Kingdomology

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

Posts Tagged God

Loving CHURCH! (Reprise)

May 16

Posted by steve in CHURCH | No Comments

After our break for Mother’s Day we’re jumping back into our study on “Discovering Authentic Church” this Sunday at the Crossings.  Over the next two weeks we’ll be looking at the two major Churches highlighted in the book of Acts.  The first one is the original Church in Jerusalem that is described primarily in chapters 2:42-47 and 4:32-37.  The second Church in consideration is the Antioch fellowship found in Acts 11:19-30 and 13:1-4.  Both of these Churches leave a lot that we can learn from today.  However, the goal is not to legalistically or mindlessly follow each point in detail, but rather to look and learn from the overall picture of what God did and how they responded to Him in the first century.  As we begin to wind down this series, I really believe that the authenticity of the first century Church really can be a reality in the 21st century today.  So for everyone who lives in the Northwest Houston area, be sure to grab a friend and come by one of our services.  For everyone; how are you going to “BE CHURCH” this week?  In the mean time, check out this guy whose life was changed by “Discovering Authentic Church.”

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The “Age” old question . . .

Mar 23

Posted by steve in Just Life | No Comments

I turned 43 this past week and frankly it was a bit difficult to deal with at first.  Honestly, I think the issue was probably just the fact that I had expected to have accomplished a whole lot more by this stage in my life.  You know; saved half the world, published nine or ten books, served a term or two in Congress, and created at least one fortune 500 company.  Well, maybe not all that, but some of you know what I mean.

Some of you are in the same boat.  Maybe you have the t-shirt and wonder about the stage of life you’re in.  The funny thing is that this feeling is not reserved for the retired.  I remember one of the young guys on our team back in Nor Cal worrying about life when he turned 20.  He thought his age was getting away from him.  Yup, I laughed with him and then told him to chill out. The young warrior had no idea. But what is the best course of thought when the years seem like they are slipping away?  Solomon advised young men to ““Rejoice” in their youth.  But what about when you’re not as “youthful” as you once were?  What do you do then? Read the rest of this entry »

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Reading the Reliable.

Mar 12

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

“Lighten up; it’s only a book!”  Have you ever heard that about the Bible?  Have you ever thought that about the Bible?  For me, I’ve actually based my whole world view on the Bible.  Why?  Because I have an assurance that “All scripture is God- breathed” and therefore I set eternity and all that I do and teach on that truth.  I know that everyone doesn’t agree with this.  A lot of folks question the validity of scripture and speculate whether it can be trusted or not.  Many people suggest that “because the Bible was written such a long time ago and was translated so many times” that it just can’t be reliable for us today.  If that is true, then the Bible rightly should be questioned.  But there are many good reasons to trust the authenticity of the Bible and its inspiration by God.  Below I’ve posted a summary list a friend and I put together which offers 8 major proofs for the authenticity of the Bible.  What else would you add?  How does this affect your view of scripture?  How does this affect your view of God and His Kingdom?  How does it affect the way you do life today? Read the rest of this entry »

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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Harry Potter, Witch Wars, and a little common sense.

Jul 18

Posted by steve in Just Life | 3 Comments

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 »

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Three Cheers for the Ladies!

May 4

Posted by steve in Just Life | 1 Comment

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 »

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Rediscovering the Ancient Order of Things. Part I. An Introduction.

Dec 1

Posted by steve in CHURCH | 2 Comments

Alright, show of hands here.  How many of you actually enjoyed taking history classes in High School?  Yup, that’s probably about right.  History is not the most popular subject with a lot of folks and that’s ok.  On the other hand, I’m one of those wired guys who actually enjoyed the study.  Don’t know, but maybe it’s just because I liked blowing an hour going to the film room at Tascosa High to watch a WWII documentary instead of sitting through Geometry.  But history does have important lessons to teach us in creating a more successful future.  If we take time to examine the good and bad decisions and the lives of those who have gone before us, we can learn from their victories and mistakes.  So it is with the CHURCH.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Please . . . Something more than Better!

Sep 16

Posted by steve in Kingdom Living | No Comments

I got a new book from a friend the other day to look over and I think it has some potential.  The Next Level takes an honest look at the struggles in our lives and points out that we have a choice to either see them as a prison or as a testing ground in which God can develop our character.  The author outlines his plan by examining the tests of 31 biblical characters and then brings some application to our lives.  It’s not a bad idea and fits nicely into a month long devotion plan.  But I was a bit disappointed early on when I saw what is so prevalent in countless spiritualized self-help books today.  In part of the introduction, one of the authors describes his church as a place where they want to help people be “better husbands and wives, better parents, better children, employees, friends and neighbors and ultimately, better people.’”  Better people?  I read that and thought: I don’t want to just be better.  I want to be different; radically different.  I want to have a change that is way above anything a simple 5 or 10 step plan can accomplish.  I want transformation. Read the rest of this entry »

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