Kingdomology

expanding the love of Christ & Kingdom of God the world over

Church on Mission.

Jan 13

Posted by steve in Church Planting, Kingdom Living, the CHURCH | 1 Comment

Have you seen this clip?  It was made a couple of years ago.  But I came across it again the other day while researching a church planting organization.  Though the clip is not new, I believe it’s worth checking out again.  Jeff Maguire did a fun job describing the authentic Kingdom life which he refers to as Missional living.  The point being that authentic Christ followers are all called to live out the Kingdom of God in their own daily lives.  Sharing the message and love of Christ is the call of every Christian and not merely the domain of the decorated.  Remember, the CHURCH is not a building; but the people.  So whatever your niche in the Kingdom, be sure to be “missional” about it today.  Enjoy and implement!

 

Tags: , , , ,

The “Pastor’s Page” follow up!

Jan 9

Posted by steve in Healthy Pastors | 2 Comments

Today we are hearing from our second main author on “Healthy Pastors.”  Todd Owen has had a wide verity of ministry experience and can easily speak to the need for spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health for long term and full-time Christian Service.  My partnership in the work with Todd goes back to the early 90s when I think he went by “Spike” at Ozark Christian College.  Todd works with New Mission Systems International and also blogs here.  So for now, enjoy, comment, and look for more to come.

White Space

I’ve been writing newsletters for over twenty years, mostly as a missionary but also the church newsletter when I was a pastor. One consistent piece of advice I’ve had over the years is that every newsletter should have wide margins and lots of white space. When the page is uncluttered it is easier for the reader to follow what’s being written rather than being distracted by the noise and visual dissonance on the page. As often as possible, even when I was tempted to write too many words and cram too much into a given space, I cut the verbiage down, simplified, and kept the message straightforward. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

The Pastor’s Page!

Jan 5

Posted by steve in Healthy Pastors | 3 Comments

Welcome to our new page for ministers.  I’ve been in some form of professional ministry for quite a while now and I’d be the first to tell you that it’s a hard gig at times.  By professional ministry, I’m not talking about a mere career path that one takes, but a calling on one’s life.  For me it means that I am called to what I do the same way a surgeon is called to Medicine.  I don’t do it for a pay check, though it’s nice when I get one, I do it because it is who I am. There are many joys in this calling.  But there are many heart aches and trials as well.  So the purpose of this page on Kingdomology is to support those with a full-time ministry calling in their lives.  Our main author for Healthy Pastors is a guy named Tom Salter from California.  I met Tom when we did a church plant in the Nor Cal a few years ago.  Tom has a huge heart for pastors and he is actually the brain child for this page.  Another author is a very good friend of mine going all the way back to my college days.  Todd Owen has had experience on the foreign mission field, the located church ministry, and is presently directing discipleship and care for missionaries with New Mission Systems International.  Our first post on this page is coming from Tom.  So if you’re involved in full-time Christian ministry; be encouraged.  If you’re not a “Pastor” or “Missionary” you can still feel free to enter into discussion and learn more about ministry in the 21st century.  For now . . . Here’s Tom: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

Getting Ready for 2012

Dec 31

Posted by steve in Just Life, Kingdom Living | No Comments

Are you ready for 2012?  I sure am.  This year New Year’s Day actually falls on a Sunday and we will indeed be meeting at The Crossings.  The plan is to just have one service at 11:00.  The main text that we will be looking at is Psalm 90:12 where Moses prayed; “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  That is a challenging text in many ways.  When we take stock of our potential life span and realize we only have so many days allotted to us, we begin to rethink things more seriously. I suppose it’s kind of like when my kids were younger and a couple of older men told me to enjoy these years because they would be gone before I knew it.  I didn’t believe it then, but I can really relate to that now because my oldest will be graduating from High School in 2 and a half years.  Where did the time go?  In truth, all of us have a short amount of time on this earth.  The question is how are we going to spend that time.  To help us get further along with that road, I’ve listed three challenges below. What else would you add? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,

Merry Christmas?

Dec 12

Posted by steve in Just Life, Kingdom Living | 2 Comments

My boys love this clip and have begged me to show it at The Crossings.  Verdict is still out on that one.  But it is kind of funny and I love its point.  We live in a society today where saying “Merry Christmas” is becoming more and more “Politically Incorrect.”  But as I’ve done the past two Sundays; I want to encourage everyone to step up and say it anyway no matter where you’re at.  Could you offend someone?  Maybe.  But it also just might encourage someone.  Who knows, you might even be able to plant a seed of the real reason for the season and thus open the door to the truth that “God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  So I suppose it’s kind of like the old Nike challenge . . . “Just Say it!”

