The Storyteller

"I born Cup'ik, real Eskimo. I didn't born in the spring but I born at grass. No, no spring brat. Sod house, and my blanket is all those grasses put together, and those are my mattress."

Have you ever been so close to death that only the hand of someone else could save you? That's what happened to Fred. In a drunken state, he stumbled off a boat and fell into the water. Had his friend not tried to grab hold of him one last time Fred's story would have ended there. It didn't.

The Storyteller - Week of May 12, 2025 Life at home was not what Charlotte wanted. The alcohol made it difficult for her to be there. So she ran away looking for something better. She hoped that in doing so the authorities would place her in a foster home. They didn't. She eventually met a guy named Fred who then introduced her to what she really needed... and it was better than she could have imagined.

"He said to me, 'You're running away from something... I didn't have the ability to tell him to quit talking to me because he was a good friend of mine. He handed me over a Bible and told me that Jesus could help me."

The medicine man told Lawrence that someone had witched him. Someone wanted him to leave his wife and family, and eventually kill himself. He had turned to the medicine man for help because of how things were going, but what Lawrence needed was something that this man could not provide.

Lawrence was raised on the Navajo reservation in Tuba City, Arizona. He has seen a lot of changes over the years, from dirt roads to paved roads... from horse-drawn wagons to the automobile. He married a Christian gal and his boy believed too. When he hit hard times, God used Lawrence's young son to speak truth to him... but he wasn't ready to listen just yet.

The death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead three days later are the most important events in human history. Many cultures have different traditions surrounding the time when Christians commemorate these events. Byron shares about Easter pudding, a tradition among his people. He also shares about the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection, both personally, and for whoever will believe.

When Richard finally decided not to worry about what others thought, he publicly put his trust in Jesus. His life changed. Drugs and alcohol were left behind and God restored his marriage. Richard is a musician who sings about his Faith in Jesus. You can hear his music on this program and online here: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/richard-paul/1715508737

Cocaine had a hold of him... and he couldn't break it's grip. His life was falling apart. His wife had left him numerous times. Richard's addictions were destroying his family. His wife starting attending church - which really angered him. But it didn't stop her. One day he decided to go with her. And something began to happen in his heart.

Richard got involved in alcohol and drugs early in life. Even though everything looked fine on the outside, he was being torn apart inside. He was caught. One night, while watching tv he came across a preacher who seemed to be talking right to him.

Veronica was rejected by her biological father. He lived only an hour away but had no desire to be a part of her life. Not only did she feel that rejection, Veronica also grew up without the love and protection that her dad was supposed to provide. With alcohol in the home, she needed that protection.

"Anybody can be an alcoholic. That's easy... all you got to do is pick up the alcohol and start drinking... and eventually you'll become an alcoholic... because you allow that to take over and consume your life. Anybody can be a drug addict. Anybody can be a prostitute or a drug dealer or this or that. That's all the easy parts. The hard part is not doing it."

Jeff was paying a great price for his drinking. His wife left with the kids and he was all alone. She wouldn't have anything to do with him. It didn't matter how he tried to connect with her, she wouldn't acknowledge him. That hurt him more than anything. But it got his attention.

Jeff, a Cayuga from Six Nations, grew up off the rez in Buffalo, New York. He started partying at an early age and he worked to support his drinking habit. His team's success in lacrosse gave cause to celebrate often, and even when everyone else went home, for Jeff, the party never ended. He found out though, that not only does drinking ruin relationships, it ruins families.

Alcohol had taken Hugh... it had taken everything from him like it does to so many others. But something happened in his life that made all the difference, and now he has been clean and sober for over 27 years. Listen as Hugh shares the rest of his story.

"I took a drink of my mom's beer. And it was terrible. I said, 'Oh, how can you drink that stuff'. I'll never forget her answer: 'You'll find out.' And she was so right on." Listen to Hugh share about how he got involved with alcohol and the toll that it would take on his life.

From falling into the freezing waters of the Yukon River to serving on the battlefields of Vietnam, George has lived through many challenging and difficult situations. And then there were the issues of his heart.

