Thanks bruce mars on Unsplash

Happy Easter!

Easter is always a special day in prison because the prison residents get time to share their testimonies during Easter service.  Here are three quick testimonies for your Easter enjoyment.

Sam had recently been stabbed by a person on the prison yard.  Prison politics would dictate that he would have to stab this person back.  And yet, instead of doing so, Sam shared that he had forgiven his stabber.

Tommy had burned a lot of bridges in his life.  He had had no contact with his family and kids for at least 15 years.  One day, out of the blue, he felt called to write a letter to his family.  Right after sending it, he received a letter from his family.  They had sent letters to each other at the same time!  They reconciled and starting corresponding.  In one of the subsequent letters, Tommy’s kids drew a picture that Tommy then painted in, so that his kids could have something that they had created together, father and children.

Casey attended a powerful 4-day retreat of unconditional love inside prison and experienced an awesome transformation.  So much so that he felt strong enough to go sober for the first time in 20+ years.  Casey told his parents about his experience and about going sober.  Inspired by Casey’s commitment, his parents started going to church and they got sober too!

May these stories of God’s work in these men’s lives inspire you to see the transformations in yours.

Invitation:  Take a moment right now to reflect on the transformative experiences that have taken place in your life over the past month or two.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

Thanks Diana for this recipe and your gorgeous platter

Last night, we ate like prisoners.  No, not their state-issued meal.  Prison residents regularly get together to create “spreads” as they call them.  One brings a tomato.  Another a can of mushrooms he bought through their canteen.  Another a jar of peanut butter sent by family.  And together, doing with what they have on hand, they craft a memorable meal.

Some of them are great cooks, even with their limited access to ingredients, and get their fellow residents salivating.  We regularly hear of the recipes they conjure.  Making soups in their hotpot that doesn’t boil.  Using Kool-Aid as a ramen seasoning.  Seven-layer birthday cakes of cookies and cream cheese.

Well, in this season of not-getting-together, a Columbian-Australian friend from Thailand’s Peace Fellowship and I shared in a lunch/dinner, together with our partners.  Peering into each other’s worlds through our devices, they were having lunch 17 hours ahead of the dinner we were eating.

It’s our dinner prep that resembled the prison residents’.  Diana had previously sent a recipe for Peruvian Arroz con Pollo so that we’d be eating the same thing on both sides of the world.  And, to avoid a trip to the grocery store, we chose to prepare the dish with what we had on hand. The whole chicken became two oversized chicken breasts.  The red onion was actually yellow.  The coriander became cilantro.  The choclo grains became canned corn.  And the yellow chili chopped in julienne was actually canned green chili.

And just like the prison residents, we feasted on our quarantine arroz con pollo!  And if your quarantine feels like prison, you might enjoy the recipe below for Prison Tamales, given by our team to our newsletter readers in April 2019.

Invitation: Make the recipe below. Or make a meal with the funky stuff in your fridge and pantry.

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Prison Tamales

• Bag of corn chips or tortilla chips

• Refried beans (residents get these dehydrated)

• Sausage or other meat, pre-cooked, cut into bite-sized pieces

• Vegetables - peppers and onions

• Seasoning of your choosing

1. Crush chips in bag

2. In chip bag, add and mix all ingredients. Shake well to ensure it’s properly mixed

3. Add a little water at near boiling temp (that's the hottest water gets in prison), but not too much so it doesn’t get soggy

4. Roll in chip bag to form tamale shape

5. Add cheese and hot sauce

6. Enjoy!

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

How are these tips helping me stay healthy? These tips are actually critical to your physical health!! Because chronic stress suppresses our immune system. By decreasing fear, anxiety and apprehension, these tips decrease stress and therefore help restart your immune system.

Take care of yourself! And take the steps to increase your wellbeing, peace and joy. These by definition decrease fear, anxiety and stress.

Invitation: Increase your wellbeing, peace and joy. And watch your immune system support you more strongly.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

Ever feel like you have nothing to contribute to our world? Especially during this confinement?

Even while confined, we have the power to impact our world in new, positive and sustainable ways.

You're skeptical? Check out Jason's story about seeing how he realized the impact he can create on the outside world from behind prison bars. You’ll also hear of prison residents donating to local organizations, as well as the eight TEDxDonovanCorrectional Talks by prison residents that have received over 77,000 views. That’s at least 77,000 people who have been impacted by a bunch of folks locked up most often for decades, even the rest of their lives.

Invitation: Let this inspire you to be the change you wish to see during this time of confinement.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

As you experiment with new ways of doing things in this new life configuration, apply what the prison residents do incredibly well: awesome innate human ingenuity! It’s amazing to observe the creativity that shows up when we do not have access to needed or usual resources. Here are some stories for your inspiration.

Invitation: When you get stuck, allow this to be the door into more creative ideas, Innovative solutions, fun outcomes.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

One of the challenges of this confinement - and prisoners’ confinement - is the loss of control. They and we can get overwhelmed by what we cannot do. We see all the things we could do effortlessly a mere three weeks ago that now feel inaccessible.

When these feelings creep in, focus on what you can control and do. Regardless of the situation, there will always be at least one thing that you do control and can do. Do this one thing and then allow it to be the door into other possibilities.

Again, in the video are stories from the residents and examples of people moving past the constraints of their current confinement to find the things they can do. Enjoy!

Invitation: Easy. When you feel overwhelmed by what you cannot do, find the one thing you can. And do that. Let the rest unfold from there.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.

There are times in our lives which define who we are. THIS is one of those times. Most likely more than any other time in our life. This is an identify shifting time.

We’re meant to grow through this. We’re meant to receive a gift through this. This is not meant to destroy us. It’s meant to build us. And it all depends of we’re going to allow it to create the elements for it to build us!

Just like prison, where, as the residents release their destructive lifestyles to step into a new definition of themselves, they face an identity shift that is unfathomable to most of us.

AND they li-ter-a-lly face possible death. It’s a life and death decision.

They choose to release all that has defined them. All that has made them who they are. All that has mattered to them.

How we move through this season will define who we are, how we show up in the world, how we thrive and how we serve others. It's time to step into your real brilliance!

Invitation: If you wish to show up on your brilliance, check in with yourself: Do you have the courage to release or undo parts that you hold dear, parts that define you, parts that matter to you, parts that define your value, status and position in the world? This is what this season asks of us, so that we may grow into something even greater.

This is part of a series. You see, on April 1st, I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. For the month of April, I will provide a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.