Annie and Ella are showing off their "What a Hooton" shirts. What a bunch of Hootons we are, getting to gether has been a blast.

Travel update

I wonder if Mary and Joseph had a night like this… Christmas day for us has been ups and downs. We had a nice intimate service with thirteen people this morning. We took off right after service to make the trek to my parent’s house. We picked up a new van we were given in Grand Rapids and continued on our way. We were making good time too. That is until about 11:00 tonight. Foster threw up. And my word the fight that ensued between his exhausted parents while the poor little man recovered. I cleaned up the mess and got back on the road in time for him to throw up again. We pulled off in Wisconsin Dells and cleaned up again. Coming out of the gas station with some Pedialyte, I discovered we picked up a nail and we had a flat tire. After struggling for a long while trying to get the spare down, we gave in and got a hotel room where I sit now typing. Blessings, disappointments, more blessing. We have room in the inn. And a good night a head. Praise God.

Initial Physical evidence

The biggest concept I have been wrestling with tonight has to do with the evidence of the baptism in the spirit. I’m not concerned presently with whether tongues is the initial physical evidence, but with what that means and should mean in our lives.

My quandary is this: if the Pentecostal revival of the past century was to mark a particular closeness to the return of Christ, and so some extra power was available to evangelize the world as we said when the A/G formed…

And if we accept that saints of old were not filled with the Spirit by lack of that evidence…

And if I am filled with the Spirit, as I have spoken with tongues,

Then why is my life marked with significantly less power than heroes of the faith, capable theologians, preachers, and reformers who were not filled?

Does the Spirit connect to the hearts of people in my congregation more than he does in the congregations of my dear brothers in other denominations?

What can I say about this doctrine which I hold dear and have experienced, since I like most practicing Pentecostals don’t seem to find use for my Spirit-filled giftings to build up the body?

Perhaps being filled with the Spirit, like sanctification, is a process. It isn't enough to have a single experience but like the mystics of old, we must practice the gifts until they work out a greater power in the body than we have seen in practice these days.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an ancient tradition.  In England it was “Harvest Home,” the harvest festival that the pilgrims celebrated with their native friends.  It is tragic that the relationship forged in the first hard years of Plymouth colony wouldn’t last as spiritual pilgrims gave way to colonists of political and consumerist aspirations.  Harvest Home shares its roots with festivals common in cultures celebrating harvest and bounty.  

Ancient Israel had its harvest festival as well; the feast of Tabernacles celebrated the harvest, and God’s provision in the wilderness.  It also carried with it an apocalyptic expectation of the coming messiah.

Ray Orth preached last night at our Thanksgiving Eve service.  He asked the question “Where does thanks begin?”  Ultimately his answer was “at the foot of the cross.”  It begins with the gift and the giver.

An important expression of thanks is as we partake in the gift.  The image of sitting around the table and feasting on the fruit of the harvest should not be a picture of consumerist gluttony, but of a spiritual partaking in the gift, accepting it with thanks and celebrating.

LookSmart's Furl - View Item - Sacred Idolatry

LookSmart's Furl - View Item - Sacred Idolatry I found this story from The Ooze interesting.

Why so long a dry spell...

I got my second rejection letter a couple weeks ago. I sent my article Relational Ministry to Family Ministry. I promptly got my triplicate manuscript back in pristine condition. Not a red pen, not a drop of coffee, not a smudge of cheeto. They say that it doesn’t fit their journal.

I found myself loath to write since. Am I a writer? or do I fool myself? At least I can claim “laziness” more than Bill at the coffee shop. He smells like a nihilist with coke bottle glasses and grand thoughts of himself. He rarely buys a small coffee and always chats up the pretty young girls with his idea for the greatest American novel.
At least my words actually make it to print, and don’t simply fall out from my mouth like so much drool. I resist this feeling of inadequacy. So what if my articles aren’t published in print? They are published here, and here they shall remain until I can rework them into something better. My plan of action: couch the articles in narrative; conduct more case studies to provide characters for my story.

Steven Paul Magstadt

Just checking to see if my traffic increases.

The load I carry on the way

The Interior Castle reflection

Physical and mental activities in a week: What can I reduce to give more time to the Disciplines?

• Sermon preparation
• Filing
• Writing
• Sleeping
• Watching tv
• Cleaning
• Watching the children
• Answering the many demands of a three and one year old
• Painting
• Working at the coffee shop
• Driving
• Being anxious
• Being depressed

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 93% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 86% Reformed Evangelical 71% Roman Catholic 61% Neo orthodox 61% Charismatic/Pentecostal 54% Fundamentalist 50% Classical Liberal 50% Modern Liberal 36% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I'm surprised that the pentecostal/charismatic is so low and the holiness strain is so high. But the top line is righ on!