Faith, Suffering, and Storytelling with Frank Ravanelli (Ep 141)

Introduction

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Jason: Thank you for listening and welcome to the podcast. I am your host, Jason McConnell, and today we're stepping into a conversation that bridges the worlds of imagination, perseverance, and divine purpose. One of the beautiful things about faith is how God can take the stories we recreate, the ones born out of struggle, out of hope, and out of redemption, and he'll use them to point right back to him.

And my guest today, Frank Ravanelli, knows that truth all too well. Frank is a storyteller at heart. A writer whose love for adventure and faith intertwines with his debut fantasy novel. Hopefully I'll get the name right. Pages of Aduir; Journey to the Peninsi a Throne. It's a Tale of destiny, courage, of light rising out of darkness.

And what makes this story truly inspiring isn't just the pages he's written, it's the journey God led him through to write them. Frank's testimony reminds us that the road to purpose often winds through suffering, yet it's in those valleys that God refines us. And today we're gonna talk about how faith sustained Frank through hardships, how creativity became his act of worship, and how it, what it truly means to take up your cross daily, even when life doesn't go the way we planned.

You can learn more about Frank by going to his [email protected]. That's R-A-V-A-N-E-L-L i.com. He's got a great TikTok channel as well. You can visit. All of this information will be available in this episode show notes, so be sure to check that out before you're done with this episode, and I know you're dying to get to know him to learn more.

So let's get started with Frank.

Getting to know Frank

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Jason: Welcome, Frank. Welcome to the show, my friend. I've been looking forward to this conversation. Hopefully you have as well.

Frank: Of course. Thank you so much for having me on, Jason. I've been looking forward to this all week and all month. I'm really looking forward to talking to your audience and kind of telling them about me.

Jason: Yeah, that's great. It's, it's a great story. You have a lot of energy. Um, so this is gonna be gonna be awesome, but

Frank: Yeah, I agree.

his with all the guests. John: 1518

And I mean, how does that speak to you?

Frank: This Bible verse is so beautiful and so many people like myself, sometimes this world rejects you. I might get rejected by someone, a job, a person, and it hurts. Or someone might not like you. They don't like your values, they don't like your religion, and it feels like this entire world is coming at you and hating you.

But you have to remember, if you love this world, you're loving the world that killed Jesus Christ. So this Bible verse speaks to me all the time because I'm just thinking, wow, I understand that the world hated Jesus first, the most innocent man. To live. And now I used to not really think about this Bible verse, but it came to me and now I just like always think about it when I'm down.

I understand that it's okay that we are taking up our piece of the cross.

Jason: Oh, that's amazing. That's true too because I, you know, when I, you know, everyone knows I haven't always been, uh, a Christian. It's been the last five years or so that I converted. Um, and, and you know, some people come along and they're okay with it, and some people aren't, and you have to be okay with that.

That you may lose friends, you may be ostracized by family. You may uh, you may have trouble with a job. Um, these are things that are gonna happen and it's part of the cross. It's part of taking up that cross and walking with him.

Frank: exactly. Yeah, definitely.

Jason: a great reminder.

Frank's Upbringing: A Faith-Centered Family

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Jason: Now, you grew up in a big Catholic household, you said five brothers.

I think you were right in the middle. What was that like?

Frank: It was so much fun. I, we had so much fun when we were younger, uh, we'd go outside, we'd play, we'd always play imaginary games. We loved Lord of the Rings, so we're outside playing Lord of the Rings all the time. Uh, we'd play all sports together, so we play three and three basketball. I would like to say that I was the best of basketball, but my brothers were good at other sports.

Jason: it's.

Frank: But I mean, I just, I'm so thankful that I grew up in such a large family. Uh, my brothers push me to be a better person. I push them to be better people. So, um, I, I talk to them every single day. We're very, very close. And, um, actually my younger brother is, uh, maybe becoming a Catholic priest. He's thinking

Jason: Oh wow. That's a big, that's a big step.

Frank: yeah, definitely. So we grew up in a very faith centered. Family. And it was all because my mom was very faith centered. So it was amazing. I, I, I want a big family. I really appreciated being in a huge family.

Jason: Right on. So, so the big, the real question is when you guys played Lord of the Ring, who played Stride, who was, who was ever gone?

Frank: I was

Jason: Were you? Right on.

