Close to Home Podcast: Recent Episodes
Chris Russo
My name is Chris Russo, and I’m the host of the Close to Home podcast. The goal of this podcast is to provide inspiring content to assist you in your spiritual journey. I aspire to always provide short, authentic episodes that are close to home for me and hopefully for you too. Enjoy!
Welcome Home!Talking with Executive Chef Marc Collins of, Circa 1886. A restaurant in Downtown Charleston!#christianpodcast #podcast #closetohome #letstalk #interview #grace #identityinchrist
Link to Book: https://a.co/d/gflumcq
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Missionary Training: https://www.predictprotection.com/stres
Welcome Home!Today we talk about service to others and the pitfalls of waiting for our fruit!You can get in touch with Mark here:Website-markrhodesconsulting.comEmail-mark@markrhodesconsulting.comInstagram-@rhodesword
WEOLCOME HOME!
We dive into fitness today and our guest (Charity's) journey.
we dive into a sensitive subject today to shed light into some of Charity's past.
Welcome Home!Diving into Chris's book "Room To Breathe" and some of the lies we tell ourselves!Let us know what you struggle with.
Welcome Home!
Testimony time! Kalen shares his journey with us
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Leave a comment and share a testimony with us!
Hearing God's voice!
Talking through discernment and some of the struggles we face!
Thank you to B Squared for joining us today!
Leave a comment about some of the ways you've heard God speaking to you!
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Getting Back Into The ChurchChris & David discuss the issue of Church hurt and finding your way back. @CloseToHomePodcast
Bringing in the New Year with Prayer!Chris and David talk about prayer and the power and impact it has.What are you praying for in 2024?!?
Let us know in the comments about your prayer journey and your resolutions for the year!
In this episode, we talk about direction for the new year and staying focused on our resolutions!What Goals do you have? What is holding you back from reaching them?Let us know in the comments!#podcast #podcasts #CloseToHomePodcast #letstalk
Today Chris and David navigate the waters of parenting after they grow up with special guest Mike Weston.
In this episode, we talk about the direction we will be taking the podcast as well as, touching on the topic of disagreement.
I’ve taken a long break from the podcast but am ready to start posting regularly again. Thanks for being on board!
I had the honor of officiating 3 memorial services in the last few weeks and here are some of my reflections on the brevity of life.
Some reflections on the book of John and specifically, the way John refers to himself in his gospel.
Some quick reflections on executing on your highest priority tasks in the beginning of the day and at the start of the week.
If we’re ever going to experience the life change we want to see, we have to get used to enlisting God’s helping in attacking the root of the problems we face.
Let’s face it...we face a lot of adversity as we seek to take the ground that God wants to give us. Let’s be real about the struggle and resolve to never, ever quit!
These two mentalities are worlds apart and the path we choose has everything to do with what our lives will look like.
My 4th grade teacher told me that I “made mountains out of molehills.” Needless to say, I’m well-practiced in the fine art of worrying. Contrary to popular belief, God did not design us to live lives of worry and anxiety. Let’s talk about how we can grow and experience more peace.
We can learn a lot from funerals if we know what to pay special attention to. Here are some of my reflections from the life of Cody Carlton.
In a world where people don’t take their word very seriously, followers of Christ have a tremendous opportunity to shine by simply doing what we say we’re going to do.
I’ve spent way too much time worrying about my reputation and not nearly enough time thinking about my character. Here are some brief reflections on the differences between the two.
My English Cream Retriever loves to pull the leash on his walk ultimately missing the walk altogether. Ever pull God into things? Relationships? Finances? What is it that we can learn from Ellington. To watch the video check out out FB page Close to Home Podcast.
My 10 year old, Isaac and I talking about what it looks like to seek God’s will above our own.
As we kick off 2021, I wanted to offer some helpful thoughts on creating meaningful change in the different areas of our lives.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Christianity is about God’s pursuit of us and not our pursuit of him. Christmas is a great reminder of this important truth.
A simple encouragement for those who, like me, sometimes get tired and aren’t always sure if their efforts are worth it.
