Category: encouragement

Posted in encouragement, new jerusalem

Vehicle Assembly Building vs New Jerusalem

Posted on by elizabethprata

That’s me in the 1990s visiting Cape Canaveral, where the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is located. The VAB is the building NASA uses to put together missiles, rockets and the Shuttle to go into space.

The Cape itself is interesting, and I was fascinated by the building. I’m a patriot, I love the United States. I believe it’s the greatest country ever established and it is beautiful and diverse and its principles upon founding were good ones. I love living here and I loved the trip across its land my husband and I took in the ’90s in our VW Camper van. From sea to shining sea, indeed.

So when we got to Florida, both of us being science geeks, we camped at Titusville, a city on the east coast of FL in the region known as the Space Cast. The Space Coast is host to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. All of NASA-launched manned spaceflights (running from Project Mercury in 1961 to the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011) departed from either KSC or Cape Canaveral. That area of Florida is beautiful and the museums to attend and US history to be learned there is terrific.

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is a magnificent monument to man’s determination to achieve, to adventure, and to reach out toward the limits of what we may be able to do and see and build. The facts around the VAB, according to Wikipedia, are as follows:

The Vehicle (originally Vertical) Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is a building designed to assemble large space vehicles, such as the massive Saturn V and the Space Shuttle. The future Space Launch System (SLS) will also be assembled there. 

At 129,428,000 cubic feet it is one of the largest buildings in the world by volume. The building is at Launch Complex 39 at KSC, halfway between Jacksonville and Miami, and due east of Orlando on Merritt Island on the Atlantic coast of Florida. 

The VAB is the largest single-story building in the world, was the tallest building in Florida until 1974, and is still the tallest building in the United States outside an urban area. 

The VAB is 526 feet tall, 716 feet long and 518 feet wide. It covers 8 acres, and encloses 129,428,000 cubic feet of space. The building has at least 10,000 tons of air conditioning equipment, including 125 ventilators on the roof supported by four large air handlers (four cylindrical structures west of the building) to keep moisture under control. Air in the building can be completely replaced every hour. The interior volume of the building is so vast that it has its own weather, including “rain clouds form[ing] below the ceiling on very humid days”

Since the VAB is visible out to sea for miles upon miles and dwarfs the nearby lighthouse, when we lived on our sailboat we used the building as a landmark to guide us in to port. I think it’s amazing that the VAB is so large it generates its own weather system. The engineers of the 1950s and early 1960s who were part of the Space Program at the inception must have been brilliant and admirable men. Someone along the way knew that in order to build rockets there must be a building in which to assemble them, and engineers set about developing the plans to create such a large structure to suit the purpose. It is a tremendous building and it’s used for a tremendous purpose and we Americans have every right to be proud of it.

But it’s nothing. It is all vanity, striving after wind.

In the end time when the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments of Revelation occur, the building will be swallowed by hurricanes or tsunamis or some other disaster. Man’s work, this large building, will fall. You want to know something extraordinary? There is another large, square building that exceeds the dimensions even of this fantastic Florida structure. We will live in it, and it is magnificent compared to the VAB, as stunning as that building is. It is called New Jerusalem, and it is at once mansions, a city, and a nation. It is our future home.

The VAB encloses 129,428,000 cubic feet of space. New Jerusalem encloses 3 billion cubic miles. The VAB is 529 feet tall. New Jerusalem is 1,500 miles tall. We are so proud of man’s accomplishment but God’s city is so much larger, more magnificent, so impressive, it stuns the mind.

Here is a map showing the location of the VAB. The dot on the map to which the hand is pointing is NOT representative of its size. As impressive as the VAB is, it is an insignificant, invisible dot on a map of one single state.

Here is a representation of the New Jerusalem compared in size to the landforms underneath it.

Source

Source

Here is a synopsis of the size of New Jerusalem from the website Tour of Heaven. (A biblical tour, not a personal visit!)

Size of New Jerusalem
How large is the city? That varies slightly depending on the version of the Bible. The ESV and NIV versions say it is 12,000 stadia in length and width (Rev. 21:16), where a stadia is 607 feet. This translates to 1,400 miles, which is what the NLT Bible says. However, the KJV and other versions say 12,000 furlongs, which translates to 1,500 miles. 

Regardless of whether the city is 1,400 miles or 1,500 miles in length and width, it is shaped like a square at the base. This means New Jerusalem is larger than India with nearly 2 million square miles. These measurements are meant to be literal since they are described as man’s measurements (Rev. 21:17). 

Even more astounding than the size at the base is the height that is also at least 1,400 miles (Rev. 21:16). This goes well beyond Earth’s atmosphere and into space. If a building in the city is this high and has a generous 12 feet per story, the building would be over 600,000 stories! 

To give you a better idea just how big New Jerusalem is, above are some representations of what it would look like on Earth if the city is shaped like a cube. 

Over North America:
If you are 1 mile away from the city, you would not see the top but might if you are 10 miles away. At 5,000 miles away, it would appear more than 130 times larger than the moon. To appear the size of the moon, you would have to be 160,427 miles away.

Because the city is at least 1,400 miles in length, width and height, it could be shaped like a cube or pyramid. Does the height refer to the wall that surrounds the city or the tallest building? Rev. 21:17 says the wall around the city is about 200 feet, but ESV, NASB and KJV bibles don’t specify whether this is the thickness or height. The NIV bible says this is about 200 feet thick, but the footnote says “or high”. A cube-shaped city would make sense in the sense the Most Holy place in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:20) was shaped like a cube. However, scripture does not provide a definitive answer as to whether the city is cube or pyramid-shaped.

WOW!! At The Cripplegate, they write about the New Jerusalem too.

Have you ever thought about heaven as a city?
In the apostle John’s account of the new earth in Revelation 21-22, prominent attention is given to the New Jerusalem, the capital of the eternal heaven. Nearly half of Revelation 21 is devoted to describing the physical properties of the magnificent metropolis. Its glorious splendor will be the heart of the new earth, for it is here that God Himself dwells. 

According to Revelation 21:15–17, the measurements of the New Jerusalem are immense, approximately 1,500 miles long on each side. By way of illustration, if one corner of the city were placed on Los Angeles, a second corner would sit on Mexico City, a third corner on St. Louis, Missouri, and the final corner on Edmonton, Alberta. If the center of the New Jerusalem rested where the current Jerusalem stands, it would stretch across three continents from Greece to Iran to Saudi Arabia to Libya. The current city of Los Angeles has an area of 468 square miles. The state of California comprises roughly 164,000 square miles. But the New Jerusalem will encompass over 2 million square miles. That is the equivalent of 14 states of California put together; or 4,807 cities of Los Angeles combined.

So the biggest building in the US outside a metropolitan area, a building taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza, is really a fleck of a piece of dust compared to the city of God that Jesus has been preparing.

One more stunning fact from The Cripplegate:

The massive city houses a total volume of more than 3 billion cubic miles. In light of the city’s immensity, some commentators have speculated that the resurrection bodies of the redeemed may not be subject to gravity. If so, the residents of the New Jerusalem would be able to traverse through space not only horizontally, but also vertically, making every part of this glorious cube inhabitable and accessible to the citizens of the New Jerusalem.

DOUBLE WOW!

I’ve been looking at the dimensions of the New Jerusalem and I have not even mentioned its beauty nor its purpose. Read Revelation 21 and 22 for more information on the city’s dazzling components. When I see the VAB and think of how man thinks he has achieved something, I like to compare to how majestic, big, and creative our God is. The VAB is big, New Jerusalem is bigger. The VAB is impressive, the New Jerusalem is stunningly magnificent. What man can do is fine, what God can do dumbfounds us.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9″For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

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Further Reading

FMI on the Vehicle Assembly Building, interior shots and fun stuff, go here.

Largest buildings in the world

Posted in Book of Revelation, encouragement, genesis, jesus, prophecy

The Tree of Life

Posted on by elizabethprata

It is profitable to ponder God’s role as vine-dresser, and the agricultural metaphors of the branch, the tree, and the pruning, and the fruit.

I was listening to a sermon about us being the branches connected to the vine, (John 15:4). We had a rain-wind event here and a tree in the yard lost a good portion of itself. Can this branch produce any fruit? No. Apart from the tree, it can do nothing. That is any lost person who is apart from Jesus and any saved person operating in the flesh and not the Spirit.

EPrata photo

In addition to the branch, I was also thinking of the agricultural metaphors of vine, tree, branch, fruit, and then…I started thinking about the Tree of Life.

I like trees, and I love the Tree of Life. I like thinking about God’s tree, the life He gives us, and the tree of life in Heaven we will see. Here are some mentions in scripture of the Tree of Life. It is mentioned in Genesis and Revelation (nice bookends), and also in other places.

The Tree of Life defined:

One of two trees situated in the centre of the Garden of Eden. It is also mentioned in Revelation, where it symbolises life and salvation. [Manser, M. H. Dictionary of Bible Themes]

The tree of life as a metaphor:
Pr 15:4 See also Pr 3:13-18; 11:30; 13:12. [Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes]

The Tree of Life described:

Some people wish they had a tree which grew money, but there is an even better tree—the “tree of life.” The term in Greek, xulon zōēs, denotes “a tree that gives life”—that is, eternal life (John 20:31). This tree symbolizes the eternal life God has made available to humanity. We see this tree in the very beginning of the Bible and at the very end. 

The “tree of life” was placed by God in the midst of the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8–9). God told Adam that he could eat from every tree of the garden except the “tree of the knowledge” of good and evil (Gen. 2:16–17). When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were expelled from the garden lest they “take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever” (Gen. 3:22). The Genesis narrative suggests that God intended the “tree of life” to provide Adam and Eve with a symbol of life in fellowship with and dependence on Him. Human life, as distinguished from that of the animals, is much more than merely biological; it is also spiritual—it finds its deepest fulfillment in fellowship with God. 

The book of Revelation contains the only references to the “tree of life” in the New Testament (Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19). The Bible begins and ends with a Paradise in the midst of which is a “tree of life.” The way to the “tree of life,” which was closed in Genesis 3, is open again for God’s believing people. This was made possible by the second Adam, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for the sins of all humanity—from Adam to you and me. Those who have washed their robes in the blood of Christ (Rev. 7:14) and have sought forgiveness of their sin through the redemptive work of Christ, receive the right to the “tree of life” (Rev. 22:14), but the disobedient will have no access to it. This tree will give constant, continuous life to all who partake of it, for it symbolizes the eternal life of God made available to redeemed humanity. [Carpenter, E. E., Holman Treasury of Key Bible words]

And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22)

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:2)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:14)

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30).

The Garden must have been so beautiful. I can’t wait until all is restored (Isaiah 51:3). Heaven where the Tree is must be so majestic. What the tree symbolizes is even more wonderful- eternal fellowship in righteous and holy life with God. Thank you, Lord, for all you have given us now and all we have to look forward to, forever.

The Tree of Life in art:

In Gustav Klimt’s famous mural, The Tree of Life … signifies the connection between heaven and earth and the underworld. For Klimt’s admirers, the mural also has another significance, being the only landscape created by the artist during his golden period. Klimt used oil painting techniques with gold paint, to create luxurious art pieces during that time.

The concept of the tree of life is illustrated by Gustav Klimt’s painting, in a bold and original manner. The swirling branches create symbolism, suggesting the perpetuity of life. The branches twist, twirl, turn, spiral and undulate, creating a tangle of strong branches, long vines and fragile threads, an expression of life’s complexity. With its branches reaching for the sky, the tree of life roots into the earth beneath, creating the connection between heaven and earth…While the artist uses a richness of symbols, gold for paint and other luxurious techniques to illustrate a magical world, the presence of a single black bird draws the viewer towards the central part of the painting. The black bird is a reminder that everything that has a beginning also has an end, as black birds have been used as a symbol of death by many cultures… (source)

Posted in abide, encouragement, macarthur, scripture photo

Scripture photo and sermon recommendation

Posted on by elizabethprata

I recommend this recent series from John MacArthur, on John 15:1-11

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 1

The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 2

The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 3

Posted in discernment, encouragement, ephesians, galatians, holy spirit, jesus

What is the fruit of the Spirit and how does it grow?

Posted on by elizabethprata
EPrata photo

We Christians know that a false teacher is identified by his fruits. It states in Matthew 7:16,

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

We know that a Christian will be identified by his fruit, too.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

No Christian is ever a fruit-free zone. As John MacArthur said of the Matthew verse,

Now, listen to me, people: all Christians bear fruit. Did you get that? There’s no such thing as a no-fruit Christian. There’s a lot of little fruits, got nothing but a few shriveled raisins hanging on, but there’s no such thing as a no-fruit Christian. If there’s life, there will be product. (source)

So what IS this fruit that is supposed to be visible in us? And notice that in the Galatians verse the word fruit is singular. It’s fruit of the Spirit, not fruits of the Spirit. The difference between the fruits that false teachers or false professors produce and the fruit that the Christian produces is that the former is produced from the flesh and the latter is produced by the Spirit through the Christian. Here’s more, from Matthew Henry:

