Lifework

November 3, 2021

The church, reformed? (Back story)

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Soul Searchings

November 3, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

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...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

October 4, 2021

Seeing grammar

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifework, Time, Words

October 4, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

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...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

October 1, 2021

Cursed be the binds that tie

By Bob Sitze

In Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

October 1, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

01October

If the centuries-old hymn is right—there are blessed ties that bind me to others —I wonder if there are also cursed binds that tie or obstruct me. Another way to consider the matter: What enwraps or impedes me so thoroughly that I can’t escape, and what can I do about these shackles or blockages? A first step: Name the bonds that entrap me or stop me cold. I can examine my unhealthy habits orMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

August 9, 2021

Anger summarized

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifestyle, Lifework, Personal Power, Relationships, Soul Searchings, Words

August 9, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

09August

Anger is both a necessary and harmful part of human psychology. As a feature of our emotional brains, anger is: Automatic: Part of the brain’s response to stress and danger—fighting/fleeing/freezing—anger comes into play quickly and efficiently to diminish the danger. A few brain structures short-circuit our normal decision-making process. Necessary and useful: Our brains require protection forMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

August 9, 2021

Anger series introduction

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifestyle, Lifework, Personal Power, Relationships, Soul Searchings, Words

August 9, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

Over the next few weeks, my blog entries will consider anger—in our society and in our lives. This is an important matter important for older adults: We may be caught up in this growing phenomenon, and we may be able to counteract its effects. This matter has been on my mind and heart for decades, ever since I learned how perpetual anger gradually destroys minds and bodies. In the past severalMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

July 22, 2021

After the apex

By Bob Sitze

In Lifework, Mind/Body, Personal Power

July 22, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

22July

There must surely come the time when my life’s high point will have been reached. It’s hard to pin down the exact moment or description of when that will occur, but right now it feels honest to admit that I am no longer at my peak. Some after-apex thoughts follow…. It’s also truthful to acknowledge gratefully the years when much of my life felt like an ascending path, reaching towards increasedMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

June 25, 2021

Ongoing alleluias

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Time, Words

June 25, 2021

4 Min Read

Add Comment

25June

A worship concept that’s helped me during difficult times is called “the ongoing alleluia.” The idea is both simple and profound: When worshippers gather together, their alleluias are part of something that spans the world endlessly, that involves them and like the wind of the Spirit, passes through on its way to others, present in all time and space. Many of these alleluias are offered inMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

June 22, 2021

Upfront uplifting

By Bob Sitze

In Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

June 22, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

22June

Lately I’ve been swatting away a foreboding that whirs around me like a mosquito looking for more than a good meal.  To be direct, the ongoing drought out West has gotten to my spirit. Various swatting-maneuvers—corporate worship, devotional reading, conversations, prayer—have helped for awhile, but then the pesky facts keep buzzing back: Californians will run out of water by August, part of theMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

June 18, 2021

Blessed assurance

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Lifework, Personal Power, Relationships, Words

June 18, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

18June

  Schools are out, so this may be the time of year when your grandparenting kicks into high gear. A good share of that honored relationship could be summarized in the phrase, “Blessed assurance.”  (Yes, I am aware that some readers may accuse me of stealing words from a beloved hymn writer. In my defense, though, let’s just say that I’m singing them differently….) Much of your work withMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

May 27, 2021

Mission for any congregation

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifework, Soul Searchings

May 27, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

27May

Before congregations return to default assumptions about their future, it would be good to answer this important question: How else could the church move forward? In this entry, some answers that might apply to any congregation. What’s most basic for a congregation that’s emerging from the confines of COVID? Ministry that equips members for their work in the world. Intimate knowledge of members’MORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment