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”By Elizabeth Prata
Even though it’s Fall and heading into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and deep winter, I never stop thinking about the ocean. During the Fourth of July long weekend, lots of families take vacations, and many choose to go to the beach. I used to as well.
 |
| Shells, sea glass, rocks, coral, barnacles, and pottery from the sea, collected from Labrador to the Bahamas. EPrata photo |
I used to take a week off at Christmas and head to Florida, and the week of the 4th I’d go to my favorite spot in Maine, Lubec. If you see the map of Maine as a profile of a dog, Lubec is at the dog’s nose. It borders Canada separated only by a narrow inlet. The bridge from Lubec takes you to Campobello Island on the Canadian island of New Brunswick.
As you might guess, the beaches on the hardy, rockbound and foggy coast of Maine are wild. As a matter of fact, Dr Beach, AKA Stephen Leatherman, several years ago rated a beach near Lubec as the most wild in America.
In December, I took my vacation at Venice FL, where the sand beaches are white and the ocean is azure and gentle at the Gulf coast.
Beaches around the US and around the world all have their own personalities. Each one yields up its own treasures. At Jasper Beach in Machias Maine, the beach has no sand! There’s only smoothly polished rocks of rhyolite and jasper. I’ve taken home many smooth, glittering rocks from Jasper Beach. At Lubec’s Globe Cove, the sea yields sea glass, from the hundreds of years the fishing fleet used to throw over their glass bottles. At Venice FL, the sea yields up shark’s teeth in great numbers. At the deserted beaches in The Bahamas, you find coral washed up, bleached and in interesting twisted shapes. In Labrador, you find scallop shells bigger than your hand! All you need is one of these for dinner!
You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. (Psalm 89:9)
And of course, there’s shells!
If you ever have headed to the beach, here are a few facts I find fascinating. As you amble along the borderline between ocean and ground, as you wade in the waters to cool your tired feet, as you shield your eyes and gaze out to the limitless blue expanse, praise God for making such a beautiful habitation, and its creatures so complex and wondrous.
My favorite shell is the moon snail. He has a lot of cousins. They all have that sweet spiral, so pleasing to the eye. Their hushed colors of slate grey or moon blue are also pleasing. In the US’s warmer waters and the tropics the shell colors are brighter. Some think this is because of the temperature of the ocean. Others think it’s because of the different food available that translates through digestion to the calcium the shells are made of. Scientists still aren’t sure what kinds of pigments the mollusks are using. The reasons for shell coloration and variation are a mystery to scientists, but God created them all. In one day! He knows why their colors and shaes are so varied. Perhaps to create a palette of beauty that glorifies Him.
 |
| Juvenile whelk, collected Gulf Coast Florida. EPrata photo |
Moon snails for all their delicate beauty are actually rapacious predators. The holes you see on other snail shells are made by the moon snail. He climbs on top of a shell, spits acid, uses his tongue lined with teeth to drill a hole, then spews acid onto the hapless mollusk inside. He waits for his prey to melt a little, then inserts his stomach into the hole and absorbs the prey. Ouch! Yuck!
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name: (Jeremiah 31:35)
Did you know that the moon snail is hatched with a little shell attached already? That’s the point at the start of the spiral. So cool.
 |
| Moon snail, collected Maine. Prata photo |
Scallops can grow into the size of dinner plates, their age shown by lines on the shell – just like the rings of a tree. I found that one in the photo at the top, in Blanc Sablon at the border of Labrador/Newfoundland, Canada.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. (Psalm 146:6)
The Bahamas has been described as having the third most extensive coral reef system in the world. Did you know? Andros Island has a 140-mile Barrier Reef – and that is one of the longest coral reefs in the world.
 |
| Coral. The Bahamas. EPrata photo |
Did you know? Corals are in fact animals, not plants. Coral reefs are the largest structures on earth of biological origin.
Sea glass is becoming rarer.
Did you know? Sea glass takes 20 to 40 years, and sometimes as much as 100 years, to acquire its characteristic texture and shape. Sea glass begins as normal shards of broken glass that are then persistently tumbled and ground until the sharp edges are smoothed and rounded. In this process, the glass loses its slick surface but gains a frosted appearance over many years.
Naturally produced sea glass (“genuine sea glass”) originates as pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks, which are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance.
This article talks about the best places to find sea glass and mentions Jasper Beach in Machiasport, Maine among other beaches Downeast. That’s where you find the round and tumbled stones. Some glass can be found there, too. But if you’re going that far, drive just a bit further to Lubec, and walk the small beach at Globe Cove. That’s where even more sea glass treasure can be found.
