We each are the Weak but He is Strong

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

He broke his body?! NO!! They looked at me with eyes shining--it was the first time Ava and Bruik really heard the story of Jesus' sacrefice for us. Last year there just wasn't enough language to understand it all. The three littles had been taking turns sitting on my lap Thursday after lunch in a puddle of strong sunshine-- They had enjoyed changing places on Mommy's lap as we learned that Jesus gave up His place and traded places with us so that we could always "sit" in our Father God's lap. Then they all piled on Mommy's lap to understand that because of Jesus' gift we ALL can sit in God's lap with Jesus His son. We all had laughed as I groaned under their weight--"God's lap is MUCH bigger than yours, Mommy!!" We continued our teaching. Now Bruik clung to me. " Really? He DIED? He BROKE His body? " And then, in horror, "Is He dead?"

Oh, no!! I quickly explained how Jesus rose and is alive with us now but Bruik was unsettled--it took a full day for his heart to be illuminated by the Holy Spirit to understand that Jesus is alive and with us now. He prayed at lunch and at dinner "Please God, don't make Jesus be dead. Let Him live. He was so hurt. He needs to live." Our hearts were humbled as we watched our little boy mourning for Jesus "who must live!" taking the Truth of the events of what Jesus suffered to make us whole. We sat with him and let the Truth break our hearts, and steal our breath away-- considering the power of it all. You can imagine how excited Bruik and Ava were when they realised that Jesus came back to life!! We were ordered to read those pages in our giant Bible story picture book several times. Show me again Mommy!! Wowed hearts. How easily they knelt--how quickly they pressed the picture of the empty tomb to their hearts--as did other children too. Simple hearts--harvest of natural response to Jesus. A dear friend of mine reminded me just the other day to remember to always give the invitation to be a follower of Christ as we share about Him with children--she was sharing this in reference to my upcoming Mission Trip and He was applying it to immediate harvest in our backyard--beautiful.

Later in the weekend, I made a trip to our local grocery store to pick up some "supplies" for a hot dog and smores roast (YUM!). As I was standing in the deli section in front of the potato salad, I ran into one of my buddies. "Gilliagan!--oh its you!!" It was my friend, John. If you are local, John might be your friend as well. John is an employee of this local store and he has been helping us push grocery carts full of grocery runs and my children to my van for the past 11 years. Some would call him "special" or "mentally challenged"--we just call him, John :). He's a dear friend. He remembers my children's names and calls them out. He can accurately guess a child's age--he gets it every time--they love it!! He's never gotten my name down. He calls me, Gilligan--you know, from Gilligan's Island. He never remembers my name BUT he remembers Christ in me. "OOOHHH, it's you." He looks at me piercingly "Yes, yes..OH,OH,OH, I gotta tell you somethin, Gilligan...its " and he will share a whole chapter of scripture or share what he knows is true of God. John is suffering from some sort of challenge that keeps him locked up in himself. My heart suffers to see him wild-eyed at other times speaking at break -speed to himself. He often seems to be figuring out a puzzle, suffering. UNLESS he is talking about Jesus! In those moments--without fail-- EVERY TIME--his haze clears--his eyes become settled,peaceful,clear--there is a wholeness and a peace as he talks LOUDLY with much joy--just ABANDONED to the love of a real Savior. He often speaks of his future when he sees Jesus face to face. He speaks of being healed and whole. He gets so excited over Jesus he jumps up and down and we laugh and praise Him together. I go away with joy--filled by his testimony. In 11 years of being John's friend, I have often ached to see my friend walking through the parking lot pushing carts, stammering and shaking his head to clear the thoughts in there. I have prayed over him, asking for God to release him from his trial. I have never heard him question God or speak with self-pity--just simple joy in the one who holds his awe and his enthusiasm. And out of love for Jesus, and in service too--we always make sure we are in John's line at the grocery conveyeur belt.
In the deli aisle I had seen I saw John pushing this HUGE cart of trash--3 huge clear plastic trash bags stuffed in a grocery cart. I called him over to the potato salad and was greated with "OH,Oh, Gilligan! Oh, great. Now lemmie tell you this great thing about Jesus." I too shared with him --the story I told above about Ava and Bruik-- and when I got to the part of "He broke His body for me" John's eyes grew red and filled with tears. "Yeah, He did." He breathed out in awe and with deep sadness. "He did that for me, Gilligan, and ONE DAY (He starts to clasp his hands--he can hardly stand it) He's gonna come for us. WE ARE GOING TO SEE HIM!! And we are going to be LIKE HIM!!" and he begins to preach about Jesus and Heaven and forever and forgiveness and wholeness--and I just joyed with him, standing in that deli section in front of that potato salad and a pretty miffed deli employee who was really glaring by this point (who cares!--he needs Jesus too!!). John had been spotted by his boss and was being called away but before he got the cart back rolling, I put my hand on his arm and silently prayed for God's anointing to fall on him. "And John, Jesus died so our MINDS would be healed--we are to pray to be 'transformed by the renewing of our minds(in Jesus)'." Well, there was this shaking that came over John and then he burst out--really loudly--"I KNOW!! HE HEALS ME EVERY DAY!! HE RENEWS MY MIND EVERY DAY, Gilligan!!" I was blown away by my "broken" friend's testimony--of how Christ's powerful presence--His blood saves him EVERY DAY. Its how he survives in this world, Christ IS renewing his broken mind every day. Its his ticket to survival--to sanity. The dependence--the reality of his Savior--he gets it. What I saw as brokeness and only suffering is the weakness that brings John to the cross--EVERY DAY. This certainly does not discount the complete and glorious healing that is to come for my friend but in his "weakness he is strong". I walked away so aware that I am just as weak in my own areas that are broken and need of fixing and healing--I have SO many!!-- I too look forward to the day when all is complete but I can go to my Savior daily with my weakness and sin to be given life,forgiveness, passage through each day on Christ's victory forged for me. JOY, HOPE,GLORY -- is Now. Thank you, Jesus!!

Love, Gillian

He Broke His Body for our Wholeness

It is Finished.
The Price Jesus Paid for ALL of our Sin is Enough.
Thank you for breaking your body for us--for dying in our place--for stepping in and taking our punishment so that we can enjoy freed, forever life.
We are in awe of your choice to live a perfect life and then to die and rise again for us!!
We are clean in God's sight because of Jesus' death on the cross. We are covered and freed. Forever!!
Thank you, Jesus.

Love, Your Thankful Children

Our Easter gift to you--a video on You Tube of Keith Greene singing Easter Song
(sorry if link does not work well--its worth the trip to go view it)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3kc1jDahU4

His Bundle on my Back--From my Ethiopian Journal

"He takes care of his flock like a shepherd.
He gathers the lambs in his arms.
He carries them close to his heart.
He gently leads those that have little ones. " (Isaiah 40:11)

African women carry their babies within long fabric pieces on their back. Like these children, as a child of God, since I was five, I have been securely wrapped up within the love of incredible Father God. First He saved me and simply asked me to love Him and to love others. To walk out my life as He did. He named this love, "adoption", as He wrapped me close to His heart. In time and by degree, He lovingly secured a bundle to my back as well. It is so much smaller but looks like the one my Father carries. I love to walk through His world with Him. Within this bundle He has placed Adoption , Rescue, Care for the Orphan--the desire to give place to the lonely--to set them in families--love for His hurting world. This, He has lovingly has wrapped to my back since I was a tiny girl. He has so much more to fit into my bundle. I gaze in there and marvel and wonder at its beauty -- the honor of carrying a likeness to my Father. Other times it has been very heavy to carry. But then, the gold of His Kingdom can be weighty.

I hope you can see her. She is my heart for adoption, for adoption in Ethiopia. A beautiful African woman stands with dignity under a brilliant, cobalt sky. She is dressed in humble garments and is wrapped in a long piece of colorful fabric. With skillful ease, she bends over gracefully to take the ends of the fabric. Seamlessly, she wraps the fabric over a baby on her back or front until the baby has the cosiest of perches to view the market before them. They walk down dusty streets, past baskets of food on blankets, among begging people with gentle eyes and past the man with withered polio legs dragging his torso to the injera stall (Ethiopian bread). Her baby blinks at the sun and is covered with a light shawl. She jostles to sleep, secured on her Mother's back. On they go through the aroma of Ethiopian "Boona"--the most delicious coffee you could ever imagine, around a young goatherd, coaxing his goats through the crowded, bustling market streets. Lilting music plays out of shanty-type one-room buildings covered in tin roofs lining the street, making up the market's stalls --this is the the vast "Merkato".

Her beauty belies the secret of her heart, greyer than the afternoon storm clouds that sweep across Addis Ababa each day at this time. The German medical lab has given her grave news. She is not the first of her family to receive such news--in fact she has watched all of her family members perish after similar reports. Some lived several years--others just weeks. Their arms--asleep in quiet graves--unable to help her. Unable to come to her aid. And no arms to receive her precious Rekeb. Rekeb, full of life and energy with the cry so loud and lively her Mama's name's meaning fits her well, "one who cries out". In different times there were many loving arms to soothe Rekeb's cries. She would have been passed around to bring Joy to every heart. In this land, there is no original word for "orphan" for children are the treasure of their family circles. Rekeb stirs in her cosy sleep, soon she will want to nurse. Who will feed her? Who will hold her? Will she live? Oh, God, help her, see my child. Let her live...
The mother reaches her destination, the outer wall of the local Orthodox church. She can hear the sound of singing. The daily services must not yet be over. She has heard this is a good place. Surely they will hear her. Will they? Or will the wild dogs who run the streets find her first? She shivers. She unwraps her incredible bundle and ...we do not watch the most private and excruciating of moments between a loving mother and child.

With the greatest of care she finds a gap under the wall and makes a bed of colorful fabric for her little one. Rekeb. Will she live? She stays, until Rekab's cries draw a crowd of street children. They pick her up. One older girl wraps her on her back ,in the colorful fabric. They speak of an orphanage not far away. A good place. She will live...

Across the world, my bundle comes to life! It is full, pregnant with a referral of two babies!! I sense the loving arms that brought these children to my Father even as I see their photos on my computer screen for the first moment and I love them even as love swells for these precious babies. Big brown eyes stare sadly at me from the first photo I open. It is a little boy, he is 2 years old. His parents are deceased. As we have nested we did what many parents do and have looked at Ethiopian name lists. We decided quickly and firmly months back upon the name, Bruik, meaning, "gift of God." I wrestle my eyes off of his photo to glean my first bit of information of my new son. And as I scroll down, I gasp and cry,shout and jump up and down--in Joy-- African woman-style!! His name, before me on the screen is...Bruik. Oh, my little son. Placed "on my back" and in my heart since I was a little girl...
The next image is a tiny little baby girl. Her velvet brown legs and arms are so thin they make me ache--with a mother's longing to tend and to nurture. Her cheeks are so kissable -- I can't stand it. Little...Rekab. Captivator of my heart---so dear to another that she was brought to my arms... I stumble around for weeks--dizzy with love and the closeness of the Father--soaring, sometimes staggering under the glory's weight.
Soon we are on a plane, watching a tiny electric airplane model on a map on the screen fly increasingly quickly away from my land. My daily world shrinks away...I turn toward the land of my new children.

There is no sleep for me, I toss in our hotel bed--tomorrow--we'll meet them tomorrow!! It is like the night before I was married--full of mystery, hope, and elation. My mind jumping to the future and savouring the present all at once.
I rearrange baby bibs and formula and tiny outfits and shoes. I pray and thank my Father. I lay out my" bundle" before me and tenderly consider it. Excited to further fill it tomorrow as we love on the orphans we meet and greet our babies for the first time.

On the following day we pile into a bright blue and white van and bump through the streets. We pull up to a walled orphanage and my stomach leaps, "Kids Care Orphanage" says the painted metal gate.

Bruik awaits us, dressed in a crisp oxford shirt and little blue sweat pants. We gently touch and hug. He smiles brightly and jumps into His Daddy's arms. Richard swings him up onto 6 foot 5 shoulders and Bruik looks triumphantly down at his new family.

Rekeb is waiting for us in a walker in the baby room. Her nannies say to me with laughing eyes, "you must pick out your baby now". Oh, no! I know the baby girl which I believe is mine...but she is the loveliest of all the babies in their white metal cribs--what if I am wrong and she is another? The joke is on me--I have hesitated too long. A nanny reaches down to the beautiful baby in the walker and secures her in my arms. I breathe her in. We sway to the musical sound of children's voices and Amharic speech. A first dance...

