Here’s where the roving eye of Bob Sitze lands on interesting or important events, trends, discoveries, opinions or research that are part of contemporary life. Sometimes missed in spiritually oriented utterances, the stuff of life consists of all the places where God’s hand stirs, supports or motivates. These blogs may also include links for further information or action.
Today, I offer a thought that could easily get lost in the dust storm of anger and anxiety that comes at us every day: Our society’s encouragers could use some encouragement themselves, and you and I could be just the ones to do that! I regularly write letters to a variety of political and societal leaders, usually critical in a nice way. It occurs to me, though, that positive letters—we’ll callMORE...
Let me invite you into a thought experiment that might be useful. Some background first. “What’s next after COVID-19?” is coming our way. Although none of us can accurately predict the future, envisioning specific potentials can work alongside nimble, skillful reactivity. We trust God’s providence, however it might unfold. The experiment starts with questions like these: What do you think willMORE...
My parents always worried about me. (After Chris and I were married, those thoughts included her.) My father’s key question was usually, “Do you have enough money?” and my mother’s queries usually centered on being healthy. They held onto those parenting instincts throughout my adulthood. The present situation—the economy, COVID-19, the political maelstrom—seems to be heightening my own olderMORE...
It’s not uncommon for me to lapse into the false identity of someone who has no power to shape the future. That’s obviously “false” because my wife’s and my sharing/saving/spending practices are potential future-shapers. Where we choose to place our financial assets is one way we can affect the changes we hope will dawn as this pandemic gradually recedes. Because we want to assist organizationsMORE...
As a practitioner of the masked arts, I am happy to share some of my recent mask-related observations and suggestions. I hope you will find them helpful! Some masks are now featuring messages, so it occurs to me that all of us can use our masks—like our T-shirts—to make short statements, or even advertise! “WEAR MASKS LIKE ME” can suggest thoughts such as “NO DUH!”, “I’M NOT STUPID!”, “SIX FEETMORE...
(What follows is a loose riff on Psalm 91:3-6. It’s written from the viewpoint of an avid gardener beset by both varmints and viruses. You’ll have to wait until the middle of July, 2022, though, for this psalm to come around in the lectionary!) For much of this summer, I have spent considerable daytime thought and effort dealing with pests who also claim the fruits of my gardening. The verminMORE...
You may have noticed that there haven’t been any Full of Years blogs lately. Here’s what’s been going on…. So you know, I had run out of the kind of thoughts that source these blogs. I couldn’t find in my soul the kinds of observations that I have hoped might benefit you. All that was coming to mind were angry comments about our distressing national governance. That didn’t seem to be the kind ofMORE...
“Black lives matter”—now both a cultural meme and a growing enterprise–reminds me how the wellbeing of Black persons is too-frequently taken away or tamped down. Systemic racism is named as the cause—rightly so. But another incriminating possibility also comes to mind: That I don’t know the ordinary and extraordinary characteristics of which those lives consist—their matter. I may beMORE...
A classic cartoon genre features a mountaintop sage interacting with a wisdom seeker. The captions spell out possible absurdities in those interactions—seekers or gurus engaged in humorous missteps. Something similar may occur when those of us who are older—sometimes considered to be sage-like—don’t quite measure up to the hopes of those who seek our counsel. That’s how I’m beginning to feelMORE...
Watching shopkeepers and volunteers clean up the damage from the recent rioting and looting, I have seen something reminiscent of what tornado survivors do: Scavenging. Returning to normal starts with sifting through the wreckage to find what might be valuable or critical. If I want to salvage anything or anyone, scavenging is a necessary skill and attitude. Another down-and-dirty elementMORE...
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.