Rhythms of Grace

With Sung out of town, guest host Christine shares her personal story of trauma and healing. Please be aware that her story contains stories of abuse and sexual violence. It is not appropriate for children and might be disturbing for others. The good news is that God is faithful and her story demonstrates the power of healing and community.

For all the overachievers out there, this episode is for you. Erin had risen to the very top of high school and college athletics by the time she was 19. Expectations for her were high, but not as high as the pressure she placed on herself. In this episode Erin shares how she came through failure, reestablished her core identity, and then had to do it all over again.

Podcasts guests for this episode are Chris and Rachel, who share their years long struggle with infertility. They share about keeping their faith and marriage intact in a riveting story of trial and hope.

In this episode, special guest Nicole shares her story of a painful medical condition, from diagnosis to surgery to setbacks and recovery. How did she manage to stay optimistic and hopeful while living in constant pain? It's a story of her faith and God's faithfulness through months and years of difficulty.

In season five, we begin hearing stories of people who God brought through hardship and difficulty. In this first episode, our special is guest is non other than Nate's mom, Joan. Her story of finding faith takes place in the 60s and 70s, when everyone was trying to find meaning in a million different places.

A coupe of listener questions got lost in Sung's inbox. So we pull them out to tackle an animal centric episode of our Old Testament discussion. From bears to donkeys, along with a short review of the violence found in the Old Testament, here's some bonus content while you wait for season 5.

In this episode, Sung and Nate tackle a series of questions from a regular listener. They revisit the role of women, talk about cancel culture, and give a preview of season 5. Like every good season finale, it's double the length, covers a ton of ground, and leaves a cliffhanger at the end.

Many of the stories in the Old Testament are outright violent. God's commands include killing women, children and livestock. How can a God like that be trusted or served? Sung and Nate look at the bronze age, redemption, and political unrest in a quest for answers.

In this episode, what starts as a hypothetical conversation gets very personal, very quickly. In the Old Testament, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on an altar. But today, people who try to kill others in God's name are called terrorists, mentally unwell, or downright evil. How do we reconcile this story with a God of peace and justice?

This week, Sung invites returning guest Christine Anderson to discuss how her personal convictions around diet and the environment intersect with her faith. Together, they look at passages in the Bible that talk about God's instructions to His people around their role in creation.

This week, Bart Bartlett guest-stars as he and Sung Kim continue the discussion about the problem of racism. Bart's perspective as a man of color comes into play as they attempt to answer the big question: Is God Racist?

This week, Pastors Sung Kim and Dave Collins talk about the problem of racism and get Dave's perspective as a white man. They tackle charges that the God of the Old Testament actually endorses slavery and racism in an attempt to answer the big question: Is God Racist?

In the second half of this two part episode, Sung and Nate look at some specific examples from the Old Testament sent in by a listener. At first glance, the examples do seem to indicate that God was punishing women for actions that were outside their control. Listeners, please be warned that some of the examples deal with rape and its consequences.

After a few minutes of catching up - ranging from Sung's travels to the latest farm adventures, Sung and Nate dive into the first week of a very controversial topic. It has it's roots in the very first verses of the Old Testament, and has caused many to discount Christianity.

Things aren't always what they seem. Today's episode looks at the story of Uzza - who is seemingly struck dead for a good deed. Sung and Nate talk about the historical and cultural context of that Bible story. What they discover says a lot about who God is, and some of the reasons behind His hard to understand actions.

God of the Old Testament is often described as vengeful and angry. In today's episode, Sung shines a light on ways we over-emphasize God's wrath in the Old Testament, while downplaying it in the New Testament. Similarly, Sung and Nate talk broadly about examples of God being extraordinarily loving in the Old Testament. It's all laying the foundation for a season exploring the character of God thro...

This week's episode is part 1 of a conversation on forgiveness. A listener sent an email discussing hurt, betrayal, and the fear that if he can't learn to forgive, he won't be forgiven. Sung talks about all the things forgiveness is NOT before they run out of time and turn the question into a two part episode.

Last week Sung and Nate talked all about the things forgiveness is NOT. This week they wrap up their conversation on forgiveness by discussing some of the mile markers of forgiveness, and the different paths people take to get there.

An issue so big it requires two episodes! Sung and Nate further complicate an already complicated issue. A listener wrote in a question about a homosexuality. Last week Sung and Nate started the conversation. This week they try to wrap it up and find, unsurprisingly, that there are no easy answers.

A listener's family member recently came out to his family. The listener wonders how to handle a conversation of truth and love about the issue of homosexuality and sin. In part one of this two part conversation, Sung and Nate talk about the phrase, Love the sinner, hate the sin. Strap on your seatbelts. It might be a bumpy ride.

Jesus said it's better to drown yourself than lead someone in the wrong direction. What if you do it by accident? What if they misinterpret what you said? Should we throw ourselves into the sea like Jesus commands? Sung and Nate talk about preaching, parenting, and leading as both a privilege and a responsibility.

From another listener question, Sung and Nate look at a passage from the Gospel of John. Jesus says whoever loves their life will lose it, and whoever hates their life will keep it. So should we try to do things we hate? Does God not want us to be happy?

In this episode, Sung and Nate tackle a listener question about giving to the poor and interpreting a parable of Jesus. How should we treat the poor? If they will "always be among us" as Jesus says, is it even worth trying to solve the problem?

Jesus said it's really hard for wealthy people to get into heaven. But what if he was neither criticizing the wealthy, nor talking exclusively about material possessions? Sung and Nate talk about Jesus's conversation with a rich young man, and talk about garages as a symbol of wealth.

In this episode, Sung reads some of the feedback he received on the "What The Hell?" episode. From there we leap into a conversation on heaven. Is it a real place? Do we go there immediately when we die, or are we stuck in limbo for a while? Nate starts talking about alternate timelines and different planes of existence. In short, it gets weird.