Jonathan Russell

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46)

Ouch.

Behind the scenes info: Half of a preacher’s sermon prep is spent in repentance.

If I could only find a text about returning to a seafood buffet 7 times being a sign of complete commitment to Jesus. But alas…

A couple of years ago, while home from college, I noticed Jake on a FaceTime call with a young lady. It was the first time I met sweet Anna, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her. Mandy and I got to spend time with our kids today, including our soon-to-be daughter-in-law! Congrats Jake and Anna! We love y’all and are so excited to walk alongside y’all and the Pittman family this year!

Words from a deacon’s kid. 🤣 He ain’t wrong.

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” (C.J. Frick)

If you ever think no one likes you, come over to the house. Put a plate of food in front of you and Bolt will think you’re a member of the royal family, the fourth member of the Trinity, the bee’s knees, and all that jazz.

🙋🏻‍♂️

Look at .15 exiting on the President’s List. Good job! Proud of you!

The Iowa Caucuses are behind us. Super Tuesday is ahead of us. It’s an election year. We’re going to need some levity along the way.

Prep for Sunday stepping all over my toes this week.

The first variable, the content of Scripture, is settled. That’s a variable fixed by God himself.

The variable for which I’m responsible is the condition of my heart as I receive God’s Word.

More this Sunday at FBC, as we talk about “Receiving the Bible.”

Sincerely hope you guys who are into cold weather enjoyed the festivities. I think it’s time to move on and march toward Spring. Better yet, summer is a mere 155 days away!

The air outside is colder than a Baptist’s heart at a bad church business meeting.

👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

We are so excited to welcome Emma and Zach Parks to FBC! Emma is our new children’s minister and has already fit right in!

Join us Sunday afternoon at 2:00 in the FLC for a WELCOME reception for Emma and Zach. Enjoy refreshments and fellowship and take advantage of the opportunity to meet the Parks! Bring a card or note to encourage them, and slip them a gift card to help them stock their fridge and pantry!

Hang around after the reception for the ground breaking ceremony for our new children’s ministry facility. Exciting times are ahead at FBC!

Sunday at FBC. Part 2 of “The B.I.B.L.E.”

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.”

Just a little lesson the Lord taught me today.

https://theviewfrommypew.org/2024/01/10/from-sighing-to-singing/

There are two reasons I know this to be false.

1. We live in the Panhandle.

2. With two politicians in the background, there would be enough hot air even in the screen shot to register warmer temps.

We’re all smiles because tomorrow is Sunday, and the theme is NEW!
☝🏻st Sunday of the NEW YEAR!
☝🏻st sermon in a NEW SERIES!
☝🏻st Sunday for our NEW CHILDREN’S MINISTER, Emma!
—
📖 Connection Groups meet at 9:15
🙌🏻 Worship begins at 10:30
📍 Find us in person at the corner of Caroline and Canal (6797 Caroline St.)
💻 Out of town or under the weather? Join in online at https://fbcmilton.org/live

Got an email from FPL this morning. I’m pretty sure I know what’s ahead in 2024 with their rate hike. I’m also pretty sure that word they used, “affordable,” isn’t very accurate. 😐

You’ve been sustained through the night for a purpose. Today is a good day to fulfill that purpose!

Killing the gym time New Year’s resolution

Started 2023 with the goal of losing 20 pounds. Only 25 to go!

Now that you have Cotton Eye Joe and the theme song for Unsolved Mysteries, you’re welcome

If a guy is laying on a heating pad and is wearing his CPAP at 8 PM, is he officially old? Asking for a friend.

Go ahead and show out. It’s your birthday.

This is one of my favorite images that describes what occurred when Christ was born. It’s based on a promise God issued in Genesis 3:15, the first promise of the gospel.

Speaking to Satan after he deceived Adam and Eve and after sin entered the world and ruined everything, God gave this judgment to the enemy and this promise to us: “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He [Jesus] will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Grace Remington’s painting illustrates the beauty of that first Christmas announcement. Mary is comforting Eve in the midst of her shame because within Mary’s womb is the One who will crush Satan’s head on our behalf.

And that’s what makes Christmas meaningful. As Isaac Watts writes in the classic carol, “Joy to the World,” …
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Merry Christmas!

Final service of the 2023 Christmas season.

It’s Christmas Eve, which means this must be posted. It helps if you sing along…

🎶 Tiny tots, with their eyes all aglow… 🎶

Breaking my own rule, I’m headed into town just a few days before Christmas. I think it’s safe to assume two things are going to happen: (1) my personal sanctification will be tested; (2) I’ll return with some sermon illustrations.

Be mindful of those who may celebrate differently than you during this season 😁

Well, here we are. Coming in at # 1 on my list of the Top 10 Christmas Songs That Make You Scratch Your Head or Roll Your Eyes is a song that one religious group banned when it was released …

… drum roll …

“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

As with most Christmas songs, this one has been performed by different people and groups over the years. If you must listen to this one, it’s my humble opinion that the version performed by the Jackson 5 is the most preferred of the lot. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t scratch my head or roll my eyes when I hear them sing it.

This song probably wouldn’t even be on the Top 10 list at all, much less at the top of that list, had the song been framed by an adult reflecting on how, as a kid, he saw his mom kissing Santa Claus, but then later, as he began to understand the whole Santa thing, realized who his mom was smooching. But no. Instead, we get to creep down the stairs with a young lad who sees his mom making out with Santa while he assumes his dad is asleep upstairs.

Obviously, the major issue causing the head scratching and eye rolling is the gist of the song: a kid sees someone he believes to be Santa kissing his mom. That’s certainly enough, but there’s more!

After seeing his mom kiss Santa, he observed her tickling Santa under his snowy white beard. And then? “Oh, what a laugh it would have been if daddy had only seen mommy kissing Santa Claus last night.” We can’t let that line sit there without making a couple of observations.

1. The song is sung post-event: it recalls events the kid saw the night before. Did the kid go to sleep after seeing Santa kiss his mom? If so, how did he manage to do that? Would he not have been up most of the night, freaked out that Santa was putting the moves on his mom? Is part of his young mind excited to think that Santa might be more than a guy who shows up once a year? There are too many unanswered questions. But this certainly doesn’t have quite the same vibe produced by the classic, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, where visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

2. From the kid’s perspective, his dad finding out about this kiss between Santa and his wife would have produced … laughter? That’s what he said: “what a laugh it would have been.” Of all the emotions involved in such a tale, hilarity would not be among them. Remember, we adults know the true identity of Santa. The young boy doesn’t. So place yourself in his shoes. Do you think dear old dad would really find it humorous?

The lyrics pretty much repeat themselves a couple of times, and the song ends with the boy trying to convince his siblings that he really saw his mom and Santa kiss. And that, friends, constitutes the final critique I have of the song. It’s not fair to leave us listeners in suspense. I want to know what happened when dad came down the stairs and the young boy tells him that he saw Santa kissing his mom, AKA, dad’s wife, the night before. How do mom and dad explain that without ruining Christmas Day and shattering the childhood innocence of Christmas? Of course, that innocence was beat up pretty good when the boy saw his mom kissing Santa Claus. Whew.

My advice to any parental units reading this? If Santa is going to try to give mom a kiss, save it for when the kids are staying with grandparents. It’s just too risky.