gianni.
my 6yr. old friend who
ALWAYS speaks the truth.
remember, his grandmother
asked what he did with dirty
school clothes and he said,

"you'll be upset with me if i
tell you." but he told the truth.
he had wadded his school uniform,
and tossed it into his closet.
these are some of my favorite
children. five of them. at 6yrs.
old, gianni is the oldest, and
gabriella is two weeks. brand
new...with three inbetween.

well, a couple mornings later,
grandma tere was fixing him a
bowl of frosted mini-wheats.
not wanting him to be wasteful,
she poured just enough into his
little bowl.

"can i have more?"
"when you finish these."

suddenly, she noticed he
had some in one of his fists.
"what about those in your hand?"

very quietly, he said, " those
fell out of the box."

"gianni, remember you are the
little boy who always speaks
the truth."

with eyes cast down, he
heaved a little sigh. the burden
of truth resting on his shoulders,

"oh, i took them."

many times, i've said to my
children, "i lie. rarely, but i do when
i get scared. when i suddenly am
afraid. the real issue is not the lying but the instant confession and
need for seeking forgiveness."

today, less than 24hrs. away
from Easter sunday, when we
celebrate the resurrection.
of our glorious Savior, may we
be Christ-like in word, thought
and deed. enjoy Jesus today!

Jesus paid the ultimate price
so that forgiveness can be ours.
His for us..and our forgiveness
of ourselves and others.


    gianni with grandmother tere               ann holding gabriella

Holy week.
Jesus knowing what
His father was preparing
Him to endure for the sins
of the world. our Savior,
bent in mercy and dread and
unwavering odedience.

sing the Gospel story.
wave the flags of praise.
dance to the beauty and
thrill of deliverance.

whiter than snow.
cleaner than clean.
once red as crimson.
now white as wool.

oh! i want the world to know.
i long for all to be free.
to have the Friend of all
friends.

"excuse me, sir.
please, ma'am...
little boy....
can i tell you my story?"

"would you like a soda?
a cup of coffee?
little girl, can we play dolls?"

just let the whole world
know. all who pass your way.
it starts with love. building
bridges instead of walls.
grasping a hand. sticking $20
into the palm of a single mother.
a smile so fresh. so wide. so
authentic...that the other one
will feel the warmth. will know
they are not alone.

there is nothing so tender
and magnificent as taking
someone's hand, and placing
it on the doorknob that opens
to Jesus' heart. absolutely
nothing. ask Jesus to annoint
you this week. in a special way.
i am doing the same. it is all
about being warriors of the Cross.

i have been reading from
proverbs 16. the Message.

"far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich."

"a good leader motivates,
doesn't mislead, doesn't exploit."

"good-tempered leaders
invigorate lives."

"it is better to live humbly
among the poor, than to
live it up among the rich and
famous."

"get wisdom...it's worth more
than money; choose insight
over money every time."

God's Word is so crisp.
so clearly laid out. these
are just a few simple verses.
tuck them into your heart....
and let them transform your
thinking. i will do the same.

with love and compassion,
change the world for Jesus
today. i love and treasure you
all. and am running right beside
you.

prayers have touched colson.
got a haircut. washed clothes.
things are going much better
at work. thank you so much.

this is what i read to one of
my other sons yesterday:

"here's what i want you to do,
God helping you: take your everyday,
ordinary life...your sleeping, eating,
going-to-work...and walking around
life..and place it before God as an offering. embracing what God
does for you is the best thing you
can do for Him. don't become so
well-adjusted to your culture that
you fit into it without even thinking."
romans 12
the Message

our lives an offering
today. everywhere we go.
all we do. His. completely.
not perfect. God isn't looking
for perfection; only authentic.

back
on the couch.
cast off. big, black boot
as replacement.
an ugg on my "good" foot.
ouch again and again.

i was prepared to fly.
immediate decrease of
pain. moving forward.
wrong. so wrong. just like
so many things we take on in
life. for the most part, the
journey is so much more costly
than we expect. my friend,
natalia, says...

"when you are in the middle of
hell, keep walking." i just have
to let God and time heal my feet.
and plow my way through.

colson called. on his bike.
flying down the streets of
dallas, en route to the mcdonald's
he manages. i thought it was
his daily call to tell me he loves
me.

"mom, i need your input.
i had to fire two employees
yesterday. i feel troubled. the
first lady had to go, but i know
i could have done better the
second time around."

i listened. quiet. still.
i love this son of mine. he
is honest. pure in the core.

he is going through a divorce.
that is shattering. he's been
homeless. the toughest love
a mother can dish out. last
year, two men walked up to
him and put their guns to his
head. rather than shoot him,
they pistol-whipped him.

we tell you our stories as a family
so you can know our journey is
"common to man." colson is
gifted. he is as hard a worker
as they come. and he utterly
gets Jesus. as a family, we
pooled our money and flew
him to dallas to live by brock.
in two days, he had a job. in a
couple months, he had his own
apartment.

"mom, i pray every day on my
way to work. please pray for
me."

i gave him a few thoughts.
some insight. prayed with
him, and reminded him he was
my treasure.

may Jesus be glorified in
all our tireless journeys. songs
in the night.

peniel: "i have seen God."  genesis

i have seen God in the wide
morning sky. i have seen God
gather the sorrows and ladle out
grace as vast as the oceans.
soothing the wounds. kissing
the tears.

yesterday,
my cast was sliced,
and removed. revealing
blood blisters and a peeling,
swollen foot. no boot for it
until today. and fresh pain coursing through my toes
and up my leg....tears
stinging my eyes.

but
send 100 balloons
skyward...and paint the
walls yellow and the doors
red. free. free at last. i can
walk unassisted. a few more
weeks of pain....but seeing
sunlight.

and like abraham,
i build an altar in my soul.
my cheeks are wet.
my eyes shining.

"great is the victory.
great is the victory..that
overcomes the world."

find a point of victory
where you live today.
call it Holy Ground.
Christ's power over
pain. over what feels
eternal..and you long
for it to be history.
over.

warriors of the Call.
may we join hands.
weak. broken. young and
fit and old. run with us,
Jesus, run...until
we see the lights of
the glorious Jerusalem.
hallelujah. amen.


ann..in grocery
store..excited..cast coming off
within hours

"my eyes have seen the Glory
of the coming of the Lord....
glory, glory, hallelujah..
His Truth is marching on."

today,
Lord willing,..
jan and i get our casts off.
yes, we transfer to some kind
of ugly boots, but we will walk
again. no walkers. i sound like
we are pitiful. ungrateful.
whiners. but i am so excited.

going to sit in hot tub of
bubble bath for a long time
tonight.

always,
if i go out anywhere,
driven by someone,
i stop by the dry cleaners
to hug and kiss veronica.
my tiny, korean friend.
please don't forget to pray
for her.

thinking of all those
who must use walkers and
wheelchairs for life. i throw
my arms around you. kiss you.
place crowns on your heads.
heroes. all of you.


there will be new mountains
to climb. much-harder battles
to fight. but i'm going to
celebrate today for what it is.

find a seed of promise somewhere
in your life today, and join in
the parade. thank you for all
your prayer and support.

"God is Light..and in Him is no darkness at all."
1 john new testament.

i love you all!