Tags: , ,

Malcolm X and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Nov 10

Posted by steve in Kingdom Living | 1 Comment

Recently I spent some time with Malcolm X.  Well, not really because he’s dead.  But I did watch a movie about him which I found very interesting.  In fact, I believe there are some pointers that Christ followers can learn from his life experience.  Malcolm Little was an African American man who came to Islam while in prison from 1946 to 1952.  Once leaving prison, Malcolm eventually rose to become a national speaker for the Nation of Islam.  He eventually left that group in 1964 shortly before he was assassinated. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  Obviously I’m not supporting the Nation of Islam.  I am in no way agreeing with Islam in general.  Islam is a false religion and Mohamed was a false prophet. That statement does not mean that I hate Muslims, but is rather an assessment of the facts.  I am not endorsing the methodology Malcolm advocated through most of his public life.  But I am suggesting that we can learn a thing or two from the way the Nation of Islam influenced his life, and see an illustrative picture of how the true nature of the Kingdom of Heaven should be lived out today.  These are principles which many Christians in the West desperately need to eternalize today.  So I’ve listed five quick observations below to begin with.  Anything you would add? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Farming out the Gospel.

Oct 17

Posted by steve in Church Planting, World | No Comments

Help!  My wife is taking over my website and blog.  Ok, maybe not.  But she is contributing her third installment today from her resent project in Costa Rica and Honduras this past month.  In the post, Deb is actually reporting on a missionary family in Honduras that is engaging in a unique mission strategy.  The Family is actually following the lead of a great pioneer missionary from the 19th century named William Carey.  It was the strategy of Cary to live off the land in India and work with the people.  In doing so, Cary became fluent in the native languages and thus translated the Bible in to these mother tongues.  So thanks again to everyone who prayed for Deb’s work and enjoy the report! Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ,

The Gist on Jobs

Oct 7

Posted by steve in Just Life | No Comments

Honestly I was somewhat intrigued by all the publicity and emotion tied up with the death of Steve Jobs this past week.  I mean I know who the guy was and what he did; I just didn’t realize the size of his impact.  You’d think an American President had died or something.  But on the other hand, it appears that the long term influence of Jobs on the world through technological and cultural relevance may in fact carry more weight than any of our US Presidents in recent history.  I called one of my good friends back in Nor Cal this evening to get his skinny on the events as he works for Apple and he confirmed everything I’ve read in the Wall Street journal and other sources.  The atmosphere around where my friend works is apparently just as somber as any other Apple center or Apple store from San Francisco, to New York, to Tokyo.  Indeed, Steve Jobs was a visionary of mammoth proportions.  I like that kind of spirit. Vision is something America has been known for in the past and we certainly could use more of it now.  But there are some other things I believe we can pick up from the loss of this great technology and cultural patriarch.  I believe there are some quick lessons we can learn from Jobs for Kingdom and Church leaders today.  Here are 5 fast ones just off the top of my head.  What would you add? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,

Honduras and Costa Rica Report from the Debster!

Sep 23

Posted by steve in Just Life | No Comments

Deb and Teri Riley

Well the Hinton house is much happier these days with Deb home from Central America.  She got back into Houston on Tuesday from Honduras and is presently sending out a newsletter to some of our supporters.  So I wanted to include part of her report here for the Kingdomology Crew.  Thanks to everyone who lifted her up in prayer this past week. 

International Conference

The trip to Honduras and Costa Rica was amazing. When we first arrived we had a day of rest to see Tegucigalpa, tour the church building that the Riley’s are working on, and get ready for the 38 women who were spending the night with us before our long bus ride south. We ended up riding in a school bus for 22 hours, going through two border crossings, and all with only six bathroom breaks. The retreat center in Costa Rica was beautiful. It was set high on a mountain overlooking the city of San Jose. I spoke three times the first day, and another lady, Roma Backus, spoke on Saturday. The content of our talks was celebrating being a woman, understanding your wounding, and becoming restored in Christ. The women were receptive and many started on a road to healing. There were times that we had to stop during our talks and pray because of women who were weeping. I had the opportunity to meet with many women one on one and to share scripture and pray with them. They were so hungry for the Lord and His will in their lives. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

Ancient Evangelism. Part I.

Aug 29

Posted by steve in Church Planting | 3 Comments

Discipleship and evangelism can be confusing subjects these days.  The short and sweet is that a disciple is someone who is transformed by Jesus and follows after him. While discipleship is really a long process, it always begins with some form of evangelism.  In essence, evangelism at its root is simply the ‘good news’ of what Christ did for all of us on the cross.  One big dog theologian, Michael Green, noted that this conveyance of the good news is really a “sacred duty of every Christian.”  Evangelism is a hot topic in Church Planting and in most Christian circles in general.  There are unlimited strategies on the subject.  They range from secretive social gospel thinking on one hand to the huge public mass meetings on the other.  The results of each vary. But even the apparent success of any of them may end in failure unless there is real transformation.  In addition, even successful strategies for reaching out in the past may honestly just not work today.  One such example may be the success of the great Sunday School movements of the 20th century which are for the most part being replaced today by small groups. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,