Life-as-we-have-known-it is slowly coming back, with perhaps one lingering exception: Anger is still roaming our nation, clawing for a place in the national discourse and identity. From everything I know about this powerful emotion, it’s not a helpful part of our lives. Especially dangerous when it becomes addictive, anger ruins relationships as well as the individual and collective brains thatMORE...
Over the centuries, Advent has been a time of expectant repentance—part of our preparation for Christ to come into our lives. Today’s blog continues that theme, this time focused on the eventual outcomes of a life of continuing lying. I don’t always tell the truth. No matter what other names I attach to this behavior, it’s still always lying. In some parts of my life I’ve assembled fortresses ofMORE...
Over the centuries, Advent has been a time of expectant repentance—part of our preparation for Christ to come into our lives. Today’s blog continues that theme, this time focused on my sometimes unwillingness to take responsibility. One part of being sinful is not doing what needs to get done. “Sins of omission” is the doctrinal term. In the Confession of Sins at the start of worship, this matterMORE...
This entry is part of a blog series, Time Capsules, in which I tell you about places in our home where the blessings of our history are evident in stored artifacts. This time around, join me in rummaging around inside the boxes that hold my collected writings! It is said that you may call yourself an author when you’ve written and/or published more than one million words. After all these yearsMORE...
This entry introduces a short series of occasional blogs that will appear during Advent. Over the centuries, Advent has been a time of expectant repentance—part of our preparation for Christ to come into our lives. Today we start at the beginning of that process—thinking about confession. In my worship tradition, the liturgy begins with a signature invocation—“In the Name of the Father, the SonMORE...
We don’t talk much, you and I, but you’re always on my mind. Today I send you my thanks for being among those who pay attention to Full of Years, my blog for “differently spiritual older adults.” I started writing these entries over three years ago, with what I thought was a clear-headed notion: Some spiritually minded older adults may look at their lives—including the world around them—with anMORE...
In a few days, we will join together across the country to give thanks. We will remind ourselves and each other about all our reasons for gratitude. We will remember that all of life is a gift, undeserved and free. We will thank God, and be glad that we did. Sometimes it feels like that experience of gratitude doesn’t have a physical or emotional place to call home, a way to stick to my soulMORE...
I don’t know about you, but this year’s family Christmas newsletter is going to be different. Really different! I’ve already started thinking how I’m going to approach the usual task of pulling together recollections and observations about the past year. Finding just the right photos to emphasize some of that material. I’m guessing that it’s not going to be easy for any of us who take upMORE...
The Thanksgiving holiday(s) will be here soon, with their usual invitations for hearty fellowship, feasting and shopping. But not this year. COVID has called into question any celebrations that involve perhaps-risky activities. This year many of us will observe this holiday season in unusual ways. We may feel that if we can’t do what we’ve always done, something must be wrong. That we don’tMORE...
Throughout history, there have been names whose very utterance was ill-advised or even dangerous. Either the names were holy and ineffable—beyond our right or ability to speak them—or so despicable that the mere sound of the name might recall unmentionable evil. (In the first case, think YAWEH or Mohammed. In the second case, remember names like the fictional Lord Voldemort, Adolf Hitler or DearMORE...
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.