SYNOPSIS: People wonder when it is reasonable to leave off following a teacher. What are the standards for giving loving benefit of the doubt, or assessing them as false and banning them completely from your purview? Both are called for in the Bible.
Continue reading “When to Follow or Reject a Teacher: Biblical Guidance”Tag: bible
Creation’s Morning Praise
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I comment on the beauty of the quiet predawn of rural life and the first bird’s song of the dawn chorus, seeing in it a symbol of creation’s praise to God. Thinking of scripture and nature, I imagine heavenly harmony where all creation sings in eternal joy.
Continue reading “Creation’s Morning Praise”From Futility to Fulfillment in Christ
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
A reflection on society’s moral and spiritual decline, this piece laments humanity’s increasing futility—anger, emptiness, and loss of meaning apart from God. Drawing on Scripture, it contrasts worldly pursuits and hollow creativity with the only true fulfillment found in Jesus, who alone gives purpose and life.
Continue reading “From Futility to Fulfillment in Christ”In Him There Is No Darkness: A Meditation on Divine Light
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
This reflective essay explores the biblical truth that “God is light,” examining its spiritual meaning and divine implications. Drawing from Scripture, Greek definitions, and commentaries, it reveals how God’s light signifies purity, holiness, and life itself—illuminating believers, exposing darkness, and promising eternal brilliance in His presence.
Continue reading “In Him There Is No Darkness: A Meditation on Divine Light”Delicate beauty, intelligently created
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Observing the mathematical beauty of shells and other natural forms, I connect Fibonacci’s spiral to divine design. Once a nonbeliever, I come to see creation’s harmony as evidence of God’s intelligent artistry.
Continue reading “Delicate beauty, intelligently created”The True ‘Wondrous Strange’
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
In 1998, I drove to Maine’s Farnsworth Art Museum to see Wondrous Strange: The Wyeth Tradition, an eerie exhibition exploring dreamlike and unsettling imagery. Reflecting later, I contrast the human imagination of the Wyeths with the true “wondrous strange” mystery of the Gospel—God’s unimaginable incarnation and redemption.
Continue reading “The True ‘Wondrous Strange’”Created to Complement: A Biblical View of Women’s Roles in Home, part 2
By Elizabeth Prata
In part 1 I looked at the historical context that brought female Christians to a place these days where the waters of complementarianism have been so muddied that women are now confused as to the true definitions of and limits of our roles as wives and mothers.
SUMMARY
The article today explains biblical complementarianism, teaching that men and women are equal before God but have distinct roles. Men lead in the home and church, while women are called to help, submit, and prioritize motherhood and homemaking. Working outside the home is not biblically forbidden if it doesn’t detract from family responsibilities, something each couple decides depending on their season of life.
Continue reading “Created to Complement: A Biblical View of Women’s Roles in Home, part 2”Prata Potpourri: Mark Driscoll, ShepCon, Digital use, Unity, more
By Elizabeth Prata
It’s fall in full swing around here and we are loving the cooler temperatures, the harvest festivals, Homecoming events, and looking toward Christmas. Some early birds have already put up Christmas decorations. These last three months of the year are my favorite time of year. A Prata Potpourri is one of my favorite blogs to write. I hope some of these links are meaningful or helpful to you. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Prata Potpourri: Mark Driscoll, ShepCon, Digital use, Unity, more”Twisting the Word: The Error of Promised Blessings for Good Behavior
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
This reflection warns against misinterpreting Scripture to promote an “if-then” theology—doing good to get good. Citing Job, Psalms, and New Testament examples, it emphasizes that we cannot fully know God’s mind or assign specific blessings or trials to specific actions. God’s purposes are sovereign, mysterious, and beyond human judgment. We should be cautious not to claim such insight ourselves.
Continue reading “Twisting the Word: The Error of Promised Blessings for Good Behavior”How do we respond to the Word?
By Elizabeth Prata
I read Nehemiah 8. It is a short book in the Old Testament, and it is good. Nehemiah was the fellow who supervised the rebuilding of Jerusalem and alongside Prophet Ezra help to purify the Jewish community that had re-gathered there. Nehemiah was governor and Ezra was the priest and the scribe.
The day came when Ezra called all the adults, and all children who could understand, to come and listen to the reading of the Law. They stood and listened. The Levites were there to help them understand what they were hearing. Soon there were tears, weeping, and crushed hearts. They fell on their faces. “For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” The Jews realized how far they were from God. But Ezra said not to weep, for it was a day of rejoicing. The Festival of Booths was born, and the people celebrated, giving gifts to those who had nothing, and went their way eating and drinking. It is a short chapter. I recommend reading it.
The response of the people was the only proper response but it is one from which we can gather strength and praise our Savior all the more. First, the people listened to the word. Any walk with the Lord should begin with listening, either by reading yourself and listening with your mind and heart, or listening to a pastor. The people were instructed, and that is a good start.
Then they wept. There are a lot of reasons people weep when they read or hear the Word. It is precise, beautiful, true, and convicting. It is a gift delivered once for all to the saints, and it is good for reproof, exhortation, and education. The Word also reminds us how far we are from Him, Him as savior and we as sinners forgiven by His blood and His grace. But the Word also reminds us of how close we can be to Him!
Then the people were glad. He restores us! He hears prayer, he regenerates us in His likeness, and we are glad, going forth in joy to know that we CAN know our Savior personally. They celebrated, and they gave gifts. We should do that as well, always being on the lookout for those who are in need to fill that need. Giving the gift of the Word, or our time, or our love or all three!
Finally, the people went away rejoicing but their response to hearing the Word did not stop there. They DID something. In this case it was to begin the Festival of Booths (Sukkot). The Israelites evidenced an emotional response but the instructors encouraged them to apply the words to a spiritual response, and they did so.
What is your response to hearing the word? Do you remain unaffected? Do you fall on your face? Do you weep? Do you rejoice….but remain inactive? Or does hearing the word motivate you to a response in the world that in turn affects others?
Our joy should be all the greater because not only do we have the word, we have the promise of the Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5)
May He shine brightly in your heart today. If it has been a few days,…weeks…months since you have really listened to the Word, do it today. In Him is life!
the-end-time.org 