Happy 2025.
Let’s pray:
O Lord God, our sun and shield.
You are the One who from the foundations of the world has chosen us, ransomed us and redeemed us in Christ.
Now turn our mourning to joy. Transform our cries into testimonies. Empower us by your Holy Spirit to embody the faith of Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna. Make us holy and blameless in love for the praise of your glory.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(A Collect based on Psalm 84, Jer 31:7–14, Luke 2:22–40, Eph 1:3–14 for Sunday January 5, 2025)
Two Coaching Questions I’ve been pondering as we make the shift into 2025:
(1) What is something (a skill, a practice/habit, a relationship, or action) that I started five years ago for which I am truly grateful today?
(2) What skill, practice/habit, relationship or action did I start in 2024 or will start in 2025 for which I hope to have the same level of gratitude five years from now as I feel reflecting on question 1?
Remember small things practiced consistently over time yield extraordinary results. The seeds you plant today will grow into trees you can enjoy down the road.
Choose to Engage Scripture Intentionally as Your GPS for Navigating 2025
Have you discovered a GPS that works for your deep engagement with Scripture?
As I studied the biblical narrative, I discovered that three themes kept appearing: mission, community and holiness.
I turned these themes into this acronym:
G: Global Mission
P: Persons in Community
S: Spirit Transformed
Questions to help you apply GPS as your read Scripture:
Who is my mission? Who is God calling you to serve?
Who is my community? Who is God calling you to walk with? Who is ahead of you that models the way? Who is presently walking with you to help you stay on mission and grow in grace?
What sort of person do I need to become to live out the vision of this text? Who do I need to become to align my life with the values and ethos of Scripture?
If this brief description captures your imagination, here is a 4 minute video that will take you on a deeper dive into GPS: https://youtu.be/c9gQp26krKM
Here are some more resources and recommendations for you this month:
(1) Join me and Rich Lewis (author of Sitting with God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer https://amzn.to/4jgmM3J ) on 1/11 at 10am eastern for our monthly virtual centering prayer gathering. We offer a brief reflection (about 20 minutes), we practice centering prayer as a community (20 minutes), and we have a time of testimony and question/answer (20 minutes). The topic of our reflection this month is “Recommended Reading to Deepen Your Contemplative Practice.” Email me for the Zoom link.
(2) Two books that I’m excited to share with you:
Joseph Dongell, The Most Excellent Way: John Wesley’s Theology of Love (Seedbed, 2024): https://amzn.to/4gXN74e.
The Most Excellent Way is a fantastic introduction to the core of the Christian faith: growth in love for God and neighbor. Dongell has reflected long and deeply over John Wesley’s entire corpus and has distilled its riches into the pages of this book. If you are interested in deep spiritual formation and desire to experience holiness of heart and life. Read this book in 2025. You won’t be disappointed. Plus you can read it in less than 2 hours.
Matt O’Reilly, Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification (Seedbed, 2024): https://amzn.to/4fDQSek
O’Reilly’s Free to Be Holy covers concisely but richly the biblical witness to God’s desire to create a holy people for God’s mission in the world. In eight chapters, O’Reilly unpacks what holiness is and isn’t with unwavering focus on a deep reading of the biblical text. This resources is written in a style that is accessible to all. It is designed for both individual and group use. If you are looking for a great resource for a small group study to help your community embrace a vision for missional holiness in our world today, check out Free to Be Holy.
I also had the privilege of interviewing both Dongell and O’Reilly for podcast episodes in December. See below for links to the Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations podcast.
(3) Advent 2024 was one of the richest of my life. I never adjusted to the time change at the beginning of November so I’ve found myself up early each morning between 4:30 and 5am. What do you do when you are up before everyone else and it’s still dark outside? Read Scripture! For my devotions, I’ve been doing a deep dive daily into the four lectionary texts from Book of Common Prayer. I absolutely loved working through the texts for Advent and found myself challenged spiritually to open myself up even more to God’s grace. Listen in to my reflections and biggest takeaways from the Psalms, the Prophets, the Gospel of Luke and texts from the NT epistles: https://youtu.be/12UTksGKZTY .
To share just one insight, I was captured anew by the raw power of John the Baptist. It struck me that John was a voice for God rather than a name among the powerful. The idea of a voice rather than a name continues to speak to me as I’ve read through the roles played in Jesus’ earliest years by John the Baptist but also my Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, Anna, and the unnamed Magi. I’ve asked myself: Does my life and work point merely to me or does it point directly and clearly to the God who loves us?
(4) I’ve recommitted to recording consistently new episodes of the Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations Podcast:
You can watch episodes of the Deep Dive Spirituality Conversations podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzah82ipRosZZsT5DBbbm_L6J07XTOXEy
Here is link to the audio on Podbean: https://deepdivespirituality.podbean.com/ (or search on your preferred podcast platform).
(5) Looking for a transformational study for your small group or personal use? I created “Living as Citizens Worthy of the Gospel: A Five Week Study of the Book of Philippians”
Embark on a transformational journey with Dr. Brian Russell as he leads you on a five-week deep dive: 'Living as Citizens Worthy of the Gospel: A Five Week Study of Paul's Letter to the Philippians.' Journey into the teachings of Paul as you explore the essence of living as a citizen worthy of the Gospel of Christ. The message of Philippians is timeless, but it is particularly relevant for our day.
This self-paced program can be used by individuals or for small group studies. It offers a comprehensive study of Philippians, focusing on themes of gratitude, missional living in the world that doesn't yet know Jesus as Lord, holiness, and a vital Christ centered piety.
Each session includes roughly 30 minutes of expert video instruction from Brian as well as guided personal/group reflections to help you understand the book of Philippians and integrate its teaching into your life in ways that will bring transformation and depth to your Christian life. Whether you're a seasoned reader of Scripture or relatively new to the faith, this program is designed to enrich your spiritual journey and empower you to live out the Gospel in your daily life.
The study includes a downloadable/printable study guide. You can make unlimited copies for all participants at simply your cost of printing documents. Join us and discover what it means to be a citizen worthy of the Gospel!
For more information, check out: Living as Citizens Worthy of the Gospel. Use code Newsletter for 20% of the study.
I want this resource to be helpful for you so I’d love to hear your feedback on what is your biggest challenge in life and ministry right now? What questions or topics would you love to hear me cover in a future essay, podcast, or video?
Blessings on your life and mission. If I can be of service to you (or if you just want to say “Hi”), reach out brian@brianrussellphd.com
Peace,
Brian
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