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older adults

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In praise of puttering

Sometimes I putter. From the outside, it might look like I’m poking around at random tasks whose end results may not be all that important. My puttering can seem like a waste of time or an avoidance of responsibility. There’s more to puttering than meets the eye, though. Because I think of myself as a steward, I want to maintain and use the assets God has given me. Completing even the smallestMORE...

The confessions of older sinners?

During Sunday worship, it sometimes feels like The Confession is a list of sins that seems to apply mostly to younger folks. As though our mutually confessed sins take place mostly within contexts not applicable or easily available to older adults. Yes, I’m aware that sinfulness extends into older adult lives, perhaps even distilling or concentrating into transgressions that are harder to confessMORE...

Reformers and prophets live on

A Reformation Day thought: We might carry the same passions as prophets or reformers in the past. Those Christ-following people noticed something that needed correcting. Perhaps it seemed small, but it was connected to larger matters. By calling attention to and resolving a perhaps-minor problem, these believers hoped eventually to affect wider change. They started simply, marshalling theirMORE...

Holding up Moses’ arms today

It’s that time of year when leaders might need some help. Perhaps those of us who are full of years might be the ones to *hold up our Moses’ arms! Post-holiday realities are galumphing back into leaders’ priorities: Future planning, fiscal years wrapping up, performance reviews, annual meeting reports. Some leaders might be nearly overwhelmed by start-of-year tasks, roles or responsibilities; theMORE...

Rhizomes among us

NOTE: It is said that when you let a writer loose in a garden, you can expect perhaps-strange exultations framed by organic metaphors. Today I illustrate how that maxim might be true! While battling the gardener’s scourge that is Creeping Charlie, I found myself wondering why *rhizomes seem so widespread, so insistent and so successful. After a little research I found that this variety ofMORE...

BONUS FEATURE: Elderly exegetics (January)

  Today’s entry continues a series of short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These entries may prove helpful in interpreting the appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. JANUARY Background It seems appropriate to look at biblical texts from the viewpoint of older adults, who were among the original writersMORE...

BONUS FEATURE: Elderly exegetics

Today’s entry continues a series of short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These entries may prove helpful in interpreting the appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. December Background It seems appropriate to look at biblical texts from the viewpoint of older adults, who were among the original writers, hearersMORE...

The mind of Christ

  I’ve always loved this concept—beautifully detailed in Philippians 2:1-11. The passage summarizes much of what Jesus was like, characteristics that place him on a pedestal of admiration, someone his followers—me included—hope to emulate. It has occurred to me recently that, because I’m an older adult now, I just might have a special vantage point for putting this “mind of Christ” idea intoMORE...

Stranger danger

Today’s entry is meant especially for older guys. Although I’m keeping the tone light, this matter is serious enough to encourage men past a certain age to be aware of the possibility that they may be perceived as dangerous, even when they are not. Just when we thought we were aging into a stage in life when our older-guy presence provided calm and assurance to those around us, the opposite mayMORE...

An older Christmas 1

Those of us who are older bring to this season strong memories of Christmas Past—for most of us nothing to be afraid of…. The nostalgia that Christmas brings might be an especially fruitful place to visit alongside older friends and relatives. “How did you used to celebrate Christmas?” can call forth a wonderful array of customs and activities, each wrapped in fascinating stories that drawMORE...

Bob Sitze

BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.

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