Tagged: Audrey Frank

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. (John 9:35-38) Jesus was comfortable in the company of outcasts. For so long I skipped right over the heart-stopping, radical action of this passage. I barely paused to notice. Okay, so Jesus went after an outcast. He was Jesus, after all, and that’s what He did. It was part of his Messiah job description. Then I began to live and work among the outcast… Read More

Walking in the dark night of Africa is risky. The black mamba, one of the world’s deadliest snakes, can completely camouflage himself within the inky darkness. He is one of the few snakes which are active at night and particularly loves wood or metal that has absorbed the heat of the day.  We encountered the black mamba only once, coiled around the grating on our screen door. After a long night of good conversation and milky, hot chai by lantern light, we walked our guests to the door. As my husband reached out his hand, the darkness moved, alerting us to the killer’s poisonous presence. The sleeping village erupted in excited shouts as men, women, and children came running from every direction to kill the… Read More

  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him (John 13:5). niptō: (Greek) to wash; to cleanse; to perform ablution.   Dear Fatima, I can’t stop thinking about our conversation yesterday. The question you asked me.  Why don’t you Christians have to make yourselves clean before you pray?  We are women. We are told we cannot approach God unless we are clean. That He will not accept our prayers if we are dirty. This has always bothered me about my own religion, Audrey.  I see you working so hard to make yourself clean. Clean enough to approach God. Pure enough to bring your prayers before Him, hoping He will… Read More

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:36-38, NET I’ve always been a flinger. For the first three decades of my life, I rarely spread anything before the Lord. Spread sounds so calm. So careful. I tend instead to fling my cares before Him, cast my cries up to heaven, throw myself at His feet. Sometimes I come dancing and shouting. That’s how… Read More

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 It came in strange gift wrap, not at all what I expected. But the gift was right there inside. I turned it over in my hands, joyously held it to my heart, and wondered at the mad methods of my Lover. The gift was exactly what I asked for, really. The wishing began slow like a tingling thrill that rises up quiet from the deep spaces of our souls, growing in intensity as it climbs, until it bursts out all over us, covering us in hope. I wanted a life change. I asked Him to rearrange me on the inside, to remove me from me and fill me… Read More

He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary (Isaiah 40:29-31). Listen to Me in silence, you coastlands, And let the peoples gain new strength…(Isaiah 41:1). The Lord is aware we are downtrodden, battle-weary. He sees us marching through the fog of weariness, calloused fists gripping His promises, battered brows fierce with determination. Thus, He begins Isaiah 40 with comfort and kindness. Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call… Read More

Thou preparest a shulchan before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with shemen (olive oil); my kos (cup) runneth over. Surely tov (goodness) and chesed (lovingkindness) shall follow me kol y’mei chaiyyai (all the days of my life)... --Psalm 23:4-6, Orthodox Jewish Bible Shulchan: (Hebrew) a king’s table, private use, sacred use (Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; keyed to the "Theological Word Book of the Old Testament"). My table-setter was very busy. The most colorful rug, the one woven by her great-grandmother and carefully cherished and preserved, was the one chosen as a “tablecloth” for eating. I watched as Nadia tenderly unrolled it and placed it on her immaculately clean floor in the center of the room. Next, silk embroidered cushions… Read More

Hello, again, dear fellow pilgrim. As we journey through the beginning of this new uncertain year, we are taking time to look at the things that are certain, the immovable, unchanging character of God. This is our second week looking long into the heart of God's hesed love. Hesed is a Hebrew word used to describe God's tender mercy, compassion, and lovingkindness. To read Part One of our study of the hesed character of God, click here. God extends His hesed invitation to every person, written in flowing script upon cultures and people groups throughout the world. Your honored presence is requested by the One who loves you with endless mercy and compassion. Come as you are. The hesed invitation transcends language and time, for… Read More

You have made us a byword among the nations;     the peoples shake their heads at us. I live in disgrace all day long,     and my face is covered with shame… Rise up and help us;     rescue us because of your unfailing love. Psalm 44: 14, 15, 26 Shame is not a foreign concept limited to countries where women are hidden behind the hijab, men commit honor-killings, or children with disabilities are forced to leave the villages of their birth. At the time of this writing, shame has shrouded the United States. We are a shame nation and the world is watching. We see shame differently than almost two-thirds of the world. (See the Global Map of Culture types here.) Shame is not the primary lens through… Read More

And he shall be the stability of your times (Isaiah 33:6). In the mountains where I grew up, there is a mile-high bridge stretching across a mountain between two rocky cliffs. Only the brave dare cross through the frequent dense clouds and high winds that make the narrow bridge swing and sway far above the security of the solid earth below. I once stood in the middle of the bridge, gripped the cables on either side and closed my eyes, trying to overcome my fear of heights. The metal panels that form the crossing wobbled unsteadily beneath me as the wind howled, cruelly mocking my courage. The only thing that held me steady was imagining the immovable stability of the towering rock just ahead of… Read More