Russellings of the Spirit

Latest Posts

  • Questioning Church

    For most of my life, there has been very little question about church. To be sure, different chapters have witnessed different relationships to church. There was the “blind obedience” stage, the “I’m just here to meet cute girls” stage, the… Continue reading

  • A New World? Or a New Heart?

    The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind… If I had a hammer… To everything, turn, turn, turn… Abraham, Martin, and John… We’ve got to get out of this place… WAR! [UH! GRUNT!] What is it good for? (Absolutely… Continue reading

  • U2Charist?

    Are they? Or aren’t they? Inquiring minds want to know: is U2 a Christian band? Or are they just a rock band that – if you look at some of their lyrics and squint really hard – you can occasionally… Continue reading

  • Like a bridge…

    When you’re weary, feeling small When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all, I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough And friends just can’t be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay… Continue reading

  • There Must Be a Reason

    My wife, Joan, is a big fan of “doing things for a reason.” And there is always a good, solid reason for the things she does. When cooking her world-famous pasta primavera, for example, [What… you’ve never heard of it?]… Continue reading

  • The Heart of the Matter

    After experiencing a somewhat fraught relationship with it for too many years, I finally can say with confidence that I LOVE the Bible. Whether I am diving into accounts of the trials of God’s people, being seared by the white-hot… Continue reading

  • Part of the Pack

    This is Patrick. Patrick is our 4 ½ -year-old Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. And no, even though we lived in Kansas City for many years, he is NOT named after Patrick Mahomes. Patrick loves people. In fact, as far as people… Continue reading

  • “The Beast Tamer”

    “OK. That’s it,” I said to myself. “Today is the day!” My exasperation with the state of the hedge along our back fence finally hit the breaking point last Friday. I headed to the garage in search of the hundred-foot-long… Continue reading

  • Is Regionality Really Real?

    The other day, Patrick the dog and I were out walking in our neighborhood here in Fort Collins, Colorado. Not an unusual thing for us. As we walked along a street not far from our home, we saw a neighbor… Continue reading

  • “We’re All In This Together!”

    Yes, we are. But in lots of ways, no, we absolutely are not. This morning on NPR I heard the story of Daniel Garcia of Houston, Texas. (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/18/892593769/texas-man-on-what-its-like-being-evicted-during-the-covid-19-pandemic). And it broke me. Garcia is 46 years old. He was laid… Continue reading