George grew up in Mountain Village, Alaska where life can be pretty rugged. One day, while he was out on his snow machine he got caught in a storm. He got lost and, eventually, his snowmobile ran out of gas. This could be a deadly situation. Should he abandon his snow machine or stay put?

You don't have to do bad things to be bad. Nicole grew up in a Christian home where her father was a pastor. She knew right from wrong and what she needed to do. But she also knew that deep down in her heart she wanted to do evil. Where does that come from, and what is the remedy? Nicole has the answer.

It was a tragic, unexpected loss. Willie's son and daughter-in-law, along with some others, were standing by their car alongside the highway checking their vehicle for a noise they had heard. All of a sudden another vehicle recklessly turned into them and took their lives. Listen as Willie tells the story about how God comforted him in this difficult time.

"I guess it was in June - the first part of June of 1963 that I couldn't take it anymore. My body couldn't take what I was doing - what I was putting into my body. And I realized that I had to quit or something was going to happen." Find out what Willie did that made all the difference in his life.

Willie grew up in Hobert, Oklahoma in a pastor's home. He recalls the Sunday gatherings at church along the river, how the ladies dressed... what they did. He tells how, as a boy, they chased tumbleweeds and hunted them as if they were buffalo. And he shares how he lost his older brother in a car accident because of bad choices.

Christmas is traditionally a time of gift-giving. Ever wonder why? Mark Custalow of the Mattaponi and Chickahominy tribes of Virginia shares the Christmas story - and reminds us that we celebrate this day because of the greatest gift ever given. What are you going to do with the gift of Jesus?

Leona is from the Alaskan village of Tatitlek on Prince William Sound. She grew up in a large family as one of ten children. At the age of 12, her father passed away. She and her brother took up fishing to help support the family. Then her mother sent her to school. It was there that she discovered that something was missing in her life.

Have you ever gotten tired of the way you're living? Merritt did. He knew that what he was doing wasn't right and it was taking a toll on him. Something had to change. This is the story of how that change came... a story about hard questions, real answers, and how a troubled man finally found peace with God.

Merritt sought to live a perfect life. He thought that this was necessary to be a Christian. But as much as he tried he found that he just couldn't do it. And so finally, he gave up trying. But that didn't leave him feeling any better. This is part one of his story of how he finally found peace with God.

Martin believed that he would die an alcoholic. His wife coped with his drinking by abusing prescription meds. When it landed her in the hospital Martin didn't care. But when lasting change came into her life, he noticed. Find out what she had, and what would eventually change Martin's life too.

Martin was abandoned by his parents when he was thirteen years old. It was then that he had his first taste of alcohol. It wouldn't be his last. The bottle had a grip on Martin that would not let go. Listen as he shares about his early years before Christ came into his life.

Gus was from old Iliamna Village in Alaska. He speaks of how life was back in the old days living off the land. It was tough, and some didn't make it. Along life's way Gus met a man who said that Jesus was the only way one could get to Heaven. But, Gus didn't believe him.

Drinking and partying was a big part of his life. It didn't change after he got married and had a family. But something happened one day that would alter the course of his life forever.

John was close to his mom and dad growing up. John was a good athlete and played a number of sports. His dad was there for every game. His senior year he got a call from a professional baseball team. They invited him to a private tryout. That was the best and worst day of his life.

"I'm ready. If I were to die today, I know that I would go to Heaven." How can Jimmie say that? And how can she talk so confidently about death? As you listen to her story you'll find out.

Frank grew up on a reserve north of Winnipeg. At a young age, his dad took ill and so Frank dropped out of school to help meet the family's needs. Alcohol would eventually get hold of him. And it was that way until his son asked him a question.

When God saved Larry - he didn't want to continue living the way that he used to. He wanted to live his life fully for One who loved Him and rescued him from sin. Considering what Jesus did for Him on the cross, it only made sense.

His was mother was Chickasaw. His father, who was Anglo, rejected him as his son... so Larry grew up in someone else' home with the stigma of being a "half-breed". He had heard that these kinds of boys were the worst, and so somehow he thought he needed to live up to that. This is a story with a sad beginning, but thankfully it doesn't end that way.

