Thy Kingdom Come!

Through the years, I have heard and read more arguing and debating about the nature of THE Kingdom than probably any other theological topic. I never really got into it when it was such a huge controversy in college - mostly because I didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Most members don't have a clue that defining THE Kingdom is a source of great distress and disunity amount church of Christ scholars and most evangelical group. Members don't know about it and, well you know what the next line is - they don't care about it.
It use to be understood that every true believer had to stand solidly behind the C of C interpretation that the church and the kingdom were the same thing. After all, that's what The Book said! No, not the Bible, but Why I Am A Member of the Church of Christ. Oh, did I say "use to be"? That implies that something has changed, and for many that's the same as the preaching of another Gospel, which as we all know, is anathema.
The problem is with all the different ways that the Kingdom is talked about - even by Jesus. Sometimes it's here, sometimes it's coming, sometimes it within us, and sometimes it's the end of time. Everyone has an opinion on what it is, when it came or is coming, and who's in it. Yet Jesus declared clearly, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Call me simple-minded, which some have, but it seems to me that the kingdom is simply the spiritual realm of God. A realm that He has been trying desperately to get us to think about, focus on, and desire to be part of. A realm that was only partly available through the Old Covenant as God was teaching that Law can't save people, but is now completely available through grace. Yet still a realm that will not be fully realized until we are changed from mortal to immortal. Could the Kingdom simply be the Light we are called to walk in? Could it simply be that the journey of seeking reveals the Kingdom's presence in our heart? Could it be that the Kingdom is the presence of Jesus in our life.
Ah, what do I know. I'm simple-minded - or rather, single-minded. I tend to think that everything is about Jesus. After all, what's the Kingdom without THE KING?