Prata Potpourri: archaeological discoveries, riding a camel, lost gift certificate, how to open a book, more

By Elizabeth Prata

I went on an archaeological dig once. It was in Tuscany, Italy. We were trying to find structures that would help date the land and buildings of this particular property. Its owner, an Italian Count, was hoping it would date back to Charlemagne. It turned out I made a significant discovery, one they hadn't expected! They became soooo excited when the structure I was digging became known once again to the light of day. What did I discover? What was so exciting? A latrine!

The well-known rectangular floor with circular hole in the middle turned out to be the famous potty of medieval times. Oh well! That's how science goes!

Here is a similar story from London-

An art museum found a very old toilet—right under where its new bathroom was being built

Hall and the rest of the crew were fascinated. The archaeologists spent about a month in the muck, and the deeper they went, the slicker and smellier it got. The mud was vaguely greenish: "I think the word 'slime' has been bandied about, Hall says. The feces itself had returned to earth, but it was still foul, "like a big gaping maw that emitted a slightly fetid breath."

And an archaeological article about New Testament discoveries:

10 New Significant New Testament Archaeological Discoveries

Since the European Enlightenment, and well into the late nineteenth-century, scholars in Europe and America have been skeptical of the historical value of the Bible (in both Old & New Testaments). However, beginning in the early 20th century archaeology began to bring to light remarkable material evidence that the Biblical record is historically reliable.

How did the early church practice Sola Scriptura before the Bible existed?

Sola Scriptura is the teaching that the Bible is the final authority in all things it addresses, but this does not mean we ignore councils, various traditions, or church history. It means that in everything the Bible addresses, Scripture is the final authority. So when we are asked how the early church practiced Sola Scriptura before the Bible was completed, we say that they judged spiritual truths the same way we Protestants do today--by Scripture. In the case of those before the completion of the New Testament, they used the Old Testament Scriptures. This practice is exactly what we find in the book of Acts.

I was sharing with a younger lady the other day that half of the Christian life is waiting patiently. Just waiting.

God's school of waiting: A difficult but fruitful education

A Christian man prays for a job so that he can provide for his family as God has commanded and then he waits. A mother prays that God will draw her wayward son to himself unto salvation and then she waits. We pray that God will make our future path clear and we wait. We read Matthew 6:34 for a thousandth time for comfort. The Puritans understood this reality well and developed something of a doctrine of waiting; they referred to it as being in "God's school of waiting."

Ruth Clemence muses on being 'just' a blogger, not an author?

But it got me thinking. Am I just a blogger? A blogger who writes but unfortunately not up to the mark of making it as an author? Am I not creative enough to write an engaging, wonderful, thought-provoking, must-read book? Is my writing stale? Uninteresting? Is my writing boring that it will only suit the medium of a blog? Will I ever be creative enough to string words together in book form?

After the G3 Conference Joel Beeke went on an African Safari and then to Egypt. Follow his adventures at joelbeeke.org. Animal stampede, riding a camel, or this entry, visiting the pyramids. The photos and videos are fun!

Gretchen Saffles notes that during that particular quiet time, Every Distraction a Detour Back to Jesus

It was an all-out fight to focus during my quiet time. Thoughts flooded my mind—worries, fears, questions, unresolved ideas, pressing tasks. I couldn’t read the words before me in my Bible. Time flew by like a rocket. I spent the time trying to wrangle my attention while counting down the minutes to when my boys would be up and my time of “quiet” would be over.

Happy Valentine's Day from your Sailor!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sailors-valentines


When a Customer Says, "I Lost My Gift Certificate"

We still use paper gift certificates. Say what you will about that, but that's our system. We create both the voucher and a receipt, but we’re really clear at the time that they aren't tracked, and "Don’t lose it!" That way of doing things has served us well for 24.5 years now.

In case you don't know how to open a book, here ya go!