Tagged: Audrey Frank

  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10   Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23   As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4 We can be immobilized or mobilized by today’s headlines of war and trauma in the world. Jesus had no paper to read, no text messages barraging His phone, no phone! He had no widescreen, thin screen, folding screen to flash the latest deaths of innocent people across His consciousness, ruining His day. He carried it all, every single war, every innocent child killed, every weeping… Read More

The Good Shepherd Mosaic from Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy But you, Oh Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 Little sheep, can you feel the strength in the Good Shepherd’s hand? He holds your head up, though you want to hang it low and weep. His gentle firmness keeps your face fixed on His, though fear bids you look away. Little sheep, though His eyes do not look upon you right now, His heart is set upon you. See how He turns to you,… Read More

And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8, NET If life is going okay for you right now, you might skim this verse in less than four seconds (I tested it.) If life is crushing, you might not be able to get through it at all (admittedly, I tested that one, too.) 2 Corinthians 9:8 is a whopping promise.  All grace. Enough of everything. In every way. At all times. In every good work. God’s promises can make us skip and sing with joy when all is well. But when we’re immobilized and overwhelmed by life’s most crushing… Read More

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:6 The last thing I want to do is be still. I have so much to do, so many tasks mounting, so many urgencies clamoring. How can I possibly be still? Is that even responsible? In some circumstances, being still is life-saving. Reminds me of a true story, as usual.  The sun shone like joy as I made my way down Mt. Kenya after an epic climb with friends to the summit. I happily led the way, some distance ahead of my companions. The terrain on Mt. Kenya is surreal in parts, like something out of Perelandra by CS Lewis. We had just passed over spongey, mossy tufts, past… Read More

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord. Leviticus 23:3 Come visit me on Sabbath; The bed will not be made. My coffee cup will sit half-full; The table won’t be laid.   Sabbath is our freedom day, The one we do no work. We give ourselves permission To let the laundry lurk.   Alarms are silenced, schedules closed; We rise without the stress Of rushing out, of rushing in,  Of tidying every mess.   We gather with our family To worship and to hear The One who speaks on Sabbath  To all… Read More

For those from one of my favorite nations who allowed me to learn from them this week. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20 Why wouldn’t the majority of house church leaders throughout persecuted nations of the world be women? Nations that see the world through the lenses of honor and shame? Women are leading house churches by the thousands. God has raised them up and they are bringing HIm much glory. In honor-shame cultures, from an early age, women are responsible for teaching children how to avoid shame and cultivate honor. During adolescence, girls become women and take on their roles as honor burden bearers. Their… Read More

And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens… 2 Chronicles 2:2 There are projects in God’s kingdom that cannot be completed without burden bearers. The stones hewn from the mountain would not carry themselves. They could not assemble themselves into towering walls forming Solomon’s glorious temple. They needed strong arms to carry them. To think burden-bearing may be one’s assignment! We talk much about laying burdens down. But some burdens are purposed for God's glory. When we carry the burdens He assigns, we become part of that purpose. Jesus understood this. Centuries after Solomon's temple was destroyed, Jesus would be God's assigned Burden Bearer. He carried our sin and shame on the cross so human hearts might become the new dwelling place of the living… Read More

for Sarah, and all whose bag is too heavy to carry. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Matthew 26:28   Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. Deuteronomy 33:12   There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fail; God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:4-5 Forgiveness is like a suitcase too heavy to carry. There once was a little girl who had to take a long journey. Her father saw… Read More

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Psalm 32:9 I met a remarkable horse I called Lovey recently. She was clearly trained to draw near and stay near when called. She looked me in the eye as she stood still, right beside me, waiting for my instruction. Her gentleness was profoundly strong. I stood with my forehead leaning on Lovey’s broad cheek for a long time, soaking in her strength and stillness. Somehow she strengthened and comforted me. Lovey had obviously trusted her trainer enough… Read More

...after you have done everything…stand. Stand firm then… Ephesians 6:13-14 Standing is a kind of waiting, and waiting doesn’t feel very victorious in the middle of a fierce battle. It certainly doesn’t feel like a weapon.  Armor does. Belts and breastplates and shields do. Helmets and swords sure do. Recently I visited castles and towers famous for battle, filled with armor and weapons. The imagery is strong in my mind. But waiting? What kind of weapon is that? I don’t recall any sticky notes reading wait in the glass museum cases beside the old chain mail. Sounds kind of anti-battle. Actually, it sounds a bit like a death wish. When I face a battle, I want to do something. Battles are busy affairs, after all.… Read More