And here we may observe that as sin is called the work of the flesh, because the flesh, or corrupt nature, is the principle that moves and excites men to it, so grace is said to be the fruit of the Spirit, because it wholly proceeds from the Spirit, as the fruit does from the root: 

and whereas before the apostle had chiefly specified those works of the flesh which were not only hurtful to men themselves but tended to make them so to one another, so here he chiefly takes notice of those fruits of the Spirit which had a tendency to make Christians agreeable one to another, as well as easy to themselves; and this was very suitable to the caution or exhortation he had before given (v. 13), that they should not use their liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

He particularly recommends to us, 

—love, to God especially, and to one another for his sake,
—joy, by which may be understood cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God,
—peace, with God and conscience, or a peaceableness of temper and behaviour towards others,
—long-suffering, patience to defer anger, and a contentedness to bear injuries,
—gentleness, such a sweetness of temper, and especially towards our inferiors, as disposes us to be affable and courteous, and easy to be entreated when any have wronged us,
—goodness (kindness, beneficence), which shows itself in a readiness to do good to all as we have opportunity,
—faith, fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others,
—meekness, wherewith to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and, when we are so, to be soon pacified,—and temperance, in meat and drink, and other enjoyments of life, so as not to be excessive and immoderate in the use of them.

EPrata photo. Figs in Georgia

Source Matthew Henry, (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (pp. 2303–2304). Peabody: Hendrickson.

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Here is another great commenter on the Christian’s fruit of the Spirit.

There is a pointed contrast here. As verse 16 indicated, there is no need for a believer to display the works of the flesh. Rather, by the Spirit’s power he can manifest the nine graces that are now listed. It is important to observe that the fruit here described is not produced by a believer, but by the Holy Spirit working through a Christian who is in vital union with Christ (cf. John 15:1–8). The word “fruit” is singular, indicating that these qualities constitute a unity, all of which should be found in a believer who lives under the control of the Spirit. In an ultimate sense this “fruit” is simply the life of Christ lived out in a Christian. It also points to the method whereby Christ is formed in a believer (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:21). 

The first three virtues are habits of mind which find their source in God. Love (agapē) is listed first because it is the foundation of the other graces. God is love and loves the world (cf. 1 John 4:8; John 3:16). Such self-sacrificing love that sent Christ to die for sinners is the kind of love that believers who are Spirit-controlled manifest. Joy (chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (cf. John 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things (cf. Rom. 8:28). Peace (eirēnē) is again a gift of Christ (cf. John 14:27). It is an inner repose and quietness, even in the face of adverse circumstances; it defies human understanding (cf. Phil. 4:7). 

The second triad reaches out to others, fortified by love, joy, and peace. Patience (makrothymia) is the quality of forbearance under provocation (cf. 2 Cor. 6:6; Col. 1:11; 3:12). It entertains no thoughts of retaliation even when wrongfully treated. Kindness (chrēstotēs) is benevolence in action such as God demonstrated toward men. Since God is kind toward sinners (cf. Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:7) a Christian should display the same virtue (cf. 2 Cor. 6:6; Col. 3:12). Goodness (agathōsynē) may be thought of both as an uprightness of soul and as an action reaching out to others to do good even when it is not deserved. 

The final three graces guide the general conduct of a believer who is led by the Spirit. Faithfulness (pistis) is the quality which renders a person trustworthy or reliable, like the faithful servant in Luke 16:10–12. Gentleness (prautēs) marks a person who is submissive to God’s Word (cf. James 1:21) and who is considerate of others when discipline is needed (cf. “gently” in Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:25; “gentle” in 1 Cor. 4:21; Eph. 4:2; “gentleness” in Col. 3:12; 1 Peter 3:16). Self-control (enkrateia; this noun is used in the NT only here and in Acts 24:25; 2 Peter 1:6) denotes self-mastery and no doubt primarily relates to curbing the fleshly impulses just described. Such a quality is impossible to attain apart from the power of God’s Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:16). As a final summary statement Paul affirmed that there are no prohibitions (lit., there is not a law) against such virtues. In a litotes (understatement) he asserted that obviously no one would make laws against people who practice such things.

Source: Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 608–609). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

EPrata photo. Grapes in Tuscany

A false teacher or false Christian will not consistently be growing in those nine graces. Though a Christian can seem to stall out for a while in his or her growth, the trajectory will always be upward. He will always be increasing. This is because of the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit, who always points to Christ and is always conforming us in His likeness.

