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.
Increasing portions of the world’s population are today living in ash-infused rubble. Forest fires, wars and natural calamities have consumed their homes, their possessions, their occupations and their health. The ashes remind them how futile life may be—how long it will be for the debris to be removed and hopeful living to re-emerge. “Living in the ashes” might describe how people anywhere—butMORE...
(Today I revisit, reexamine and repeat familiar thoughts: When at our best, you and I can be a hopeful part of the solution(s) to the crises we see in the world today. This matter calls for repetition, this time with emphasis….) Perhaps like you, I wonder what to do about the waves of large-scale problems coming towards us from the near future. But—as I’ve noted in other entries over the years—weMORE...
I’m coming off a period of several weeks when digital spam-senders have been sorely afflicting me. This experience got me to thinking about two kinds of people—those who create messes and those who sort them out. In this case, the mess-creators flooded me with unrelenting torrents of unwanted information. Varieties of mess-makers invade other aspects of our lives—perhaps too many to waste ink onMORE...
(Every so often I read the writing of someone whose skills bring an idea or set of facts into focus with the kind of clarity that’s both rare and awe-inspiring. Today’s entry describes a recent example.) I have to tell you about a fascinating article I read in the February 2024 edition of Scientific American. It’s about the shifting character of the Milky Way. (See the link below.) The pieceMORE...
(As a present from yesteryears’ calendar wizards, you and I will get an entire extra day in this month. Today’s entry explores some possibilities for using this gift.) February 29th is like a time-bank whose deposits we get to withdraw now—an entire day added to our lives! How might we think differently about Leap Day if we considered it as something like a bonus or added-value coupon good onlyMORE...
In a recent mailing, the folks at Global Refuge—formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service—informed us about the new name they’ve decided on. What similar name changes have purported to offer is acceptance by a wider audience or donor/client base—something potentially more diverse than a presumably diminishing church-body tag. This continuing rebranding makes me sad: NOT thatMORE...
(Ready to start pushing back against the haters and ranters? Something different than matching their tactics or risking their kind of eventual personal discombobulation? Today some thoughts….) Some people try to counter the loud noises of anger addicts and those who feed them by yelling louder, bombarding them with equally-angry words or smashing-and-grabbing their well-being. This doesn’t workMORE...
(Ready to start pushing back against the haters and ranters? Something different than matching their tactics or risking their kind of eventual personal discombobulation? Today some thoughts….) Some people try to counter the loud aggressions of anger addicts and those who feed them by yelling louder, bombarding them with equally-angry words or smashing-and-grabbing their well-being. This doesn’tMORE...
When it comes to popular media’s metaphors for the turning of a year, I am presented with two familiar choices: An old man and a baby greeting January 1st together, or the ancient Roman god Janus, looking both ways. Neither symbolic representation quite matches what tugs at my spirit. The old man—Father Time?—and the unnamed baby/infant raise a critical question: Who will pass on the wisdomMORE...
2023 has zipped by quickly. This annum may go down in long-view history as out-of-place in the parade of venerable years. but I don’t see much value in marking any year of my life as undesirable or regrettable. For its duration, this year has been part of God’s gift of life. God has been active, perhaps in ways I don’t yet see. I’ve lived within the confines of this year’s seasons, and haveMORE...
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.