An odd category at first glance, this is the place where you can find odd facts, rocks you can turn over, minutia that’s important, wandering musings and rabbit trails to tempt you into different realms of thought. “Miscellany” might describe the category, and it might not….
Remember learning how to diagram sentences? That happened for me in 7th and 8th grade. During those years I figured out how to translate spoken or written language into exquisite charts that showed the relationships of words and clauses within the shape of an entire sentence. A speaker or writer could chart the size, complexity and inner-relationships of language. In this way, word structuresMORE...
On September 29, we will once again celebrate this sometimes-hidden festival in the church year. At first glance, it’s a good day to think well of angels. This sometimes-overlooked occasion holds a lot more meaning, though, especially helpful in these times. Occurring close to the date of the autumnal equinox, this commemoration gives us the opportunity to gratefully acknowledge angelic creaturesMORE...
During this continuing pandemic, worship in many places has included the use of Communion Kits. These prefilled communion cups hold in individually wrapped spaces a swallow of grape juice topped with a wafer. My reaction to their use has included grudging acceptance of their necessity in COVID times, and nagging displeasure about these substitutes for the sacramental elements of bread and wine. IMORE...
Back in the day, “congregational tool and die guy” was my way of describing my role as a resource developer. Alongside other colleagues, I wrote workshop designs, constructed large-scale programs—e.g., The Pelican Project—and set up nation-wide resource introduction tours. The results: curricula, events, replicable workshops, booklets, videos and programs in stewardship, Christian educationMORE...
I don’t tell lawyer jokes. And I try to indicate my displeasure—not laughing—when someone tells one. Today’s thoughts spin out my reasoning. My emotions, too. A few days ago, a dear member of our congregation—we’ll call him Scott—died suddenly. He was a lawyer, highly regarded and beloved by clients and colleagues. He was born and raised around here, so his mourners have long histories that theyMORE...
Our Monarch larva/babies have morphed into adult butterflies, wending their way out into the larger world. These observations from this part of their life cycle…. “I am a man and no butterfly.” This quote from 2 Hezekiah 19:42 reminds me that, despite my most cherished hopes, I will never fly. In my Spirited imagination, though, I am capable of soaring and swooping, darting among obstacles andMORE...
Chris and I have been rearing Monarch Butterfly larvae this summer. They were shipped to us as tiny worms. We’re now waiting for adult butterflies to emerge from their chrysalises. Along the way, we have fed the growing creatures with fresh, home-grown milkweed plants, and cleaned their cages regularly. As we have observed the worm-babies, these ideas have presented themselves: “I am a worm andMORE...
Okay, complete the following axiom: “If life gives you lemons, ……! Schooled in the intricate arcania of maxims, most folks would write something on the order of “make lemonade,” right? That seems fair enough—we want to be positive about the bad breaks or sour moments in our life’s journey, so lemonade-making seems like the positive, asset-based thing to do with an accumulation of lemonsMORE...
As I cruise the highways and byways of American senior adult life, I often come upon folks whose spirituality can be described as “outlier.” Re-affirmed by *Malcom Gladwell, the term may also illustrate an important feature of older-adult spirituality: Individuals who don’t always feel connected to the usual manifestations of Christianity. Not all of us consider ourselves outliers, ofMORE...
Today’s entry continues in the tradition of Latinate aphorisms for daily life—e.g., * Soli Deo gloria, Carpe diem or Ubi est mea anaticula cumminosa? These time-honored insights may far outweigh the value of this blog’s new maxim: Perguado religuias! You be the judge…. As the years of my life add up and the tidbits of foods in our refrigerator gather together to form inviting aggregations, I amMORE...
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.