If you spot some sea glass, salute our God who made the ocean and currents’ motion so strong that over time his waters will wear away hard glass.
See the barnacles on the scallop? Apparently in Labrador they grow ’em big! Barnacles are a sea creature that attaches to things, like they did to the underside of our sailboat. Enough of them get on there and it slows down the boat considerably, creating a lot of drag. Occasionally you have to pull the boat out of the water at a marina and scrape them off.
 |
| Barnacles on a scallop. They make it hard for the scallop to swim, too. Prata photo |
Did you know that the cement barnacles use is stronger than anything man can make synthetically? How barnacles did it was a mystery from time immemorial until 2014. The US Navy has been intensely interested in barnacles, partly because of the issue of slowing the boats when barnacles grow on the hull, and also because the cement the creatures use is so sticky in salt water!!
When you’re walking on a pier and see the barnacles on the pilings, salute our God who made them so super strong.
 |
| Jasper Beach Machiasport ME. Prata photo |
Whether it’s shark’s teeth, shells, rocks, sea glass, pottery, or any other treasure you find on vacation, praise God who made it all in 6 days by the power of His word and the creativity of His intellect.
Below you’ll find some resources I’ve enjoyed to help me learn more about the wonderful finds you find at the beach!
Conchologists of America, information about the shells and the animals that inhabit them. Conchologist is a shell collector.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote a books of poems and thoughts called Gift from the Sea. Here is the link to the 70th anniversary edition
Remembering Lubec: Stories from the Easternmost Point (American Chronicles)
is a short book about life in that harsh but beautiful climate and location
This is a good book, and pretty, too: Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature’s Vanishing Gems
Kay Cude is a Texas Poet. Used with permission. Can right-click to open larger in new tab. Or read text below.
JEHOVA-ELOHIM
O Everlasting God, El-Olam, who can compare with Thee? Who, O Lord God, is there named amongst all creation, amongst all mankind-yea, amongst all earthly and spiritual kingdoms, principalities, powers and authorities who can speak and by his breath, creation is?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
Who is like unto Thee, O God, EL-Elyon, The Lord God Most High? Who can by his unspoken will instruct each star, each planet – yea, all of the universes and the trillions of galaxies, to suspend themselves in the appropriate locus? Who is able to command them–and their order and their paths and their seasons of ingress and transit, are?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
El Shaddai, Almighty God, The Ancient of Days, who is able to sit above the circle of the earth and the beginning from the ending of each celestial orb, or by his hand stretch out the heavens as a curtain to spread its expanse over all creation as a tent? Who can by his word, cause the sun and the moon to stand still in their circuits, and by such, testify that he is The God, The El Shaddai, The Adonai? Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
kay cude, March 2016 AD
IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE
EARTH
IT IS…
“By the Word of The Lord the heavens were made, and by the Breath of His Mouth all their host.” Psalm 33:6.
“You alone are The Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Nehemiah 9:6.
“Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars. The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name, because of the Greatness of His Might and the Strength of His Power not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:26.
Text by author Kay Cude purposed solely for non-profit, non-commercial sharing. Image without text available at http://static.tumblr.com/tumblr_static_lazarus-nebula-space-graphics-nebula-stars-3d.jpg
By Elizabeth Prata
Justin is a traveling evangelist known for his discernment seminar called Clouds Without Water, a biblical critique of the Word-Faith/New Apostolic Reformation/Prosperity gospel. He also preaches, “communicating biblical truth through expository preaching and teaching resources designed to deepen the believer’s knowledge of God and, in turn, his love for God” as his About statement reads. He and his wife are members of a church outside of Billings, Montana.
Mr Peters sends out a monthly newsletter bringing his followers up to date on his ministry activity. This month, November 2024, I read the following:
As of this writing, I’ve had two international trips, Brazil and the Philippines. Each was special in its own way, but something quite memorable happened in the latter. At my first preaching venue, there were about 1,100 in attendance. One of my presentations, delivered on a Friday, was on the history of the charismatic movement during which I made a brief point on the biblical truth that only men can serve as pastors and quoted 1 Timothy 3 as support. It was not a major part of this message, and I did not think much about it – until a few days later.
One of the Filipino brothers who organized the conference came up to me and said, “Justin, remember what you said on Friday about how women cannot serve as pastors?” “Yes,” I replied. “Well, you did not know this but towards the back of the room there was a group of female pastors who attended the conference. One of them was convicted by what you said and resigned as pastor of her church the next day.”
