Russellings of the Spirit

Jesus Christ

  • Freedom cancer

    Six months ago, I didn’t know much about cancer. If I’m being honest, I would have to tell you I didn’t really want to know anything about it. I called it “the ‘C’ word.” But then September 21 happened. That… Continue reading

  • Repentance Muscle

    “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”(Matthew 4:17) Most of us have muscles that can use a little strengthening. Maybe it’s a bicep to allow you to do a little heavier… Continue reading

  • Confessions of a human punching bag

    If memory serves, sixth grade was the last time I was ever in a genuine fistfight. It was a hot summer day. As usual, I was at the community swimming pool with my friends splashing, diving, and horsing around. When… Continue reading

  • Here in the aftermath…

    “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:21, NRSV) Today, words fail. And yet, I have always been encouraged that the attempt to assemble appropriate words can often be the beginning point of the process of healing. So I press on… I… Continue reading

  • Old eyes, new eyes/Brown eyes, blue eyes

    For at least the first week and a half afterward, it is like I had an eye transplant. Old eyes gone… a new set dropped into their place. And then, inevitably, I realize that the old eyes have returned… slowly… Continue reading

  • MINE!

    I hoped my wince went unnoticed. But then I realized I was dealing with one of the most perceptive, most eagle-eyed people God ever created; my wife Joan. And so of course… she saw the wince as soon as it… Continue reading

  • You Belong

    Three doors down from the house I grew up in lived a family named the Thompsons. There was Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Thompson (that was back in the time when kids didn’t know adults’ first names) and their three sons. If… Continue reading

  • Maintenance Man

    If it is out, I need to put it away. If it is crinkled, I need to iron it. If it is dirty, I need to clean it. If it is untidy, I need to tidy it. If it is… Continue reading

  • The Power of Commitment

    It is admittedly a little odd to peer inside my head today and see the two things taking up most of the space there: The Kansas City Chiefs football team, and… Martin Luther King, Jr. The Chiefs are there because… Continue reading

  • Blasts from pasts

    It is the great boon and the great bane of our wonderful world of instantaneous electronic connection. You or I can be shuffling along, minding our own business, when SHAZAM! a voice or face from the distant, forgotten past suddenly… Continue reading