Russellings of the Spirit

hope

  • The Unseen Doorknob

    I watered our outdoor plants this morning… … and in so doing, got a first-hand taste of the meaning of futility. I say futility first because Joan and I are big fans of annuals. Second, because it is late August. In June… Continue reading

  • Easter, God’s Will, and the War in Ukraine

    Since the beginning of time, war has been hell.  War costs millions of innocent lives. In the blink of an eye, war destroys people, communities, vegetation, and futures. Some of us have seen war firsthand. Most of us have just… 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

  • Happy New Day

    So here we are… sitting in front of this gigantic, mysterious package; trying to figure out where and how to begin opening it… wondering what surprises, delights, horrors, or joys it might contain. The mysterious package I refer to is,… Continue reading

  • Jesus and Santa

    On our morning walk today, I saw a sign in a neighbor’s front yard that read: “JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.” And being the eager Jesus follower I am, I responded with a hearty, “Heck yeah! That’s right, brother/sister/non-binary… Continue reading

  • An Undistorted Reality

    “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19, NRSV) Have you ever noticed the way anticipation tends to distort reality… both positively and negatively? If you’re not sure what I am talking about, think… Continue reading

  • A Strange Set of Tools

    I’ve got this dilemma on my hands. Maybe you can help me with it. On the one hand, I don’t like to fail. I mean I REALLY don’t like it. At all. At the same time, I really like trying things I haven’t tried… 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

  • Two Years On…

    Today is the day when – two years ago – our world turned upside down. After experiencing a long bout of various gastrointestinal distresses, Joan went made an appointment with her doctor. She went in on a Wednesday to get… Continue reading

  • Pro and Con

    “Well, it sure beats the alternative!” I honestly can’t count the number of times I have uttered this phrase whenever someone complains to me about the tribulations of aging. Here of late though, I’ve had cause to wonder: Is it though?… Continue reading