Russellings of the Spirit

Jesus Christ

  • Call it good

    My wife and I just returned from a wonderful trip with friends. We traveled to the state of Arizona with several different objectives in mind. First, we desperately wanted to escape the icy grip of winter that has seemingly decided… Continue reading

  • 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