Frank: yeah. So I believe my older brother was Gandalf. Uh, my.

Jason: Okay.

Frank: My oldest, my, he was the Gandalf. My older brother than me was always legless. I was strider. And then my little brothers were small at the time, so they were the

Jason: Hobbits. Right on.

Frank: Yep.

Jason: And then you also, you were homeschooled all through elementary, the equivalent of elementary grades. And I mean, I think you, you had mentioned that was pretty amazing too, right?

Frank: Oh yeah, so my mom was an elementary school teacher before we were born, and she had the credentials to homeschool us, and it was amazing. We would first go through our studies and then we'd go on field trips, we'd go skiing, we'd go to museums. We would learn about our faith too. In the morning, we'd go to daily mass.

So it was a really faith centered homeschooling experience, and we just learned so much. We always hung out with our cousins. Um, we sometimes have extended recesses, but it was just, I loved it. I mean, I met so many amazing people. I still actually am close with some of the kids that were homeschooled with us, that we'd go on, uh, field trips with.

So, um, I, I wanna homeschool my kids one day too because I, I learned so much from it, and I thank my mom so much for homeschooling us.

Jason: Yeah, I've, I've read and I've heard other people confirm this, that when you're homeschooled you get through the lessons a lot faster. 'cause you don't have 30 other kids you're trying to, to bring up to the same level or, or trying to level set with and, and you get a lot more done and you get to do more activities like you're saying, skiing and whatnot.

Frank: Yeah,

Jason: neat. That's

Frank: it was a blast.

Jason: Right on. Um, you know, you, you were rooted in, in the Catholic faith, grew up in a very, uh, faith centered home.

College Years: Drifting from Faith

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Jason: Um, but you mentioned during your college years when we talked before that you kind of drifted. Um, and, you know, kind of what I'd like to do is, is if you're, if you're up for it, talk about what was missing in your life at that time.

Frank: Yeah, so when I was in my studies in college, um, it was new to me. Everything was new. Living on your own. I've never lived on my own in my entire life. So then, okay, I don't have my mom there anymore saying, let's go to church. And it was all about just studying, making friends, maybe getting in a relationship.

I, God didn't fit in my life at the time, and I felt empty because of that. And I wouldn't go to church Confe, like I would never go through any of the sacraments with our Catholic faith. And I just felt like I wasn't really practicing anything. I was just going through studies playing sports. It was just all desires of this world.

I really drifted from my faith, especially in college and a little bit after college too.

Jason: Yeah. That's, that's not surprising. I mean, you know, you, you, you, I've, I've actually had people tell me that people have, 'cause I didn't grow up in a faith-based home, but when you get to a certain point, and maybe this was the transition for you, maybe it's not, but a lot of people tell me that they, they have to shift gears from being your parents' faith to being your own.

You have to own it at some point. And maybe that's, that's a season of drifting. I don't know.

Frank: Yeah, no, I think that's correct. Like I was just drifting away from my parents' faith and I was just basically making my own, which was nothing. Which was not good.

Jason: Well, you got there though. God, God brought you back.

Frank: you did. Yeah.

Jason: moment when you realized nothing could satisfy you but Christ and you, you finally made that, like I admit, I need you.

The Turning Point: Rediscovering Faith

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Frank: Yeah, so there were times in my life, especially post-graduation, I was traveling around. I went to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, uh, New York places that I thought, oh, I'm gonna find happiness here. This is the stuff that I value. And then I learned, I felt the most empty there. And then things I enjoyed, like going out with my buddies.

Oh, maybe if I get a girlfriend I'll be happy, but nothing was making me happy. Then I sunk down to a part of my life where I was so in despair. I felt sad. I'm like, what is missing in this life? Why I had everything I wanted and nothing fulfilled my happiness, except when I came back to the church in Jesus Christ, and that's when I noticed, wow, that's the happiness I was looking for my entire life.

And now I feel so much more free because of it

Jason: Right. The product, the prodigal son, you were in the, you were in the, in the slop of the pigs

Frank: Yeah, exactly. That's a, that's a great comparison. Yeah, definitely.

Jason: Yeah. I mean, and sometimes we all say I, you know, I, I think I mentioned to you when we talked before, but you know, I spent 42 years of my life not being in the faith. And I, I tell people that I, I spent my 42 years in my 40 years in the desert, like, you know,

Frank: that's a great point.

