Tagged: fear

Thank you, JS, for helping me recognize it was His roar I heard. For helping me put my sword down and worship. Two Lions   I heard the lion roaring; His terrible strength Keeping me from sleep.   I trembled at my window; Peering into night; Aware of his hunger.   My sword hangs at my side; My armor scratched and dull-- Second skin.   I have lived ready, Alert, On guard these long years.   I know he wants to devour me.   But I resist; And I remember my family around the world who also suffer. I am not alone.   As I strain to see his position, A voice like silver Shimmers in my ear,   There is another Lion.   The… Read More

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.Psalm 34:4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.Psalm 56:3 The incessant rise and fall of drum rhythms pounded through the inky blackness, creating a sense of desperation, terror and pending doom in our East African village. Men, women, and children danced around the large fire in the middle of the compound, their undulating forms casting eery shadows along the rough surface of our whitewashed mud house. Local witch doctors called out to the spirits, shaking rectangular percussions made out of thin bamboo and filled with the bright red and black seeds of the tassel tree. The air was thick with the heaviness unique to dark ceremonies, interaction… Read More

@audreycfrank Part One: When You are the One Suffering from PTSD "Don't trigger me!" one teen said to another as they dissolved into laughter. The phrase has become casual and funny in popular culture, but underneath the laughter there is a kernel of truth. For those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a trigger can come unexpectedly, throwing them into a tailspin of fear and anxiety. [tweet_box design="default" float="none"]Recognizing the signs of #PTSD and knowing how to respond can make all the difference.[/tweet_box] One of the most indelible memories of PTSD for me happened one clear morning in Africa when a trigger interupted my life, warping reality. The old green Scout was my rescue car that day, the only reliable source of transportation available… Read More

@audreycfrank She just had a feeling. It was that mother-gut, knowing feeling that words just can’t quite explain. Such a feeling is weighed and measured in units of anxiety and apprehension, intangible but real. Something was wrong, and her son was trying to hide it. Climbing the stairs, she said a quick prayer. Lord, please reveal whatever I need to know. As she opened the door to her son’s room, he quickly slid something under the covers, eyes avoiding her gaze, lips mumbling a weak explanation. The carefully laid household rule that electronic devices were not allowed in bedrooms had been ignored. The temptation was too great. Seizing the phone concealed in her son’s blankets, the mother turned on the screen. Images she could never… Read More

@audreyfrank I went to bed with Condemnation and woke up with it the next morning. It had started in the place of self-scrutiny, with the instruments we all like to use to measure ourselves. Beauty, Success, Energy, Health, Finance: Fill in your own tool. I had measured and weighed my Self and did not like what I saw. By the time I fell into bed I was exhausted and weighed down like an anchor chained to a shipwreck. Condemnation slipped its scaly arms around me and began to tighten its grip. By morning it had grown in strength and staked its claim on yet another day. My perceived failures stood around my bed taunting me, daring me to face the day with anything but discouragement. … Read More

Dear Beautiful One, the Apple of God’s eye, Chosen not Rejected, Seen, Loved, Known and Treasured, the one called My Delight is in Her, [tweet_box design="default" float="none"]Your #story is part of God’s story in the history of the world.[/tweet_box] He is writing His story in you. What has just happened to you will be one of the most breathtaking parts of His great story of rescue in your life. But I know it does not feel like it right now. I imagine it feels dirty and scary. At that moment when the world changed for you, when a beautiful, normal summer day turned dark and full of fear, God gave you the strength to run. He filled you with breath to speak out against the injustice… Read More

disarm: take a weapon or weapons away from (a person, force, or country); remove the fuse from (a bomb), making it safe; deprive of the power to injure or hurt. (New Oxford American Dictionary) I am heavily armed at all times. My weapons are both visible and concealed, and I am careful to wear them at all times. Over time I have collected quite an arsenal. Performance is my nuclear weapon, carefully engineered to obliterate rejection and disapproval across vast distances. Coming in a close second in power is a highly dependable weapon called Control. Its accuracy can be counted on and it rarely misses its mark, unless the target moves by forces beyond my control. The next weapon might surprise you. Called Good, it… Read More