Russellings of the Spirit

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  • Ideal vs. Real

    I flew my American flag every day last week. No… I did not fly my flag because of some sudden, Fourth-of-July-inspired outburst of patriotism. I flew my flag because that’s just what I do. Flying the American flag is a… Continue reading

  • To Be Free

    During most years, the topic of freedom is something we trot out once a year… like our Christmas ornaments and tax returns. When the calendar hits early July, we religiously unfurl the red-white-and-blue bunting, light M-80s and Black Cats and… Continue reading

  • Child of Privilege

    I remember the interview very well, even though it happened more than 30 years ago. It was an excellent job and I really wanted it. I had some of the necessary qualifications, but certainly not all. And yet, at the… Continue reading

  • Daring to Follow

    I just tried an experiment on Facebook to see what might happen. I didn’t originally intend to make this experiment the topic of a blog post, but the results were so interesting I just had to share them with y’all.… Continue reading

  • Canine Comfort

    Here we are on day 1,465,283 of The Great Quarantine of 2020… … at least that’s what it feels like. Like most of the rest of you, Joan and I have stumbled upon a variety of strategies to help us… Continue reading

  • Is This Such A Good Idea?

    There is a basic premise behind this post you should be aware of before proceeding further. The premise is: GOD EXISTS. Of course, you may continue reading even if you disagree with my basic premise. You just might not enjoy… Continue reading

  • This Side of the Desk

    I just finished reading the book When Breath Becomes Air. I am still drying my eyes. It is the story of a brilliant, gifted neurosurgeon named Paul Kalanithi. Kalanithi seems to be on his way to an illustrious career as… Continue reading

  • Order out of Chaos

    Look at this. Isn’t it amazing? My organizational genius of a wife took our laundry basket full of a mishmash of all sizes and styles of extension cords and – armed with only her labelmaker and a few plastic containers… Continue reading

  • To Callous, or Not to Callous

    Blogosphere, meet my guitars. The Martin Dreadnought acoustic is the one on the left and the Fender American Stratocaster (with double humbucker pickup) is the one on the right. Guitars, meet the blogosphere. I love these instruments and miss them… Continue reading

  • I Can’t Know

    By my not-totally-rigorous estimate, I have officiated at close to 100 funerals during my career as a pastor. This total was boosted significantly by one memorable week in 2014 when there were three. Every one of these formal church services… Continue reading