St. Stephens Indian Mission is always a favorite spot for me to stop and visit when traveling across Wyoming.  There is something special about this place that captures my imagination in ways that I am unable to adequately express.  Obviously, the cultural differences play into that, but I believe there is something deeper and more prevalent.

A picture is unable to portray the beauty of the church fully, but it can certainly provide a glimpse into the spirituality of the Native American culture.  The relevance of the eagle is present throughout the church. In the picture above please note the candlesticks.  The altar is in the shape of a drum; the tabernacle is enclosed in a tepee type structure.  The crucifix likewise demonstrates symbolism of the culture.

The universality of the Church is truly amazing.  "...so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."  (Romans 12:5)

Flowers add a beautiful touch in most settings.  Their colors bring a vibrancy of life and their aroma gives a sense of happiness and comfort.  I have seen magnificent scenes created with flowers on numerous occasions and in a variety of locations.  I don't have pictures, but I can remember when I visited Dollywood the first time many years ago in Tennessee. The signature butterfly of Dolly Parton was created  with an array of flower arrangements.  It was quite a sight to see.  The gardens at the International Peace Garden (North Dakota and Canada) are another exquisite example of what can be done with an arrangement of flowers.

Individually, flowers are pretty, but together they can create a wondrous masterpiece.  A church congregation can be looked upon in the same manner.  Individually, we each bring our gifts and talents to the faith community.  Join these gifts together and we can bring the transforming love of God to the world in a way that we could never accomplish on our own.  How are you adding value to your local church community?

The individual pictures above are part of a larger masterpiece to be found in Greybull, Wyoming.  When they are joined together it looks like this.

I had the pleasure of being in northwest Wyoming the last several days for a little leisure time.  I will admit that driving seven hours across the state "for vacation" was not my first choice of adventures.  I spend a great deal of time traveling the roadways of Wyoming for ministry and I did not see myself traveling those same roadways for vacation.  However, our son was marching in the parade in Cody with Cheyenne's South High School band so we wanted to be there to see him.  Margaret and I dropped Joe off at school to board the bus in Cheyenne and we headed our own direction to see the sights.

I will share more pictures in future posts, but the picture above is one of the views that just took our breath away.  There was a storm moving in and the mixture of clouds and sun was a phenomenal experience.  This roadway is the Chief Joseph scenic highway not far from the northeast entrance of Yellowstone Park.  This is one road that I had not traveled before and I am so grateful we took the time to venture off the beaten path.

As we enjoyed the beauty of God's creation away from home, I was quite surprised upon our return to Cheyenne to find the grass almost completely brown.  It was green when we left just three days earlier. In Missouri I looked forward to dried up grass in July so the mowing would slow down.  However, in Wyoming, I was still shoveling snow on Mother's Day.  The first time I mowed the grass in mid-May I was dodging remaining snow drifts with the mower.  It could stay green for just a little longer.  I really won't mind mowing a few more times before we start shoveling snow again.

Looking at the grass was a timely reminder.  We can't neglect the care of the yard (even for a few days) if we want it to stay healthy and vibrant.  The same is true for our spiritual life.  If we take the summer off from caring for our souls, we will wither from lack of care.  I want to encourage you to continue to pray daily, attend church regularly, and stay connected with God through the reading of the Sacred Scriptures. It is important that we never take a vacation from growing in holiness.  We don't want our interior life to look like the picture below.

 

By the way, we did see the parade in Cody on both the 3rd and the 4th.  Based upon the amount of traffic as we tried to exit town, it was a popular event and the city of Cody shined brightly!

                         The South High School Marching Band appears to be right in step.  Well done!

I grew up in a rural area of Missouri about 50 miles from downtown St. Louis.  Trips to the “big city” were relatively rare in my younger days, but there was the occasional trip to Busch Stadium during the summer for a Cardinals baseball game.  Life was certainly different in the city compared to growing up on a farm.  Spending some time on the Mississippi riverfront and watching the barges and other boats was simply cool.  Of course, admiring the unique Gateway Arch was always part of the fascination of being in the city.  It was exciting to see the sights.

We usually didn’t venture over into East St. Louis, Illinois except for shipping our hogs to the stockyards.  Most of the time those trips were made by others and I didn’t get to go along.  However, as I got older and journeyed to other destinations such as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois, I passed through East St. Louis on a few occasions.  Eventually, as an adult, I became a truck driver for Ameren and travelled to East St. Louis frequently because of delivering things to the company facility located in that city. 

Processing the sights as an adult as opposed to childhood was a bit different.  I didn’t just see the grandeur of the buildings through the eyes of a child.  As an adult I saw the hurt and the pain of people who were struggling.  I saw more than the tourist attractions of the city.  Seeing the rundown buildings, graffiti, bars on the windows of the buildings, the evidence of homeless people, and knowing all of the crime related stories on the news each evening painted a poignant portrait of city life.  I grappled to understand how conditions could get to this point.

Looking back in time helps give a clue.  East St. Louis has had a troubled history for at least a century.  On July 2, 1917 race riots broke out and hundreds of people (according to some accounts) lost their lives.  I can only imagine the trauma that was present during that week ninety-seven years ago.  I invite you to read a couple of brief accounts if you are unfamiliar with this piece of history.

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/east-st-louis-race-riot-july-2-1917

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey/peopleevents/e_estlouis.html

Another significant event took place fifty years ago when The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964.  This was 47 years to the date from when the race riots broke out in East St. Louis.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/lbj-civilrights/

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97

http://phillytrib.com/commentary/remember-civil-rights-act-of-1964.html

As we inch closer to Independence Day let us take time to give thanks to God for the freedoms we enjoy.  Let us also pray for those who have suffered greatly in the process throughout history and for those who continue to suffer in modern times.  We have come a long way in our country to right some of the wrongs of the past, but there is still much to do. 

Marking the 97th anniversary of the race riots in East St. Louis and the 50th anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, let us intercede for all those who need our prayers.

·         For those in major cities where high unemployment and high crime rates afflict the people with undue sorrow

·         For immigrants seeking a better life

·         For citizens along our southern borders struggling with the influx of immigrants, especially the multitude of children 

·         For refugees seeking asylum in our country to escape war and violence

·         For Native Americans struggling with poverty and addictions

·         For all who experience prejudice in any form

There are no easy answers to the complex problems related to crime, poverty, unemployment, bigotry, and hatred.  However, if all of us who bear the name of Christian do our part to live a life in union with Jesus Christ, there is no limit to the positive changes we can bring to our world.