When Lent began this year, it struck me as odd that the Ash Wednesday rite is called The Imposition of Ashes. This word—associated with “control from an external force”—doesn’t sit lightly on my soul. In most contexts it feels abusive for anyone or anything to intrude on my life without my permission. I don’t like to be manipulated by the insistent actions of others. I’m not naturally disposed toMORE...
The national and international anguish we’re experiencing right now might be more about religion than politics. Fundamental changes in the world order are being promoted or forced by a faith family that’s gathered around wispy Scriptural evidence, and historically connected to evangelical or fundamentalistic theologies. The leaders self-identify as “prophets” and “apostles”. They see themselvesMORE...
(Today let’s talk honestly about writing to decision-makers. Mostly, what NOT to do….) I’ve written many fervent letters to officials whose opinions I wanted to change or whose decisions I wanted to challenge. As a wordsmith—and with technology adding to the ease of sending those words—I have crafted correspondence that I hoped could attract the attention of other word-lovers. But I alsoMORE...
(Today a collection of specific actions, examples that might fit your situation or assets.) Rethink message/letter writing. Instead of tedious or futile letter writing, use USPS stamped postcards (65 cents each). Write short, direct messages, sign your name and include your return address. These messages are more easily read or counted. Choose your audience. It may be more effective not toMORE...
(If I want to work against what I know to be wrong, I need to start with myself. What parts of unrighteousness also live inside of me? What can I do to keep my God-given capabilities intact, sharpened and focused? How do I survive self-destructive forces? Today a focus on those who want to be *resistors….) The conversations One way to combat injustice is to talk about it. Or so it seems. We comeMORE...
(What many of us are going through right now is stressful. Our bodies and brain react with a set of automatic responses that help us deal with the stressors. One problem: Stress reactions release cortisol into our brains and bodies, and gradually ruin our biological capacities. Four stress reactions are available, and we must choose from among them wisely….) Fighting, fleeing, freezing, fawningMORE...
(An observant reader asked me a simple question that I’d like to treat at some depth today. The question: What constitutes resistance?) In common use, the term stays close to its Latinate roots – to stand against or oppose. When you put that idea into life’s many contexts, though, the attitudes and actions of resistance take on a variety of meanings. In the setting of present-day politics, thoseMORE...
When conditions in the wider society reach a certain point—e.g., justice is threatened—it might be appropriate for us to find ways, within the law and holding our most precious values intact, to push back against or slow down what is oppressive, dangerous or unrighteous. Once we’ve made the decision to challenge what’s not right, questions like these merit our consideration: How do we find andMORE...
It’s a cloudy, cold winter night outside. Inside this darkened room, a single lamp frames my writing desk. The sounds of our neighborhood owl and quiet classical music accompany my solitary thoughts. As I begin tonight’s journalling, it occurs to me that there are probably others out there—maybe you?–engaged in the same task: Trying to corral just the right words to fill the pages ofMORE...
(Today, my caution about a word sometimes used to describe older adults who are having more than a little trouble figuring things out.) In some lexicons, individuals—some of them older adults—can be described as addled, usually taken to mean something like dazed, confused, befuddled, disorganized or worse. (Intoxicated is listed as another synonym.) Like other words sometimes attached toMORE...
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.