The “Age” old question . . .

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? (more…)

Change of Address for Healthy Pastors.

It’s been fun to watch the evolution of Kingdomology.  This pilgrimage also includes the recent partnership with the ministry of Healthy Pastors.  Having a call on my life for full-time Christian service, I understand the joys and challenges of such work.  I believe in this ministry cause.  But in order to narrow the audience of both sites for better service, I’ve created a new blog just for Healthy Pastors.  So if you are in some form of Christian service, then check out the new site as it unfolds.  Feel free to dive into Healthy Pastors anytime you want to encourage others or be encouraged yourself.  Kingdomology will of course still be here.  In fact, I’m hoping to make the site even better.  We’ll continue to explore what it means to live out the Kingdom of God in the here and now while spreading the love of Christ as far and wide as we can.  Feel free to send me any questions or suggestions as I continue to make this site better and expand the ministry.  I’d love to hear from you on other issues you believe could be discussed here.  Your thoughts and ideas are an encouragement to me and everyone else in the Kingdomology family.   The weekend is coming.  So make sure to dive into a worship service and pray for the preachers.

Reading the Reliable.

“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? (more…)

Thoughts on Physical Fitness (Post by Tom)

I’m not making this up. Got a tweet today, from Under Armour saying “We have a new sports bra just for you!” C’mon man! I’m a little overweight. OK, more than a little overweight. But I don’t need no stinkin sports bra!

But it does remind me of some verses. One is from I Timothy 4:8 “For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things….” OK, that reinforces my sedentary lifestyle. Let’s try again: I Corinthians 6:19—“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…?” The point evidently is that God made our bodies. We must certainly not engage in immorality, but rather seek to glorify God in our bodies.

Most of us pastors SIT. We sit, and work at a desk. On a computer. Books open. Sermons written. We counsel folks. Oh, we do go out. I visit folks in hospital rooms or rest homes. If I am in a home, I invariably get offered something to eat, maybe sugary to drink. What we don’t do very often is physical labor. (more…)