“Really?!” I replied. I was floored. But isn’t that amazing? She was a pastor on Friday, was convicted by the truth of God’s Word, resigned as pastor on Saturday and did not even preach in her own home church on Sunday! Praise the Lord! It’s not often that we get to see such a dramatic and immediate change in people – especially one that comes at a great personal cost. God’s Word indeed will not return to Him void without it accomplishing what pleases Him (Isaiah 55:11).
It might seem strange to post an excerpt of a ministry newsletter update on Thanksgiving, but isn’t that what a Christian’s Thanksgiving is all about? Praising the Lord for His work in hearts? The blessing of the Holy Spirit’s piercing of bone and marrow to bring conviction, then light, to minds?
Happy Thanksgiving to my friends. The Lord God above, for whom we are all thankful, is working today on this holiday and every day.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” (John 5:17). As we gather today on a day of not working, but a day to praise and thank, we are grateful for the Lord’s work in us humble and frail humans. As Mr Peters’ Philosophy of Ministry quotes Charles Spurgeon,
We are nothings and nobodies, but that we do not think so is very evident, for as soon as we are put on the shelf we begin anxiously to enquire, ‘How will the work go on without me?’ As well might the fly on the coach wheel enquire, ‘How will the mails be carried without me?’
And yet the Lord chooses to use us for His glory. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36
By Elizabeth Prata
I am a Literacy Interventionist (remedial reading teacher) at an elementary school. One of my tasks during the day is to do a supervising duty. I unlock the double doors in the morning so the kids can enter the school at first bell. I supervise the area between the gym where they congregate, and the cafeteria where they may go eat a breakfast if they wish until the final bell tells them to go to class.
My job is to greet the children warmly, make them feel welcome. Guide them to various where they need to go or show them where the rest room or the Lost & Found is. And so on, a bunch of little things to help their day begin on a smooth note. For my part, I am to be observant and vigilant for unusual people or events occurring out of the norm.
There are nearly 500 students in our school. They ALL pass by me EVERY day. I know a good many of their names and I say hello and welcome to them by name as they go about their beginning of day. I look at every face. As an observer, I notice the siblings coming down the hall. I have time to note their facial or behavioral similarities. If a gaggle of children are walking down the hall, I can tell who is a sibling and who is not.
I see this repeated over and over and over 180 days in a row. I marvel at God’s creative talent to subtly change a bone structure here or an eye shape there to make siblings look alike but not identical.
God forms each and every one of us. He said to Jeremiah,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5)
Elsewhere we read repeatedly that He is in charge of making new humans.
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
(Psalm 139:13)
You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. (Job 10:11)
Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments. (Psalm 119:73)
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5).
When you think about the magnitude of this creative act that God repeats, for eons over billions of times, it is staggering to the brain. When He says He is higher than us, it is true to an extent we can never even imagine-
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“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)
His ways are wondrous to behold, to contemplate, to rejoice over. One of those ways are to see the evidence in human siblings. Even generationally- I have the same chin as my grandmother and my aunts.
Then when you fold in the fact that God made the universe, planets, angels, earth, and all that is in it inside of 6 days, it is staggering. His ongoing creativity with humans since then is something to remember when we tend to diminish Him in our mind, or lower his exaltedness even an inch.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises. (Psalm 47:6).
Further Resources
By Elizabeth Prata
I was chatting with a lady at work. We both arrive pre-dawn. We looked at the rural night sky and marveled at the creations there; stars, planets, and we talked of how we love hearing the night birds. We praised God with birdsong and cricket chorus as the background music.
Then she inspired me with her talk of how she loves everybody, “No matter how they look or their situation, we’re called to love them, and besides we never know when we night be entertaining an angel…” and we spoke of angels for a bit.
She surely is a wonder. I asked my boss how long this lady has been working there, and she said the woman has been working there 25 years. In my 16 1/2 years at this job I have never, EVER heard her complain once. Nor gossip once. Nor be anything but thankful to have her job.
It is refreshing to speak of Jesus during the day. Don’t wait until just Sunday to praise Him. Don’t restrict your praises to your silent or whispered prayers. We get so busy during the day but in my opinion it is important to stop and chat, praise, rejoice frequently.
I encourage you to:
1.Praise Jesus during the day to yourself and to others. Even a sentence or two, it doesn’t have to be a discourse or a sermon!
2. Think about who inspires you at work and stick to them like glue!! Avoid the troublemakers, gossips, and complainers. Purposely seek out the Christians around you if there are any, and join up for a brief praise. It works to lift your spirit, to alter your perspective.