20 years ago today I committed my life to Christ and I’ve never been the same. Here are some reflections on the journey, so far. Hope they’re helpful.
We are moving away from “Daily 1 Minute Message” and changing the name of the podcast to, Close To Home. Here is the reasoning for the transition and what you can anticipate moving forward!
Do you keep putting off Bible reading, praying, journaling, finding a mentor, etc? How do we know where and when to start?
We often don’t think that there is a cost, the Christian life is full of rainbows and unicorns and Jesus is just there to make sure that we are comfortable until we get to heaven. But there’s a true cost of discipleship and Jesus says to pick up your cross, a.k.a. be prepared to lay down your life, because that’s where I’m going.
Following Jesus is a great adventure and every adventure involves risk. Let’s talk about it!
Through Jesus and with His help, you can change your thoughts. Get in the habit of changing the channel to what is positive and constructive.
In seasons of negativity and anxious thoughts, we're challenged to place our thoughts elsewhere.
We do this all the time in scripture through parables or narratives because we read most things with us as the main character. Read John 15 and see Jesus speak about the vine and our position as branches.
A careful look into what is, and what’s not our responsibility in difficult conversations.
Asking how you need to improve can be scary but it ultimately brings us closer to the one we're asking.
This parable is about the gift of Jesus Christ and the Gospel given to us and the Master asking “What did you do with this gift?”
Sometimes we don't get to accomplish what we want in our lifetimes. How are you stockpiling for the next generation?
Catching up on 2020 with the Daily One Message Team on all the feels. How have you connected with God and what do we do now looking forward!?
Are you claiming parts of your identity that aren't actually true? We'll explore what God says about us versus what we say about ourselves.
What if your reason you’re at that job, that person, is annoying? What are you to do about it?
Resisting the Creator of the universe is hard, hard work. If we’ll decide to surrender every area of our lives to Jesus, we’ll find ourselves running with the wind rather than against it.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten along the path of spiritual and mental development is to follow my intellectual curiosity. I hope this piece of advice is as helpful to you as it was to me!
God is all powerful against the enemy and yet He tells us on Eph 6:10 to put on the full armor of God so that we can take a stand in this fight.
We have so much at our finger tips to know God and see God. Our confidence in Him should be out the roof!
Do you have intentional times of rest? We'll explore what it looks like to skip the rest we don't think we need.
My little girl picks out the marshmallows (good) and separates them from the others parts of the cereal (bad) in Lucky Charms. Hebrews 4:12 Tells us the word of God divides what is of earth and what is of heaven, our attitude and our thoughts. The Word then becomes a filter to know what is good and bad in this world when often we are unsure.
When you approach God with confidence, you approach more often, ask for more and come authenticity.
One of the biggest challenges in the Christian journey is the tension between being “already there,” and “not there yet.” The answer to this tension is to have a constant mentality of growth. Let’s explore that, here!
In prayer, it’s relatively easy to spend all our time sharing our requests and thoughts, but it’s so important that we take the time to listen. Let’s explore the topic of listening to God, here.
Psalm 1 has ministered to me so much over the years and I wanted to spend a little time with us focusing on it together.
Remember tests when you were in school? I personally hated them and always took all the time needed to complete them. No matter what test we take most test do end. Tests are temporary not permanent. It is in the thinking they are “permanent” where we develop a hardened heart. How do you get out of that mentality?
What if you had a missing piece that someone needed and all you needed to do, is speak love to them and it filled it? Your words can create and help others grow!
These days, most people readily admit that they’re not great at listening. When was the last time you felt someone showed genuine interest in your story? On this episode, let’s look at the gift of listening and how we can make the world a better place by offering this valuable gift.
It is crazy how sin always under delivers. It promises the world and yet gives you even more emptiness than before. Yet, Jesus gives us fulfillment on earth and paradise to look forward to in heaven.
Paul gives us two ways of seeing and hearing the message of Christ. What one do you fall into? For me, I wish I understood and could perceive more. Check out Acts 28 as Paul gives one of his final speeches to religious leaders. Maybe he is talking to us?