Jason: all, there's always something, you know, Bible has a lot of great parables, a lot of great, great lessons that we can, we can align ourselves to for sure.

Frank: So correct, yes. So many parables that are amazing.

Jason: So, so how does your faith, now that you're kind of back in the, in the swing of things, how does it influence your creative and, and daily walk?

Frank: Yeah, great question. So my faith, so my creativity comes from God. I understand that if I am not in a state of grace, if I am not going to church, I'm not praying, I don't have the creativity. I can't come up with anything. I'm not thinking straight. But then when I'm praying about 'em, asking, God, help me with my creativity and bring this creativity, I have close, make it others that you become closer to God because of it.

Like my writing, my writing brings others closer to God and without God, I wouldn't have these gifts of being creative. So I understand that doesn't come from me. And like I said, even in college, I wasn't creative because I didn't go to church. I wasn't praying. I had no prayer life. So that's how it really shapes my life today.

Jason: That's awesome. So you, you, um, you know, when we kind of early on in this process, you had mentioned that you, um, wanted to speak through, uh, suffering.

The Role of Suffering in Faith

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Jason: You kind of wanna focus on that and, and the whole idea of taking up your cross and, and what does that mean for followers of Christ in general to you taking up the cross?

Frank: Yep. This is something I did not understand back then. But then I went through so much suffering and I said, why God? Why am I going through this suffering? And I would waste the suffering almost. I would be abandoned my cross. I would complain. I would be really angry at God. But now I understand this, that we are helping Christ carry that cross, and we are learning something from this suffering.

We're ask, we can ask God, help me learn something from this suffering. Now when I'm going through trials, tribulations, I understand how beautiful it is because we get to take part in that suffering, in that, that cross that Jesus carried.

Jason: Yeah, I, I mean, you know, I've, I've done an episode on, I've talked about a little bit. I've recently lost my sister and, and I went through a season of, of feeling betrayed, of feeling angry of, of. Doubting of whatever, you know, you go through all the feelings and what I, what I took away from that was that if you are angry at God and you're talking to him, if you're frustrated, if you feel betrayed and you're taking it to him, why God did you do this?

You're still moving to him.

Frank: Yeah,

Jason: know, it's when, it's when you, when you kind of wash your hands. Stop and stop believing. Stop taking things to him. Stop. You're not even talking to him. That's where, that's where you get in trouble. Now I'm like, okay, well, it's okay to be angry. He can handle it. It's okay to feel betrayed as long as I'm still moving towards him some way.

And I think for me, that was an important lesson in, in terms of suffering and grief.

Frank: Yeah, definitely. Especially losing someone. I can see how that would be very, very difficult. And sometimes, like we, like you said, we can be angry. Uh, but we have to understand. Yeah. It's, it's taken up our piece of the cross.

Jason: So what, what does a taking up the cross mean for your faith journey, if you don't

Frank: Yeah. So. Yeah. So for my faith journey, I now understand that, okay, I'm gonna go through suffering. I'm getting better. But I understand this, that just, it's not, maybe my life isn't turning out like I thought, but I understand that God, this is all part of God's plan. I am meant to take up my cross and I'm going to learn something so beneficial.

I'm gonna become a better person from taking up my cross. And now it's so it's, this is so beautiful now. When I feel like I'm going through suffering, I can now understand, okay, I'm going to learn. I'm going to grow to be a better person, and there's still times I'm tempted to abandon my cross, but being connected to Christ, I understand, no, I'm going to become out a better person from this.

Jason: Yeah. I love that saying. A friend of mine says it all the time. If you wanna make God laugh, tell about your plans.

Frank: Yeah, that's, that's a very good, yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Challenges of the Younger Generation

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Jason: and I mean, it's funny, I asked this question, why do you, what, you know, what do you, or why do you think younger generations struggle so much with suffering and purpose being that to me you are, you kind of are the younger generation, um, but even, you know, multi-generational. 'cause uh, you know, there are people that are looking at me as the younger generation.

So why, why is it. So hard for the ones that come after us to, to figure this out when we're trying to teach them about it.

Frank: Yeah, this is a great question. I actually made a TikTok on this, uh, this week. So, so many young people are going through suffering and I'm 28. Like I, I'm saying young people, I am young. Like, uh, it's because social media, um, the internet is lying to so many young people. Oh, you need to have this much money by this age.