When people can tell you they see the joy of the Lord or they can see God in you, WOW, that makes it more worthwhile. That just gives me that joy that's inexpressible, because there's people that walk up to me and ask me, "Why are you always smiling, why do you smile?" Well, it ain't really me being happy sometimes; it could just be the joy of the Lord, and that gives me a chance to just tell them who I am and why. That gives me a chance to say it's all about God.

All this time these people are witnessing to me, telling me Jesus loves me, then I start finally understanding what they meant. They told me that Jesus came here and died for sinners. He died on the cross because of the human race rebellion and sin - that we needed a Savior, we needed to be born again spiritually. That's when the Lord opened up my eyes to what it meant that I needed to be born again, because I was lost and I needed salvation, and Jesus provided that when He came to earth and died on the cross for our sins.

I started running around as older adults do when I was a teenager, and we got caught one night, and we had an open container; I was only fourteen years old and I got judged as an adult, and I had to sit in jail. They wouldn't let me out of jail for seven days. It hurt me, and that's where, I believe... that was the turning point where I wanted to get even with society. I wanted to get even; I wanted to rebel against any kind of authority or law.

James grew up in Moose Factory, Ontario, a Cree community on the south end of James Bay. His parents brought him up in religion, but his life was empty as a young man. There was a man though, who had come to the community who was different... and he helped James move from religion to a real relationship with his Creator.

Carrie was born in 1929 on Nunavik island, the second largest island on the Bering Sea. There were no stores, no running water... nothing that resembles the conveniences of today. Life was challenging. Listen as Carrie recounts her experiences and the rich culture of growing up on the island. And listen as she shares her spiritual heritage... something she didn't leave behind when she left the island.

Albert's heart was hard - by his own admission. He had a hateful feeling towards anyone who would try to speak to him about Jesus. He was mean to his wife who was a Christian. He even burned her Bible. But through it all, she stuck with him and prayed for Albert. Albert had a problem with alcohol. His sons began to follow his lead to the bottle. The question was asked, "Who do you think you are?" and he though, "How am I going to answer this?"

I tell people that I had a drug problem when I was young. Our church was Sunday afternoon on the reservation. I got drug to church on Sunday afternoon, and I got drug to church on Sunday evening, and I got drug to church on prayer meeting night. So that was my drug problem.

Ed was raised by his grandma until she died when he was fourteen years old. His uncle was as close to a dad as he ever had. He didn't know who his real dad was. His grandma sent him to boarding school because she couldn't afford to keep him.

Frank speaks candidly about the quest for love. He shares how he would do things he knew weren't right in order to gain the acceptance of others. He would come to realize though that all he needed was found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Frank grew up in the Cree community of Loon Lake, Alberta. He remembers good times with family in the bush, hunting and trapping. He reflects on the blessing of having a dad and a mom. And he speaks about his spiritual journey, how he came to understand that he had a problem he couldn't fix.

Emerson joined the army. It was a rebellious time in his life and he was getting into trouble. One day, someone stole some money from another person's locker. The commanding officer told Emerson he knew that he had taken the money. When he asked why the CO thought that, the officer said, "because you're nothing but a worthless human being." Emerson couldn't say anything because that's how he felt about himself. What happened after that changed his direction forever.

Emerson was raised in an urban setting away from the reservation. But home was where the relatives were and they would go back often. His dad raised the family Christian after being coming out of the traditional way. Emerson followed, but later began to question what he believed.

Though originally from Washington State, she was raised by her grandparents in rural Oklahoma. When she was three, her father was shot and killed. Thankfully, she had her grandparents who provided a stable, loving environment... and made a lasting impact on her life.

"I wanted to go do these drugs cause I hadn't done them for quite some time and it was time for me to do them again. I used to go on three-day binges. I would disappear and my wife and kids didn't know where I was. They didn't know if I was dead or alive or nothing." Listen as Paul shares his battle with addiction and how it finally came to an end.

Working on the Alaska pipeline, Paul got into drugs and alcohol. It changed his life. His addictions had full control over him, until one night, when he had a dream so terrifying, that it caught his full attention.