I think sometimes we think it is more spiritual or trusting to always just pray general prayers, but I think scripture gives us plenty of encouragement to pray very specifically. Join me for a quick look at this important topic!
A serendipitous encounter at a coffee shop this morning encouraged me to remember that, as believers, we have countless opportunities to bless others.
Especially when your routine gets thrown off, having helpful habits in place is a simple and powerful way to make sure you don't get off track. Hope this helps!
As a creature of habit, one of the most challenging things for me in this time is the disruption of many of my routines. What if we saw these disruptions as opportunities to go to God to create a new and better normal? Let's explore that, here!
Freedom is a word that many value, but one that is difficult to define. Let’s examine this exciting topic together, here!
I’m sure many of you can relate that 2020 has not been what any of us thought it would be. To be honest, I’ve been in a bit of a creative funk, but I’m coming out of that, thankfully. I look forward to posting more regularly and I hope this this podcast continues to be an encouragement to you!
The Coronavirus is forcing many to focus on our own mortality and I believe this can be a very good thing. Let’s explore this together.
Through a silly mistake I made today, I think we can all learn a valuable lesson. Let’s grow together.
Today, I learned a humbling lesson about putting others ahead of yourself that I’d love to share with you.
I’m scared of heights but I have found some significant parallels when it comes to following Jesus and rock climbing. Join me on this episode and we’ll explore them together!
There are breakthroughs and discoveries all around us, all the time. We just need to use the right tools, in the right way to get the results we Long for.
I don’t know if y’all relate to this, but I really struggle with patience. Let’s talk, commiserate and grow in this together!
I’ve been talking about panic attacks and this, right here, has been one of the most significant breakthroughs of my life.
In this episode, I’ll briefly explore 7 different practices that helped me move through the uphill climb of panic attacks.
It’s pretty vulnerable for me to share, but I’ve struggled for years when it comes to having panic attacks. Join me in this multi-part series as we journey through a struggle that causes many to suffer in silence.
For real and lasting breakthrough in any area, you have to get to the problem behind the problem. I hope this episode encourages you to get to the bottom of whatever “it” is.
A coach isn’t always going to take it easy on you, but at the end of the day, you don’t really want them to. Let’s explore the value of a good coach, together.
I absolutely loved my first job as a paper boy and I wanted to share with you how I see it connecting to what I get to do now!
Most people obsess over the opportunities they don’t have and miss what’s right in front of them. Let’s turn this around and be maximizers!
These two words are very different and lead to very different outcomes. Let’s explore the distinction in this episode.
We all have things in our lives that need to grow and things in our lives that need to die. I hope this episode encourages you to choose wisely.
God has called each of us to a life of risk, adventure and trust. Tune into this episode for some direction and encouragement.
How we interpret prayers that seem unanswered is very important to our spiritual growth and development. I hope this episode helps in offering some wisdom on how to navigate these sometimes troubling waters.
If our habits don’t support our goals, chances are high that we won’t end up where God desires us to be.
What would you say to you if you met you? An interesting question we’ll explore on this episode.
In this episode, I hope to provoke your thinking as to what makes life worth living....we have to have a cause that is far greater than ourselves.
The gospel invites us to work from a place of God’s favor rather than wearing ourselves out, trying to earn it.
Most of us have a tendency to work in the systems of our lives, but rarely do we work on them. I hope this episode encourages you to take a step back and analyze the systems you currently have in place.
I was 17 or 18, sort of believed in God and finally came to the end of my rope. Here are some reflections on what I consider to be the first prayer I ever prayed.
The gospel of Jesus Christ can be understood and presented in many different ways. In this episode, I’ll share a perspective that’s relatively new to me and I’d love to hear your feedback back at chrisrusso@seacoast.org.
All of us face a daily temptation to act like we’ve got it all together and in this episode, I address fighting this temptation head on and embracing an attitude of personal growth.
When it comes to problem solving, many of us have a tendency to want to bury our heads in the sand knowing this ultimately won’t work out in the long run. Let’s learn together how to confront our issues head on!
The life God invites us into isn’t always easy, but it’s also not always supposed to feel like obligation. Let’s explore this some together in this episode.
