If you value people who are older—and also your own aging—these entries will help you rejoice in the fullness of this stage of life: its gritty realities, secret joys, hidden spirituality and cherished moments—reasons to be grateful that old age is always a gift from God!
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...
(This entry comes as the result of looking at my hands as I was sitting and praying recently. Perhaps these random thoughts might encourage you to consider the possible meaning of your own prayer postures.) One way I pray is with folded hands. Not quite as involved as kneeling or prostrating myself, this posture invites prayer connections nonetheless. Those clasped hands give me theMORE...
Ancient prophets were probably prudent as well as prescient. They looked around and saw the realities of consequences. Seeing likely corollaries —“if/then” at its root—they could look ahead and conclude what might occur in the future. Inequities and iniquities would bring on “punishment.” Idolatry—including the sexually pleasurable worship of pagan gods and goddesses—would also weaken societyMORE...
Already an overused buzzword, unprecedented is a convenient adjective that we might use to describe some action or event that we think has never occurred. By its use, we admit our lack of knowledge about X or Y – or the individuals responsible for X or Y. “How could I have known about X or Y,” we might ask. “This hasn’t ever happened.” Hold on, though. Most of us have likely lived throughMORE...
You may have encountered institutional memory loss when a workplace leader retires, resigns or dies. (Or you may be one of those people whose history and personal expertise are critical to the well-being of your organization—dependably bridging the past, present and future.) In these cases, the major question emerges: “Who will carry forward the essential character of this business?” ThisMORE...
One of my emerging personality traits is beginning to bother me: My tendency to repeat beloved personal stories to people who’ve most likely heard those tales before. Right now, this behavior might be only an occasional vexation, but it might also lead me inexorably towards perseveration—the tendency toward repeated actions, utterance or thought patterns without apparent stimulus. Granted, atMORE...
In grade school, when we were learning the format for writing personal letters, some of us—probably the boys—wondered why we always started these letters with “Dear.” So we asked—probably with some pre-teen embarrassment—and the teacher responded with something about “writing conventions that don’t necessarily mean what they say.” Relieved of the possibility of inadvertently expressing ourMORE...
One of the occasional hobbies of older gentlemen such as myself is the questionably pleasurable practice of ranting. From its local particulars—“Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!”—to its generalized condemnations—“They’re crooks, all of them!”—ranting might seem to be a tolerable way of passing time in impolite company. High-level ranting requires adroit word-finding skills and physical posturingMORE...
(This entry started out as a rant—a collection of raging observations about truth-under-attack and the triumph of liars. After considering the various rabbit trails of angry content, I realized that I was jousting with windmills and heading towards foolishness. So instead, I present to you a simpler set of observations about seeking truth.) Truth’s reassuring reach enters into every aspect of theMORE...
One of the possible side effects of COVID’s isolation is the number of congregation members that we might have lost track of. Nowadays, that phenomenon may be connected to some folks’ consistent online worship attendance. Virtually invisible to us, these good people may think of themselves as connected and active, but the rest of us might not realize this is true. If this sounds familiarMORE...
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.