An even more important question than what is the fruit of the Spirit, is how can we work in the Spirit to have Him develop fruit in us? For that, we go back and look at verse 16 in Galatians 5. That verse tells us.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16).

S. Lewis Johnson preached the following on how to walk in the Spirit.

You know, when the Lord Jesus says, “You are fishers of men,” fishermen understand a great deal about witnessing because they know fishing. Fishing enables you to understand a great deal about how to witness. Well if you want to know how to walk by the Spirit, study walking. Have you ever noticed how babies learn to walk? They don’t theorize, they don’t sit in their high chair and look and see father and analyze what he’s doing. You won’t find any child who said, “Walking is rather easy, I’ve analyzed it philosophically. What you do is you put one foot out, transfer your weight to that foot, then move the next foot out, transfer your weight to that foot. Keeping them apart so that you have good balance.” And then the child to take the highchair and put it over its head, slide out and walk. You don’t do that. You don’t find that. You’ll never find it.

Reason I know that is that my children didn’t do it that way. Nor do my grandchildren do it that way. How do babies learn to walk? Well in the first place they roll over on the bed. You remember when they rolled over the first time, “Look, Johnny has rolled over on the bed.” Of course he rolled off and hit his head, but nevertheless he rolled. He’s rolling. And then he’s sitting up. And then he’s crawling. And then he’s on his feet, hanging on to pieces of furniture. And he’s now able to make his way from one piece of furniture to another piece. He collapses against the side of it, but nevertheless he can make it. And finally he takes one step and then collapses. Either sits down from fear or topples over from excess of courage. And soon he’s walking. Very unsteadily. This happens over a period of time. Finally he can walk, but of course he never reaches the place where he cannot fall. And as he gets older and older and reaches his maturity, walks well. (source)

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Most of the Christian life sounds simple to do. But anyone who ever battled the flesh knows that it is not simple. Not at all. It is a daily battle to walk in the Spirit and not stumble. It is a daily battle to pick up one’s cross and follow Jesus. But the Lord is so gracious, He sent the Spirit to dwell IN US (something that amazes me every day). The Spirit’s kindness in molding us like Christ and nudging, prompting, convicting, occasionally chastising us- He is our constant Friend. What a worthy goal- be more like Christ today than tomorrow! What a worthy Helper, aiding us in this walk. His work with His forgiven sinners is so simple but so complex, so magnificent, so eternally glorifying to Jesus, it is astonishing especially given how depraved we really are.

Praise the Spirit today in growing His fruit in you. And pray to request more of the same tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that…

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (Ephesians 3:16)

Posted in chris powers, encouragement, full of eyes, visual theology

Full of Eyes ministry update

Posted on by elizabethprata

A year ago, I’d posted for your perusal about a new ministry. Chris Powers is an animator who is committed to Jesus Christ, visual theology, and beauty. He creates wonderful animations with study guides, as well as Christ-honoring gorgeous art and doctrinally solid tracts. Chris has taken the faith-leap and he and his wife left all behind to devote themselves full-time to this ministry he named Full of Eyes. Full of Eyes is part of the verse from Ezekiel 1:18 describing the strange creatures that have wheels within wheels which were full of eyes all around.

Here is one of Chris’ latest drawings, which I love.

The verse to go with the drawing is: John 3:19, “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil“

Chris and his wife Courtney took a two-week trip to California. Here is part of his summary report about the trip.

Well, after about 14 days on the road, Courtney and I are now back in Washington Court House, Ohio. Let me take some time to fill you in on the second half of our CA trip and then share with you a bit about what I anticipate the coming weeks will hold…

California Recap
The second half of our trip to CA involved driving from San Francisco down to LA via the coast on Highway 1 (a wonderful trip filled with some of the most awe-inspiring natural beauty I’ve yet seen….Courtney and I really enjoyed this).

Once down south I went to The Master’s College on Wednesday and Thursday evening to interact with students regarding art, culture and the gospel (and how these things manifest in my own life via FOE). However, Thursday evening was the real highlight for me. I was graciously given the chance to teach a 2 hour class on the topic of Beauty and the Cross…it was really a joy to unfold these topics with the students and then to look at how I’m trying to herald these things visually through FOE.