With all the different goals and all the different resolutions, let’s remember to keep the main thing, the main thing as we move into 2020!
For a long time, I’ve had a tendency to think about the future as if it were me against the world. As lonely and challenging as that mentality is, I found a strange kind of pseudo-strength in it. Recently, I’ve begun to identify this way of thinking as unhealthy and unproductive. Here are some quick reflections on that.
On Christmas, we celebrate and recognize the initiation of the greatest rescue mission the world has ever seen. Merry Christmas!
Sometimes we are looking for a way out of our situation when fulfillment will only come when we see our situation with a different perspective
Opportunities to bless others are all around us, all the time...we just have to learn to notice them.
Let’s make sure we take time to celebrate God’s faithfulness in the busyness of this season.
Going to church can be seen in countless ways. In this episode, I share some thoughts and motivation that you may have not considered before. Have a great day!
Our hearts, for better or for worse, have a lot to do with the course of our lives and...they are under attack. We’ll explore this more in this episode.
There are certain things we devote our time to here on earth that won’t matter at all on the other side. In this short episode, my aim is to help rivet our attention on what ultimately matters most.
Thoughts about zooming out in the different areas of our lives and making sure we are looking at the bigger picture.
We treat the rejection of others as though it were infallible, when it’s really just someone’s flawed opinion. Here are some quick thoughts from Jia Jang’s, Rejection Proof.
I’ve struggled with the difference between contentment and complacency. I’ll explore the distinction in this episode!
I’ve learned there’s a big difference between asking for forgiveness and saying, “I’m sorry.” Let’s explore the distinction together in this episode.
None of us are going to get to the end of our lives and wish we had invested less in things like our marriages, our families, our friendships or our relationship with God....so, let’s work backwards and make the conscious decision now to invest consistently in what matters most to us.
The value of having wise people in your life cannot be overstated. We’ll explore that in today’s episode.
So, my son, Jonathan, has a tooth that’s barely hanging on, but because he’s scared, he refuses to pull it. As his dad, I want to force him to, but it’s his body, so I feel like I have to let him suffer through this one. I wonder how often God has to watch us needlessly suffer when our lives would be infinitely easier if we’d just follow his wisdom.
Sometimes to get the results you want, you gotta stop focusing on the results. It may seem counterintuitive, but let me explain.
Sometimes our prayers feel like we’re stranded on a deserted island and we have 1 flare left in the gun. Rest assured, God will never let you down.
It’s a simple, but difficult matter of integrity that will help us tremendously in all areas of life. How consistently do we do what we say we’re going to do? Let’s resurrect this simple, but somewhat forgotten virtue.
One thing I love about God is no matter how much we know about him, we are just getting started. I hope this encourages you and challenges you to pursue God more!
I think many of us carry an irrational fear when it comes to confronting the realities of life. Whether it’s looking under the hood to see how our car is doing or going to the doctor to get a check-up, most of us have an aversion to the cold, hard facts. Let’s explore this together in this episode.
It’s no secret that we live fast-paced lives and that we’re often addicted to a pace that is simply unhealthy for us to live in. What would it look like for your soul to slow down a bit? I explore that in this episode.
There are few killers out there as toxic as offense. Holding onto an offense will poison your soul faster than you can blink an eye, so let’s go to war against this toxic killer together.
The only way to keep growing is to be willing to embrace discomfort and failure on the road to success. I hope this episode encourages you to step into the unknown to fully embrace all that God has for you.
None of us want to be in a difficult situation, but sometimes these tough spots are where we encounter God the most profoundly.
People view clergy in all kinds of ways, so I thought it might be interesting for me to share how I fundamentally view my role as pastor.
I have a tendency to say, “yes” to commitments too easily. Let’s learn to prioritize our calendars and only say, “ yes” to the best possible things.
A huge part of seeing the results in our lives that we want to see is making sure we’re always learning and growing. I hope this message inspires and empowers you to learn and grow in the direction God has called you in.
In life, one of the most important assets we have access to is solid perspective. The challenge of course, is that our perspective is fallible and needs to be regularly challenged. In this episode, I offer some helpful advice on how to make sure your perspective is an asset and not a liability.
