Russellings of the Spirit

blessings

  • Peace of the Perfect Circumstance

    Poor neighbor Nancy. You can’t see it very well in this picture, but Nancy and her husband Ned (not their real names, by the way. Are there any Neds left in the world anymore? I mean besides the Simpsons’ neighbor?) have a… Continue reading

  • Reversing the Poles

    I don’t know what your calendar says today, but the heading on my March 22, 2023 box reads: A DAY OF CELEBRATION AND GRATITUDE. Of course, I am celebrating the first day of spring. Yes, I realize I am a… Continue reading

  • Why I Pray

    Back in the day, (to be perfectly honest, WAAAAY back in the day), the group Lovin’ Spoonful sang a song that asked the musical question, “Do you believe in magic?” If John Sebastian and his bandmates asked me that today, I would have to say, “NO.… Continue reading

  • Not Enough

    It is always there. It never rests.  I try to ignore it. I try to muffle it. I try to shout over it. All to no avail. It is as persistent as a mosquito on a humid summer night. It… Continue reading

  • Blessed Reassurance

    Oh, how I loved it. How it used to stir my soul.  There we were, sitting in our neat rows in Mrs. Olds’ fifth grade classroom. She had just posed a question to the entire class… on which topic I… Continue reading

  • Happy Anniversary, Sweetie

    Earlier this week, we celebrated an anniversary. It was the third anniversary of Joan joyfully and triumphantly ringing the brass bell that marked the end of her chemotherapy and the beginning of her remission from cancer. It has been a… Continue reading

  • Risky Business

    What do you consider the riskiest thing you have ever done? Back in the early 90s, I started my own business. It was a little advertising and public relations agency based in Kansas City. But here’s the thing: I really… Continue reading

  • Whose Team Are You On?

    Tom* really knew how to get my goat. Even though – as his pastor – I did my level best to keep my political opinions and leanings tightly under cover, Tom thought he had me pretty well pegged. He would… Continue reading

  • Particles of Wonder

    Last weekend Joan and I went to the mountains. It was glorious. It was majestic. It was beautiful. It was awe-inspiring. It was a breath-taking reminder of the splendor of God’s creation. It drove me to my knees in a… Continue reading

  • Blades of Grass

    I was supposed to go to my 50th high school class reunion last year. Instead, all members of the Hilliard (Ohio) High School class of 1970 spent our reunion year cowering inside hermetically sealed isolation suits, trying our best to avoid… Continue reading