We drive away from the chorus of children but they remain still in our "bundles". How God presses them on our hearts.

We rename our Rekeb, Ava Aday, meaning, "breath of life, precious flower." She will live. Our Father.our Savior, has promised "life abundant" for her. And as we carry our children close to our hearts and walk through their lovely people, taking in their beautiful land,filled with pain, awe, and joy, we sense our Father, securing our bundles, walking beside us, sharing His heart with us...

Love, Gillian

"Whoosh, Whoosh" Jacko and the Dandelions

Sweet, Jack. He has his own special way of playing with dandelion puffs. :)

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, He put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;" Matthew 18:1-5b

Funny lips
Blowing puffs of little boy breath
on Dandelion's "heads".
Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh!
And I laugh with my little boy as we
Fall back into the tender green grass.
To watch, to enjoy, to soak it in --
This invitation from the King of Spring and Flowers and Little Boys.
The King of Heaven, reaching,
for me...

Seeds float on Springtime air
And cling onto his bright green shirt.

Seeds, children.
Blown so quickly across our lives.
All the finery of the Kingdom,
Surfing on the Breath of the "one who rides on the clouds".

Blow on us, again, King,
Lift us back on the winds of your Kingdom,
Where funny lips, seeds,
Lives lived with purest abandon,
Take us to your knee...

Love, GG

Springy Photos of the Tucker Bunch

Spring has sprung!--Just a newsie blog today. :) We will fill our Spring Break this week with fundraising for Ashley and my trip to Ethiopia and Uganda --above photo is our favorite fundraiser--cookie sales !! The preschoolers are living outside and...in their favorite dress-ups. We are blowing lots of dandelions, playing Lacrosse with Ashley, made a library run yesterday to pig out on books,having lots of egg hunts. Wednesday-Sunday we will dive deep into our preparations for Easter. Prases to our precious, precious Savior. We so love you, Jesus!!
Friends pictured above are from the Redington and Mihnovich families. Ashley and Whitney Redington are pictured in a silly moment. Whitney, Heather, and Zion biked to our home to share a birthday cupcake with Ava. Princess Ava also loved opening presents with Abby Krehbiel--our precious new friend, JUST home from Ethiopia and she brought one to Levi Mihnovich. I call that photo above--The Princess and the Bono Fan. Levi is sporting his Bono tee shirt--he's a true fan :)--one cool little man!!--Yes, smearing our friends with icing, hanging out in trees, emersing ourselves in the good news of Jesus--sounds like Spring Break to me!! :)

Love, Gillian

Scrub-a -Dub, Dub, Our 6 Kids in a Tub

Anderson's prayer (our 2nd grader) at the breckfast table this morning with the littles (our 3,4,and 5 year olds):

"O.K.QUIET!!(He hollors)" "Let's pray...(everybody, CLOSE YOUR EYES!!), Dear God, really you are Mighty!! We thank you this morning that we are alive and that you brought Daddy, Mommy, and Graham safely home to us. Thank you for not letting the Bridgestone building fall down when Daddy was in it and the tornado got so close to it. You only let the sign blow down--and some bricks--on some cars. You made RUSHING winds last night,RAINS, and STORMS and TORNADOS! You are SO powerful, God. And you gave us T.V. warnings to keep us safe. And we were hiding,in our safe place, but you were strong and you knew where we were. You even kept us from getting slashed with glass (the biggest fear of Anderson's day yesterday). Thank you also for the Cheerios we got to eat in the bathtub and that Annie (our dog) was safe. But most of all, God, thank you because I really like the bathtub so I can snuggle up with my family in it."

In the midst of a scary storm, so many things to smile about--one announcement said that most injuries from tornados are caused by head injury--so someone suggested we all wear our bike helmets :)--this was AFTER the storm warning was over--ever try slurpping up spagetti through the straps of a bike helmet? HEE! They were so funny with their big ole heads all around the table last night. And aren't they silly in the tub photo above--snuggled in the nest in the midst of a terrible storm... I love being God's child.

Love,Gillian

Mommy, is it time to go home yet?

