeeping-of-native-american-identity] and Native Governance Center's Blood Quantum Guide [https://nativegov.org/resources/blood-quantum-and-sovereignty-a-guide/] * Review the answers to the myth that all indigenous peoples live on reservations from the Bureau of Indian Affairs [https://www.bia.gov/faqs/must-all-american-indians-and-alaska-natives-live-reservations] and the story of the struggle whether native peoples live on or off the reservation [https://nativenews.jour.umt.edu/2014/?page_id=171]. * Discover how Native Americans migrated into North America from Answers in Genesis [https://answersingenesis.org/environmental-science/ice-age/migrant-native-americans/] and where Native Peoples settled [https://youtu.be/OJMjR2h__nA]. * Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com [https://www.podchaser.com/NativesFollowJesus] Join us for the next episode when you can dismantle the Strong Silent Native stereotype with me.

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. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: * Sign up [https://natives-following-jesus.captivate.fm/] 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 [https://www.instagram.com/nativesfollowjesus?igsh=YWxwZ3ZnZnpjNHJn&utm_source=qr] * Send me an email at nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com [nativefollowsjesus@gmail.com] to connect with me or to ask me a question. Thanks. * Give a review of this podcast on Podchaser.com [https://www.podchaser.com/NativesFollowJesus] Join us for the next episode when you will learn that "No, we don't all look the same." Indigenous people look different and are dignified. Mentioned in this episode: Part two