Free Will?

Tim Riter April 21, 2014

Let’s flip the coin. Last week, we began to explore God’s role in daily life with a story of how he overwhelmingly directed a major change in moving me to Taos. One repeated response by readers dealt with the rarity of such clear direction. Though seldom for many of us, it does happen. But my time in Taos ended in a radically opposite form.

I’d spent a year in youth ministry a few years earlier, and upon getting fired, declared I’d rather drive a truck. Not long after, the manager of a parts house offered me a job—driving a truck. God has a nice sense of humor, but I should have said I’d preferred being a movie star!

Determinism?

Tim Riter April 14, 2014

We all face critical change points, events that significantly shape the rest of our lives. What puzzles me, though, is life determined for people of faith? Some, like Calvinists, lean toward God choosing all. Arminians blend free will into the mix, and deists acknowledge that although God created the world, he has little involvement in daily operations.

For me, one of the three greatest change points came with my move to Taos NM. I’m absolutely clear that God determined that—here’s why. Tired of SoCal congestion and smog, I determined to move to Colorado, where I had a job lead. The route led through Taos, where I’d lead mission projects for two summers. Then came nine issues, each essential for the final result.

I pulled into Albuquerque on a rainy Saturday...

Knocking in Heaven's Door

Tim Riter March 24, 2014

Saturday, a chance to catch up on yard and house maintenance, at least until my body screams, “Enough.” Trying to remember the good times when I could work all day, I put some classic rock on Pandora and cranked up the outside speakers. Bob Dylan’s “Knock, Knock, Knocking on Heaven’s Door” soon brought back a Facebook discussion over the previous several days, ranging from do all people go to heaven, why or why not, can people change, forgiveness, and justice. Some deep issues done well with divergent views.

Since Unconventional exists to discuss what it means to follow Jesus, we can all benefit from making sure we’re on track, so that when we stand, knocking on heaven’s door, that door will open. So, some basics that touch the results of following Jesus.

First, all people go to heaven who want to go there. Honest. But...

Feline Fellowship

Tim Riter March 10, 2014

Pet lovers will get this. Non pet lovers may not. But hang in there, because this really isn’t about cats, but people. Particularly, principles for deeper connections between fellow followers of Jesus, necessary ones, that I learned from Sandy, our cat. I thought he was just a lost kitten when he strolled into our lives along the top of a bank, and nobly ignored us as we called him. He had business to attend to. I did as well, and walked away.

Our grandkids, Josh and Hannah, soon brought him to me.

Rock Star

Tim Riter March 3, 2014

Determined to become the next big rock star, I bought a guitar. A Sears Silvertone, black with an orange starburst around the sound hole. My good friend Ken and I began practicing, and the first obstacle emerged. I couldn’t tune the blasted instrument! Oh, I knew the strings and frets to press to match the tones of adjacent strings, but my ear couldn’t hear the differences. Ken soon tired of tuning mine. OK, ditch the gitfiddle and just sing. Next obstacle. Being tone deaf doesn’t lend itself to singing virtuosity.

So my dream died, but a new force emerged. Jealousy

Roadmaps

Tim Riter February 24, 2014

Several years ago a buddy and I hopped in my Ford van and headed to Yosemite for some winter camping. We hit all the backroads we could find, but faithfully followed the map. Until we got lost. The map just didn’t match the territory; it couldn’t get us to our goal. Running on fumes from the detours, the van crept into the aptly named Dinkey Creek, the last gas station for a dozen miles, just as the operator was closing it down for the winter. An hour later and we’d been hiking in snow.

This week, a Facebook friend sparked a challenging discussion when she posted an article “Sick of Christianity?” The author seemed to want to rewrite the Bible and condemn judgmentalism in the church in order to justify

When Angels Ride Along

Tim Riter February 17, 2014

It all seemed so simple. Needing a break from studying during our final finals week in college, a bunch of us took a break from our studies to view “Easy Rider,” the iconic cult biker film featuring sex, drugs, and bikes. It entranced me. Not the sex and drugs, although I certainly couldn’t claim faith then. But Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper captured the freedom of traveling on two wheels.

The idea burst upon me like inspiration—I’d work for a month or so, save enough to buy a bike, and head to Canada for a month before grad school started. Three weeks after buying the bike, I took off. Way too early, I knew almost nothing about riding or bikes. Not enough to know the danger.

My Non Resolution

Tim Riter January 6, 2014

I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions some time ago—their certain failure brought frustration, and I need neither. But God may be getting my attention, courtesy of Home Depot.

Although tending to be a bit mellow and easy going, I’ve noticed my impatience level getting worse lately, and New Year’s Day brought it to a peak.

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following