Russellings of the Spirit

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  • Rubber, meet road

    Worship is weird. What I mean is, for me these days the act of attending a service of worship in a local church is a bit of a strange, unsettling experience. I feel a little bit like Will Ferrell’s character… Continue reading

  • For me?

    Joan and I (and Joan’s daughter Jessica) are in Puerto Rico for a few days, enjoying our first-ever trip to this island. What an amazing place! If you have never been, I highly recommend it. For Jessica, this is a… Continue reading

  • Mr. Tidy Guy

    I hate messes. I confess freely and fully to you now that I am a compulsive tidier-upper. Some (such as my loving wife) might even say I verge on being obsessive-compulsive about my tidying. Things lying around on the kitchen… Continue reading

  • Ash-A-Palooza 2019

    “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Matthew 19:30, NRSV I consider myself a committed, albeit deeply flawed, follower of Jesus Christ. I try to live my life by his example, in spite of failing and coming up short… Continue reading

  • The Overmow

    “… outdo one another in showing honor.”                                    Romans 12:10, NRSV My next-door neighbor and I are in a competition. Not that I’m keeping score or anything, but I think I just went ahead by one earlier today. (Self… Continue reading

  • Coming Out

    I like to sing. Correction; I absolutely LOVE to sing. And so it was with real joy and excitement that I accepted my friend’s invitation three years ago to audition for a group called the Heartland Men’s Chorus (HMC). My… Continue reading

  • “The Day my Mother Went Crazy”

    I grew up in one of those small towns where everyone knew everything about everyone else. And so it was no surprise that we all heard some version of the story of the day Mrs. Stanfield (not her real name)… Continue reading

  • Need Answers?

    If you want to know what is right, just ask me… … on virtually ANY topic. Let’s start with DRIVING. I can tell you how fast you should be driving, which lane you should be in, how (and when) to… 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

  • Scratch it!

    Have you ever had an itch? I mean the kind that was located at that exactly perfectly unreachable spot on your back… just right THERE. An intense itch. The kind that would not be ignored nor trifled with. It is… Continue reading