I heard from a number of students (and the professor who invited me) that this was a helpful and impactful time…..I know for me this class alone was worth the entire trip! Praise God for His faithfulness and mercy to fold us into His purposes in the world.
So, when all is said and done, I’m trusting that God has answered the prayer that carried this entire trip for me and Courtney, namely, that hearts would be more in love with and conformed to Christ as a result of our time in CA….

It is a very big deal to have been invited to teach a class at The Master’s College. I pray Chris’ work continues to grow in grace and continues to find appropriate outlets that give this Christ-honoring ministry wider exposure.

Here are links to the lessons Chris taught at TMC. They are explorations of beauty based on the theological writings of Jonathan Edwards.

The Incarnation of Beauty – Part I : The Trinitarian Roots of Beauty

The Incarnation of Beauty – Part II: Beauty is a Relational Concept

Full of Eyes on the web-

Website: http://www.fullofeyes.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullofeyes

Twitter: @FullofEyesFilms

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/actionJones

Patreon: Support Full of Eyes

Gaius Project: Support Full of Eyes

Posted in encouragement, narrow gate

There is only one way to heaven

Posted on by elizabethprata
EPrata photo

Whatever a fundamentalist is these days, I’m often “accused” of being one. We know that to the world, “Fundies say the darnedest things” and I’ve been quoted on that so-named forum more than once. The world points to biblical Christians as narrow minded, bigoted, closed minded, or myriad of other epithets to indicate that we need to be accepting, tolerant, and broad minded, especially of ‘all religions.’

This gentleman, Glenn Beauchemin, made the following remark just yesterday on Facebook: “The Fundies have little room in their hearts for a good man like this [the Pope] and even less room in their minds.”

We have all the room that is possible to have for a man like that, because there but for the grace of God, go us. We love our fellow man enough to witness to the power of Jesus to turn a heart of stone like the Pope’s into a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26).

There aren’t any “good men.” There aren’t even ‘all religions.’ There are only two. Much about the Christian life is very stark and clear. It is either-or. Heaven or hell. World vs Christian. Unforgiven sinner or forgiven sinner. In fact, being “narrow minded,” at least where the Bible and the Lord’s commands come in, is a good thing.

Satan will mimic, counterfeit, masquerade and plain just lie as to the way to heaven.

In a recent sermon about heaven John MacArthur delivered to an audience of youths, he drew on the Bible to show just how narrow the way is and how wide is the gulf between the two worlds. This sharp divide of either/or, in or out, is discussed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Jesus used several metaphors to draw the distinction between the two ways. MacArthur explained:

Strive to enter the narrow gate. What is this talking about? What does it mean to strive to enter the narrow gate? … As we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount there is a series of contrasts. 

Two gates, wide and narrow
Two ways, broad and narrow
Two destinies, life and destruction
Two crowds, many and few
Two trees, one good, one corrupt
Two fruits, one good and one bad
Two behaviors, saying and doing
Two builders, wise and foolish
Two foundations, rock and sand
Two houses, one stands and one falls

If being narrow-minded means ONLY accepting the Lord’s truth and not all the world’s, I will gladly accept the description. If being too narrow means I am on the Lord’s narrow road, I am grateful. If I am in the crowd of few and not many, then all is well.

How many entrances do we need? One is all it takes, and for Jesus, it took a lot. He lived a scrupulously sinless life. He suffered the indignity of humiliation on the cross. He bore all the punishment and wrath for sin into His very self, and He endured the agonizing separation from His Father for the first time in all eternity. He did this to make a way for us to enter through Him.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. (Matthew 7:13)

The door is narrow, but it is sufficient.

Posted in creation, encouragement, fall, God, seasons

First day of fall: God’s glory in creation continues to awe

Posted on by elizabethprata

The next three months are among my favorites of the year. The hot-hot-hot summer is done. The sticky humidity is over. The skies have cleared of that summer haze, and the stars are again bright at night. There is a new vigor and freshness of the days and a crispness to the evening where it feels just so good to draw up your blanket and cuddle.

The Lord ordained the seasons in their progressions since the very beginnings. The cycle is one that is both useful and beautiful. He could have made everything gray and rectangular. But He didn’t. The diversity of foods, lands, stars, trees, and seasonal changes is gloriously gorgeous. The display of leaves during fall, the harvest bounty, the stars glittering above in the clear night sky…all useful,yes, for signs and growing and timing … but beautiful too.

Our God is creative and His works are to be praised.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, (Genesis 1:14)

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. (Psalm 104:19)

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. (Exodus 34:21)

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. (Psalm 147:16)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)