full of years

December 14, 2023

Greetings from the heavenly host

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Soul Searchings

December 14, 2023

2 Min Read

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14December

My preference for celebrating the Birth of Jesus is to seek quiet moments to contemplate the mystery of God’s redeeming love for me. To remember all the beautiful Christmas carols and hymns that echo that kind of feeling. Noise bothers me—life is filled with too much of it—so Christmas can offer a respite from that irksome aspect of life today. But then I remember how, in the middle of shepherds’MORE...

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December 11, 2023

Delayed blog

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania

December 11, 2023

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11December

My apologies for not authoring a genuine FullofYears blog today. Instead, I want to play around with a far-fetched thought that might have some Advent connections: “What if teleportation—the physical relocation of human bodies from one place to another—became possible? What spiritual good could come from that?” My interest in this admittedly wispy matter comes from three interlocking thoughtsMORE...

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December 7, 2023

Hopeful musings

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Soul Searchings

December 7, 2023

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07December

Advent weather in the Northern hemisphere—darkness, cold, mixed precipitation, etc .—invites me into cozy caves of theological thought that I trust will eventually emerge as something useful. Today, two musings scrawled on the walls of this temporary hiding place: Hope and creativity, and End Times hope…. Chris and I are part of a congregation where creativity— demonstrated by pastors, staffMORE...

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December 4, 2023

Waiting to be known

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Soul Searchings

December 4, 2023

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04December

  I sometimes wonder how folks going about their daily routines might be waiting for the moment(s) when they could be known for who they really are. What thrives under their workplace exteriors. What they’re good at doing. What benefits they bring to the rest of us. How they live out their best selves. (An Advent theme, perhaps?) In that frame of mind, it isn’t too hard to imagine and valueMORE...

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November 30, 2023

Finding hope in TV commercials

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Soul Searchings, Words

November 30, 2023

2 Min Read

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30November

In our family, the sound gets turned off during TV commercials. It recently occurred to me that these soundless visual stories are doing more than selling products. Many of them may depict lived-out hope! I see a lot of ads related to health, automobiles, medical conditions, insurance and legal help. I witness pleas from charities and other non-profits, teasers for coming shows and a smatteringMORE...

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November 27, 2023

A season for waiting

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Soul Searchings, Time

November 27, 2023

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27November

In its original manifestation—4th century CE—Advent was the time for converts to Christianity to prepare themselves for their baptisms at Epiphany. That ancient practice might be helpful as we try to wrestle with the current state of the world, and our place in it. Some personal thoughts…. Back in my halcyon days, waiting could feel like a waste—”So much to do and so little time.” IMORE...

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November 20, 2023

Numbering our days

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifestyle, Pleasure/Pain, Soul Searchings

November 20, 2023

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20November

(As this year’s calendar winds down, I hearken back to Psalm 90 , a lifelong favorite. One of its  thoughts has stayed with me all my life: “So teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom.” [KJV}  Today some thoughts about day-numbering.) As I’ve grown older, I’ve often found myself “numbering my days.” For me, that means taking stock of how time is passing, perhapsMORE...

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November 16, 2023

Thankswriting

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifestyle, Personal Power, Words

November 16, 2023

2 Min Read

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16November

One of Chicagoland’s best newspaper columnists is a guy named *Neil Steinberg. Like all good writers, he’s nimble with words. His faith, heritage and life experience have rendered him wise, empathetic and honest. His columns consistently shine light on difficult subjects, and he showers kindness on under-appreciated facets of civic life. He’s transparent about his emotions, his struggles and hisMORE...

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November 13, 2023

An elderly nudge

By Bob Sitze

In Death/Dying, Lifestyle, Personal Power, Relationships, Soul Searchings

November 13, 2023

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13November

In times of high anxiety—right now?—two of our core capabilities may be at risk: Agency and motivation. (“Agency” identifies our power to affect change, in ourselves or others. “Motivation” is an inner trait that positively alters our willingness to act.) Why might this diminishing of capabilities be happening? The isolating fear of disease, danger or death during COVID19 may have taken away ourMORE...

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November 9, 2023

Clustered prayers

By Bob Sitze

In Lifestyle, Mind/Body, Soul Searchings, Words

November 9, 2023

2 Min Read

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09November

Lately, my times of prayer seem to be interwoven with memories of time-and-place experiences in life. These reveries include entire clusters of beloved people. (For example, when I remember our San Leandro, California years, my mind gathers together Rich and Gretchen, Liz and Larry, Mary and Jim, Barry, Ralph, Sandy, Linda, Wendy, Aunt Mona, Chris and our kids, and my 3rd-4th graders—and theMORE...

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