Kingdom Journeys

Do you feel like you've been missing out on the abundant life? Most people do. If you take a look at the life of Jesus, you see that he called his disciples to follow him - on a physical journey, not just a spiritual one. Hundreds of books talk about our faith walk as a journey. But few delve into the subject of how a physical journey can reinvent and revitalize our spiritual journey with God. Kingdom Journeys is about the journeys we all take, presented in a series of "initiation steps" by disciples who are taking serious the call to leave everything and simply "go." This book is an exploration of an ancient spiritual discipline we must recover - if we're going to truly follow Jesus.

Surles' commentary takes readers on a journey through the Sermon on the Mountand onto the Kingdom Road. (Biblical Studies)

News flash: "The Bible doesn't teach that people go to heaven or hell when they die." Rather, it teaches that God's kingdom will come to this earth in judgment and restoration, making everything wrong with the world right. The doorway into the age to come is not death but the return of Christ when his followers experience resurrection rather than disembodiment. This simple idea is not only the key to understanding the biblical vision of the future, but it also formed the core of Jesus's gospel message, and it provides the motivation to live out your faith today. The goal of this book is nothing short of igniting a revolution in the church's understanding of the kingdom of God. Kingdom Journey marries a biblical exploration to a historical investigation to explain not only what the kingdom of God is, but also how Christianity lost this precious pearl of great price. Thankfully, several movements over the past five centuries have initiated recoveries of the kingdom idea, but many Christians remain in the dark, beset with medieval folk theology. This book will open your eyes to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness with clarity and vigor.

The Kingdom of Cambodia has an ancient pedigree, a time when its people first established small principalities which evolved in small kingdoms. These kingdoms merged, often violently, eventually establishing the great Angkorian kingdom of the Khmer. The great building complex known as Angkor Wat, an achievement of stupendous proportion, whose dimensions are still being determined, is a product of the Khmer Empire. The empire was subject to much tension, both internally from competing nobles who sought to ascend the powerful throne, to outside kingdoms who tried to invade and subjugate the Khmer. Vietnam to the east, and further south also to the east, was the Cham Empire, while to the west was the Thai. These three kingdoms warred with the Khmer, eventually reducing it from grandeur. After the Khmer Empire fell, Cambodia entered a Dark Ages, a period of 431 years, from 1431 to 1862, years of scant records. Historians today try to reconstruct why the empire fell and why its people moved from the Siem Reap area and why records from this time are almost entirely unknown. In 1862, France became Cambodia's protector, defending its autonomy from both Vietnam and Thailand (Siam) who were both nibbling at either end of Cambodia. The Protectorate ended in 1942 when the Japanese occupied the land, followed by the return of the French in 1945, after the end of the Second World War. As in other countries subjugated by colonist powers, the defeat of France encouraged Cambodian nationalists to fight for a return to independence and autonomy. It is in this crucible that the Khmer Rouge, a communist-inspired group, began an insurrection against the French, and later against the Cambodian government. The Khmer Rouge, inspired by nihilistic beliefs, came to power in 1975 and began the tragic genocide of the Cambodian people. Between a quarter to a third of the people were murdered, representing the best and the elite of its society. There were many actors in this saga, both ancient and modern. I review these persons, to the extent known and the roles they played in Cambodian history and the effect it has had on the country today. The character of Pol Pot, mastermind and leader of the Khmer Rouge, is of special importance. I review his strange way of not identifying with a leadership role until absolutely necessary. But the menace of this man went much deeper; through guile and bland smiles, he allayed fear about himself, though he ordered the murder of those closest to him. Yet, even as they were led away, they disbelieved the order for their deaths, believing that if they could but have a moment with him, all would be set right. Even those closest to him did not see him for the monster he really was. He was a master at guile and deception, with none seeing the man as the monster of terror and destruction. Even in the Far East where exhibiting emotion and genuine feeling is shunned to the nth degree, this man’s ability to remain hidden reflects the ultimate achievement. But he brought ruin to his nation, with today’s loss of the elite of the country. I spent two months in Cambodia, visiting and researching material for this review. During my time there, I visited the only synagogue in the country, the Chabad House in Phnom Penh. It was then that I became aware of an amazing fact: a granddaughter of royalty celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in the capital, attended by members of the royal family. The story of how a member of the Cambodian royal family became Jewish is itself an incredible development. Cambodia today is a Third World country, with many attractions, both superb and revolting. At core, its representations reflect the saga of humanity, whose pages are sometimes elevating and also horrific. I describe my journey to this corner of Asia, hoping I've done justice to its many contours and personalities.

The pursuit of our God-given destiny is often a struggle of yearning-a yearning to walk in our God-given destiny that is fueled by a burning desire to walk in the fullness of all that God has spoken to us about us. Yet with every step that we attempt, we appear to be more clueless as to where our journey leads, where we thought this yearning was leading us and what we thought we knew is often shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty. Did we really hear God? Did He really assign this Kingdom Destiny to me, and is it too big for me? It is this yearning and grasping for certainty and understanding amid this burning desire to walk in our God-given destiny that just will not allow us to quit even when uncertainty continually beckons us to throw in the towel. I have been right there just like many of you. I have and continue to walk along this journey, yearning and grasping to fully understand the vast complexity of God's plan for my life, driven through the vehicle of FAITH undergirded in the power of PRAYER. Therefore, I encourage us all to pray continually for understanding and guidance, as we press ever forward to the fulfillment of all that God has said to us about us, that is yet to be seen ALL BY FAITH! A Journey to Kingdom Destiny is a collection of my prayers and inspirational thoughts in pursuit of my God-given destiny that has encouraged me to keep pressing forward even after I have thrown in the towel and God has given it back to me. It is a collection of prayers and inspirational thoughts shared with others who likewise believe in the power of prayer. These shared prayers and inspirational thoughts have empowered this Abiding Faith Ministries collective prayer fellowship, and likewise, I bet you too will be encouraged to be steadfast through every challenge, issue, and struggle as your vision of destiny continues to burst forth on the horizon of your life, believing that no matter what it may look like or feel like right now, one prayer can change everything ALL BY FAITH!

Blending history and fantasy, science and art, the story of how dinosaurs were discovered and reimagined comes to life through splendid illustrations in this handsome slipcased volume. Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus…these exotic prehistoric creatures continue to fascinate more than 200 million years after they last roamed the earth. Dinosaur skeletons have been reconstituted, reconstructed, and interpreted by scientists and artists since the first fossils were uncovered near Cañon City, Colorado, in 1877, sparking the Bone Wars. In 1907, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History mounted “Dippy” the Diplodocus, which sparked dinomania, igniting the imagination of popular culture and Hollywood. From the Morrison Formation to Montana’s Hell Creek, and from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert to Argentina’s Patagonia, new discoveries and excavations have uncovered a lost kingdom that has inspired myriad homages. This volume enriches our understanding of dinosaurs through rich visual iconography—from paintings, drawings, and sketches to new photography, film stills, reconstructed skeletons, and archival documents—along with detailed descriptions and anecdotes from great nineteenth-century explorers, artists, and writers such as Benjamin W. Hawkins, Charles R. Knight, Zdenĕk Burian, and Jules Verne, and from filmmakers including Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg. This book is published in partnership with the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris to coincide with a traveling exhibition of the exceptional Trix T. Rex and the international release of Jurassic World.