Author: Dana Russo

Starry Seasons October has always been one of my favorite months of the year. The delicious   experience of crisp air, fresh apples, clear skies, colorful leaves, plaid shirts, boots, campfires and s’mores all signal the beginning of another school year bright with possibilities. October now is sprinkled with mixed emotions as I embrace anniversaries. October […]

  Cru 19 gathered staff from all across the country to be challenged and refreshed at our biennial conference. The theme was BeCause. Many sessions were steeped in times of worship and prayer, reflection, and BEing in God’s presence. This is where true transformation can happen. Unless we can BE in His presence, all efforts […]

LIVE now! I have quite an imagination. Always have. Growing up on a farm I made little people (albeit pets) out of every animal, even dressing up countless cats in doll clothes. For the past 13 years we have enjoyed two outdoor cats that we rescued from Dad’s farm as wild kittens. Their presence has brought […]

Reflections Our Innovation Lab has been working on a video series to encourage honest conversations about diversity, race, and ethnicity. I’m grieved to see how polarizing our culture is becoming. Yet in reality, it’s hard to understand that which we have never experienced. Late April our team spent long hours capturing the “Reflections” of an […]

Comm Lab 19 Early this month thirty-seven leaders from across the nation gathered in Raleigh, NC, for Com Lab ’19. Most were Cru staff along with some local executives and church staff. All came teachable and ready to learn. For many it took more courage than they anticipated. J There were five coaching groups and […]

Do prayers have a shelf life? Or expire? Where do prayers live? Are they kept somewhere before being answered and somewhere else after? So many questions. While eating pizza on spring break Michael got a call from France. We don’t answer calls unless we recognize a name as we get robo calls every day. This […]

A different view “Is this window seat taken?” Due to distressing airline experiences early in my singing career, I developed an ambivalent relationship with flying at 550 mph 40,000 ft. above planet earth. I loved it and hated it. Flight allowed me to share the truth of God’s love with people literally around the world. […]

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Chris Russo! Words fail to describe the delight of seeing Chris and Amy vow to love God and one another the rest of their lives. The thoughtfulness in every detail of the wedding was touching. We loved meeting their dear friends who spent over an hour after the rehearsal dinner to […]

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen […]