It’s a well-established axiom that practical wisdom comes to older adults as they reflect back on lifetimes of experience. I have wondered how that truism might relate to our sinfulness—whether we who are older can still experience any of the “seven deadly sins.” To review: those transgressions— originally identified by the *Desert Fathers—include greed, lust, sloth, gluttony, wrath, pride andMORE...
When last I wrote about my Bulk Mail folder, it was an easy target for mockery. Its repetitive, unimaginative contents felt like a bad joke told by someone with no sense of humor. Since that previous entry, other thoughts about this recurring e-nuisance have come to mind. Before I begin another Deletion Session, these observations…. Like a rogue’s gallery—a hallway of Wanted Posters—specters ofMORE...
Over the past few months, I’ve felt like my troubled outlook about the world may be gradually eroding the rest of my life. Others have shared similar feelings: That we’re wandering through the darkness of our vulnerabilities. That we’ve lost our sense of emotional buoyancy. That the confining skin of these thought patterns is hard to shed. To help sort out those feelings, I’ve reread theMORE...
I’ve always been just a bit concerned about the part of the Ten Commandments story that notes God’s “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate me.” (Exodus 20:5 KJV) It has never seemed fair that someone could be punished for what their ancestors did so many years ago. Fair or not, though, this may be true biologicallyMORE...
Current political discourse includes frequent references to “unhinged,” describing a wild, uncontrolled state of mind—sometimes accompanied by ranting, disconnection from reality or paranoid delusions. The term has evolved beyond its original definition—“lacking a hinge mechanism.” As is sometimes true, the meanings can get interesting when —see 1privilege— literal descriptions turn metaphoricalMORE...
This entry is part of an occasional series in which metaphorical ideas find their way onto your screen. Its roots are simple: When you look with fresh eyes, there may be life lessons to find in just about anything. Today: Unraveling or pruning? It’s tempting to think that life as we know it is unraveling. Current events seem to warrant that assumption: Russia’s war on Ukraine (and on the existingMORE...
(Today’s blog is different: It outlines a unique offer that might benefit your congregation’s leaders—insights and motivation that could arise from shared conversation about the book, Stewardshift: An Economia for Congregational Change. I can make the offer because I wrote the book….) THE BOOK It’s unlike most other books about “stewardship”: A rereading of the biblical roots and dimensions ofMORE...
Based on my mind-melds with doctors whom I follow mindlessly—I’m talking Drs. Oz, Phil and Seuss—I am convinced that my psyche needs more pity. Raw, unadorned sympathy—the kind that has others thinking, “I may have it bad, but look at that miserable Bob Sitze—How does he find any joy in life?” To help elicit your kind commiseration, these details: Because I wear a mask for untold hours, I have toMORE...
This blog is the final entry in a series exploring the ideals and behaviors of bullies. Today I look at the possibility that I, too, am prone to bullying behaviors. Jesus talked about taking the wooden beam out of one’s eye before noticing and condemning the sawdust speck bothering someone else’s vision. (See Matthew 7:1-5.) This teaching probably applies to the bullying I see in others—and toMORE...
One of the benefits of COVID quarantining is the opportunity for quiet time—being present in a setting that excludes noisy busyness. I have taken advantage of that possibility several times during various phases of the pandemic. A few days ago, the benefits of an outdoor evening’s tranquility came into focus with the realization that what I was experiencing—seemingly nothing—was filled withMORE...
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.