Spurgeon said Christianity is “a joyful business altogether, for the Savior is glad to save, and the sinner is glad to be saved.”
and-
“Thou canst not tell what showers of mercy, what streams of benediction, what mountains of joy, and hills of happiness, shall be thine when Jesus comes and reigns in thy soul.” ~Charles Spurgeon
Poetry by Kay Cude. Used with permission. Right click to open larger in new tab. Or read below
JEHOVA-ELOHIM
OEverlasting God, El-Olam, who can compare with Thee? Who, O Lord God, is there named amongst all creation, amongst all mankind-yea, amongst all earthly and spiritual kingdoms, principalities, powers and authorities who can speak and by his breath, creation is?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
Who is like unto Thee, O God, EL-Elyon, The Lord God Most High? Who can by his unspoken will instruct each star, each planet – yea, all of the universes and the trillions of galaxies, to suspend themselves in the appropriate locus? Who is able to command them – and their order and their paths and their seasons of ingress and transit, are?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
El Shaddai, Almighty God, The Ancient of Days, who is able to sit above the circle of the earth and the beginning from the ending of each celestrial orb, or by his hand stretch out the heavens as a curtain to spread its spanse over all creation as a tent? Who can’ by his word, cause the sun and the moon to stand still in their circuits, and by such, testify that he is The God, The El Shaddai, The Adonai? Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
kay cude, March 2016 AD
IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
IT IS…
“By the Word of The Lord the heavens were made, and by the Breath of His Mouth all their host.” Psalm 33:6
“You alone are The Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Nehemiah 9:6
“Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars. The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name, because of the Greatness of His Might and the Strength of His Power not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:26
Text by author Kay Cude purposed solely for non-profit, non-commercial sharing. Image without text available at http://static.tumblr.com/tumblr_static_lazarus-nebula-space-graphics-nebula-stars-3d.jpg
By Elizabeth Prata
By Elizabeth Prata
Overcome one day with meeting with Jesus in His word, I wrote this poem. We are not led by emotions, that’s emotionalism. See link below for more on that.
But we are emotional people. We feel. When we respond to what we have learned about Jesus from His word, when we are awed by His majesty, humbled by His power, overcome with lowliness in love for His heights, we’re having an emotional response and it’s OK.
Stephen Nichols at Ligonier: emotions vs emotionalism:
What do you think about emotional sensationalism in the modern church?
Poem by EPrata
By Elizabeth Prata
My favorite doctrines are Grace, followed by Providence.
Grace that is extended by our loving God is shocking and amazing and wonderful. I was saved later in life and I remember what it felt like to live a sinful life in rebellion against God. It was confusing and upsetting, most of the time.
I read a lot, and enjoyed historical books and the world’s myths. As I read books, all the world’s made-up gods were capricious or unloving or dismissive of humans. That seemed weird to me. Even when I read of the Founding Fathers and learned about their deism, that god also seemed weird to me. The deist god created everything – including humans – but then retreated from humankind’s affairs and let us wind down of our own accord. I could not reconcile that. No one creates something only to walk away from it. Weird.
But I was pretty OK with a god who created me but left me alone to do what I wanted. As long as ‘he’ didn’t interfere with my life.
Grace given by a loving God was foreign to me and unthinkable. Because that would mean He was involved with humans, lovingly.
But that and only that God is the one true God.
He pre-existed since forever, but at the appointed time set by the Father, He came in the form of a baby who grew to be a man-God, teaching and loving and performing miracles. He died for our sins and absorbed the wrath of God on our behalf.
Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound
It was not a sweet sound to me then, but it is now.
That saved a wretch like me
I used to close my mouth if I happened to be at a Church service, like at Christmas, and this hymn came on. I wasn’t a wretch!, I’d mumble. And close my mouth, refusing to say the lyrics.
I once was lost, but now am found
I didn’t know I was lost and I didn’t know I needed to be found.
Was blind but now I see
I didn’t know I was blind. Revelation 3:17 may apply here:
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
That the Lord of All would stoop to save a wretch like me, covered in mud and dwelling with the pigs, like the Prodigal, is amazing. That He would walk into Jerusalem, knowing the cries of Hosannah! would turn bloody and hateful a week later. That He went toward his kangaroo trials, his scourging, and his death, even death upon a cross, to save filthy sinners, is amazing. What grace!
Thank you Lord, for your grace!! How wonderful that even when we’ve been there 10,000 years, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. An eternity praising You is not enough, but what grace that I am able to do so in the first place.
Was blind but now I see…
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)
the-end-time.org 
