Posted in history, theology

When Katie Von Bora wore black

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Katharina von Bora was a woman you should know, if you don’t already. She was born in 1499 in Lippendorf, Saxony, Germany. When she was five years old her father sent her to a monastery for education, and then to another one when she was 9. Ten years later, the growing Reformation movement has slipped into even the thick walls of the quiet Cistercian monastery and Katy, by now a nun, conspired to escape it with several other nuns. She had contacted Luther and Luther sent his friend Leonard Koppe, to retrieve the nuns. They escaped in a fish wagon. They arrived in Wittenberg, where you know who lived. Continue reading “When Katie Von Bora wore black” →

Posted in theology

How did they react when they saw Jesus?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Jesus is the God-Man. He is fully God and fully Man. I don’t understand how that works (known as the hypostatic union). No one does. It’s a mystery of God.

As a man, He is comfort, friend, brother. John the disciple leaned on Jesus’ bosom at the last supper. (John 13:25). Cozy. He wants to gather His children and protect them as a hen does her chicks. (Matthew 23:37). Tender.

In recent decades, excessive focus has been given to that particular aspect of Jesus, the Man. But then ‘Man’ devolved into ‘boyfriend’. This has allowed a skew of sinful familiarity to penetrate women’s minds, ministries, and material. Continue reading “How did they react when they saw Jesus?” →

Posted in religion, theology

Is Christianity a relationship or a religion?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

How often do we hear that all we need is a personal relationship with Jesus? That it’s a relationship, not a reltigion? I read so often that ‘Christianity is not a religion’, as if participating in our religion is bad, or that its principles and commands are not needed. They are needed and it is a religion. Continue reading “Is Christianity a relationship or a religion?” →

Posted in movie review, theology

Movie Review: Troop Zero

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I like movies about kids, kids who are marginalized or are underdogs and persevere with grace and charitableness. This is one of those movies.

The blurb goes: “In rural Georgia in 1977, a group of elementary-school misfits led by spunky outcast Christmas Flint join forces to infiltrate the high-and-mighty Birdie Scouts youth group in order to win a talent show. The winning Birdies will earn the right to have their voices included on the Voyager Golden Record, which Christmas believes will be heard by her deceased mother – if they can just win the show.”

Starring in this 2019 film are Viola Davis, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Epps, Charlie Shotwell, and Allison Janney, and as the main character Christmas Flint, McKenna Grace. You might remember McKenna as Paige from Young Sheldon. It’s the second collaboration between Davis and Janney since The Help in 2011. The foil is on Amazon Prime.

It seems that of late I’ve gravitated to several movies set in the south, this one in the back woods of Georgia in the fictional town of Wiggly. Christmas’ father is a lawyer on the edge of bankruptcy but a hail fellow well met, if a bit scruffy. Viola Davis is his world-weary aide/secretary.

Christmas is fascinated with the stars, one link she had with her mom who’d passed away the previous year. When Christmas hears of an opportunity to be a voice on the recording of The Golden Record to be placed on Voyager and launched into space, Christmas grabs the opportunity with all the spunk she’s got and all the determination she can muster. The chance involves having to become a Birdie, like a Brownie in the Girl Scouts.

Southern demographics are subtly but plainly demonstrated here, if sometimes a bit brutally. The misfit Birdie troop Christmas manages to gather are the town’s marginalized and disliked, aka rednecks and trailer trash. The town’s upper class girl clique definitely does not approve of a rival, especially one called Troop Zero. The troop must earn badges in order to compete in the Jamobree, where the winner will be the troop allowed to speak onto the Golden Record, Christmas’ ultimate goal. As the misfit girls work together to earn their badges, they learn to like each other and begin to see a way of life that isn’t fueled by anger or bitterness (as some of the other Troop Zero girls are). They learn they have skills they didn’t know they possessed, and see a possible way of life they hadn’t seen before.

Some of the school bullying from the town’s princesses is hard to watch (not because it’s especially violent, just hard to take). The biting, “bless your heart, I’m jes playin” bullying from the rival Troop Mother (Janney) is also cruel. But I believe it to be real, if slightly exaggerated, as a line between a small town’s haves and have nots.

It’s a movie that seems simple but grows emotionally complex as it goes on. It is a pretty movie, too, the cinematography is good and the scenes of the stars and pastures are beautiful to watch. The pacing is good, nothing lags. There are lessons here, for many different ages.

Lots of swearing with the word ‘hell’, one “shit.” Some adult beer drinking, and adult smoking. No other issues.

I have also watched Alabama Moon recently (Amazon Prime). I also enjoyed Wish Man, the story of Make-A-Wish founder Frank Shankwitz. (Amazon Prime).

Did you know that InstantWatcher is a website that makes finding the kind of movies you want to see on Amazon Prime or Netflix easy? And you can search by RATING! (G, PG, Pg-13, etc). If you find a movie you like you can also launch Prime or Netflix right from Instantwatcher. Her are some reviews of the Instantwatcher:

InstantWatcher is a Faster Interface to Netflix Streaming

Instantwatcher is a better search option for Netflix database

I hope you enjoy it! If you don’t, it’s OK your mileage may vary, but please don’t @me! 🙂

 

Posted in discernment, theology

A few thoughts on discernment

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I wrote last week that I’d tweeted something about a certain false teacher’s lifestyle, and the tsunami of hate immediately came rolling toward me. It didn’t let up for three days.

As per usual I was called hateful, evil, a troll, jealous, self-righteous, covetous, judgmental, and more. That’s the usual stuff.

I always try to learn from any experiences, especially experiences in contending for the truth. Continue reading “A few thoughts on discernment” →

Posted in theology, word of the week

Word of the Week: Fruit of the Spirit, Gentleness

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

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)

Warren Wiersbe notes the triple triad within the verse. The first three characteristics of the fruit are love, joy, and peace. Those reflect the Godward aspect of Christian life.

The next three are patience, kindness, goodness; characteristics reflecting the manward aspect of Christian life.

Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are aspects reflecting the selfward part of the Christian life. Below, Wiersbe’s longer explanation:

When a person lives in the sphere of love, then he experiences joy—that inward peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. (A case in point is Paul’s experience recorded in Phil. 4:10–20.) This “holy optimism” keeps him going in spite of difficulties. Love and joy together produce peace, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). These first three qualities express the Godward aspect of the Christian life.

The next three express the manward aspect of the Christian life: long-suffering (courageous endurance without quitting), gentleness (kindness), and goodness (love in action). The Christian who is long-suffering will not avenge himself or wish difficulties on those who oppose him. He will be kind and gentle, even with the most offensive, and will sow goodness where others sow evil. Human nature can never do this on its own; only the Holy Spirit can.

The final three qualities are selfward: faith (faithfulness, dependability); meekness (the right use of power and authority, power under control); and temperance (self-control). Meekness is not weakness. Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29), and Moses was “very meek” (Num. 12:3); yet no one could accuse either of them of being weak. The meek Christian does not throw his weight around or assert himself. Just as wisdom is the right use of knowledge, so meekness is the right use of authority and power. The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe

The word gentleness as it is used in the verse means ‘derived from the root pra-, emphasizing the divine origin of meekness (“gentle strength”) which expresses power with reserve and gentleness.’

Gentleness, ladies, does not mean doormat, but restrained power combined with kindness, peace, and the other characteristics of the fruit. That’s why the fruit of the Spirit is one fruit displaying many aspects, not many fruits.

Wiersbe again with the reason the Spirit grows the fruit in us:

We must remember that this fruit is produced to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display. People around us are starving for love, joy, peace, and all the other graces of the Spirit. When they find them in our lives, they know that we have something they lack. We do not bear fruit for our own consumption; we bear fruit that others might be fed and helped, and that Christ might be glorified. The flesh may manufacture “results” that bring praise to us, but the flesh cannot bear fruit that brings glory to God. It takes patience, an atmosphere of the Spirit, walking in the light, the seed of the Word of God, and a sincere desire to honor Christ.

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Posted in encouragement, theology

Saturday encouragement

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By Elizabeth Prata

This was a good week, full of sun and laughter and good work and good food and healthy sleep and friends. My week also had back pain and financial pinch and car worries and personal irritation and professional busyness and spiritual ups and downs. But I don’t talk about those. I don’t mention them. I don’t write about them. I don’t think about them. I don’t choose to focus on the latter. I choose to focus on the former! Continue reading “Saturday encouragement” →

Posted in discernment, theology

Ladies, here is how to be precious in His sight

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By Elizabeth Prata

Phil Johnson has been a discerning Christian for a long time. He noted in a recent Q&A at the GraceLife Pulpit when responding to a question about women teaching and preaching, that he doesn’t know of a single seminary that has caved to culture in installing female Bible professors that hasn’t compromised in other areas soon after. It’s the same with churches and denominations. If you don’t like the clear teaching of God in the Bible in one area you’ll soon find ways to compromise on others, too, he noted. Here is a definition of an evangelical feminist (an oxymoron if there ever was one)- Continue reading “Ladies, here is how to be precious in His sight” →

Posted in prophecy, theology

Viper’s eggs and longing for the light

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

They hatch adders’ eggs; they weave the spider’s web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. (Isaiah 59:5)

Isaiah is a tough book to read. It’s especially hard, as in my Reading Plan, you’re supposed to read 4 or 5 chapters of Isaiah at once. You’re drinking doom from a fire hose. The relentless pronouncements of judgments against an idolatrous and sinful nation makes me mourn not only for Israel past and present, but my own sin and my own nation. Tough stuff. Continue reading “Viper’s eggs and longing for the light” →