You need to be in a relationship. You need to be married. You need to be X, Y, and z. They're being lied to. So it becomes so stressful and all these young people are like, well now I'm looking at X so and so and they're doing better than me. So then you start comparing lifestyles and then it starts building on.

And all of this stuff just makes people fall into despair. And that's why I feel like there's so many young people that are depressed now because the social media is showing others' lives that look extravagant, that look amazing. People telling them. And especially bad influential people will say, you need to do this.

If you're a young person, you need to do this. And it's just false. So they're being lied to. And that's why I feel like so many are suffering at the moment. I know so many people are still just, they don't know what to do. And I try to, I sometimes when I'm out, I try to talk to 'em about Christ. Some people are open to it and some aren't.

But, um, that's why I think it is, it's, it's social media. I think social media is very, very dangerous. It can be used for the good. It can be negative,

Jason: Know, and that's, that's such a great purpose 'cause it, social media has taken, keeping up with the Joneses to like

Frank: yeah.

Jason: global level because I mean, that's there, that's, I'm hearing the same thing I heard growing up. You know, you need to get a college education, you need a good job, you need to make money, you need to, whatever.

You need to have all these great things in your life to be happy to be a functional person in this world. And that was coming from, you know, my culture where I grew up. Now you've got this stuff being fed to you. And you know, I also saw that like a lot of these social media influencers will go out and rent these extravagant houses to record in.

And they don't live there. They're, they're like you said, they're lying to you. There's, they're showing you, this is how wonderful my life is. And they live in a, you know, like a studio apartment somewhere and they're just renting this place for a weekend. It's crazy.

Frank: Yeah, it there. It's all about getting the most views, the most followers. It's like, like you said, that's a great comparison, is keeping up with the Joneses. It's li it's like that now and they're just being lied to and it's sad because even my younger brothers, they're like, they're just in college now.

They're like, we don't know what to do outta college. We gotta make so much money. We gotta buy a house. It's like relax every day in the present. God will handle all of that, and that's what I learned from it. I try to stay off social media. I do run TikTok and I post almost like five times a day, but I do that just to try to, I, I like to talk about my faith journey on TikTok, so

Jason: Yeah, it wasn't, I think it was Apostle Paul. I can't remember the verse, the the chapter in verse, but wasn't it Apostle Paul that said, I know what it is to have plenty and I know what it is to have nothing and I can be content in either through my faith in Jesus Christ.

Frank: Yeah, that's a, that's a really good point because I thought about this too with my job. Um, I understand this, that God, I can, if everything was taken away from me today, I understand that it all came from God. A lot of this, like I, I pray every single day and I understand that, God, if this is your will, then let it be done.

And I understand that all this can be taken away, but I will still always have my faith, which is all I need. So.

Jason: So what, what, you know, what, what has God taught you about finding peace amid those hardships? Other than, I mean, you know, rooted in faith, but there's, there's lessons there. There's there's ways to stay rooted. I guess that's what I'm looking for.

Frank: Yeah. So what I've learned in hardships is this.

Finding Peace Through Faith

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Frank: So I, I've been through a lot of hardships and some of the times I didn't know how, what to do. Most of the time I would just abandon it, like I said, and now I learned that, okay, in hardships. Go to church and start praying. Our Catholic faith teaches us to pray the rosary.

So that's what I like to do a lot. I go to adoration. So those are just the the Catholic things we do. And I like doing that and I learned that that's where I find peace when the world is like basically shouting at me, do this, do this. And that's where I find peace now is going to church, praying, really listening to God's word, reading the gospel.

'cause that was something I really did not do when I was younger. I didn't know. I couldn't tell you one Bible verse when I was in college, I couldn't even tell. There was a lot of the things I didn't know anything about, and I felt like it was just like, wow, everything was just opened up. Now I understand a lot more and just reading the gospel just teaches me so much reading, the teaching teachings of Jesus.

If you read that, you'll become a better person in every aspect of your life. So

Jason: Oh,

Frank: that's what I kind of, yeah, that's what I kinda, that's what I learned from it.

Jason: Yeah.

Staying Motivated in Challenging Times

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Jason: So you know, there's a lot of people, probably my age, your age, even younger. Um, who are having trouble staying motivated when life gets overwhelming? Um, what advice would you have for them?

