Author Archives: russellmckinney

Children Are…

Posted on January 11, 2024 by russellmckinney

Think about how you would finish the following sentence: “Children are…” Truth be told, some of the parents of young children might finish it in a way that wouldn’t be heartwarming. Having learned to function in a state of semi-exhaustion … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family, Fatherhood, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Ups & Downs of Life

Posted on January 8, 2024 by russellmckinney

For five springs, I served as an assistant coach on our middle school’s 7th-8th grade baseball teams. It was my oldest son, Ryan, who first got me involved with the gig. When he was a 6th grader, he volunteered to … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Balance, Complaining, Contentment, Desires, Disappointment, Gambling, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, Humility, Personal, Thankfulness, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

God’s Provision

Posted on January 5, 2024 by russellmckinney

I’ve never been a wealthy man, but there have been times when I was financially better off than usual. One such time was when I served as the pastor of a certain church. That church paid me a larger salary … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Encouragement, Faith, God's Guidance, God's Provision, God's Will, Money, Needs, Personal, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reunions

Posted on January 3, 2024 by russellmckinney

When I was elected President of my high school’s senior class in 1984, I thought it was an honor. What I didn’t realize was the title carried with it the lifetime task of organizing a class reunion every ten years … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discipleship, God's Work, New Year, Obedience, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You Getting Better?

Posted on January 1, 2024 by russellmckinney

When my youngest son, Royce, played 5th/6th grade football, his team’s line coach was a guy named Stacy Peterson. Even though I’d gone to high school with Stacy and had loosely known him for years, we’d always run in different … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Giving, God's Word, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Money, New Year, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Sanctification, Service, Sports, The Bible, Witnessing, Youth | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Christian & His New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 29, 2023 by russellmckinney

A boy was running along a beach gathering up the best seashells he could find. As he bent down to pick up a certain shell, he caught sight of the biggest, most beautiful shell he had ever seen. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Church Attendance, Commitment, Faithfulness, New Year, Personal Holiness, Prayer | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hacked Computers, Armageddon, & Horses

Posted on December 27, 2023 by russellmckinney

Every so often we hear about some lethal computer virus that has been created, a virus that has the potential to render any computer that it gets into useless. Such reports always make me ask, “Who are these teams of … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ's Second Coming, Current Events, Personal, Prophecy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Should a Christian Do About Christmas Trees & Santa Claus?

Posted on December 22, 2023 by russellmckinney

“The Origins of the Christmas Holiday” series (post #4) This will be the last post in our series on the origins of our Christmastime traditions. With this one, however, I don’t want to deal with the origins of any more … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Liberty, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Series: "The Origins of the Christmas Holiday" | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Christmas Trees, Santa, Bing Crosby, & Charlie Brown

Posted on December 20, 2023 by russellmckinney

“The Origins of the Christmas Holiday” series (post #3) We’re in a series on the origins of our Christmastime traditions. With the first post, I covered the subjects of the winter solstice and Saturnalia. With the second, I explained the effect the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Series: "The Origins of the Christmas Holiday" | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Constantine & Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2023 by russellmckinney

“The Origins of the Christmas Holiday” series (post #2) The previous post served as the beginning of my series on the origins of the traditions of our Christmas holiday. That post explained the winter solstice and the Roman holiday known … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christ's Birth, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Church, Series: "The Origins of the Christmas Holiday" | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments