Tagged: honor and shame

During the month of June, I will be writing a series of devotionals based on my upcoming book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, published by Harvest House Publishers August 2019. You will no longer be called, “Abandoned”…Indeed, you will be called “My Delight is in Her”…For the Lord will take delight in you…As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you (Isaiah 62:4-5, NET). Ratna daydreamed as she washed dishes in her small, sunny kitchen. Lutfi would be home soon and she had prepared his favorite lamb stew for lunch. Recently married, Ratna and Lutfi lived in a  small apartment adjacent to his father’s home.  Crack! Ratna snapped to attention as a glass… Read More

During the month of June, I will be writing a series of devotionals based on my upcoming book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, published by Harvest House Publishers August 2019. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Her eyes shone gratefully as we handed her a round loaf of freshly baked bread. The woman was an amputee, sitting patiently on the side of the cobbled street in the morning sun. It was too early for most folks to be out and about. On that bright Sunday, we were on our way to house church,… Read More

During the month of June, I will be writing a series of devotionals based on my upcoming book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World, published by Harvest House Publishers August 2019. You have searched me, Lord, and you know me (Psalm 139:1). “I know God sees me. Can you help me?”  Jameelah sat before me, her brilliant blue scarf pulled aside to reveal a face the image of a broken mirror, fragmented and distorted by a ragged purple ridge. Full lips and once-perfect cheekbones bore the scars of cruelty and jealous hatred.  Her beauty and purity had been social insurance for her family in a culture where daughters brought handsome reward and security. But she had refused the much… Read More

@audreycfrank Recently on Twitter Brené Brown, shame researcher and storyteller, posted this thought: “It’s not fear that gets in the way of showing up - it’s armor. It’s the behaviors we use to self-protect. We can be afraid and brave at the same time. Armor suffocates courage and cages our hearts. The goal is to create spaces where armor is neither necessary nor rewarded.” Brené Brown (Twitter) https://twitter.com/BreneBrown/status/1093981324644401152 Her comment is insightful and started me thinking about armor. The behaviors with which we arm ourselves are certainly one kind of armor. But what about the armor others put upon us? We can take up our own armor, or others can put armor on us. Others can load us down with oversized, misfitting armor they feel… Read More

@audreycfrank If you are new to reading the Bible through the lenses of honor and shame, the Old Testament book of Esther is a great place to start. Like a true fairy tale, the story of a beautiful orphan girl’s rise to the status of a queen is enchanting through any worldview. In Esther: An Honor-Honor-Shame Paraphrase, Jayson Georges gives us a new pair of reading glasses equipped with super-powers. Through them we can see the colors and sounds of honor and shame shimmering throughout the book, making the familiar story enthralling and brand new. We find ourselves giving God a standing ovation at the closing scene as He faithfully brings His people from shame to honor in a dramatic status reversal. An Honor-Shame Paraphrase… Read More

@audreycfrank And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Mark 5:9 “What’s your name?” the kind man in the appliance department asked my eighteen-month-old daughter. Blonde curls framing her dimpled face, she looked up at him through big blue eyes and answered, “Fweetie.”  Fweetie was her version of the name we always called her: Sweetie. She knew who she was, dear to her father and me, no matter how she pronounced it. Not everyone knows how precious they are to their Father in heaven. Too many of his children when asked their names respond with lies they have been forced to believe about themselves. Lies like Rejected, Ugly, or Unloved. Shame has forced them into… Read More