Arcania

December 30, 2021

Out to pasture/pastor/Pasteur?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Lifework, Personal Power, Time

December 30, 2021

2 Min Read

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30December

(This entry is part of an ongoing collection of blogs that examine the future of congregations post-COVID19. Each entry forms itself around a question looking for clarity or even answers.) I wonder who will do the necessary work of bringing congregations into the new post-COVID contexts for churches. Some possibilities… People out to pasture An interesting idiomatic expression, hmm? Horses andMORE...

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December 27, 2021

Like an older Smartphone

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Mind/Body, Time

December 27, 2021

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27December

My *elderly iPhone is showing its age. Its *battery health has been waning recently. It’s moving more slowly, not loading its featured programs as quickly. It takes longer to fully charge this sturdily useful piece of technology. As an artifact within my own elderhood, this phone may be like me in some ways—losing some energy, but still looking forward to more years of sturdy usefulness. InMORE...

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November 18, 2021

Hope in a single Cheerio?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Soul Searchings

November 18, 2021

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18November

(This entry is part of an ongoing collection of blogs that examine the future of congregations post-COVID19. Each entry forms itself around a question looking for clarity or even answers.) Sometimes hope comes at me shyly, quietly. Asking for just a moment’s attention so that I don’t get hijacked by despair. That happened for me one recent Sunday in worship. From my seat near the front of theMORE...

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November 11, 2021

Not buying it, Mark!

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Lifestyle, Soul Searchings, Words

November 11, 2021

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11November

Hey, Mr. Z! I thought you should know that I’m not buying into what your new Meta proposes, or what you’re trying to sell. Here’s the deal…. Your other enterprises have always felt like traps to me—seemingly innocent entertainments with seeming social benefits that may also be clever ways to insinuate your way into people’s  decisions, life purposes and identities. Meta feels the same way. IMORE...

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November 3, 2021

The church, reformed? (Back story)

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Soul Searchings

November 3, 2021

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03November

The previous entry by the same title didn’t include some of the reasons why I would have the temerity to write about such a subject. These personal thoughts may help explain the coming blogs that are dedicated to the thesis that the people of God in the post-COVID church can (or should) engage in self-examination—with the audacity of reformers burnt into our souls by the flame of the Spirit. TheMORE...

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October 29, 2021

All (reformed) saints and souls

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Soul Searchings, Time, Words

October 29, 2021

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29October

Right now the church year calendar is stacked with feasts and festivals: Reformation Day, All Saints Day, All Souls Day. What might these holidays tell us if we combined them into one celebration? One possibility occurs to me: We can rejoice that there are so many saints and souls whose lives have changed for the better. Another way of saying that: Repentance, conversion and transformation areMORE...

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October 21, 2021

In praise of letter-writing

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Personal Power, Relationships

October 21, 2021

2 Min Read

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21October

Years ago I wrote about *pen-pal clubs as a hopeful feature of older adult lifestyles. Today I want to encourage you again to consider letter-writing as a powerful antidote to diminished social contact—a satisfying ministry that you can undertake right now! As you might guess, I like corresponding with others–mostly via e-mail, but sometimes printed or handwritten notes. (That kind ofMORE...

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October 15, 2021

A social media metaphor?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Lifestyle, Soul Searchings

October 15, 2021

2 Min Read

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15October

COVID cave-dwelling has offered me opportunities to observe facets of daily life that might serve as useful metaphors or analogies. Today this example: Social media may be like *digital ant poison. See if my ant trap comparisons make sense…. Ant traps/baits contain deadly substances that don’t kill immediately. Scout ants smell and taste the traps’ wonderful flavor, and then head back to theMORE...

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October 12, 2021

What about change?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

October 12, 2021

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12October

Lately I’m having trouble with change. As one well-practiced in transformation, I wonder whether change per se is being over-sold just a bit. It wasn’t always this way. Decades ago, I learned from effective leaders and wise older mentors how change can (and cannot) happen. I’ve experienced change throughout my life. pursuing about a dozen careers, relocating to eight different parts of theMORE...

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October 7, 2021

He that hath ears…

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Personal Power

October 7, 2021

2 Min Read

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07October

I think I may have discovered another unique advantage of growing older: Bigger, longer ears! The results of gravity’s pull, larger ears—and *noses, too—elongate because their underlying elasticity decreases over time. Aging cartilage, collagen and skin allow both women’s and men’s ears to get longer at the rate of .22 millimeters per year. The result: The longer you live, the longer your earsMORE...

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