Tagged: Audrey Frank

And behold, the Lord stood… and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” Genesis 28:13 Take heart, dear parent. The Lord Himself will speak to your children. Jacob deceived Isaac and Esau rebelled against him. Yet Isaac remained sure of the Lord, spoke a blessing over Jacob, and sent him into adulthood. The blessing of our children is critical at the launching point where we send our children out into adulthood. Though they may or may not embrace the truth they have been taught, though they may or may not be following Jesus as they exit our homes, they need… Read More

Jesus responded, “You have the food to feed them.” They replied, “All we have are these five small loaves of bread and two dried fish. Do you really expect us to go buy food for all these people?” Luke 9:13 Ministry is thrilling, and sometimes exhausting. It is a beautiful privilege to give all we have in the name of Jesus. The disciples had just returned from what was probably months on a ministry tour, laying down their lives and seeing wonders and miracles through the new authority Jesus had given them. Dusty, tired, and happy, they couldn’t wait to tell their Teacher all they’d witnessed. Jesus invited them to spend time with Him and they likely assumed that meant time alone to rest together… Read More

But during the night, the Lord sent an angel who appeared before them. He supernaturally opened their prison doors and brought the apostles outside. “Go,” the angel told them. “Stand in the temple courts and preach the words that bring life! So early that morning they entered the temple courts and taught the people.  Acts 5:19-20 Go. Stand. Preach the words that bring life. So many words in the world. Words that bring death, and words that bring life. (See Proverbs 18:21). What power we have, we followers of the Word (see John 1). We can preach words that bring life. Have you ever seen anything brought to life? Have you witnessed the birth of a child? The delight of a blossom appearing overnight from snow-bound… Read More

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:1-4 We are called to be a refuge for the persecuted. As I plumped the pillows and smoothed one more thick blanket over the bed, I thought of my persecuted brothers and sisters around the world fleeing from oppression. Racing through the night, seeking shelter, praying for passage. Holding little ones close, hoping they don’t feel the… Read More

He said to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Mary answered, thinking he was only the gardener, “Sir, if you have taken his body somewhere else, tell me and I will go and…” “Mary,” Jesus interrupted her. Turning to face him, she said “Rabboni!” (Aramaic for “my teacher”). John 20:15-16 dear: beloved, loved, much loved, adored, cherished, precious, esteemed, respected Where I live, a common address of another person is loved one.  What if that was the first thought of greeting we had for others, the primary characteristic of their identity to us? Jesus called Mary loved. Loved is not the first thing we usually answer when asked who we are. Especially if we are women. We sing songs… Read More

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. Romans 12:3-6 Such a little member of my body, my toe. Unnoticed, except perhaps during a pedicure, when all is well. Small, but mighty painful, when broken. Who knew your… Read More

for J and A So at last Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Exodus 40:33-35 finish: to complete; to reach the end of a race, typically in a particular position. (Synonyms) bring to a close, bring to fruition, crown, cap, set the seal on, stop, cease, accomplish, discharge, fulfill kālâ: to fulfill, complete, be concluded, settled, intended, overcome What does it really mean to finish? How will we know when the work God has given us to do is complete? As soon as Moses finished the work, it was covered… Read More

You must not say, ‘No, we will not stay. Instead we will go and live in the land of Egypt where we will not face war, or hear the enemy’s trumpet calls, or starve for lack of food.’ Jeremiah 42:14 John Mark Comer reminds us that the Bible does not tell an ideal story of humans. It tells the real story. Humans as they are, broken, sinful, wanting to escape the consequences of their actions. How refreshing. Real people with real problems, real humanity in need of a real Savior. The Israelites were living under siege. The king of Babylon was bearing down and capture was imminent. Day and night, the sounds of war struck terror in their hearts, punctuated by the alarming sound of… Read More

And a leper approached and bowed low before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2-4 The entire theology of honor is encapsulated in these three brief verses. Editors constantly urge writers to reduce their words; show, don’t tell. Be succinct, yet powerful. I rarely succeed. But Matthew did. Today his book is still a bestseller. All we need to know about honor and shame is here in this tiny tale: It is Jesus’ desire to make us clean, and He has all power to do so. Clean is another word for honor. My soul snags on this story, for I have… Read More

For C and her Savior, who sent her a duck. …He gave them words of hope. He said, “Be strong. Be brave. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. The king of Assyria has a huge army with him. But there’s a greater power with us than there is with him. The only thing he has is human strength. But the Lord our God is with us. He will help us. He’ll fight our battles.” 2 Chronicles 32:6-8, NIRV Be brave! Jesus will go with you. He scrunched up his little face and cried harder, shaking his head. But Jesus doesn’t have skin! I can’t see him! My little one was having separation anxiety, and I was desperate for adult conversation. I coaxed and persuaded, encouraged… Read More