Brian Bluebird

Brian Bluebird was part of a proud, highly trained military unit that led the U.S. invasion of the island of Grenada in 1983. Last week, however, I found him sitting on a dirty walkway in the tiny town of White Clay as he awoke from a drinking binge (above). I listened for a couple hours as he told me pieces of his life story. He recounted having a good friend shot and killed next to him in Grenada. He also told me of losing his daughter and son-in-law to a drunk driver (not uncommon on the reservation). He finally told me “the real” story of how General Custer was defeated by Crazy Horse, passed down to him from his great-great-grandfather who rode beside the war chief.

It was only as he told this Lakota legend to me that he began to weep. I saw firsthand the complex pain that is buried in the soul of our Native AmericansHow do young people get rooted in their faith?

A recent survey by the George Barna Group found that 70% of children who are raised in the Christian faith fall away after turning 18. This is something that we long to see changed. Christine and I continue to work at not only guiding young people to a firm identity as followers of Christ but also helping channel their love for God into concrete acts of outreach and ministry. Our efforts continue to focus on training a new generation of missionaries.