Tagged: Audrey Frank

“Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me. There are many dwelling places in my Father’s house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too. And you know the way where I am going.” John 14:1-4 The cerulean lake is hidden between the high peaks of the Dolomiti mountains. The challenging 4-mile hike to reach it winds like an allegory over crumbling rockslides, up single-file ladders, and across fresh mountain streams. Those who dare trek its heights… Read More

Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him). Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?”  They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?” Luke 24:15, 32 Sweat trickled down my back like a pesky fly caught in the fabric. My muscles strained as I climbed head over foot up the steep, rocky path. To my left was air, against a distant backdrop of majesty. Ahead was the towering rock face locals call “The Finger of God,” its promontory pointing solidly to heaven. As my breathing grew… Read More

  I hear your soul, friend. Honest  Raw.   I am witness to the miracle Fragile Rare.   Like that fox last week Emerging from the brambles Stopping Staring Inviting connection.   Your soul  Came out of hiding Timidly approaching Mine Is she safe?   Words pushed out like birth Startled By the sound  Of your soul’s primal Cry.   Your truth is painful Bloody Wailing.   My soul explodes with anguish Listening To your hurt.   It tries to run away Yet I resolve To stay with you  Here In the discomfort Of listening well.   Your sorrow  Becomes mine.   I remain still Silent This is not my time To be heard.   It is yours, Precious Brave Soul.   I will be… Read More

for one who consistently chooses to go lower still.   Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 As our small hiking group approached a fork in the rocky mountain path, two of us were distracted, quibbling about mean matters of life. The quiet voice of our leader interrupted the chatter. Surveying ahead, I think we need to go lower. It was then that we noticed the danger of the path we were on and the safer passage available to us. One trail led high and narrow, crumbling with fallen rock, as it clung to the face of a slippery cliff. The other path led low and steady, wide and stable. One of us who was stubborn took… Read More

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry."  Jesus, in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus' famous words in Matthew 11 have beckoned to me during many a season of exhaustion. But today, as I read them in context, I see a new invitation. There is something else that weighs me down, something that steals my joy and zaps my energy. It's the sin of pride, and like a sneaky lion, it constantly crouches in the periphery of my life,… Read More

Who can tell how often he offends? O cleanse me from my secret faults. Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get the dominion over me; so shall I be undefiled, and innocent of great offense. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O Lᴏʀᴅ, my rock and my redeemer.   Psalm 19:12-14, The New Coverdale Psalter, from the Book of Common Prayer The speaker that day explained to the roomful of ministry leaders that everyone has a blind side. His next words caused a swell of response: “And your blind side is not blind to others. They will see your faults when you do not.”  The fact that we can do… Read More

I just finished Shûsaku Endô’s terribly beautiful book, Silence, about two missionaries who go into 17th century Japan to find their beloved mentor, who is reported to have apostatized under unbearable persecution. It was assumed, even by Endô’s publishers, that Silence was about the silence of God. Yet, for the rest of Endô’s life as he lectured about the book, he stated, “I did not write a book about the silence of God, I wrote a book about the voice of God speaking through suffering and silence.” I did not find God silent in Endô’s book. I found Him speaking generously, tenderly to Father Rodriguez, especially in his most excruciating moments. But perhaps the problem is in our definition of the silence of God. There… Read More

  Go gently through this day, Beloved. The world doth violence To our souls.   Look carefully before you, Beloved. The path is narrow, But good.   Tend kindly to your soul, Beloved. His mercies have no limit; Rely on them.   Stay your mind on Him,  Beloved. He will surely keep you In perfect peace.   Release your cares to Him, Beloved. Our Helper is reliable; Trust Him.   Let the laughter come, Beloved. Let not sorrow keep you From joy.   Tune your ear to His voice, Beloved. What He whispers Do.   Receive His rest and live, Beloved. Learn from Him Today.   @audreycfrank Photo by Sue Winston on Unsplash Read More

Il vostro cuore non sia turbato; credete in Dio, credete anche in me! Giovanni 14:1   Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1, NIV I love the way languages deepen my understanding of the Word of God.  To English speakers, the Italian word turbato may sound familiar. It springs from the Latin root turbinem, and from it we derive English words such as turmoil, disturb, and trouble. Closest in pronunciation is the word turbine. Right now, I'm 30,000 feet above the earth, sitting over a powerful turbine that propels this airplane through the clouds. I can feel the power beneath my seat but can't see this mighty machine. It's hidden under the wing outside my… Read More

Examine me, O LORD, and test me. Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives. Psalm 26:2 Wow! Both the word examine and the word evaluate are words used in refining and purifying metals.  בָּחַן ḇâḥan, examine, means to investigate, prove, examine, test, try (of gold, persons, the heart, man of God); to make a trial.   צָרַף ṣârap̱, evaluate, means to purge away, pure, melt, founder, goldsmith, refine, fuse. To cast.To test (and prove true). Olive Tree Enhanced Strong's Dictionary, 2023.  What, precisely, is being purified? The word motives ( לֵב lêḇ) reveals the breadth of the task. The Psalmist, in this case, David, is asking God to examine and prove true his kidneys (figuratively his interior self) and his reins (what controls him). He is… Read More