Lifework

February 28, 2022

Putting away the Alleluias

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Words

February 28, 2022

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28February

Our congregation has a Transfiguration Sunday tradition that was especially meaningful this year. It involves a large trunk placed in front of the altar for all to see. During the time for the children’s message, the kids are each given an Alleluia Page, and tasked with the job of writing or drawing their ideas about this word. They are told that during Lent we’ll not be hearing any alleluias inMORE...

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January 31, 2022

Passing the ball

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings

January 31, 2022

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31January

In high school, I was a third-string bench-warmer on the Basketball C-Team. I was keenly aware of the importance of teamwork and scoring. So, when I had that orangish-orb in my possession, I was continually faced with the decision: Dribble, shoot or pass. From my extensive experience as a basketball guy—“Hey, Sitze! Thirty seconds to go in the game. Get in there and make something happen…”—IMORE...

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January 18, 2022

“I used to….”

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings

January 18, 2022

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18January

Every so often in conversations I find myself about to say something like “I used to…” Maybe the same urge comes to the surface in your conversations? If completed, the sentence would recount some skill or experience from our past that might be relevant to the subject at hand. Perhaps some part of our storied histories could add personal notes that would enrich the conversation. Perhaps our faithMORE...

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January 7, 2022

Twitter trees?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Personal Power, Relationships

January 7, 2022

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07January

(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 answers.) Two cedar trees in my front yard regularly host a large-group gab session for sparrows, also protecting them from predators. The birds seem to derive pleasure from their flitting and chirping. They return to theseMORE...

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December 30, 2021

Out to pasture/pastor/Pasteur?

By Bob Sitze

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

December 30, 2021

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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 16, 2021

Let’s get serious!

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Time, Words

December 16, 2021

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16December

From my vantage point, Advent’s ideals don’t suggest a whole lot of frivolity. The season’s sharp focus on present and future realities tugs at something else inside my spirit, reminding me that “celebration” may not be the highest manifestation of spirituality. Seasonal Scriptures remind me about God’s action in history and what surely is coming, perhaps soon. “Get serious” is what I hear. ThisMORE...

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December 13, 2021

Let’s get real!

By Bob Sitze

In Lifework, Soul Searchings, Time

December 13, 2021

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13December

One lively feature of Advent is its attention to reality. The season’s down-to-earth emphases course through prayers, texts, hymnody and sermons. These themes, stories and invitations seem more tangible, more connected to the emotions that live inside me right now. Advent’s warnings, hopes and promises don’t mince words. I am less moved to stand or stare in wonder—that will come soon enough atMORE...

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December 10, 2021

Repurposed churches?

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Relationships, Soul Searchings, Time

December 10, 2021

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10December

(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.) It may be so obvious that you might miss it: Post-COVID, our congregations will retain their place as centers for social intelligence. You may think about that fact in different terms, but what takes place inMORE...

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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 4, 2021

Seeing grammar

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Time, Words

October 4, 2021

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04October

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...

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