Posted in potpourri, theology

Prata Potpourri: The Music Edition!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I don’t know about you, but I love music. Since I converted my tastes run to to Christian music, my favorite is Southern Gospel quartets and hillbilly bluegrass. I enjoy classical, too. If I listen to secular music my tastes run to ’70s artists like Paul Simon and other soft rock. GotQuestions gives some Christian principles on whether or not to listen to secular music.

My mother loved classical music and would put that on first thing while she was making her coffee, and have it on all day I grew up on Beethoven and Mozart, and I’m glad, because I like classical music now too. Continue reading “Prata Potpourri: The Music Edition!” →

Posted in discernment, theology

Of Gnats and Camels

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

camel

We see a lot of professing Christians decrying cultural gnats while failing to strain out camels. They are like the Pharisees that Jesus accused in Matthew 23:24, foaming at the mouth with the smaller uncleanliness while ignoring the greater:

“You blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”

Both gnats and camels were deemed unclean, (Leviticus 11:4, 23) yet the Pharisees’ excessive focus on gnats to the exclusion of camels is warned against, due to resulting hypocrisy. I found Matthew Henry’s explanation compelling here, beczuse he gives great examples of the difference between a gnat and a camel: Continue reading “Of Gnats and Camels” →

Posted in encouragement, theology

The word of God is living

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

To the Christian, the word of God is like a green lawn, undulating, rolling out blade after blade of perfectly manicured grass, thriving and living, each blade a perfect truth to be discovered, examined, applied, praised.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).

Underline is mine, it’s what I’m focusing on in this essay. Continue reading “The word of God is living” →

Posted in theology

The cost of rejecting Jesus

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s vacation week for much of America. I’m going to go a little easy myself this week and get a bunch of reading done. I thought for this week I’d bring forward some of the early essays I wrote.

With 5,200 essays written here since 2009, there are some you may have missed, lol. You can see my heart even since the earliest days of this blog. This one comes from November 2012.

Continue reading “The cost of rejecting Jesus” →

Posted in salvation, theology

One day the door to salvation will shut

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s vacation week for much of America. I’m going to go a little easy myself this week and get a bunch of reading done. I thought for this week I’d bring forward some of the early essays I wrote.

With 5,200 essays written here since 2009, there are some you may have missed, lol. I published this one in May 2009. You can see my heart even since the earliest days of this blog. Salvation, and judgment. Continue reading “One day the door to salvation will shut” →

Posted in prophecy, theology

The Lord will Thresh and Winnow

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s vacation week for much of America. I’m going to go a little easy myself this week and get a bunch of reading done. I thought for this week I’d bring forward some of the early essays I wrote.

With 5,200 essays written here since 2009, there are some you may have missed, lol. I published this one in May 2009. You can see my heart even since the earliest days of this blog. Agricultural allusions, and judgment. Continue reading “The Lord will Thresh and Winnow” →

Posted in comfort, martyr, strength in the Lord, Sunday martyr moment

Sunday Martyr Moment: Sanctus, Blandina, and Ponticus

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata*

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,

Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.

From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold: Continue reading “Sunday Martyr Moment: Sanctus, Blandina, and Ponticus” →

Posted in encouragement, theology

Who do you want to meet?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Our busy days can get so fraught with things of this world, by necessity (kids, meetings, laundry, shopping, appointments, practices, etc) that when we read the Bible we can forget that the people we are reading about had the same kind of lives. They were real people and most of them that we read in the pages of scripture were believers. And since they are believers, we will meet them in heaven. They might have dropped off the pages of the Bible but they lived, died, and were brought to the presence of Jesus. Their lives are still going. When we get there, we will meet them. Their faith means that they have a relationship with us, and us with them.

Who do you want to meet? Who are you curious about? Continue reading “Who do you want to meet?” →

Posted in prophecy, theology

Will you be trembling, or rejoicing?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In Psalm 96:11-12 we read of the creation rejoicing,

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

Creation is glad, rejoices, roars, exults, and sings!

One Psalm later in Psalm 97:2-5 we read, Continue reading “Will you be trembling, or rejoicing?” →

Posted in gratitude, theology

A Morning Filled with Gratitude

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I’m so grateful the Lord gave me His Son, His faith, His mind, His future, His eternity. I am grateful He knitted together a ministry for me to perform that is deeply satisfying. The past two days have been heavy with mental depth and research and writing and prayer. I’m exhausted, but today I have been deeply fulfilled with the recent work.

I’ve been forgiven of my sins, I’ve been washed by His blood, I’ve been given a hope and a future. I’ve been given a ministry. Life is so good. Continue reading “A Morning Filled with Gratitude” →