Russellings of the Spirit

Jesus Christ

  • Passing Through Waters

    It snowed here last night. It wasn’t much – maybe two inches total. But it was enough to make me glad I was not out trying to drive through the fast-falling flakes. On other occasions, I have not been quite… Continue reading

  • An Unfinished Christmas

    I may have mentioned this before (apologies to you if this is old, stale news), but Joan and I are in the middle of a giant remodel in our home. Shortly after moving in to this house, we decided to… Continue reading

  • 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

  • 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

  • “I Surrender!”

    Like many men of my age, I was quite the little warmonger as a child. My friends and I loved to do nothing more after school than get together in the big field behind Jeff and David’s houses and play… Continue reading