How is Your Soul? (Walking and Talking Spirituality #20)

How is Your Soul? How is your soul really? How would you know?
Gerald May wrote in Addiction and Grace: “How we view ourselves at any given moment may have very little to do with who we really are.”
Most of us struggle to see ourselves as God does because of shame, guilt and fear. This unholy trinity manifests in these thoughts:
I am not enough. (Shame)
I don’t do enough. (Guilt)
I don’t have enough (Fear)
But how does God truly see me? Have I accepted the reality that I’m unconditionally loved and accepted by God?
Take a deep dive into your soul and open up to God’s love.
How do we do this?
I have found contemplative practices such as centering prayer and journaling to be transformative.
Another critical element is intentional community with persons who will speak honestly and truthfully to us. This may be your life partner, a close friend, or a small group that does life together.
If you are struggling to answer the question, “How is my soul?”, reach out to me. I’ve been there and can help.
Email: Deepdivespirituaity@gmail.com

A Deep Dive Spirituality for Seasons of Winter (Walking and Talking Spir...

Do you have a spirituality that will sustain you during the seasons of winter in life?

What would it look like for you to go back to the basics and double-down on your spiritual
practices and means of grace? 

Open yourself up to new levels of God’s grace by experimenting with journaling and 
contemplative practices such as centering prayer.

What are you doing to sustain yourself spirituality so that you can serve as a voice of 
hope to others during these difficult days?

Remember that Spring is coming. Be a witness today.

What kind of person do I need to become? (Episode 8: Walking and Talking...

Dr. Brian Russell explores this question: What kind of person do I need to become to live out my calling within a missional community?
Growth into the person God created us is vital for our long term spiritual and physical health. Does the way that we live our lives model the actual mission that we believe we are serving?.
Here are some deep dive questions that can help us to grow in our love for God, others, and self:
Who am I apart from the roles that I play and the experiences that I’ve had?
What am I trying really hard not to feel? What do I do to avoid these feelings?
How am I complicit in the reality that I claim I don’t desire for my life?
Interested in a deep dive conversation? Email Dr. Brian Russell: deepdivespirituality@gmail.com

Are You Playing the Long Game?

Are you playing the long game? Or are you going for a quick fix?


Our flesh longs for instantaneous and on demand, but our soul longs for a real meal of depth and abundance.


Here the story about one of Brian's friends whose committed long term to digging deeply in the Psalms. He reads one psalm each day for a week. This includes reading the psalm each day and then reading a different commentary on it daily. He is in year 4 which means he just began his second run through the Psalter.


Imagine the person you'll become by doing a similar deep dive into some practice in your own life.

To what formative practices have you committed deeply?

Work Harder on Yourself than You Do On Your Job

"Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you can make a living, but if you work hard on yourself you'll make a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

Another way to think about Rohn's quotation is to look to
the medieval monk Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard used a metaphor of living as a reservoir rather than as a canal.

In other words, do we live out of the overflow of abundance that comes from our ongoing growth and learning, or do we merely struggle by living and serving out of a static and dwindling level of energy and resources?

What skills, mindsets, insights, and practices are you learning to keep growing?

Introducing Deep Dive Spirituality: A Dynamic Coaching and Formation Program for Pastors and Spiritual Leaders

I've had the privilege of working with pastors and spiritual leaders for over twenty years. In the process, I've learned that many of us, even those who are publicly successful, hold "secrets" close to our heart. They sound like this:

My ministry sometimes feels more like a burden or cross to bear than a joy-filled calling...

I'm profoundly lonely because I have to keep a wall around myself...

I sometimes struggle in my faith with doubt, uncertainty, and fear...

I have a difficult time slowing down and enjoying meaningful hobbies outside of my ministry...

I feel like I have to care for others before I can take time for myself...

I'm worried about the ways my ministry affects the persons whom I love the most (my spouse, children, parents and friends)...

I'm exhausted by the demands of my calling and fear that I'm on the edge of burnout...

Life and ministry do not need to feel this way!

What if you could design a rhythm of life that nourishes your soul and frees you to be your best self for ministry and for your family?

What if you could apply simple tools and resources to rethink your understanding of mission so that you can look forward to the next decade and beyond?

Introducing Deep Dive Spirituality with Dr. Brian Russell

I've been there. I preached my first sermon at age 19 and became a pastor of a local congregation at age 24. Since then, I've served rural, urban, and suburban churches as a pastor. I've also planted a church. Plus over the last twenty years, it's been my privilege to mentor and teach over a thousand students as a seminary professor and to speak in dozens of churches, camps, and conferences. 

I know the heavy load that we carry. I've experienced the pain and disappointment of working in difficult contexts. I've lived through personal trauma. I've struggled to balance work with my heart desire to be a loving husband and father. 

I've had to ask deep questions of myself. Besides continuing to cultivate my expertise as a biblical studies and missional thought leader, I've read hundreds of books on personal development, burnout, recovery, transformation, spiritual growth, time management, and psychology. I've worked with multiple coaches and spiritual guides who helped me to work through my pain and to reboot my life for the highest purpose.  

In the process, I've gained deep insights into the love of God and grown in grace in ways that I'd never previously experienced. I've been sharing bits and pieces of my personal revival with students in class and more deeply in private mentoring. But I believe it's time to share these lessons with frontline ministry leaders like you.

I invite you to join me for a spiritual deep dive:

–Cultivate life enhancing habits rooted in ancient practices that are uniquely designed for your personality and that serve your highest and best self 

–Take immediate control of your time and learn to move through overwhelm and hidden fears

–Create goals for a truly abundant life

–Transform your study into times that feed your soul, mind, and body

–Uncover and experience transformation and healing for your deepest wounds that are sapping you of energy and joy

–Grow into the person God created you to be in a dynamic group experience that you can then replicate in your ministry context to expand your impact on the world

–Work with other like-minded spiritual leaders to create solutions to your most difficult challenges in ministry

The Process

We'll meet as a group via Zoom video conferencing for two live sessions per month. Each session will involve guidance from Dr. Russell, group reflection to apply the new ideas, and a time for a "hot seat" coaching conversation on a ministry challenge or question. Members will covenant to put in the time to do the deep work of growth in between the sessions. Sessions will last roughly an hour.

Interested? Email me at deepdivespirituality@gmail.com

For those desiring a more private process, I am accepting a small number of clients for one on one coaching. 

Brian D. Russell, Ph.D. is an academic dean, professor of biblical studies, Licensed practitioner of NLP, Life Coach and Business consultant.