You may have noticed my continuing fascination with words, especially their derivations and their usage. Today I extend my wordsmithing smile in your direction with a possible gift: How to craft *analogies that delight and elucidate. Ones that last…! I’m fond of linguistic truisms. One of the most reliable: Analogies and metaphors enrich communications. Like an opossum that won’t loosen itsMORE...
At various occasions in my life, 1catharsis has been a useful concept. At one time in my earlier decades—lasting maybe ten years or so—this word characterized a decision-making process about my 2eventual lifework. What I remember is that the process took awhile. It was slow. The swirl of colliding emotions had to settle down, to get sorted out. Changing circumstances, contexts and other realitiesMORE...
I may be less trusting than I used to be. A variety of recent trust-shaking incidents has brought me towards that frame of mind: The emergence of a conspiracy-dependent quasi-religion fueled by prevarication; a sophisticated personal computer hack; violence-prone truth-deniers; the news that USPS blue mailboxes are being robbed of mail in check-washing schemes and misinformation/phishing messagesMORE...
(The following comments come from our years living in South Lake Tahoe, CA, where the casino-oriented culture correlated with a dismal social landscape that included the highest per capita crime rate in the State of California.) Recent news headlines have announced these statistics for Illinois: In October, sports betting surpassed the $1 billion mark. The state’s share: Over $560 millionMORE...
Based on 1 personal experience, I am happy to announce that I have solved a theological matter that has aggravated amateur scholars like me for centuries. I am talking, of course, about St. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” (See 2 Corinthians 2:7ff for background.) Simply stated, what Paul experienced was a medial 2meniscus tear in his knee. This makes sense. Although 3some theologians have dancedMORE...
(Because of my advanced MO degree, I am a bona fide Master of the Obvious. That’s why this entry will likely tell you something you already know. In this case, what’s obvious is this: That although I think of myself as helpful, I’m probably also someone who other people think could use some help!) For a good share of my life—continuing into these later decades—I’ve thought of myself as someoneMORE...
I enjoy leisurely conversations with other elders. Sometimes in our chats, a word or phrase can suddenly become unavailable. The mutual sharing can come to a halt. One among us seems caught in temporary forgetfulness. At those moments, embarrassment can insert itself into the relationship. When that phenomenon lasts for more than a few seconds, the rest of us wonder: “How can we help?” OneMORE...
Standing at the center of the events surrounding the circumcision and naming of Jesus is an elderly woman. (See Luke 2:36-38 for the story.) What’s perhaps overlooked about the narrative: She’s identified as “the prophet Anna.” At 84 years of age, this devout woman entered the ritual scene that had just featured a song by the “good man” Simeon. Her reaction to Jesus’ presence befitted herMORE...
Living joyfully through a variety of worship services this past holiday season, I realized how many descants I’ve heard during that time. As you might imagine, “This got me to thinking….” In its original Latinate form, a descant was a cantus (voice) set apart. Connected loosely to the emergence of polyphonic (many-voices) musical styles, the descant was a melody—usually sung or played at aMORE...
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.