Some people, young adults included, think years ahead in their education and career planning. Others may think a single year ahead, but many simply think at most a few months into the future. If you've read VT for any length of time, then you know that we talk often about thinking ahead toward the eternal, spiritual future of not just ourselves, but all humankind.

Do you know what the Kingdom of God is? Sounds like it's from the Bible, doesn't it? And it is. In fact, to live forever (way more than just years) as the divine children of God in His divine family is our destiny and purpose for life. Jesus Christ referred to this amazing future as the Kingdom of God. That's what He preached during His earthly ministry nearly 2,000 years ago.

Notice: "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15, emphasis added). Galilee is the region of northern Israel where Jesus grew up. The gospel—meaning "good news"—He preached was all about the Kingdom of God, which will soon supersede and govern over all the nations of this world. As the Great King in that divine government, Christ will do the governing, and true world peace will result.

But getting to the Kingdom of God is our challenge today (with God's grace and help of course). You can learn firsthand about God's Kingdom by attending our Kingdom of God Bible Seminars nearest you over the course of 2012.

It's vital that we plan ahead before the real "ahead" gets here—and it's coming up fast. Before our troubled world runs out of runway and crashes into a mountain somewhere, we need to choose wisely as we plan our lives for the foreseeable future.

To assist you with the economics of life, we encourage you to please read "Dealing With Debt," "Cutting College Costs" and "Finding Work in a Tough Economy—Real Life Examples." To complete that theme, peruse our special VT interview "Job Search Success" with expert Brian Krueger, author of the book The College Grad Job Hunter and the website CollegeGrad.com.

This issue of Vertical Thought also offers much more on other topics—but I'll let you savor the joy of discovery.

As we charge ahead through 2012, the VT staff is researching and preparing a plethora of powerful articles on all the urgent topics facing young adults. You won't want to miss a single issue!