David Russell
Pastor · Navy Veteran · Student of Leadership
Writing on faith, leadership, and the places where they meet.
Latest Writing
I don’t usually listen to screamo.
That's not a judgment. It's just honest. My taste in music runs wide. Classical to country. Pop to hip hop. Gospel to classic rock. I've always believed that good music is good music, regardless of the genre label someone slaps on it. But screamo? Metalcore?...
Sabbath rest is not just about rest
A friend of mine posted twice recently in a Facebook group we are both in. The first post was about being disheartened and how someone had called her dishonest and degraded her business efforts. This left her feeling crushed and discouraged. The next week she posted...
Mary at the foot of the cross
Christmas is a time of the year where we focus on the birth of Jesus accompanied by gift giving and family gatherings. Today I had the opportunity to give the communion thought during our church gathering. If you don’t know, communion (Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) is...
9 Ways to Make Your Organization’s Social Media Work Well
Effective communication is a significant part of leadership. Those who communicate well will have a better chance of leading well. At an organizational level, this includes social media. Below are 9 Ways you can make your church or small business social media work...
Announcements – 10 Dos and Don’ts
Could announcements possibly be the worst, most ignored, most wasted part of our gathering time each week? Are there ways to do it better? Should we just give up and assume people just don’t want to be bothered by these pesky details? Yes. And no. Here’s part of the...
Let it go
I celebrate Christmas. I put up Christmas lights around our house. We have a tree with a star on top. I think we have a nativity scene, I can't remember; we have not dug it out yet. But all these things: the Christmas lights, the decorations the tree, the ornaments,...
Why I am Right and You are Wrong.
When the world was older people thought the Earth was flat, and sailing too far would result in falling off the edge. There was also a time when people believed the sun went around the earth. People think George Washington had wooden teeth, that you can get warts from...
Management vs. Leadership: The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
It is time to get back to writing. I’ve been away for some time due to some personal reasons and am looking forward to getting back to writing. In my article “Should church leaders manage or lead?” I listed Warren Bennis’ 12 contrasts between leadership and...
Espresso
Sitting in a coffee shop in Oklahoma City I over hear three ladies talking. I don't make out all of their conversation. However, I do hear one woman say, "...that's a blessing." I thought to myself, "Yes it is." I have no idea what they were talking about but I know...
A touchdown for the church
I was born and raised in the Churches of Christ. Through 42 years I have been a part of many congregations. I’ve seen wonderful, joyful, strange, and sad things happen over the years. But there is one thing I have rarely seen. I never realized how abnormal we were. In...
Management vs. Leadership: The manager administers; the leader innovates.
In my article “Should church leaders manage or lead?” I listed Warren Bennis’ 12 contrasts between leadership and management. This series will analyze those 12 and see how they fit in realm of church leadership. The first is “The manager administers; the leader...
It’s not what you think
Once a band of people went on a journey to the East in search of enlightenment. Included in this group were several people, each with a skill or talent that aided the group. One of these people was Leo. Leo is described as a servant who seems to always have what the...
About David
Pastor, mentor, and student of leadership. Twenty years in the U.S. Navy, a lifetime in ministry, and still learning something new every week.