Joel Kleppinger » growth

God’s call on my life

Joel — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:13:21 +0000

This month, I’ve spent more time thinking and praying about God’s call on my life than I have in a long time. I’ve been feeling like I don’t really know what to do right now, but I know I need …

An earthquake is coming!

Joel — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:50:19 +0000

I just saw a really cool documentary on the science behind earthquakes and why they happen. I’ve searched but been unable to locate it again so I’ll just describe one part that has inspired the thinking below.

What they are …

Why I stopped praying for Revival

Joel — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:58:03 +0000

All over the Pentecostal church, I see the constant hope for revival. When Pentecostal people do pray, revival is always mentioned. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing it.

Why I drive 1000 miles to go to Woodston Camp

Joel — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:06:27 +0000

Woodston Camp is a tiny, rustic campground in middle of nowhere, Kansas that is open 1 week per year. I go there every year, even though I've lived as far as 1400 miles away. Why?

Working out and spiritual disciplines

Joel — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:05:00 +0000

So you're out of shape. Guess what, one week in the gym isn't going to get you back in shape. And if your relationship with God has been suffering, one week of consistent prayer doesn't mean you're back, either.

Rebuild the Ancient Ruins

Joel — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:22:44 +0000

In Isaiah 61, after it lists what Jesus is going to do (heal the sick, free the captives), it says “THEY shall rebuild the ancient ruins.” It didn't say Jesus would do it... it said that we would do it. What are the ancient ruins?

Church Grading Criteria

Joel — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:16:14 +0000

Have you ever thought about why you like a church or why you don't? When I was living on the road, I decided to grade every church I went to. I started out by giving letter grades and including comments and then went back and graded on a 0 to 10 scale for each criteria and averaged the results for a score. I attended 50 churches ranging from 5 people to 5000. Here was the criteria I used to grade them.

A Pastor’s life

Joel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:53:38 +0000

I'm not a pastor. I never have been, and I probably never will be. I have, however, lived, worked, and spent a lot of time hanging around a lot of different pastors. And these are their stories...

The big church without a bulletin

Joel — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:28:35 +0000

Whenever I go into a new church, the first thing I do is read the bulletin. I figure that people talk about what they are doing and what they are passionate about, so it's an easy way to get a read on what kind of church I just stepped into and what is important to that church. That's even more true of big churches since they can't possibly put everything in the bulletin that the church is doing.