Frank: Yeah, so motivation. It can be hard and I can talk about motivation. Like when, for instance, I'm not motivated to go to the gym most days. I'm not motivat, I'm not motivated to make tiktoks every single day. There's a lot of things I'm not motivated to do. Some days I don't even wanna pray. I'm just distracted.

And I understand this. There's gonna be, there's gonna be times, there's gonna be times you don't wanna do stuff, but those are the times you grow the most. The times I go to the gym when I don't wanna, that's what I'm growing the times when I'm praying. Really staying dedicated to my faith is what I'm really growing a connection with God.

And yeah, it is start, it's hard to stay motivated, but you have to stay consistent. I notice that's the biggest thing. I like the days. I don't let, the days, I'm not feeling motivated. I now understand, wow, I'm gonna learn something on these days. So that's what I've learned from it. And it can be hard 'cause I know a lot of people.

They can't commit to a lot of things anymore, and it's just because so much, we have so much distraction in our life. Like I said, social media, uh, work, school, there's just so much stuff that's thrown at us, so that's what I've learned. Yeah.

Jason: Yeah, it's, you know, it's funny, my stepmother used to tell me, she probably still says it, but she used to tell me the motivation doesn't come before

Frank: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Jason: So, um, you know, the days, for example, the days I don't want to go to the gym, um, I start with simple, let me go find my socks. Cool. Now that I have my socks, wear my shoes.

All right. I might as well put 'em on since I have 'em both. Now that my shoes and socks are on, let me grab, grab my gym bag, and now that I've got everything, I might as well just go to the gym. You know, you kinda trick yourself into going it's little

Frank: that's a good. That's a good point. You know what I thought about too, that keeps me motivated and we're, we're talking about the gym now, so this is interesting. But I put everything out the night before. So if I'm gonna the gym in the morning, I put my clothes out, my shoes out, everything, my drink out, and then immediately it's an very effortless process.

Everything's right there. I, I put everything on and then I just had head out the door. Same with church. If I wake up late 'cause I go to a 9:00 AM church and um, I just set everything out 'cause sometimes I like to sleep in, but I set everything out, my clothes, everything. 'cause I film tiktoks there too, my camera set.

And um, you just wanna make stuff easy like that. So that's how I stay motivated. And um, I do listen to a lot of Christian motivational speakers too, so that does help me.

Jason: Yeah. So it's hard. It's hard sometimes, but that's

Frank: Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely.

The Journey of Writing a Fantasy Novel

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Jason: So let's, let's talk about your story, your book. Um, did I Say it right? Pages of aur.

Frank: Yeah, I got right here

Jason: There you go. Right on. I like

Frank: Yeah.

Jason: So let's, I mean, tell us, tell us about it. High level. Um, what's important to know about the book?

Frank: Okay. So the book is a, it's a fantasy novel, very similar to Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia. It's about this main character named Muriel. He was basically prophesized in the constellations, and it's his journey through the land of Gregoria and through this journey, he meets a lot of friends.

He meets people that he never would've knew before, but through the journey, he makes these great friendships. He goes through a lot of suffering like we do every single day. And this book really does connect to what people feel Today. I made like a. Kind of a fantasy novel that's very relevant to what young people experience today.

So it's a, it's about a lot of trials. Uh, a lot of, uh, spiritual warfare is a very, uh, relevant in this book. So you'll see that a lot. Um, but yeah, it was a, took me a long time to write and, um, now it's out.

Jason: Nice. Yeah, you, I mean, when you and I talked, you started this book when you were much younger, right? And it just kinda like percolated for a long time.

Frank: Yep.

Jason: So that's cool that it's finally come to fruition. It's finally a book. It's a thing now.

Frank: Yep. Exactly. Yeah. Yep.

Spiritual Themes in the Book

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Jason: What kind of parallels will Ritas draw between, um, reels, trials and, and our own faith journeys in this spiritual warfare and redemption thing that's going on?

Frank: Yeah, so during the book there's a lot of characters in it. I think I have, uh, 20, maybe 20 characters in it. There's a lot. And Uriel doesn't understand anything he's going through when he's younger. He goes, people don't like him. He's made fun of, he doesn't look like the other kids. All throughout his life, they're just like, yoyo, you don't fit in.

And he just, and then he eventually goes to a land, a city. He meets a lot of friends and they look down upon him, but some people don't. And then he's called upon this great journey with people he is never met before. And they all go through different parts of their journey through suffering. Some might have like this, this, uh, is very relevant to God's plan too.

Um, a lot of these characters like Uriel. They had a plan their whole life. Oh, I'm gonna be a great knight, I'm gonna be a king. And it doesn't really turn out like that. Their, their life is nothing like that. And it's all part of God's greater plan. And they understand that, wow, going on this journey grew them as people.

And, um, there's a lot of, like I said, spiritual warfare too. Um, there's times they're tempted to do bad, tempted to betray each other, tempted to even abandon the journey all together, but they don't. Because they have faith in the God, which my God in this is called Amia, so he's like the main God. Um, yeah.

So yeah, that's basically kind of,

Jason: Yeah, no, that, that's definitely aligns. I mean, I mean, my life didn't turn out anywhere near what I expected.

Frank: Yeah.

Jason: we all have that, you know, we, we get to that point where we're like, I'm gonna do whatever, and you don't, and your life's okay anyways. You know, it's probably better.

Frank: Yeah, that's, yeah, that's how I feel too. Uh, I made a TikTok on this. I said my life didn't turn out like I thought, I thought I would've been married by now with like eight kids, maybe not eight kids, but I thought I like. A big family and I'm not so, um, but I trust in God and I know that this is for the greater good and something will come.

Jason: Right on.

Frank: So, yeah.

Jason: All right. So you, um, you mentioned that you did, you did put this topic down for a while. Um.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Writing

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Jason: I guess the, the question I have is what role did the Holy Spirit play in helping you finish this story? After years of, of what we could, I guess, call writer's block.

Frank: Yeah, so I had a writer's, I think I started this when I was young. I had this idea, it was actually my buddy and I always talked about it. We both wanted to write a book and he started his, he never finished it. I think he got to like 50 pages, but, uh, I was in college, so I was writing. Nothing really made sense when I was writing.

No faith was tied into the story at all. So this was just a fantasy novel. I was gonna have a lot of things I didn't like about it. I was gonna have a lot of Gordon and it was just stuff that today I look at, I'm like, I would never write about that. And through all these trials, I went through times where I was so down in my life after college, and I remember that I went through like a really, really tough patch and I didn't know what to do.

And I was waking up every day and I was just, wow, wow. My life is, I don't know what to do anymore. Like, there's just no purpose to any of this. And I, I started going back to church 'cause my mom wanted me to, she felt like I was not being myself. And then I started praying like, God, what should I do with this life?

Then the Holy Spirit came to me one day and said, write this book. And I'm like, whoa. It was like a light bulb just went off. I'm like, I need to write a book. I start calling everybody. Yeah, I started literally calling everybody. I said, I need to write a book. And a lot of people thought I was crazy writing a book.

Frank, you were a marketing major. Yeah, but I need to write a book. And that's what happened. And I was fortunate enough that I founded, I was transferred to a different area in the United States, was able to have alone time and write this book. And this was God's purpose, like write this novel. And I finished it and it's.

One of the greatest accomplishments I ever did. And um, I hope everybody can read it 'cause I think it really will help young people understand, uh, suffering.

Jason: Nice. So how did you keep track of so many characters

Frank: Okay. It was very hard. And my edit, it's funny that you say that 'cause my editor did not like that. I had so many characters. Yeah. She's like, you have way too many characters. And it was tough. But you know what I did? This is the, this is the. Only way I was able to keep track. Every single character is based off a family member in my, uh, in my life.

Jason: Oh boy. That makes Thanksgiving dinner weird.

Frank: Yeah, it does. Yeah. But a lot of them didn't read it. My younger brother did.

Jason: Maybe it's for the best.

Frank: yeah. And his character ended up, uh, not making it all the way through the journey, so he wasn't very happy about that. But, um, they're all based off family members, so that was the easy part of keeping track. I would make it.

I would put like a, a sheet down like Lu is Louis. That's what I would do.

Jason: Oh, fair enough. So what, what hope do you want readers to take away from this story? I mean, obviously entertainment, but there's gotta be, you know, some, some foundational principle of faith that you'd like them to take away.