The word, “friend” has become a junk drawer into which we throw all kinds of ideas and definitions. Brad is one of my very best friends and in this episode, we have a casual conversation on what friendship means to us. Hope you enjoy!
When the trials of life squeeze us the most, the power of God can be displayed the most clearly. Hope this message encourages you!
I believe God has placed a deep longing in our hearts for the mysterious, the transcendent and the extraordinary. I hope this episode encourages and guides you to have an extraordinary and purposeful week!
My hope and prayer today is to see God do what only he can do. Just some encouraging thoughts heading into Sunday!!
We all tend to think we operate with the necessary information to make the important decisions in our lives...but quite frequently we find ourselves leading others and not truly understanding where they’re coming from. Here are some quick leadership thoughts I gained from a somewhat humbling experience.
Some people are famous and not great while others are great, but not famous. In this episode, I use some of my story to talk through this simple, but important distinction.
September 24, 1992 was one of the most defining days of my life. It’s the day my mom, Joan Russo passed away. I use this extended episode to share with you some of the processing I’ve done and how I believe God can bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. (Isaiah 61:3)
A lot of times we fail to see God in the mundane day to day details of our lives. Here’s some simple advice from a prolific author that may help cure a strong case of the Mondays.
If you desire to follow God, part of the deal is repeatedly walking into circumstances and opportunities that are way too big for you. The comfort in this is that’s when trusting God becomes the only way to persevere. I believe this is the place God wants us to live in because that’s when his power shows up the most clearly.
Most of us tend to take the “What if?” question in the wrong direction. We imagine the worst case scenarios and are filled with unhelpful and harmful anxiety. What if we used “What if” to our advantage and spun it around in the opposite direction? Hope this episode encourages you!
Many of the divisions in our world today are caused by men and women who are so certain of they’re opinions, that everyone else must be wrong. Humility is needed, here and I hope this episode helps to encourage the lost art of being teachable.
In our fast paced, overly connected world, we have to be more intentional than ever when it comes to creating margin. I hope this episode encourages you to create the space your soul desperately needs.
Too many people sit back as arm chair critics of the church rather than being a part of the solution. Prayer has tremendous power to heal and transform. Let’s move beyond our offenses and pray that the church would become all that God’s designed it to be.
What or who we’re motivated by defines us in a lot of ways. I wanted to share with you guys the source of some of my motivation in hopes that it will help you in your search.
If we’re never in settings where we can share how we really think and feel, we run the risk of becoming completely disconnected from ourselves. I hope this episode encourages and challenges you and have a great day!
Not every struggle we face can be put into tidy boxes, but that doesn’t make them any less real. I hope this episode encourages you. We all have way more in common than we have differences.
I’m about to speak to about 300 middle and high school students this morning and I’m praying that God would show up powerfully. What if we were all desperate for God to use us every single day?
Let’s make going to church about being real...not a day when we feel like we need to be at our absolute best. Have a great day!
Storms on the inside of us can oftentimes effect us even more than the storms on the outside of us. How might God be speaking to you through the internal storms and how are you going to respond?
Growth means stepping out of your comfort zone. What authors, resources or people are you currently spending time with who are challenging your perspective?
When the storms of life come, be they physical or spiritual, it’s easy for us to react emotionally instead of looking to God and seeking his perspective. I hope this episode challenges you to think about the way you think.
God wants us to find him, but he invites us into an all out pursuit. It’s an encouragement as well as a challenge. Hope you enjoy this episode!
To achieve your goals, you need a greater sense of calling where the goals are merely mile markers along the way. Hope this episode challenges and inspires you!
Have you ever written out the dreams you feel called to for the future and shared them with anyone? That’s what I’ll be encouraging you to do in this episode!
I’m so excited to begin this podcast! It’s been something I’ve thought about for a long time. As with any dream, you have to take the first step, so here goes nothing. What’s an area of your life where you need to change the status quo? What’s something new you need to try that could be a game-changer? You’ll never know unless you’re willing to take the first step!