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The Session with Tom Russell

By: RISE FM Ohio
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  • Summary

  • Join us every Thursday at 10 a.m. as we explore issues facing the family and the church today. Tom’s heart is to encourage marriages and Pastors. We try to approach every issue through the lens of Scripture, with a sensitivity to the families listening, and use humor when we can. No matter what the issue, we celebrate life in Jesus, and celebrate success! Which for us, means getting through more than 2 points a week!
    2020
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Episodes
  • The Session: More Mother's Day Thoughts

    The Session: More Mother's Day Thoughts
    May 9 2024
    "Mom"...."Stepmom" Such important names, such important people. On this episode, Tom & Scott share thoughts on honoring mom.The Session: Helps For Honoring Your Mother On Mothers DayExodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother,” and Leviticus 19:3, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.”By Amy Bost Henegar. She has been a pastor for the Manhattan Church of Christ in New York City since 2001. She has a Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary and is a Board Certified Chaplain.Mothering Can Be PainfulThe relationship between a mother and her child has as much potential to be filled with pain and grief as any other human relationship. In fact, disappointments in the mother-child relationship may be exacerbated by the fact that motherhood is glorified, and mothers are expected to easily love, care and devote themselves to their children in a superhuman way.( Christianity Today)Isaiah 66:13 "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." Proverbs 31:25-27 "Strength and honor are her clothing; she is confident about the future. Her mouth is full of wisdom; kindly teaching is on her tongue. She is vigilant over the activities of her household; she doesn't eat the food of laziness."We have the opportunity, on Mother’s Day especially, to be honest with our congregations about the pain and disappointment that is inevitable in the sinful human relationships of a broken world. We can then proclaim the good news about God’s commonwealth of love, where every person is invited to have a second, third and fourth (or seventy times seventh) chance at building healthy, life-giving relationships. Those who have experienced the deepest disappointments in human relationships are invited over and over again to be mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, to each other within the body of Christ.Mothers Day / StepmomsLaura Petherbridge serves couples and single adults with topics on spiritual growth, relationships, marriage enhancement and divorce recovery. As someone in a second marriage herself, she is also a stepmother. Several years ago, she released The Smart Stepmom, co-written with step-family expert Ron Deal.“I do want to add that it is perfectly acceptable to honor a stepmother on Mother’s Day if the idea of acknowledgment comes from the child.”She also suggests dads should be the one to make their wives feel special, as the stepmother of his children:“Stepmothers need to know that their husbands see the little things that his kids don’t appreciate her for, and that he wants to honor her for what she does for their family.”Petherbridge knows this from personal experience. After two years of sad Mother’s Days, she took the initiative to communicate to her husband about how this day made her feel.“I had to go to my husband, and let him know that it would make me feel appreciated if he did something special for me,” she said. “There is a misconception that husbands cannot honor their wives on Mother’s Day for what they do, because they are not their mothers. It’s just simply a way of validating his wife in her role.”For Petherbridge and other stepmoms, this can do more than lessen the sting of rejection by the stepchildren: “It strengthens the marriage, which is the primary relationship in any home. Besides, women don’t need a big hoopla. They just want to be appreciated.”From Family Life Blended: Ways to celebrate Mother’s Day as a stepmomA variety of variables play into how a stepchild reacts on Mother’s Day. The length of your marriage, your husband’s support, the age of your stepchildren, the biological mom’s behavior, and the environment in your home are a few things that contribute.If your stepchildren honor you, embrace the offering. But if they don’t, make a conscious effort to not take it personally. Here are a few suggestions to help you celebrate Mother’s Day, regardless of what your stepchildren do. Pick one or two or create one of your own to construct a day that leaves you feeling special for the valuable role you offer your stepfamily.1. Abandon your house and spend the day at a nearby lake, bike path, or hiking trail.Absorb the beauty of nature while you count your blessings. Set goals with your spouse to help you become more connected in your stepfamily, like regular game nights, stepmom-stepdaughter shopping dates, or movie nights as a family. Pray together for each member of your stepfamily.2. Find another stepmom who’s having a difficult time and spend the afternoon with her.Encourage her efforts and talk through her challenges. Laugh together and affirm one another. Commit to offer support on an ongoing basis as you reflect on Scripture to help. Here’s one of my favorites: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).3. Spend the day with your own mother to celebrate Mother’s Day.Tell her ...
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    25 mins
  • The Session: When Mother's Day is Hard

    The Session: When Mother's Day is Hard
    May 2 2024

    In this episode, we see Mother's Day through the eyes of a woman hurting on Mother's Day. It a different perspective that deserves to be looked at.

    The Session: When Mother’s Day isn’t a normal Mother’s Day, or, How to Handle Mother’s Day When It Feels Hard

    Shannon Kaney with Hope Griffin

    Mother’s Day is not an easy one for me.

    I am an unmarried woman with no children. Each year, and each day, I am grieving the death of my own mother. For me, this day reminds me of a lot of hurt.

    Each year, millions of dollars are spent on Mother’s Day cards, flowers, gifts and special meals. As a result, for several weeks leading up to this special day, I’m confronted with Mother’s Day messages in stores, on TV, on social media and even in church.

    I desire to be in church that day because I genuinely want to celebrate my friends who are mothers and be surrounded by my church family, but it’s hard.

    On Mother’s Day, the pastor asks all the mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers to stand. As the rest of the congregation applauds, I notice I’m one of very few women still sitting.

    My heart aches as I fight back tears. I think of my own mom and wonder if I will ever have the chance to be a mother. Being unmarried with no children can leave me feeling like an outcast on Mother’s Day. What’s missing from my life becomes glaringly obvious.

    In the midst of my grief and disappointment, God desires for me to invite Him into my pain. He welcomes my questions, sadness and even anger. In return, He showers me with His love and brings healing to my heart.

    When the pain of living in a broken and fallen world becomes too much to bear, when life turns out differently than you expect, how will you choose to react? How will you invite God into your disappointment and pain? How will you seek the Lord and rest in Him?

    In Matthew 11:28-29 (New International Version), Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

    Despite my unfulfilled desires, I’ve learned that Mother’s Day also presents an opportunity to serve others. God has brought several women into my life who have served as surrogate mothers and mentors to me. Now it’s my turn to pay that gift forward.

    As I take time to think about how I can give to others, I find that the work I’m doing is why God has placed me where and how I am right now. I get to (Emphasize-GET TO:

    • Mentor young women.
    • Babysit for my friends.
    • Make meals for families in need
    • Care deeply for the children in my life.
    • Look for opportunities to speak up for children where I live.

    Though my life looks different than I imagined it would, motherhood and marriage are not necessary for me to have hope and purpose. Every woman’s story looks different and holds value.


    Next Steps

    If Mother’s Day is hard for you, try doing the following:

    1. Be honest with God. Bring your emotions, sadness, frustration and even your anger to Him. Take time to grieve and lament.

    2. Reach out to the women of influence in your life. If your mom has passed away or your relationship is difficult, refocus on the women who have influenced you over the years. Send an encouraging note expressing how they have impacted your life.

    Nurture others. Who has God placed in your life for you to care for? Don’t resist the opportunities to pour into the lives of others. Embrace the chance to be an adopted aunt for a military child, a big sister for a foster kid or a mentor to a younger woman.


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    25 mins
  • The Session: When God Seems Silent

    The Session: When God Seems Silent
    Apr 25 2024

    Feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling? Like nobody's listening? You are NOT alone. On this episode of The Session, we talk through what to do, what that feels like. And please listen for a special request we have during the episode too! We are asking for your input on future episodes!

    The Session: When God Appears Silent-Recognize That Silence Can Be Intimate

    Psalm 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

    Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

    When We Don’t Feel Ready To Listen

    He wants to talk to us about something, but we aren't ready. We have to go through refining trials to make us ready to listen. God is sometimes silent because He knows we aren't willing to obey. He is always ready to show us His will, but He shows His will only to those who really want to do it

    John 7:17-18

    Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth;

    Finally, sometimes God is silent that He might test us--to teach us the importance of silence, the importance of waiting on Him. Waiting helps remind us of God's sovereignty

    5 Things to Do When God Seems Silent, by Jessica Wicks

    1. Examine Your Life

    Begin by asking yourself, Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? Make sure nothing is blocking you from being able to hear God’s voice.

    Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened” (New Living Translation). This requires looking deeply at our lives.

    Ask yourself: Is there anything (or anyone) I love more than God?

    2. Accept God’s Authority

    Recognize that God can be silent. There is no obligation for God to answer you, inform you or let you know anything.

    “Job chose to let God be God. “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” he asked (Job 2:10, NLT).

    3. Listen to What God Is Saying

    Although God may seem silent regarding a specific request or petition, remember that He is in a constant state of communication with us.

    In fact, it is possible that you already have an answer from God. The Bible is full of specific answers about what is right and wrong, as well as information about God’s character and His intention for us as His children and His followers.

    So don’t forget to dig into God’s Word — His written communication to us — to find out what He has to say about the problems you are facing or the questions you are asking. As you read the Bible, ask God to speak to you through the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of you.

    4. Recognize That Silence Can Be Intimate - Silence can also be a sign of God’s trust in you.

    In love, silence can be a sign of intimacy.

    For Job, God’s silence was also a result of the depth of their relationship. When Satan approached God, God said, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8, ESV). God chose Job because He trusted him.

    5. Keep Talking to God

    Just because God seems silent doesn’t mean you should doubt Him or stop praying.

    God’s silence isn’t a license for us to turn our backs on Him. Instead, it’s an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently.

    The psalmists modeled crying out to God. David said, “Oh my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest” (Psalm 22:2, ESV
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    25 mins
Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living Christianity Spirituality
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