Stories in pictures — and room for your reflection.
It is hard to believe it has been one week.
This first week of Stuckness launching has been filled with thoughtful messages, meaningful conversations, and moments where I have seen the Holy Spirit gently meet people through these pages. What amazes me most is how often the smallest reflections carry the deepest weight.
I want to share one of those reflections with you. Meet my brother in Christ, John Exama—someone I am deeply thankful for. He was one of the first to read my blog and remained consistent from the beginning—consistent in asking questions, consistent in encouraging me to keep writing, and consistent in believing there was something worth saying.
I asked John if he would share a few encouraging words while he has been reading Stuckness—specifically what the Holy Spirit has been stirring on his heart. Here is what he had to say:
We live in a world that adds so much demand on us. That demand comes with comparison, drive, competition, and many other emotions that has us feeling like we are on a roller coaster.
This is where Stuckness comes in. Frankie has taken the time to wrestle with all these things that come with this world and reminds us that Christ is always doing a work in us so he can work through us.
“Stuckness is not laziness or failure. It is a signal that something deeper is asking to be addressed.” - F.P. Capparelli
It reminds me that each of us is shaped by different moments, and what impacts you might be completely different from what impacts someone else. Yet each moment can become a powerful testimony, bearing fruit for the Kingdom and planting a mustard seed in someone else’s soul. The parts of our journey that we tend to overlook are often the very moments God uses most powerfully in someone else’s life.
Your story is powerful. Whether you think so or not.
We often downplay what we have walked through. We overthink and dissect our thoughts like, “It is not big enough.” Or, “Someone else has something more meaningful to say.”
But your testimony—no matter how unfinished it feels—is the beginning of your witness. God uses ordinary moments to speak extraordinary hope into others. Your honesty may be the encouragement someone else needs to take their next step.
“The power to build trust, stir hope, spark conviction, move emotion, and create change in another person—lies in the art of storytelling and testimony.” — F.P. Capparelli, Stuckness: Within The Stronghold
So I want to invite you into something simple:
Like John, share what spoke to you.In the comments. In a message. Or, if you feel led, in a short review. Even a few honest sentences can carry more impact than you realize.
As I reflect on this first week, I keep coming back to Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9–11:
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (ESV)
Your testimony is part of that fruit. Your story is evidence that God is shaping you, guiding you, and forming you—even in the pauses and in the tension between where you are and who you are becoming.
Paul’s letter in Philippians reminds us that the Christian life grows out of what our hearts and minds dwell on. As we approach Thanksgiving, I am placing Paul’s words over you—the spirit of thanksgiving and prayer that fills this chapter. I am grateful for you, for your voice, and for the way God is writing your story.
Thank you for being part of this first week with me. The journey continues—and I am honored to witness what God is doing in you. Please share your photos and comments and let’s celebrate together!
With thankfulness,
F.P.
Thought-Provoking Questions:
Where in your life do you sense God “beginning a good work,” even if you cannot yet see the outcome?
What part of your story—or your testimony—have you been hesitant to share, and what might God be inviting you to see in it?
When you look back at this past year, what small moment or quiet nudge do you now recognize as the Holy Spirit shaping your becoming?