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.
It sees odd that for years I’ve underestimated one name of Jesus—as Baby or as Messiah—that’s the most striking, most radical, and yet the most necessary: Prince of Peace! I might need to reassess my too-easily overlooked part of Jesus’ work. In biblical history, what king (or prince) was known primarily as a peacemaker? What I see in the Bible’s kings is exactly the opposite. Those rulers—mostMORE...
In his beloved hymn, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, the 19th century pastor and hymnwriter Edmund Sears wrote that the angels sang “o’er the Babel sounds.” That short phrase strikes me as a hopeful note within the tumult of current news events and trends. (Wars, loudly ranting politicians, relentless climate change and AI’s rampaging all come to mind.) What Sears recalled was an angelic lateMORE...
Advent weather in the Northern hemisphere—darkness, cold, mixed precipitation, etc .—invites me into cozy caves of theological thought that I trust will eventually emerge as something useful. Today, two musings scrawled on the walls of this temporary hiding place: Hope and creativity, and End Times hope…. Chris and I are part of a congregation where creativity— demonstrated by pastors, staffMORE...
In its original manifestation—4th century CE—Advent was the time for converts to Christianity to prepare themselves for their baptisms at Epiphany. That ancient practice might be helpful as we try to wrestle with the current state of the world, and our place in it. Some personal thoughts…. Back in my halcyon days, waiting could feel like a waste—”So much to do and so little time.” IMORE...
(As this year’s calendar winds down, I hearken back to Psalm 90 , a lifelong favorite. One of its thoughts has stayed with me all my life: “So teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom.” [KJV} Today some thoughts about day-numbering.) As I’ve grown older, I’ve often found myself “numbering my days.” For me, that means taking stock of how time is passing, perhapsMORE...
One of Chicagoland’s best newspaper columnists is a guy named *Neil Steinberg. Like all good writers, he’s nimble with words. His faith, heritage and life experience have rendered him wise, empathetic and honest. His columns consistently shine light on difficult subjects, and he showers kindness on under-appreciated facets of civic life. He’s transparent about his emotions, his struggles and hisMORE...
Lately I’ve felt nudged towards thoughts and attitudes that in other times I would have called unhinged. Chaotic international and domestic events highlight supposed leaders whose pronouncements seem deranged. (For example, competing national leaders trumpet the supposed benefits of oppression and/or aggression. Incoherently angry people gather followers and legitimacy. Self-destructiveMORE...
It’s difficult to be a pastor in normal times, but that ministry may be even harder right now: Some members and their enterprises are coming undone. Those of us who try to care for others may encounter individuals whose mental states seem to be coming off the rails. As your pastor may be experiencing, that’s tough work. What, then, can we do for our cherished leaders? A few thoughts comeMORE...
Today’s entry might serve as a kind of prequel for your Reformation Day (Sunday) celebration. My spouse Chris’s observation: You can’t “re” anything that doesn’t already exist, so it makes sense that there must have been some kind of valuable formation before the Protestant Reformation. When Creation was nearing completion, Adam and Even came into existence as God-formed creatures. Unlike theMORE...
The latest thematic direction for one of our congregation’s Bible classes is the study of supposedly lesser characters in the Scripture. Two enduring realizations: There are lots of these men and women. And they are definitely not “minor” in any way. Rev. Paul Olson, retired pastor and continuing biblical scholar, leads the class. His process involves two major elements: ❶ Unearthing significantMORE...
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.