Many do not know this piece of information about the American Christian Church's response to the orphan crisis.

30% of Christians say they have considered adoption.

1% actually adopt.

Dear "30%", I write to you in love today. Is the Holy Spirit stirring your heart? Has He given you a precious window of response to Him? Respond. Before its too late. Respond before He allows you heart to be hardened. Before you start believing and saying things, like "well, nows not the right time anyway--how complicated this would make things?"or," How could our family take this on in 'these times'? "The poor, The orphan who are they really?" or, "Didn't Jesus say that the poor will always be with us?" (my least favorite!-a misquote of Deuteronomy 15:11 and Jesus' use of it with the woman with the costly perfume--but that's any entry to come soon...),"we just can't afford it", "People wouldn't understand", "People,people, people...", "Our family wouldn't get it--let me take care of smoothing feelings first.", "Our family photo would look really different on the Christmas card" "Does God really speak to me?","Those kids are so far away","It could (gasp!) bring sacrifice to our children--we may have to live sacrificially financially, time-wise, or in other ways", "what if they do not bond to me?", "what if this breaks my heart?","could my children share me with another child?","we should wait until things are smoother--maybe when the job 'settles' or the kids are older","what if we get sick?", "what if this tires us out?", "but I'm really following Him right now--would He call me to this too?","I'll lose my decorating,or gardening, or vacation, or latte,or this season's clothing,or insert your favorite focus here_________fund in our budgeting--could I REALLY live without that?" "We just won't fit in...", "those people who adopt have some need to 'collect' children how selfish THEY are!--they just can't stop!", or some more of my least favorites, "we just wouldn't be as peaceful a family anymore--it would create ripples here." and "I really don't know how we would do it anyway--my heart really could only love my own children -- that's who I am really responsible for...", "what DOES the Word really say about orphans?--I just haven't been taught that this is MY problem--that I am responsible--leave me alone nagging feeling that won't go away!" -- be careful--it just may go away...
And out of love for you, precious child, I pray that if you are being stirred, that you will honestly converse with God about all or any of these questions--also called--EXCUSES.-- He gives us windows of time to obey Him. And as you deliberate--143 million -- a nation of children-- are waiting and growing and dying. The same God who we call, Father, is their champion. He rises to see to their protection--He cares for them and sets His angels charge over them. They are each as precious to Him as the cherubic faces tucked into our beds upstairs. "Mommy, can I have a glass of water? "squeaks a precious, familiar voice, so dear to our heart, and we run with delight to serve these children. "Mommy can I go home now?" and we swing hands on the walk home. Perhaps God has a child for you, which He has planned since the beginning of the world. Perhaps He is whispering, maybe shouting to your heart? and a little one with perhaps different eyes or a song in their lovely voice is calling out your name at night. He doesn't get tucked in. She really needs a cup of water. He is lost and needs to be swooped up into a Daddy's strong embrace. Remember the story of Samuel? The correct response to God's voice, His calling is, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Ask, Answer,Obey--if it is "today" beware of the hardened heart--it will lie to you and speak such smooth words to you--it will assure you you are making the most prudent and best decisions...that you can always revisit this later, when He calls again...Will He?

Not my Words but His: " Give heed to my reproof; behold, I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you...But he who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of evil." Proverbs 1:23&33 (read this passage it is very clear about listening to God's voice and His response to our listening or lack of)

This may not be your message above. Adoption is a specific calling to a unique child. What is clear in scripture is that we all are to care about, and visit the orphan, and relieve their needs. Another misthought is the idea that if we just have beds in our home,extra food and clothing or stuff or an extra bedroom or budget that this is our ticket to being an adoptive parent. NO. Not so. I love in Hebrews how God, when He speaks of our adoption as sons says that He is RAISING up many as sons. Some may not be called to do the RAISING up that these children need. For it is not just placing food in their mouths and placing them in a "safe" spot in front of Dora the Explorer. NO! They need to be discipled and raised up in the fullest of ways and we need to stop guilt-tripping the "rich"--most of us in the Western world ARE rich compared to the world.-- We do not want to force children into places where they are not being called to be raised up with full rights and privileges as sons. We don't just feed or clothe our own children but teach them and hug them and sing with them and counsel them--it is a full-time,life-long occupation, isn't it?


