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by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130, NIV She withdrew the folded piece of paper from her pocket with reverence. Handing it to my husband, the young mother swelled with hope, her face broadening with expectation. The edges of the paper were fuzzied and the well-worn surface felt like soft cloth. Unfolding it, careful not to tear the fragile creases, he read the words inside aloud. �Come get a new smile. Free surgeries.� With the reading of the words, the little crowd assembled in this humble woman�s home burst into celebration. A small boy peeked around the young woman�s legs, his broken lips forming a beautiful smile. Scooping him up in her arms, his mother began to dance. Mother and child looked into each other�s eyes, faces flooded with joy. In some countries, the illiterate treasure the written word more than the literate. They persevere, hoping that one day they will understand the words on the p...

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank I keep the Lord before me always. Because he is close by my side I will not be hurt.  Psalm 16:8 (International Children�s Bible) The nasty comment rose like a giant on the screen, threatening me with its cruel fist. I felt terrible. For a moment, I stared, paralyzed by the vile and destructive words written by a stranger in response to my blog post. Then I looked up. Like a child, looking up at her father, I looked up into my heavenly Father�s eyes for reassurance, for protection. I needed to know I was safe. In today�s world of verbal assault, we will encounter people who disagree with our words, lash out at our writing, and mock the message of faith we offer. If you are like me, their words, regardless if they are true or not, will initially cut you to the heart. They can make us afraid.  Let them not make us back down. As Christian writers, we write Light. And at some point, we must take our light beyond the bright circle of friends and fans, ...

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank Do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them  (Jeremiah 45:5, NKJV). Alone with the Lord, tucked away in the secret place of solitary worship, His words come to me like dancing light, filling my soul with indescribable gladness and satisfaction. Like a fragrant, freshly baked pound cake out of my great-grandmother�s oven, they beg to be shared. I run with them, out to the crowds, proffering my gift for all who will indulge. For the Christian writer, this is the sweet place of writing. This is where we long to spend our time. We have a love affair with the Savior, and with His words. And we want everyone to experience the joy of hearing His voice. But for every writer, there comes a time when the words meet the reality of promotion, the necessity of marketing. We spend agonizing hours laboring over a marketing plan outlining our pathway to great things, while inwardly groaning and wishing it wasn�t necessary. At least that is how I have felt....

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank Have windy words no limit? Or what provokes you that you keep on talking? (Job 16:3, NRSV) The wind along the shore was relentless. We were vacationing on a narrow barrier island off the shore of North Carolina, a wild and uninhabited place, its rustic cabins offering a view of the sea in front and grassy inlets behind. The constant, untamed wind gave our getaway a sense of thrill and adventure for the first two days. By the third morning, however, we were battered and weary. We could not hear each other speak over the howling. We could not easily walk along the beach against its pummeling. We certainly could not build a fire or grill out. We could not relax outside. Discouraged, we withdrew indoors while the wind howled on relentlessly. On the fourth day, we asked the Lord to calm the wind. And that is exactly what He did.   At first, when we ventured back outside, we didn�t realize what exactly had happened. We noticed something was different. Lookin...

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank And in (Christ Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 3:22 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 Hiding in my bedroom as a little girl, I pulled out the tattered yellow legal pad I confiscated from the heavy wooden desk my mother used to pay bills. With a rush of relief, I spilled out on paper all that brimmed in my heart. The words filled the pages like beautiful filigree, transforming each one into a chronicle of my childhood.  Those were sacred times. I was alone with my words, and it was glorious. Now I am grown, and as words tend to do, they have grown with me. They demand to be shared. I can no longer sit alone and selfishly hoard them, reveling in their personal significance, their cathartic release. They beg to be set free, to inspire, encourage, and to courageously open doors that are shut. As I write my first book, and rewrite, and rewr...