Frank: of course. Um, perseverance, um, being able to understand God's plan. Don't abandon your suffering. Don't go into despair and never communicate with the enemy. Don't listen to these false temptations that say, oh, you're not good enough. You're not talented enough. You were not meant for this life. Don't listen to them.

Listen to God. That's what I want my, my audience really to take away because, um, I won't give away the book, but uh, my

Jason: No, no spoilers.

Frank: I won't, I won't. But there are times where the enemy was tempting them and they're thinking to themself, they're like, well, maybe I am just a nobody from fond gorn city. Maybe I wasn't meant for anything.

But then they understand, no, we can't listen to the enemy because that's what the enemy will do. That's what Satan has plans to do, is to make you fall into despair, telling you're not good enough, making you feel worthless. And that's what I want my readers to really take away. To understand. No, you are meant for greater good if you follow God's plan.

Jason: Yeah, you have enough worth to exist. Let's, let's, let's start there.

Frank: Yeah.

Jason: Right on.

Future Plans and Final Thoughts

---

Jason: So, is this gonna be like the start of a trilogy? Is there gonna be more books, or where do you see this going?

Frank: it is tough to write. I mean, I remember writing when I was, I was just on a roll back when I lived in Charlotte. I was writing like six pages a night and I really wanna make this. A trilogy. I thought about six books, but there is so much I can do with this. Um, the hard part is just really, I want to dive into different character's point of view and each character's gonna have their own point of view.

Uh, basically they're gonna their own journey. So if I do that, it can be five books. Um, I wanna start writing too soon. Yeah. But three books. I really wanna make it three books, but it might be difficult.

Jason: Yeah, no, I, I liked, so I'm a big fan of, um, the Dragon Lan world. If you're into any kind of fantasy thing, it's, um, but they have the, the. Chronicles Trilogy and then they have the Legends trilogy. So they have other, they have, they have a ton of books in the series now, uh, in this world. Um, but a lot of them are in, you know, like trilogy format, so, you know, have a trilogy that has a specific theme and then you go to a different story with similar characters or different characters.

And I don't know, maybe that'll, maybe that'll, maybe this will turn into a huge like thing. Maybe you get a movie someday.

Frank: Yeah, that is a, i I have to look into that. Yeah, that'd be really interesting. A movie would be a awesome, I mean, I, that would be the goal, but, um, who knows?

Jason: Right.

Frank: like a, maybe like a Netflix series. I don't know. Uh, if you

Jason: you go.

Frank: I think there's a, there's a, uh, angel Studios, they have stuff like that and they, maybe you can released on there more of like a Christian Catholic,

Jason: you go. That'd be cool.

Frank: who know?

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

Jason: awesome.

Frank: Yeah.

Jason: well, Frank, thank you so much for having this conversation today. Any final words or thoughts uh, you have for the listeners, um, listening today?

Frank: Yeah. So I really, again appreciate being on here. It was excellent. I really enjoyed our conversation. Um, I would tell my, uh, the viewers, um, if you wanna contact me ever, um, you can follow my TikTok, um, fantasy Frankie, and, um, embrace and take up your cross. That's the biggest thing in life. Understand that you are helping Jesus carry that cross.

Don't abandon your suffering. And that, and when you understand that. I'm telling you now, your life will improve so much. Your life will feel more free. 'cause I will never go back to that life I was in. I don't wanna, it doesn't even appeal to me anymore. When you find Christ, you'll understand, wow, this life is beautiful.

Jason: Yeah, you finally get it. That's just amazing. Um, well thank, thank you so much, Frank. Uh, God bless you. And uh, I hope we get to stay in touch.

Frank: Yeah. God bless you too, Jason. I appreciate it.

Jason: Yep. So that was Frank Elli, author of Pages of the AUR Journey to the Peninsula Throne. More than just a novel, it's an experience, um, Christ inspired journey. Be sure to check out the details of my show notes for that, for his TikTok, it sounds like he's got some great stuff out there in a world. Full of social media junk.

Go look for something good. Go look for Frank and his and his TikTok and whatever else you can find out there. I believe he has a U2 as well. The TikTok seems to be more popular, but you know, feel free to look for 'em everywhere. Until next time, keep loving your neighbors. Dive into God's word daily and may the Lord bless you and keep you and fill you with his peace.

Take care of God bless, and I'll see you in the next episode.

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