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.
When he was sequestered in his cave, the prophet Elijah may have faced some of the same mental vagaries that I am dealing with. I regularly breathe the same question that must have come to Elijah’s mind as he waited: “What do you want me to do, God?” It’s been over eight months now that I’ve stayed at home most of the time. With my pace of life slowed and narrowed to a seeming sameness, IMORE...
These days I see a lot of REOPEN! signs. These placard-pleas seem to include an implicit hope that we will soon return to “the way it was.” Without abusing anyone’s yearnings for normal life, I’d like to question whether our history is actually heading in that direction. Wondering instead how we might move toward a new normal—actions and attitudes that could be more satisfying than our presentMORE...
In case you want to get a head start on Advent, these few thoughts about the Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-56). In our turbulent times, the words of this prayer remain true in our turbulent times. At any time of the year…. I have reprinted here the Magnificat’s words for your reading—and rejoicing—pleasure: Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. GodMORE...
The cosmos have finally appeared. Along with small purple asters, these late-bloomers have waited all Spring and all Summer before showing their true-and-beautiful colors. In one case—the cosmos—lush greenery had announced only the general health of this flower. In the other case—the asters—these tall plants stood anonymously in the middle of what we thought were prairie weeds, without a hint ofMORE...
If FDR was right about “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” it seems that we might have every reason to be fearful right now. This possibility became evident to me a few days ago after a seniors exercise session. One of the participants wanted to tell a few of us how the rioting and looting of recent months had convinced her that total chaos would come after the November election. IMORE...
My wife and I will soon mail out hand-written postcards to remind voters about the importance of the coming election. As we do this work, we find ourselves reflecting about more than getting the addressee’s names written correctly and writing the same message over and over legibly. This might seem like mindless work, but it isn’t. Chris and I have noticed a definitely spiritual cast to what we’reMORE...
At a racial unity Bible study a few nights ago, I learned a new way to think about the power of older Christians to bring people together. Pastor and author *Tony Evans has offered the metaphor of **emulsion to describe how God’s people can bring together disparate or disagreeing groups of people. As I understand the chemistry, emulsifiers enable the identities of two different substances to beMORE...
In my neck of the woods, a steady, gentle rainfall has been falling for several days. Years ago, some Midwest farmers would have named this kind of weather as a “million-dollar rain” because it helped assure a bountiful crop, rescuing them from financial ruin. This week’s precipitation will save crops that have been threatened by a lingering drought. Rural economies will not fail, the land willMORE...
I see a lot of “Heroes work here” signs around town. The banners and signboards spotlight ongoing appreciation and gratitude for workers whose daily vocations are laudable. Sometimes, though, the intended recipients seem limited to predictable categories: Law-enforcement and medical workers. Although they certainly are heroes, these aren’t the only people whose work is essential to society’sMORE...
With growing evidence that the Caesars of our era are corrupting the world—Jesus’ sentiment about *Caesar-rendering doesn’t sit comfortably in my soul. A quick look at the matter follows…. I understand the setting for Jesus’ answer to his detractors’ tricky question. (See Matthew 22:15-22. )And I know that Paul’s announcement—“The powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1ff)—is part ofMORE...
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.