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 »
Just Life
Getting Ready for 2012
Dec 31
Merry Christmas?
Dec 12
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!”
The Gist on Jobs
Oct 7
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 »
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 »
Deb and me in Colorado Springs for our 20th wedding anniversary this past June.
I want to take some time here to let everyone know about Deb’s trip to Honduras and Costa Rica next month. She will be speaking at a conference for Pastor’s wives. But you can read up on all that yourself. Below is a quick newsletter that she is sending out. Just think, you readers of Kingdomology get it before everyone else does. Enjoy!
Greetings
It has been two years since we passed off the leadership baton for the Rancho Cordova church plant back in California. Much has happened and many unique doors of service have opened up since then. Our major work has been with a turn around ministry in the NW Houston area which is going very well. The Christian Standard will actually be running an article on August 21st describing what God has done in this ministry. Over the past year kingdomology.com has picked up a number of readers and an expanded ministry. Through the financial backing a good friend in Amarillo, Texas, Steve published the Christ Proposal which has already touched a number of lives. Debi also launched a blog for mothers at amillionkisses.blogspot.com. The most recent open door of ministry involves an invitation that Debi received from a good friend inTegucigalpa,Honduras to speak at a Pastor’s Wives Conference inCentral America. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you seen the final installment of the Harry Potter movie empire yet? I haven’t. But with it bringing in some $168.6 million on opening weekend it sure is something to talk about. I wasn’t thinking too much about it until I logged onto Face Book this morning and noticed an interesting post by one of my friends. He jokingly wondered how many “Christians” who loudly protested the first movie a number of years ago were now in line buying tickets to see how the whole series finished up. “God Hates Witches” they shouted back in the day. I remember those days and thought I’d drop a few thoughts on how followers of Christ can better respond to such a phenomena. Here are some things to start with. Read the rest of this entry »
I just read a great article in the Wall Street Journal about how divorce in America has affected Generation X folks. It was a well written piece and thought provoking. But like most media today, it said little about God and His design. So I posted a comment to the article online and have pasted it below. Enjoy and feel free to chime in here or at the WSJ site itself. Read the rest of this entry »
A Kingdom Fit for Men!
Jun 18
William Merrill, 1867-1954
I’m excited to be back with my friends at The Crossings this Sunday. In honor of Father’s Day, I’ll be teaching from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 which is a great and challenging text for dads. One of the illustrations of the study is a hymn written in 1911 by William P Merrill entitled, “Rise Up, O Men of God”. Enjoy!
Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
to serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
and end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
her strength unequal to her task;
rise up, and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
rise up, O men of God!
I’m working on my sermon for Mother’s Day and stopped to think about the main ladies in my life. It was one of my favorite preachers, Charles Spurgeon, who said “I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother.” Likewise, I probably cannot recount all the good I’ve received from my own mother. Thanks mum for constantly believing in me and God’s plan for my life. Thanks mum for all the hard lessons you taught me and thanks for all the sacrifices you made for me. I would not be here today if it weren’t for you. Thanks Mum. Read the rest of this entry »
