Tagged: Audrey Frank

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.2 Corinthians 4:7 For many years I read this passage with one clear image in mind. Terra-cotta, reflecting the earth’s rich hue, thick, rough-hewn earthen jars just the right size to hold in two hands. Their purpose, to be filled with whatever is needed and poured out in service. I imagined them brimming with freshly pressed olive oil, warm water for washing tired feet, or frothy goat’s milk newly squeezed. Such mental images came to life in my travels through South America and East Africa as I discovered countless vessels created to hold something useful and aid in service.  I thought deeply about the… Read More

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.Romans 5:5 There is a hope that does not put us to shame. Love, at its heart, is about hope. Hope that we might be valued enough by others to be loved by them. Without hope, there could be no love. How interesting that Romans 5:5 embeds this little gem of encouragement right in the middle of a hard passage about suffering, during a time when many hearts want to give up all hope. Paul, the writer, urges us toward a better hope, one that does not disappoint. Our world needs to know such hope right now. The… Read More

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.Psalm 139:23 We are anxious about everything, it would seem.  Today on the Culture Translator, I was introduced to the latest anxiety trend among Generation Z: “eco-anxiety.” Stemming from the belief that there is currently a climate crisis, eco-anxiety is causing a majority of 18-25 year-olds to worry about what will happen in the future. Before you judge Generation Z, stop and evaluate what has your heart racing these days. What makes you worry about the future? How do we know what is really worthy of adrenaline-producing, cortisol-throbbing anxiety?  We have a little saying in our house when stress begins to shake us: “Is it an ant, or an elephant?” And like… Read More

We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.2 Corinthians 4:7-10 “What can man do to you? Much every way. Like a small thing unsheltered, like a mimosa in a thunderstorm—stems, leaves, flowers, involved in a common distress—that is how you feel till you remember God. And then what happens? …you prove that the spirit of man energized by the Spirit of God can defy the natural, and need not be, as it would naturally be, destroyed when… Read More

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”John 12:21 The Greeks who asked Philip to see Jesus were devout worshippers of the one true God and had come to Jerusalem to worship at the feast. They joined in the meetings in the temple as far as they were allowed, being Gentiles.  Now they wanted more; they wanted to see Jesus. They had made their choice to worship God, but something about the man who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead stirred a deeper desire to see clearly. They wanted to get right up close to Him, to speak to Him, to look in His eyes and have Him look in theirs, to communicate and discern who He really was. His… Read More

I will wait for the Lord… I will put my trust in Him.Isaiah 8:17 As a new follower of Jesus, I understand that if I confess my sins and ask God’s forgiveness, I will be forgiven. New life will be mine. New spiritual birth is promised, and I will leave the old nature behind, the new work of the Holy Spirit beginning in me His work of regeneration and sanctification. The Lord Jesus will dwell in me, giving me the power to live a new life of hope and strength. With this new life comes a new expectation. If I obey His commands, if I serve Him, if I seek to honor Him in all I do, I will be blessed. And thus we begin… Read More

Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above.Psalm 8:1 (Jesus), being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Philippians 2:6-8 In the quiet night sounds of the little town of Bethlehem, among softly rustling sheep and the gentle munching of hay, the God of all Creation laid aside His magnificent reputation.  In the prickly straw of a manger, He yielded His praise.  Within rough-hewn homespun… Read More

And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.1 Kings 19:7 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.Matthew 2:13 Sometimes the journey is just too great for us. We would never be able to make it without supernatural intervention.  Both the… Read More

It was Christmastime in a land far from home, I was expecting our third child, and my sense of smell was working overtime. Nauseated and homesick, my attitude was anything but joyful. I was pretty sure I was inadequate for the tasks in front of me at that time in my life, and a sick pregnancy was not helping me feel courageous or motivated.  Bundling up one afternoon, I sought solace and fresh air outdoors where I could ruminate alone with my thoughts. The small dirt path behind our bungalow wound up and over a hill, inviting me to explore. I climbed the hill slowly, avoiding the mud. Rounding a bend I came upon a rudimentary stable where a despondent donkey and two wooly sheep huddled… Read More

I have watched as a loved one recovers from the devastation of third-degree burns. Beneath the anguish, behind the suffering, lies a lesson in gratitude for what I cannot see. Sometimes the most profound truths are revealed through the severest sorrows. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians 15:57 Is it possible to have gratitude for what I cannot see?  There are times when healing begins so deep it cannot be seen for a time. Such times in life can be agonizing. Such times require much patience and trust. According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, “Third-degree burns damage or completely destroy both layers of skin including hair follicles and sweat glands and… Read More