June 2015 Blog Posts (16)

“Rest and be thankful.” (Inscription on stone seat in the Scottish Highlands; title of one of Wordsworth’s poems)

“Present your peace offering as a thanksgiving offering.” (Leviticus 7:12)

Faith is the key that started the powerful grace engine in our life. God knows all about our egocentricity, judgmentalism, pessimism, and impatience—yet still loves us unconditionally. With our first toddling step of childlike faith, God made us everlastingly His. Marveling…

I lived in Florida for a few years and still have mixed feelings about the experience. Although there were definitely some perks in being close to the Disney World and numerous beaches, I found there was one thing I really missed from my years up north: SEASONS.

Although I like summers, it was nearly always summer in Florida. There was no variety. Nothing to look forward to. Just hot all the time.

Winters were horrible in Ohio, but at least you could look forward…

Today we finish our section on the past and begin moving into the present. But there are still some things in our way we need to push aside, so let’s spend today identifying and dealing with them.

We have been created for worship. Therefore, we will ultimately worship something, and very often it’s something less than God. Peter Kreeft, in Christianity for Modern Pagans, aptly points out, “The alternative to theism is not atheism but idolatry.” Even as Christians, the…

There’s an old saying that tells us, “All’s well that end well.” Although I’m not sure this is absolutely true, the Bible clearly does provide many supporting anecdotes.

There would have been nothing “good” about Good Friday if it weren’t for Resurrection Sunday. The seemingly tragic and unjust story of the cross ended in complete triumph. Resurrection changes everything.

The final word in the Old Testament (Malachi 4:6) is CURSE (Hebrew cherem), quite a sobering…

Once again, I passed my annual physical exam, but not without one interesting exchange between doctor and patient. “Doctor”, I said, “I used to be able to go full speed ahead for days and even weeks, and while I still come home refreshed, it now takes me several days to get over every ministry experience or trip.” As I expected, the answer had to do with age. It reminded me of 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”…

Hi all Disciple-Making lovers, 

Please take a look at this link for my new book on Disciple-Making called: Built to Last: How to Build an Effective Church with Love and Patience by Dr. Nelson Kung (me).

https://youtu.be/TJ2EzE3UGNc

Also, please read the following news release.  

file:///Users/nelsonkung/Downloads/pressrelease-kung-built.doc

Please know that I am truly…

Everyone wants to be associated with winners…champions…success stories. And that’s exactly why we need the lessons about life and leadership found in the story of how David’s mighty army began.

The scene takes place in 1 Samuel 22:1-2, when David was running for his life as King Saul attempted to find and kill him. The prophet Samuel had declared that David would be the next king, but the fulfillment of that prophecy looked very unlikely at the moment.

David had no palace where…

“The man who finds his homeland sweet is still a tender beginner; he to whom every soil is as his native one is…

Heaven is more than wishful thinking; it is God's promise that ultimately all will be well. Read “The Pilgrim’s Fondest Hope” on my blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

I recently started playing my guitar again, and I’ve been struck by the importance of proper tuning. If just one or two strings are too tight or too loose, every chord will sound like discord.

Stress works the same way. If our lives had no stress at all, we’d be like a guitar string dangling in the air. That kind of life is boring, purposeless, and unfulfilling.

However, many of us have grown accustomed to far too much tension on our strings. Not only does that create an…

Recently I was stunned by two observations while attending a reunion of old friends I hadn’t seen in many years.

The first observation was that virtually everyone had dealt with some kind of crisis or loss since I’d last seen them. A few had gone through a health crisis, such as a heart attack or liver failure. Others were grieving over lost loved ones or reversals in their career. And several had experienced the pain of divorce or difficulties with their children.

This…

Moving from Duty to Expectancy

Most churches would be thrilled if 120 people showed up at one of their prayer meetings. Well, the truth of the matter is that most churches no longer even have prayer meetings. Attendance was so meager that the churches lost heart and concluded it wasn’t worth the effort.

In contrast, 120 people gathered together to pray for an entire week…

I had originally considered calling this entry “Lay Down Your Judgment” or “Lay Down Your Grudges.” Either would have worked, and I’ll touch upon them here. But I think the title I settled on captures both those ideas, and something more.

My atheist buddy Tim has an amusing-truth kind of song called “I Hate to Be Judgmental,” which begins, “I hate to be judgmental, but some people make me sick.” Later on, though, a larger truth comes up: “I hate to be judgmental, but there's nothing…

by Jim Buchan

When my dad died recently, I was greeted everywhere by the same condolences, “I’m sorry for your loss.” Well, my dad was 94-years-old and in failing health before his death, and I’m confident he’s now enjoying his new, strong, and pain-free body in heaven. Yes, I will miss the long talks we had every few days, but I know it won’t be long until I’m with him again. And in the meantime, my loss is his gain.

Dealing with the loss of my…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the following passage: “He (Christ) was numbered with the transgressors” (Mark 15:28, cf. Isaiah 53:12). I believe that in our own way we too are called to be “numbered with the transgressors,” and that it’s a key to moving past our old life and into the life Christ intends for us.

Because… well, let’s start with a simple truth: We are among the transgressors.

This isn’t to dismiss or excuse some of the truly horrific sins that…

A boundary is an imaginary line that separates my stuff from yours. On one side of this line are my possessions and on the other side are yours. All boundaries have sides: my side and your side. A boundary is personal and is a necessary part of integrity and self-esteem.  I like the idea that a boundary is not a tool of selfishness, but is a critical element of selfishness. Life what other people did I also made boundaries for myself especially to control myself when to get angry over a…