Böcker av Tom Kingery

"The Beatitudes: A Journey Home" is framed by the story of The Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 15). Readers are encouraged to engage the story by imagining themselves as The Prodigal who, after living a decadent lifestyle and then "hitting bottom", discovered his poverty of spirit and then found himself grieving desperately enough to realize that his only hope was to go home to his father, believing he would be merciful enough to let him become a servant in his home. The Chapters in Kingery's book examine each Beatitude, seeing them as the stages in every journey of faith. The Beatitudes are, in some respects, like an ethical code for living, a recipe for walking in faith. Take this journey of faith.

Resist the Devil (from James 4:7) takes a serious look at temptation by studying the temptations of Christ in the wilderness where the Spirit of God led Him after His baptism. By examining how Jesus resisted these temptations, we can learn how we, too, can resist. Like Jesus, for example, we are tempted to serve our own needs. We may not be able to turn a stone into bread, but we know that we do not live by bread alone, but by the words that come from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Tom Kingery, a retired United Methodist Pastor who has written more than a dozen books about Christian life, answers questions such as:What do religious scholars mean when they speak of "the wilderness?"When are we most likely to be confronted by temptation?What do our longings, our yearnings, our desires, and our various hungers tell us about ourselves?The author observes that to be tempted is to be pressured into doing something you otherwise might never do. To be tempted is to be baited, a fishing term. And that sort of bait is often a treat that disguises a hook-a sharp, barbed hook!

Give Us This Day is more than a reflective exposition of The Lord's Prayer - it is about prayer in general and the ways prayer manifests itself in our relationships.By emphasizing the "us" in the prayer, Tom Kingery nurtures the relevance of what Jesus has given in teaching us this prayer. When Jesus teaches us to pray, "Our Father," it serves as a reminder that we are all brothers and sisters. Everyone who can pray this prayer is a child of God.E. Stanley Jones has said that "prayer is not so much an act as an attitude." The author likes to say that prayer is the poetry of the soul. It becomes an outward expression of an inward state of being.Prayer, as an attitude, involves a threefold relationship: with yourself, with God, and with the world. But more than anything else, prayer is what makes us, as human beings, the image and likeness of God. When we are praying, we are spiritual beings trying to connect to the spirit of God.

Struck Down but Not Destroyed is a study of Second Corinthians, Chapter Four, particularly verses 8-10. There, Paul lists several challenges he has experienced as a pastor and church leader, and how he met each challenge with the grace of God in his heart. He defends himself as a pastor, as a preacher, and as an apostle, countering the claims of those he calls "e;super-apostles"e; (2 Corinthians 11:5). Moreover, he commends himself to the better judgment of those in the leadership of the church at Corinth.Paul was the first to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the people at this burgeoning seaport. He was not alone, but he was the leader among these witnesses to the faith. Despite those who tried to undermine his work and deflate his authority, he never wavered in his devotion to the Lord.Whether you're a pastor or engaged in another service vocation, you'll be inspired by Paul's wisdom and the author's reflections and insights.

Tom Kingery shares meditations on the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in this book that complements his other groundbreaking works focusing on faith.The book is like a gallery of images and thoughts highlighting Scripture and Christ's miraculous rising from the dead. Every snapshot delves into resurrection stories from the Gospels, such as the story of the Prodigal Son's return.In that story, Jesus gives us a new way of looking at life with its failures and triumphs. When we can see beyond the shortcomings in someone's life and overcome that dead-to-me attitude, someone's existence takes on a whole new meaning. Likewise, we can gain a new way of looking at death. Even when someone is no longer with us, our memories can bring them back to life and they can remain present in very real ways-we can feel resurrection.Explore life's unknowns, consider what the world would be like if Jesus had never risen from the dead, and discover why you should never fear dying with the meditations in Risen Indeed!

A pastor's heart is revealed in By His Wounds: Meditations on the Passion.Tom Kingery, a retired United Methodist pastor and the author of several books that have helped Christians ignite their faith, explores the story of Christ's suffering, death, and burial in this inspiring work.The author examines what it means that our Savior died for our sins, graciously taking our punishment on Himself. With a scholar's imagination, he also reveals the character of the people around Jesus. He considers questions such as:How can we follow the example of Christ in our daily life?How can we be soldiers of the cross?What does it mean to "e;keep awake and pray?"e;When do we need our faith the most?With various meditations, readers are asked to put themselves in the garden of Gethsemane and wonder. How did Jesus feel? Moreover, what did Pilate think as he faced his dilemma, and what could it have been like to watch Jesus die?Deepen your faith, become a better Christian, and get answers to important questions with these meditations.

Some people hate rules, and they are free to do so. God created humans with free will. But God doesn't want us to run wild.The Ten Commandments, which are repeated several times in the Bible, give us a roadmap on how to live life. But they are more than a moral code-and they are concerned with more than just appropriate conduct, correct values, and social order. They are a prescription for holiness, a spiritual life, and a life of faith.Looking beyond their prohibitive language reveals something about the will of God. For example, "Honor your father and mother" can imply the notion that we should not dishonor them. "Do not steal" can imply the notion of sharing and giving.By revisiting the Ten Commandments, Tom Kingery runs each law through a sieve that includes four perspectives important to the journey of faith-moral, ethical, social, and spiritual. By doing so, he breathes new life into the ancient laws. Reading this book will shed light on the path we take as we walk with God in obedience and loyalty.

You Need Milk, Not Solid Food is about six fundamental and essential issues every believer needs as a foundation from which to launch on a voyage of faith.Tom Kingery looks to the basic tenets of faith suggested in the Letter to the Hebrews 6:1-2 as well as 1 Peter 2:2 in this book that encourages you to move toward perfection. He does this by exploring six issues that will help you make your boat seaworthy before you leave the shoreline.To succeed on your voyage, you'll need a good solid hull that won't leak, an anchor, maps, and lenses that help you see what's ahead. You also must sort through your cargo, secure the ballast, raise the sails, and catch the wind.None of these things can happen, however, until you know the basics. In other words, you need milk, which is nutritious, easy to swallow, and your first food.Join the author as he leads you on a relearning of the basics of the Bible so you can move forward on a journey of faith.

God has a mind. Created in God's likeness, we too have a mind. God has thoughts, and we do too. How wonderful to think about what God thinks. How awesome the depths. How glorious the heights. How perfect the perceptions. Yet what about when our thoughts turn to sin? Think about These Things shows how the mind affects the soul, and that there is such a thing as sinful thoughts-which are just as offensive to God as sinful actions. Our minds are where we meet the likeness of God within us from creation, and because of this, our minds are important. Author and pastor Tom Kingery explains how we can safeguard our minds and souls from sinfulness, instead relishing in heavenly thoughts produced by faith. Then we can apply our minds to what is true, to what is honorable, to what is just, to what is pure, to what is pleasing, and to what is gracious. How important to you are your thoughts about God, about Christ, about the kingdom of heaven? What are the things you think about most? How do your thoughts affect you? How does what you think affect your behavior? How does what you think about others affect your attitudes toward them? While it's not entirely true that we are what we think, our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world are based on our thoughts. As the proverb says, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).