::Rants-Computer woes, Easter and Fish and Chips with Jesus I have been having problems with the laptop (which is my main work computer) and therefore have not been able to do much email or blog wise. Ah well. I must admit, life does seem to be a little simpler when you don't have to worry about blogging or getting back to emails.

Lisa, Harry and I got away for a little bit of the Easter weekend and did a night of camping. If Lisa had her way, we would have been gone a few more days, but we were on the tail end of rebuilding the veranda and those of you who know me, know that I don't do manual labour very well!

While we were away, I started reading "The Quest for the Radical Middle", a history of the Vineyard. It certainly is an interesting read. The first thing that struck me was that John Wimber's quest for engage the Spirit was at least partly born out of his interacting with the work of Paul Hiebert and his "excluded middle" theory on Western Rationalisms reduction of supernatural experiences. It threw me because (a) I had just presumed that it was a simplification of 80's Charismatic thinking and most disturbingly (b) I have moved significantly in the last decade or so to the intellectual and aeway from an openness to a life in the Spirit that I have come from historically.

It rattled me in both good and bad ways. I have been challenged by God to understand what it means to be an "empowered evangelical" in 2007 rather than in 1980. The challenge to take the best of evangelicalism and the best of the Pentecostal movement is one that is still stirring me. I would really value your prayers over all of this.

Today was the first day of family devotions. Lisa and I have been waiting for the right time to sit with Harry and start to be more intentional about the story of who Jesus is.

We have been praying with Harry every night since he was born. This stage is cute with Harry consistently wanting to thank God for cows (and the grass that they eat which gives us milk) and sheepy's.

A few weeks ago, we started reading some of the great stories from the bible to him before he goes to sleep. However, what we want to try and do each Sunday is to keep a family journal, where we write and draw what has been happening over the last week, then Lisa or I read a story from the bible, then we draw some of that too in the journal. Once that is done, we pray together. Todays story was Jesus feeding the five thousand. As we find ourselves doing an immediate improv reading, I turned the loaves and the fishes into fish and chips (which is what we had just eaten for lunch).

It was beautiful to hear a child say the name of Jesus, as he tries to draw him in red.

Labels: Blogging, Children, Church, Rants, Spirituality, Technology

  Posted by Stephen @ 2:05 PM