The truth remains: Words enable or form thoughts. No words, no thoughts! This category contains Full of Years blogs that play with words. Those associated with old age, and those that add zest to living fully.
Today’s entry is actually one long question—a personal one, something along the line of “Does this ever happen to you?” What follows is one of those wonderings, this time about prayer. Sometimes when I am alone with my thoughts—writing late at night; driving out in the countryside; reading e-mail, a book or journal or just sitting and thinking—I find my thoughts suddenly frozen in time and placeMORE...
We baptized Wesley on Mother’s Day. A grandchild of the congregation, Wesley was welcomed into the community, but also invited into the work we share: “Bearing God’s creating and redeeming word to all the world.” Funny word, bearing. Maybe even a little bit archaic…. Its derivation goes back to ancient languages in Northern Europe, all of those linguistic roots denoting work. When you bearMORE...
Trying to find words to express what many of us may experience during these troubled times, I keep coming back to the idea of “disorientation.” When things seem especially out-of-whack—right now?—that descriptor feels useful. These few thoughts…. Our 1 sense of place and direction is an essential part of our neurobiology. Most of us possess adequate proprioception skills—awareness of the locationMORE...
This entry is part of an occasional series in which metaphors of dubious worth find their way onto your screen. Its roots are simple: I may have too much time on my hands OR there may be life lessons to find in just about anything. Maybe not all that strange…? I hold in my frustrated hands a slender produce bag. If it’s ever opened by my clumsy fingers, it will hold fresh veggies or fruit that IMORE...
Easter’s message promises life after death. Loss of life is the entryway to the blessing of new life, and so we consider death as part of the process God offers in the assuring reality of resurrection. The miracle of this gift comforts us when we encounter death. But what if you and I are not yet dead? Holding on to something only resembling life, and hoping for new life? Yearning for normalMORE...
I have no desire to be a starfish. (What would I do with five arms?) But this wonderful sea creature does possess one trait that might be just a bit enviable. Like a number of other astounding organisms—e.g., lizards, salamanders, sea cucumbers—starfish can grow back limbs and other parts of their bodies that have been damaged or severed. The process is called *regeneration and it’s alwaysMORE...
In a perfect universe, each of these blog entries would break new ground. Or at least find some unexplored conceptual niches close to the heart of older adults. In the real world, I know that I repeat myself, obviously or otherwise. And if that happens too frequently, I could become a *yammering older fellow, something I dread. It’s not so much the repetition that stands out as a problemMORE...
In one of his *most famous works, 17th century English poet and Anglican cleric John Donne penned two memorable metaphors: “No man is an island,” and “(the bell) tolls for thee.” Too often my mind races to the second phrase. Thankfully, Donne counteracts my over-active morbidness with these additional reminders: “The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth.” There are other bell-ringings inMORE...
At this moment, I’m running out of words. The ones coming at me seem overburdened from trying to carry something that’s too heavy for human expression. The words I’d like to send skitter around in my brain, waiting to capture the essence of my best thinking but clearly not up to the task. Like you, every day I face both what’s unspeakable and what’s ineffable. What’s unspeakable? The horrors of aMORE...
In order to take advantage of Scripture on a Sunday morning, we “read, mark and inwardly digest” the Word. As I understand the process, digestion involves teeth. And when it comes to naming sin and defeating evil, the Law has *teeth. There’s no mistaking what Law-based preaching and teaching talk about: Behaviors and thoughts that are forbidden, dangerous or ungodly. But what if we rememberedMORE...
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.