Kyle is the absolute center of North America. – it’s heart.
I was wowed when I discovered a few years ago, that this, the ‘pole of inaccessibility’ (i.e. the most remote point from either coast) was next to the town of Kyle on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota!!
God seeded his heart for this land in both Hilary ‘s and my heart long before we ever contemplated moving here.
So maybe it was destined that Kyle be literally, the ‘heart of America’🙂
For me as a teenager God had used the classic,”Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown to capture my heart.
Shortly after arriving in the US my friend Brendan arrived from Ireland and picked me up in Minneapolis to drive with him on a mission trip to South Dakota….to the Pine Ridge Reservation!
That was when I first visited the town of Kyle…….just next to the site of the Wounded Knee massacre!
Tears of identificational repentance, prayer and proclamation flowed easily in that place.
‘Lord Jesus we enthrone you we proclaim You are King…….Come Lord Jesus and take your place….in this place.‘
***
‘When the Chiefs win the Super Bowl we will move into a new era.’ The Cherokee prophet Bob Jones had prophecied before his death.
50 years of nothing. Then in 2020 it happened. Then again in 2023. And now for a third time this year, 2024, the team known as ‘The Kingdom’ were victorious. A third witness denotes timing. Now.
I realized that we had been privileged to be given by God the lines of three Chiefs as personal friends since our move here in 1994.
Father’s direction to us was simply, “Make friends and be friends.”
He first brought Renee from the other end of the country to have us meet ‘providentially’ in a crowded hall of hundreds. She was a descendant of the Dakota chief Cloudman whose encampment was beside what used to be known as Lake Calhoun ,recently renamed, Bde Maka Ska, as it was originally in the Dakota language.
Having heard the gospel from the Pond brothers who were the fruit of the “Great Awakening’ out east, the chief found himself lost in a blizzard. He became a believer after crying out to their God, “If you are the real one, rescue me!”
It was one of his daughters who married a soldier from Fort Snelling, Captain Seth Eastman who became an artist famous for his iconic paintings of that era in ‘the West’.
Their son Ohiyesha took on the name Charles Eastman and became the first Native American to graduate from Davenport as a medical doctor.
He also happened to be the attending physician at the Wounded Knee massacre.
Renee’s ‘Uncle Charles’’ book, ‘The Soul Of The Indian.’ captures beautifully the essence of his people, their faith and way of life.
If, as many are prophesying, America is to be ‘reborn’, this is the original ‘Soul’ of America.
I am humbled and inspired as I read this book again on our way to Ireland
Headings such as ‘The sacredness of honor.’ ‘The miracle of the ordinary.’ ‘The appreciation of beauty.’ ‘The power of silence.’ ‘A life of service’ ‘The beauty of generosity.’ ‘Poverty and simplicity’ ‘The temple of nature.’ and ‘The importance of prayer.’ echo a noble culture we desperately need to rediscover.
***
I mentioned we had made two trips recently. The first was to Ojai California to visit Joel and Grace. The second was to the Sisseton Whapeton reservation.
The second line of chiefs we were privileged to be introduced to by our heavenly Father was Fern Cloud, a descendant of Chief Little Crow pictured below.
Fern’s son (chief) Brad left this world from his sleep, somewhere between February 16 and 17. We were invited to speak at his farewell gathering.
The ‘Chiefs’ from KC had won a few days earlier. The score was 25;22. The only book in scripture with 25 chapters and a 22nd verse is Psalm 25:22. It reads, “ Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his trouble.”
Brad, a gentle giant, had a troubled life. Near the end he called me desperate to be set free from his prison of fear. ‘ I need a number from you uncle Paul!” He cried. ‘461’ I blurted out
‘God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear though the earth give way…..” (Ps.46:1)
When I called back later he exclaimed. ‘It worked! I’m free!’
Unbeknown to me this was the scripture on the order of the funeral service.
The morning after Brad graduated I was directed to a card on Hilary’s dresser. When I opened it I knew it was a message Brad was sending to his mother.
The card began,
‘Dear Mum,
Thank you for giving me wings.”
It ended,
‘Thank you for the strength and will and passion….. to rise above.’
The card had been written years before by our son Ben. His characteristic signature was a large B and a squiggle. It could have as easily read, Brad.
Israel means ‘God rules‘ As with the first true Israelite, Jacob, it is the end result of God’s wrestling with us……and winning as we surrender. It is the making of a true ‘overcomer’ one who can ‘rise above’ their circumstances, and themselves.
The song and the particular verse I was lead to share was,
‘The plot unfolds from age to age
Each player acts, then leaves the stage.
Justice is coming make no mistake.
It won’t be early, but never late.”
Johnny Enlow’s prophetic analysis of the Super Bowl pointed out in Ps.25;2 that those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed,……or delayed.
My mind returned to Wounded Knee and another Lakota chief, Chief Big Foot
This stark and brutal photo of Chief Big Foot lying dead and frozen in the snow after the massacre at Wounded Knee speaks volumes about the decades of humiliation and injustice suffered by the Native people.
The Ghost Dance was a spiritual movement that Chief Big Foot was a part of, that took hold of the Lakota and unnerved the troops who fired indiscriminately on women and children, the elderly and infirm. The Indians believed that if they would only ‘dance and sing’ the Great Spirit would restore the buffalo and all that had been lost, and a golden age of 1000 years would begin.
I believe as (chief) Brad acted his ‘part’ and then left ‘the stage’ on the same month the Chiefs had their third victory, we saw ‘the plot’ unfold as we move from one age to another.
This now is the time when there will be no further delay, but ‘justice is coming’, 134 years after these ones offered their prayers, but in God’s perfect time for them and for all “The Innocents” who have been unfairly treated throughout history. Here is their song again……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7fQY4cNqD0
As the 25:22 Super Bowl score signaled, it is time as Psalm 25;22 says for God to,
‘Redeem Israel……..out of all his trouble’
As I also sang at Brad’s farewell…..
‘You’ve come this far now step farther out
Out of the vale of tears and fears
You’ve come this far now move farther in
While all of heaven cheers
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom to dance and sing
When you know the love of the Father,
When you know the love of the King.’
……I saw him join with his ancestors in a joyful ‘song and (Holy Ghost) dance’ of those who now know the end from the beginning.
He saw the Father’s smile and heard the Father ‘s welcoming song…
‘Good Morning Brad’
P.S. As an earthly witness to verify what I have written was given from heaven, I went to look at the order of service for Brad only to discover for the first time that his middle name was Allen.
Ah! I realized that’s it! Checking on different sites to discover the ‘pole of inaccessibility.’ Some said Kyle was the nearest settlement, while others said it was Allen
So the heart of North America actually lies between Kyle and Allen!
