by revruss November 29, 2023
Feasts and Festivals

What Are You Doing for Advent?

Advent is almost upon us. What are your plans? Find some ideas below. Want a more holy Advent? It's as easy as 3, 2, 1! (Okay, that may be an oversimplification, but it is a pretty easy, yet effective, approach) https://youtu.be/R0fIzeBF5DA?si=mTVwHhnEHJNKQlWk Need some ideas for your Advent spiritual discipline? Here you go. https://youtu.be/izV41yoYGvI?si=q5sVHYZVswh1cYlu And don't forget to make use of this free resource from Beyond Sunday. https://youtu.be/yXmBoNS44Lo?si=EFmeqs34xrNWbBIu Wishing you a happy and meaningful ...

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by revruss November 21, 2023
Faith Practices , Unsolicited Opinions

A Little Help with the Relatives

I just had to share this TikTok series from @mrs.frazzled where a kindergarten teacher and gentle parenting adherent uses her skills on relatives at the holiday gathering. They're hilarious, but also contain some wisdom you might find helpful. https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.frazzled/video/7302588223883267374?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7301743293395322414 https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.frazzled/video/7301081269260127534?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7301743293395322414 https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.frazzled/video/7301468875416276266?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7301743293395322414 These hilarious videos are an excellent reminder that even (or perhaps especially) during the holidays, bad behavior is not okay, loving people means respecting them and children get to have boundaries, too. ...

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by revruss November 17, 2023
Advocacy , Prayer

A Prayer for Practicing Non-Violence

Loving God, In a world where people so many cannot escape the violence, help those of us who are not under constant threat be radically committed to non-violence. May we never glorify our friends, our family or our elected officials threatening others with harm. May we never remain silent when others use language of hate when speaking of or to any of Your beloved children. Help us to measure our ...

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by revruss November 12, 2023
Faith Practices , Unsolicited Opinions

A Hard Drinking Tattooed Country Music Christianity

Note: the songs mentioned and shared in this post have some strong language. Some thirty years ago, Tex Sample wrote a book called Hard Living People and Mainstream Christians. He challenged mainline churches to break the bonds of middle/upper class captivity and reach out to those who live, well, a little bit harder. We didn't listen very well then, but perhaps country music is calling on us to rethink ...

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by revruss November 10, 2023
Prayer

A Prayer for Veteran’s Day

God of Peace, On Veteran’s Day, we pray for all who have served our country on land or sea or air, at home or in far away lands. We pray for the safety of future veterans in active combat zones, and for those in places where violence could rear its ugly head at any time. We pray for those who made it home alive, but for whom life has never been the ...

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by revruss October 26, 2023
Faith Practices , Prayer , Unsolicited Opinions

Full discIosure: I am daunted

There is a quote often attributed to the Talmud, but more accurately described as a loose translation of a portion of the Pirke Avot that is commentary on Micah 6:8. Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. While I agree with the premise and ...

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by revruss October 19, 2023
Faith Practices

This World IS Our Home

This is a remix of a post I created during COVID, but its message is valid today as well. And I needed to be reminded. Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? One that just keeps coming back again and again and bubbles up in your brain at the oddest of times? I’ve had one lately. It’s an old country gospel song that my grandmother and my parents ...

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by revruss October 10, 2023
Advocacy , Faith Practices

This is Hard, Y’all

The day that Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed at least 800 people at this posting will be one of those days like 9/11. October 7, 2023. A day that will divide so many lives into what came before and what happened after. Will we end up using 10/7 for shorthand as time goes by? (Disclaimer: We can agree that none of us is going through anything close to ...

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by revruss October 9, 2023
Advocacy

World Mental Health Day

Tuesday, October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Last week in Brooklyn, a young climate activist and advocate for those with drug addiction was randomly stabbed to death by a teenager. It was all caught on video, and the teen has been arrested. To make the tragedy worse, the alleged perpetrator has a history of mental illness. Two months ago his aunt called the police to say that her nephew was "mentally ...

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