Tagged: courage

For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 Our outlook shapes the world. These days, it seems almost impossible not to become preoccupied with threatening possibilities and fear of the future. Humans seem to be perseverating on death. Perseverate is an excellent vocabulary word I first learned as a young speech-language pathology student learning about the effect of trauma on the brain. One who has a traumatic brain injury in the area of productive speech processing might get stuck in a loop tape, as it were, of words, thoughts, or fears. In this present world of poly-trauma where we wake up to bad news every day, it’s no wonder that we humans perseverate… Read More

  But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. Psalm 3:3   You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5  My prayers have been compartmentalized for so many years. Jesus, heal me. Father, protect me. Holy Spirit, help me. The realization is dawning in my soul like a sunrise that I am encircled. I am surrounded by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Three in One are never alone and therefore I am never alone.  God exists in community; therefore so do I. The concept of God’s encircling is everywhere in Scripture. Psalm 3 describes the Lord as a shield who protects us.… Read More

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. Psalm 62:5, AMPC Shy soul Carefully guarded Peeking out from Behind a wall Built over decades To protect.   Curious soul Hoping…? Will they  Love me Accept me Welcome me Maybe not Try tomorrow Or another day one hundred years from now.   Safe soul  Stay Behind the wall Built over decades To prevent.   Surrendered soul Behind a wall Light cascading Inviting.   Patient soul Waiting Silent Hoping Expecting God alone. By Audrey Frank   The soul is like a wild animal—tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient and yet exceedingly shy. ― Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life: Welcoming the Soul… Read More

For Peeps "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11   How can I be okay if you are not? It feels like some part of me is lost. We always held hands when we were afraid; Together we were exceedingly brave.   Today I felt I was twelve again, Holding your hand as we made a plan, Fear thrumming in our veins like some wild drummer, While fireflies emerged on that evening in summer.   But we are both now far past twelve; I look in your eyes and remind myself, We know something we did not know then; The Lord… Read More

Forget the former things;      do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!      Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness      and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 Dwell: Reside, live, have one’s home, have one’s residence, be settled, be housed, lodge, stay; abide; linger over, mull over, muse on, brood about, think about, be preoccupied by, be obsessed by, eat one’s heart out over, harp on about, discuss at length, elaborate on, expound on, keep talking about. It takes time to forget the past, but it takes only a moment to pack up and decide not to dwell there. Remembering and dwelling are two distinctly… 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

It was Christmastime in a land far from home, I was expecting our third child, and my sense of smell was working overtime. Nauseated and homesick, my attitude was anything but joyful. I was pretty sure I was inadequate for the tasks in front of me at that time in my life, and a sick pregnancy was not helping me feel courageous or motivated.  Bundling up one afternoon, I sought solace and fresh air outdoors where I could ruminate alone with my thoughts. The small dirt path behind our bungalow wound up and over a hill, inviting me to explore. I climbed the hill slowly, avoiding the mud. Rounding a bend I came upon a rudimentary stable where a despondent donkey and two wooly sheep huddled… Read More

for Susan Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe (Psalm 107:2). “You stopped before telling me the story. Go back and tell me the story!” Her request rang against the slap, slap, slap of our footsteps on the pavement as we ran in the early morning sunlight. My friend Susan had been listening intently as I shared a painful betrayal, a celebration stopped short by another person’s hurtful words.  I had recently rallied the courage to include others in a celebration of a hard-earned accomplishment, only to be criticized and gossiped about by a person who I thought was a friend. The incident sent my mind into a tailspin of humiliation. I was flooded with… 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

@audreycfrank Admirers eagerly pressed forward as the beautiful actress swept through the adoring crowd. “She is crushing life,” one said, eyes glowing with a dreamy mix of veneration and envy. A rumored yoga expert, clean eater, human rights activist, and size 2 waistline, this woman seemed to have everything. Even the very shoes she wore sold out online within five minutes, purchased by young girls and middle-aged women wishing to somehow capture a bit of her elegance for themselves. Everyone wanted to be like her. Not far from the undulating crowd was a rehab facility, a very specialized place where those who had suffered traumatic brain injuries were cared for in the months after release from the hospital. Nurses, doctors, and caring staff helped people… Read More