Tagged: Audrey Frank

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and… Read More

  During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.  Luke 1:5-7 They were both righteous in the sight of God…blameless, but… Hard things happen to good people. Righteous people. People who follow every dot and tittle of the law and try to honor God with everything they do. Even for a lifetime. As one friend says, This is the Way. The way… Read More

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.  Matthew 1:1-6 She was running the race alone. Walking, truth be told. The dust rose around us like red clouds as the sun demanded everything come out… Read More

But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly had a better and lasting possession. So do not throw away your confidence, because it has great reward. For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. For just a little longer and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. But my righteous one will live… Read More

In honor of the 1009 survivors in Katanga, Gitare, Mbege, and Langalanga, Kenya. Have you ever felt the weight? The sheer weight of the destitute, surrounding you, holding on to you, hoping you will take the pain away? Hands cracked with labor, the dirt of hard-hoed gardens under fingernails long blackened with reality. Coats mended so many times the stitches march like uneven words telling stories of terror, loss, and hunger. Feet split and thickened like leathery boats, accustomed to hard earth with no shoes.  Have you ever felt the weight? The mocking weight of foolishness as you stand infinitesimal before immeasurable need? The cackling weight of stupidity as you declare the invisible truths of the invisible God made visible in Jesus Christ to people… Read More

  Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may be spread everywhere.  Song of Songs 4:16a (NIVUK) I live at the moment in a small and simple space on the edge of the Rift Valley in East Africa. The first thing I did when I arrived was drag the wooden desk to a window, where I spend most of my days writing and watching monkeys. I counted 21 last week. I know they are near when the trees in front of my window start moving in every direction. The branches bounce and shake, the fluffy black-and-white tails of the Colobus monkeys making them look like gigantic skunks as they swing from limb to limb, while their friends, the… Read More

For C, with love …Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20:21 I awoke to the sound of hyenas last night. In the darkness, everything seemed wild and terrifying. Anything could happen, or so I thought in the inky black of my bedroom. Are they at my window? Will they devour me? Am I safe? As my focus cut through the heavy blanket of sleep, I remembered the truth. I am in Kenya, there are many wild animals here, but I am safe. The hyenas cackled away as if my realization had them in stitches. In the dark, everything can seem wild and terrifying. Anything could happen, right? Sometimes, even God is shrouded in darkness. He who is the Light, to… Read More

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” John 20:26b I sit in the early morning light looking out over the pastel surface of the Brussels airport, and I see Jesus. He is here. His gentleness undulates through the mist that sits reverently over the tarmac. I can trace His order along the carefully laid lines and dashes showing luggage trucks and airplanes where to go, and where not to. I hear the crescendo of His longing in the crowds of weary travelers disembarking, reembarking. His kingdom glimmers just ahead of the passport control line like an invitation to a distant country. The intelligence of the One who was there in the beginning resounds in the roar of the jet engine… Read More

Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. Hebrews 12:3, NET Sometimes third and fourth-degree burns cause severe nerve damage, resulting in chronic pain. The problem for burn survivors and those who love them is that it takes time to know if such damage will be one’s fate. In the months after burn trauma, the miraculous human body produces millions of new cells to replenish the skin. It is after those wounds close and the hope of returning to regular activity rises that the devastating reality often comes: There may be no end to this pain. Pain specialists have carefully studied the relationship between pain and endurance. Research suggests… Read More

For S, and all who suffer injustice. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female —for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26-29   But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man… Read More