Tag Archives: purpose

Finding the Center

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Bob Ritzema

I recently blogged about having moved into a community in Milwaukee, describing the community I’m living in. This is a big life change for me, so it’s prompting reflection and necessitating adjustment. I wanted to describe a bit more what … Continue reading →

Posted in Relationships, Spirit | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Living out of Necessity

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote recently about my vocation in older adulthood. I relayed some points made in Gordon Smith’s book Called to be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity. Smith says that each of us has a God-given vocation, that our senior … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Vocation is not my Job

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Bob Ritzema

I recently wrote about one thing that has changed for me since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic; I’ve been less interested in writing blog posts. I’ve been thinking about other changes that have taken place. One of these has … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Lessons in Loss from Brooks and Beethoven

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Bob Ritzema

My most recent post on this blog described an article by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic titled “Your Professional Decline Is Coming Sooner Than You Think.” In it he described research demonstrating that fluid intelligence declines after midlife. Due … Continue reading →

Posted in Body, Psyche | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Christian Communist

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve been writing recently about stuff–our tendency to acquire too many things, our difficulty letting go, our need to simplify as we get older. Recently I ran across a quote on possessions and spirituality by Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk. … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recovering From Loss: Giving Back

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Bob Ritzema

In his book Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death (IVP Books, 2017), Russ Ramsey, pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, tells the story of his encounter with a life-threatening illness. Ramsey developed a persistent fever caused by … Continue reading →

Posted in Body, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Relocating to a Retirement Community: A New Life

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote recently about the first part of Richard L. Morgan’s book Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community. Morgan was initially enthusiastic about moving to a retirement community near his daughter, but after a month or so … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amazing Love

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

I recently learned of the death of  Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary (now Columbia International University). He resigned from his post in 1990 to care fulltime for his wife, Muriel, who had Alzheimer’s.  He was … Continue reading →

Posted in caregiving | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Mentor From Hell

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, a mentor is “an experienced and trusted person who gives another person advice and help over a period of time.” We turn to mentors to get some sense of what lies ahead and how … Continue reading →

Posted in Relationships | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simplification of Status

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Bob Ritzema

This is part of a series of posts on simplification in late adulthood. For some context on the concept of simplification, consult a previous post in the series. In this post I’ll focus on simplification of status, especially on the way theologian Lewis Joseph … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments