Author: rustytugman

A prayer for holiness by William Loader... O God, You are holy, and deep within ourselves where our souls touch the ground, where our being meets your being, we are on holy ground and your holiness surrounds us and calls our name. Your holiness is your goodness, your generosity towards us and the silence which … Continue reading Make Us Holy (A Prayer)

Do you ever get discouraged? Do you ever get discouraged in your faith? Do you ever get discouraged with the church? Do you ever get discouraged with your ability to obey Jesus consistently? Do you ever get discouraged with the world? Yes! We all do at times. I do at times. So, how do we … Continue reading How to Deal with Discouragement

In Genesis 15, as God is making his covenant with Abram/Abraham, God says to him, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield..." (v. 1). I love that line. "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield..." Ever since then, as evidenced by Scripture, people have described God accordingly. This is also how I have experienced God. … Continue reading “I Am Your Shield”

In their classic book on leadership, The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner share the findings of one of the most comprehensive research studies ever done on leadership. That study shows that the most effective leaders do 5 things consistently well. Those five practices can also apply to Christ-followers who sincerely want to share … Continue reading 5 Commitments Every Christian Should Make in 2023

Research has shown that the most impactful habit/discipline on a person's spiritual growth is regularly reading the Bible. This should come as no surprise to us since we know that what we read greatly influences our thinking. The benefits of reading the Bible are many, but here are three: The Bible shows us God's character … Continue reading Read the Bible in 2023

What were the big moments, memories, and milestones from this year? What were my biggest wins and accomplishments of the year? What things do I look back on most fondly that brought me the most energy and joy? What things do I look back on less fondly that drained my energy? How can I do … Continue reading 20 Questions To Help You Reflect on 2022 and Get Ready for 2023

Born. That word is filled with promise and possibility. Born. It announces the existence of something or someone new. It proclaims, "I am here." Born. It speaks of creation. It gives a nod to the miraculous. Born. It's an experience common to all living things. Including Jesus, and... Because Jesus was born, I have a … Continue reading Born (A Christmas Poem)

Love now Don't wait til the clock runs out All you've got is today Right here, right where you are, love fierce Love brave, love first, don't wait Love now (from "Love Now" by Steven Curtis Chapman)

Remembering a good man on his birthday today... Coy D Tugman, age 75, went to be with the Lord on March 22, 2019. He was surrounded by his family, who loved him dearly. Coy was born on December 11, 1943, in Lindsay, Oklahoma, to Dave and Mary (Hanley) Tugman. He was the second of two … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Dad!

We have access to too much information. Wouldn't you agree? Not only that, but the rate at which all this information breaks onto the scene is overwhelming - to the point that trying to keep up has become an exercise in futility. And trying to keep up has been shown, through research and our own … Continue reading The Wisdom Pyramid