Featured Guest Blogger: Heather Frank

I am so excited to introduce the Pieces of Jessika© readers to my friend Heather of the Heather Frank blog. Heather and I are real-life friends. We live in the same town and we go to the same church. (Isn't God the best matchmaker and connector?) We met 4 years ago at a local Bible study. As we grew in our faith, our friendship grew too.

Wednesday, on our Facebook Live Q&A Heather and I discussed mental health from a Biblical perspective. We were both pleasantly surprised by the interaction of the Facebook audience. The leading of the Holy Spirit paired with some really great questions from our audience allowed for great content. I hope you’ll consider catching the playback because there was simply too much good stuff to transcribe here. I will be including some links and short commentaries at the end of this piece elaborating on some of the resources we shared during the interview.

Read on to learn more about this incredible young woman and why I feel God ordained this collaboration here on the Pieces of Jessika© blog.

Jessika: Have you always wanted to be a writer? Tell us a bit about how God called you to writing.

Heather: I grew up with a love for journaling, and that developed into a love for writing in high school. I never intentionally pursued it and it went to the back burner. During the quarantine, God revealed to me that it was time to retire my photography business - and the day after I announced my retirement, God revealed a writing project so big that I never saw coming. It was confirmed when my husband told me God revealed the same thing to him the night before. We never imagined writing would be in “my” picture, so it was a big God-confirmation movement in that season.

Jessika: What is the inspiration behind the name of your blog, the Heather Frank?

Heather: There isn’t one for the name of my blog, but the main topics the Heather Frank blog covers are all areas I’ve seen God restore in my life. My focus is sound doctrine tied in with mental health, marriage, and motherhood. I’ve always had a passion for ministry work and showing others the goodness of God. When I operated my photography business, my goal was to serve people well in everything I did with and for them. I wanted to leave them feeling seen, inspired, and loved through my work. In this new season, the delivery of the service looks different with writing, but the message is still the same: God sees them, loves them, and I hope to inspire them to pursue Him more.

Jessika: What is the mission of your blog, the Heather Frank?

Heather: The mission of my blog is to shine light into the darkness of anxiety and depression through Jesus, because that’s exactly what He has done for me. The 2020 quarantine was a difficult time for everyone. For a lot, anxiety showed its face to them for the first time. Anxiety was nothing new in my life...and what was a hard season for most actually set the stage for the healing ground for my mind. There is peace to be found when you face hardships in life, and that’s only found in Jesus. When anxiety creeps in and lies take over your mind like a perfect storm, He is the only one that has the authority to calm it. The goal is to always point to Jesus- in anxiety, depression, marriage, and motherhood.

Jessika: What can readers expect from your piece that will be featured on Pieces of Jessika©? Can you give us a teaser? Who is the piece to? What is it about?

Heather: Readers can expect to be challenged. We cannot always control what we are given. Yes, sometimes we make mistakes and reap those consequences. However, how we choose to respond to what is given matters. Are we responding out of fear, or with trust in Jesus because ultimately He is Sovereign? What does it look like to respond with trust and praise in the storms we face? Are we able to remain steadfast in our trials? Can we still praise Him, even in the lowest of places? I am walking this path of battling anxiety, choosing daily to surrender and trust Him as I battle anxious thoughts that may lead me to respond out of fear. I had to be vulnerable with God, admit and expose my weaknesses, all so that He can start the healing process in me for the sake of walking confidently in His grace. I challenge you to expose what needs to be surrendered, so that you may build a strong foundation in His word. Because when storms roll in, if we aren’t planted on that solid foundation, we will fail.

Jessika: What is one thing you want readers to take away from your writings?

Heather: Take what I write with grace and a grain of salt. Challenge what you read and line it up with scripture. We as writers are just broken people trying to piece together moments we have seen God work in our lives to not just be a witness, but living testimonies of His grace. We are doing our best to be obedient to the calling He has on our lives all for the sake of furthering the Kingdom. If you get nothing else, get this: We are broken, but we have a redeemer named Jesus. To Him be all the glory and honor. If He can use someone like me, He can use you too- you just have to say YES.

Helpful Resources mentioned in the Facebook Live Q&A:

-Mindfulness Wheel: When you find yourself being overcome with anxiety, try this grounding technique to calm yourself and focus on the here-and-now. As Christ-followers we want to remember scripture tells us "Do not worry about tomorrow."

-Daily Anxiety Tracker: A downloadable journal to use as you work through your anxiety focusing on Bible verse meditation and recounting the things for which you are grateful.

-Breath Prayers: Choose a scripture that brings you peace or comfort. As you inhale, silently recite a portion of the verse. As you exhale, recite the remaining portion. Continue as needed. To receive the FREE devotion/guided practice I mentioned in the LIVE, subscribe to my friend's blog when prompted by the pop-up for the "Quick Notes for the Heart."

Be sure to check back Saturday to read Heather's exclusive piece for the Pieces of Jessika© readers. In the meantime, you can read more of Heather's pieces by subscribing to her blog theHeatherFrank, or following her on facebook or instagram.