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February 2019

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What, me worry? (Part 2)

Not me. Not as much. I’ve composed this two-part blog in the hopes that my experiences might help you deal with the worrier inside of yourself. In the previous entry I admitted that I worry too much about too many things too much of the time. Today: the non-anxious side of my spirit. After too many months of unhealthy worrying, I’ve come to the realization that I am also capable of settingMORE...

What, me worry? (Part 1)

Yes, me. Worry. I’ll admit it: I worry too much about too many things too much of the time. I’ve composed this two-part blog in the hopes that my experiences might help you deal with the worrier inside of yourself. For most of my life, anxiety has remained one of my most persistent character traits. In recent years, worry in all its manifestations has seemed to increase. Two major worry-seedsMORE...

Old stuff

  In our basement there’s a closet that holds the really old stuff of our lives. Some of it’s necessary—income tax forms for the past ten years—but much of it is just old: My collection of organ and piano music—a relic of the time in my life when that was my passionate capability. Photos from my parents’ early days. Home decorations from Chris and my first apartments. Our college-eraMORE...

Old friends

  Recently, the wistful tune and lyrics of Paul Simon’s “Old Friends” replayed themselves in my head, and brought me to where they always take me: Considering the old friends with whom I’ve shared a “park bench, like bookends…..” Wistful nostalgia seasoned with deep gratitude and dusted with joy. As happens every time I recall this tune, I found myself in a long-lasting reverie about all theMORE...

Climate conversation 5: The hard part

Today’s entry is part of an occasional set of observations about changes in the world’s climate that will affect all of us, old and young alike. The series bends toward a key question: As God’s people, how should we respond? Today’s entry: Taking action, even though it may be difficult. As I’ve noted in previous Climate Conversations, the scientific evidence regarding global warming makes it moreMORE...

Tutor affirmations

  For the past few years, I’ve been a tutor in an English as Second Language (ESL) program. Our congregation houses one of the ESL sites of a local non-profit; we work mainly with refugees and other immigrants. Many of the students have come through extremely difficult circumstances to arrive at this point in their lives. All of them see English proficiency as a major key to their well-beingMORE...

This little light of mine

A few days ago, it occurred to me that this familiar Sunday School song—almost a brain-worm melody—might be a really good way to encourage each other again about an especially important part of being old: We have lights and they still shine! This Gospel and social protest song from the 1920s can ring true right now. If you and I take “This little light of mine” as a way of summarizing how ourMORE...

The zeitgeist of a hospital visit

One of the special privileges of older adult years is visiting folks in the hospital. Like funerals or memorial services, these visits can be exquisite times of spiritual depth—occurring at just the right “god-moment”—that might be hard to capture in words. Let me tell you about a recent hospital visit that might match similar experiences in your life. Perhaps these thoughts might help youMORE...

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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