Russellings of the Spirit

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  • Put Some Meat On It

    What has Christmas cost you… so far? And no, I am not talking about the money you have spent on presents… or decorations… or food… or postage for all of those cards… or gas for your car. In fact, I… Continue reading

  • My Christmas of Shame

    As the Christmas of my 12th year approached, I wanted a Sting-Ray bike so badly I could taste it. “Everybody has one,” I told my parents, although I’m not sure that was technically true. There were probably one or two 12-year-olds in… Continue reading

  • Trusting the Master Mapmaker

    I am not exactly sure when it started, but for a very long time I’ve had a deep fascination with MAPS. I remember my very real excitement when – at the age of eight or nine – my grandfather handed… Continue reading

  • Oddball World

    “They are SO ODD!” “I mean, look at that guy over there! What is up with that jacket he’s wearing? The sleeves are WAAAAYY too short and it’s not even zipped up all the way. Makes you want to shout,… Continue reading

  • Grace in the Wilderness

    Yesterday, Joan and I decided to indulge ourselves. Nothing big, really. Just a quick drop-in to one of our favorite neighborhood ice cream places to get a sweet treat.  You see, I had just come out of my dermatologist’s office… Continue reading

  • New Shoes

    This past weekend I observed a personal ritual known as, “The Changing of the Shoes.” It is exactly like the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, except without the pageantry, fuzzy hats, Corgis, Englishness, formality, or really anything else. My ritual… Continue reading

  • Old Faithful

    [A warning to readers: this post contains a ton of references to the game of professional football. It is done in service– hopefully – of a larger theological point. Just the same, people who despise football might want to tune… Continue reading

  • Thanks Be to All

    I dislike violence. I mean, I REALLY dislike it. I can’t stand violent sports like boxing or Mixed Martial Arts… although I somehow find a way to make an exception for the violence of American football. I immediately turn away from gratuitous… Continue reading

  • In Which Circumstances??

    Would you look at this mess?  A worldwide killer virus is floating around in the air, seeking out the most vulnerable among us, killing record numbers of people, especially people of color… and you want me to DO WHAT?? “… give thanks… Continue reading

  • The Eye of God

    Beneath his mask of anger, bluff, and bluster, God sees… God sees the fearful, insecure child hiding inside. Beneath the surface of the spreader of careless gossip, God sees… God sees the fragile, wounded heart, yearning to belong. Beneath the… Continue reading