The Mission Mountains of Montana are a chain of the Rocky Mountain system. The same geological event raised the Rocky Mountains and their ranges. The Mission Mountains are located west of Swan Lake and east of the Flathead Native American Reservation in northwestern Montana. Named for a 19th-century Jesuit mission that was established in St. Ignatius, Montana, the highest peak among the Mission Mountains is McDonald Peak (9,820 feet).

Isn’t it interesting that the mountain range only got its name about 150 years ago after the Jesuits settled in the area? The Flathead Indians lived in the area for at least 14,000 years. Do you suppose the range was referred to as “the mountains that have yet to be named” until the mid-19th century? Speaking of Flatheads, they call themselves “Salish people.” The name “Flathead” was foisted on them by French fur trappers in the area, who assumed (incorrectly) that the tribe had purposely shaped their sons’ heads to have that “cool, sloping look”. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition (sent by President Jefferson in 1804) toured the area, they picked up the name Flathead, which has stuck with the tribe to this day.

I love history, and I understand that the temptation to bias the narrative of history towards one’s own interests is enormous. But it is a mistake to dismiss native history and treat successive generations of natives as anything but equals in American society. The state of Alaska has moved closer to fair representation of its native people. In 1975, the Alaska State Legislature began a long battle with the US Federal Government to remove (completely remove) the name “Mount McKinley” from an Alaskan mountain (which is also the tallest mountain in Alaska). all of North America). In 2015, that name it was removed and replaced with a native name: “Denali”. I like that, a victory for history and justice for Alaskan Native Americans.

The Christian Bible links the ancient story of humanity’s relationship with God with a turning point (a major shift) in how each of us should relate to God today. Web Search Galatians 3:23-25. This book within the Christian Bible was a letter written by the apostle Paul in the year 49 AD (49 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ). As the founder of Christian churches, Paul reached out to both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) to teach them what God had done for all by sending his son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

Paul recognized the purpose of both the Jewish Law (obedience to God) and the teachings of the prophets that God would send a savior (the Christ). The Christ (Jesus) it was feltand the was sacrificed. Fulfilling prophecy means change. There are no more prophets and now, each person can have a personal relationship with God, through the risen Jesus. Christians include the law and prophecies in the “Old Testament” of the Christian Bible. It is exciting to find the promises of God found there and link them to the promises that God fulfilled through the ministry of Jesus found in the “New Testament” of the Christian Bible.