Tagged: Audrey Frank

O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.… Read More

O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?   Psalm 139:7 We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm… Read More

O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Psalm 139:6 (NET) We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm 139. To read last week’s reflection, click here. I am writing this from above the clouds… Read More

For my big bear. O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me.   Psalm 139:5, NET We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm 139. To read last week’s reflection, click here. I never knew how much I loved being squeezed until I had a child who could not bear it. In the… Read More

We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm 139. To read last week’s reflection, click here. O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. Psalm 139: 4 I’ve seen all kinds of art in frames. In my home, there is an oil pastel of a pear, a glass, and a bottle, created by our son just before his fifth birthday, that won awards from judges who couldn’t believe… Read More

We are journeying verse by verse through Psalm 139. To read last week’s reflection, click here. O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do.   Psalm 139:3 Trauma can disrupt our confidence in well-laid plans. We’ve noticed in our family that ever since the fire that changed all our lives in November of 2019, we hover and hesitate when people ask us our plans. Will you be at the wedding? I think so! (What I mean is yes, I want to, and I’ll buy the… Read More

O LORD, you examine me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. Psalm 139:2   I am memorizing Psalm 139 in earnest this new year. I’ve lived between its lines since girlhood, and especially young womanhood, as I struggled to accept the embodiment of my soul in a vessel I did not love. Some portions of Psalm 139 became well-worn. Others were just filler words between the ones I needed most. In this season of life, I find myself pulling out these familiar truths like a string of family pearls, wanting to hand them down to my daughter, who is growing up in a world where it’s hard to tell… Read More

O LORD, you examine me and know me. Psalm 139:1 At the beginning of a new year, there is much unknown. We try to know all we can, but the fact is, we cannot. We have a complicated relationship with knowledge. We want to know but we are afraid to know. We long to know and be known. We dream of being known and loved despite it all. But we are afraid of examination. Knowing might be stressful. In some countries, students must go through the grueling process of interrogazione. Interrogation in English conjures up images of prisoners being grilled and even tortured until they admit the truth. In the case of students in the Italian school system, it simply means a panic-provoking, shame-inducing oral… Read More

Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice —I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:47-48 The word practice is so graceful. I quite prefer it over resolve. At this time of year, when everyone is talking about New Year’s Resolutions, I like to ask myself what I’m going to practice. Practice implies trying, and trying again. Keeping at it. Persevering, even when one day is missed. Pressing on, although a week of the flu knocks down… Read More

For all the wise men and women I know across the nations. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1, 10-11 Wisdom asks questions, wisdom shouts joyfully, and wisdom bows down. The wise men of Matthew 2 were seeking the One… Read More