Adoption comes from the Greek word meaning "the placing of a son". It is taking a person into the family as a son and giving him all the privileges of a natural son. Some of us need to stop judging other by the number of their bedroom count or the brand of their clothing or car and just let them listen to God's specific call for them to help His orphaned children.

Some of you may be the "senders" and God may be as powerfully speaking to you about giving resource to orphanages, giving to adoption agencies, or taking an family who has an adoptive heart under your wing and caring for their financial needs. LISTEN. He may be sharing shocking ideas with you that may be sacrificial as well. REMEMBER the parable of that Jesus told of a man who sold everything to go purchase a field? Well he did just that. And guess what he knew? The field contained a treasure, a pearl of great price. He understood that pearl was worth far more than the processions in his hand and what they presently were affording him. He sold it, ALL. He gained EVERYTHING. This is a picture of living in the kingdom of God.

The early Christians got this. They understood this far better then us. In Acts it speaks of how they shared everything. And elsewhere, it is written that God's heart is not that some would have much and other's nothing but that we would understand that as followers of Christ our resource should be distributed equally among us so that need is taken care of among the believers and so that the poor are well taken care of. Ouch, that hurts. But our processions really aren't ours--they all come from our Father (James 1). I bet I'm stomping on your toes but I'm a really poor dancer when it comes to preserving people's false beliefs and feelings over what is Truth and what knowledge really will bring LIFE to your life.

You need to know how desperate your brothers and sisters who have been called to adoption are for your financial help. They need much more than what you have been giving them so far--a pat on the back and a "I so admire what you are doing. I certainly couldn't do this myself! I'm not called to it." Sometimes fundraising efforts so drain them of focus and energy that by the time they reach their children, they have not had any time to prepare their hearts and souls and family structures --to dig deep and get shored up for the real push--the raising up of a son or daughter. The paperwork and legalese is enough to label it a full-time job and in addition they are frantically raising redemption costs --some of which would be a third or much more of their family's take home salary. This may not be the same proportion for you. Or maybe it would but God is calling you to be the financial wagon to carry a child home. Let me tell you brothers and sisters--we need much more than the wagons we have now--lets get a TRAIN going!! I know the resources are out there--to take care of one, two, more even a family a year for some of you. I see the vacations, the new pool or car,the cutest outfits,the gorgeous home decorations--could just one of these things be traded for lives? ORPHANS ARE OUR FATHER'S CHILDREN SO THEY ARE ALREADY IN OUR FAMILY. EACH ORPHAN YOU SEE REALLY DOES BELONG TO YOU. THEY DO NOT JUST BELONG TO "THE CALLED". YOU DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THEM. FIND OUT WHAT IT IS.

Have any of you seen Schindler's List? Well, it is NOT an easy movie to watch in the least. There is one scene in that movie that haunted me. It brought me in some ways to the decision to adopt and to keep the orphan before my heart. It is the end of the war and of the Nazi occupation. The precious Jewish people that Schindler has saved--by redemption money costs--are all grouped around him at a train station. He is saying goodbye. They are saying thank you. As he looks over them--just hundreds of souls grouped around him, he pats his luxury car. and says something like, "This could have been 20 lives." and he reaches into his coat for his watch and pulls it out , "and this 10 lives" by this time he is collapsing in grief, he spots his lapel pin, pinned over his heart and takes it off and cradles it, "this... 2 lives". "I could have done so much more..." Perhaps you are generous, I'm sure you are. But could God be calling you to more--a new level of generosity that could be ...shocking...that could buy a pearl...save lives? Perhaps the "Samuel...Samuel...?" is being whispered or shouted into your ears as well. He who has ears to hear, let him hear...Obey Him while it is still, "today"...

"Oh that today you would hearken to His voice!
Harden not your hearts, as at Mer i -bah
as on the day at Mas sah in the wilderness" Psalm 95:7b&8

"Light rises in the darkness for the upright;
the Lord is gracious, merciful,
and righteous,
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;'he will be remembered for ever.
He is not afraid of evil tidings;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady, he will not be afraid,
until he sees his desire on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;" Psalm 112:4-9


Love, Gillian