Here’s where the roving eye of Bob Sitze lands on interesting or important events, trends, discoveries, opinions or research that are part of contemporary life. Sometimes missed in spiritually oriented utterances, the stuff of life consists of all the places where God’s hand stirs, supports or motivates. These blogs may also include links for further information or action.
Where I live, yards, trees, buildings, cars and even human torsos have become the chosen perches for millions of 17-year cicadas. Their raspy singing fills the soundscape. Still, I’m not concerned about having to share the world with God’s red-eyed insects. As a bona-fide older gentleman, let me tell you why I enjoy cicadas…. Their buzzing/clicking fits my hearing needs. My hearing aidsMORE...
It’s easy to criticize toadies. They seem sadly lacking in self-respect, fawning over political, entertainment or sports figures who don’t always deserve flattery. Over many years, sycophants have garnered more than their share of public disdain. Their original, 17th century manifestation: Subservient assistants to medical charlatans in Europe. They pretended to being cured—by the self-proclaimedMORE...
One of the other older guys in my weekly tai chi class always answers my “How are you?” greeting with “Living the dream…!” There’s some whimsy in his response, and maybe some truth, too. As it turns out, though, “Living the dream” may also be more difficult than just describing a good life. In the opening episode of the PBS documentary series, “A Brief History of the Future”, UCLA socialMORE...
“What’s actually true?” This question is as old as Jacob fooling his vision-challenged father Isaac and as current as AI’s uncanny ability to invent and shape words, images and sounds. The matter of verifying truth has become a necessary skill, perhaps especially for those of us who are targeted with misinformation, manipulation or malpractice. Today a few reminders about developing a truthMORE...
Daily life is full of tipping points, and some of them can provide reasons for hopefulness. Actual tipping points may be hard to see, because they may occur before the observable event we name as the moment of change. An example: In June, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. Many of us named that occasion as the possible tipping point regarding the country’s attitudesMORE...
Easter’s joy waits on the horizon, and we can hardly wait. We need the reminders of new life—resurrection—that are possible because of Jesus. It also seems appropriate that we remember how death—Jesus’ and our own—may precede whatever we hope will come to pass because of Easter. Death looms large in news stories and in our national psyche. As these words find their way onto this screenMORE...
(I’m not sure where to go with this splotch of thoughts that keeps whirling around in my brain. So you can mark what follows as the kind of musing that stays around until it makes sense or invites action. This blog’s blob: Dysfunction that spreads.) I’ve seems lately that dysfunctions and dysfunctional people are cropping up everywhere. (My working definition: There areMORE...
(When I profiled Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety by Britt Wray, I noted what I thought might be an empty spot: The foundational nature of spiritual matters, perhaps best perceived and promoted in congregations. Today some continuing thoughts about those possibilities.) My premise here: Our congregations are communities (of belief and practice) that can deal wiselyMORE...
(Awhile back, I profiled Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety by Britt Wray. The book accumulates concepts that can be helpful in grasping the nature of climate anxiety, as well as our reactions to it. These few ideas caught my interest…) Narrative foreclosure Psychologist Ernst Bohlmeijer and colleagues (Netherlands’ University of Twente) coined this term to refer toMORE...
My climate anxiety peaks periodically. When that happens, Luke 9:23b (KJV) pops into my memory—“Deny yourself and take up your cross”—as one possible part of the solution to global warming. I wonder if a society-wide ascetic mindset—although not easily engaged—might tamp down the factors that are causing our planet’s ecosystems to unravel. That theology feels hard to put into practice. If I’mMORE...
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.