Worshipping Worship: the Ultimate Adultery

Tim Riter October 13, 2014

Thoughts take intriguing turns. A Facebook friend and fellow writer, Steve Hutson, posted an article that critiqued much of modern worship. The resulting discussion motivated me to further explore worship, which takes last week’s Unconventional post in a related direction. If we are to follow Jesus, that we worship and how we worship will drive the depth of our faith.

At its core, worship celebrates the reality that God has more innate worth than anything we can find in heaven or earth. Our English word comes from “worthyship,” so in worship by definition we focus on him. Get that well, it forms the foundation of all that will follow.

But God...

Tim Riter October 6, 2014

Preferring to understand the big picture, I embarked on a mission to comprehend God, vainly hoping the more I understood him and his nature and his essence, the better I could follow. Easier for an ant to assess Einstein. Unable to grasp the core of God in the vast distance between our natures, I drifted—until I yielded on the attempt.

But one truth came clear—the alienness of God.

In His Image?

Tim Riter September 29, 2014

One lady from our high school graduating class developed a Facebook page for us, which introduced me to Roland Peachie. This previously unknown classmate from decades back creates marvelous images with photographs. He posted the above pic (dare I call it just a pic?) with these words, “…the new adapter came in today, not only infinity has been fixed (I’d never realized someone broke it) but my Macro is now about 6 feet closer, which I really like.. test shots show even a different background blur with the new adapter.”

Must have been Latin he was speaking, I understood very little of it. But I did get the passion to create and replied...

A Tale of Two Cats

Tim Riter September 22, 2014

After providing a home and family to too many felines during our marriage, I can’t say we were happy when our last cat passed, but we did decide to enjoy being full empty nesters.

Six months later, our visiting grandchildren brought in a visiting, just weaned kitten. Adamantly, Sheila agreed to keep it just overnight to find the owners, and she would put up “Lost Cat” signs the next day while I worked. Heading home with no signs in sight, I found him curled up on her lap, purring. “If they want him, they can put up the signs” was her response to my raised eyebrows.

We called him Sandy for the color of his coat, but Lover Boy fit him more.

A Balancing Act

Tim Riter September 8, 2014

In the quiet before official worship began today, I intentionally opened my Bible to Psalms, randomly to 86. As a poet (no poems today, sorry!) I appreciated the variety of structures that enhanced the meaning. But verse 8 touched my soul on two requirements of growing in Christ. Both flow from how I see our typical and fallen human nature. Guess that makes sense, since God made us and best knows how we operate.

The first prayer by David to God is ...

An Antidote to Spiritual Anemia

Tim Riter August 25, 2014

A good friend and fellow teacher who struggles with anemia posted this on Facebook over the weekend, “Why am I so exhausted after only teaching two days? Oh boy.” 2 down, MANY to go, and tiredness has already hit. I understand; I teach also. But a more pervasive issue comes from the spiritual anemia that so infects American Christianity. We lack energy and motivation for the things of God. We care, but not deeply. We serve, but not joyfully. We give, but not sacrificially.

The antidote may be found in a fishing story, and not a tall tail. The above photo may be...

God Touches

Tim Riter July 28, 2014

Last week we explored how we need to intentionally evaluate each decision on the basis of being a follower of Jesus. Today, let’s flip the coin, courtesy of an experience with a good friend from years back, Wayne Ragland.

Wayne and I yearned to be the next photo/journalist stellar pair, and headed to Yosemite for material. He’d take the pics; I’d write the copy. You’ve heard of us, right? Yeah, thought so. On the long ride up, Wayne mentioned he saw every scene for its potential picture value. I thought that diminished one’s appreciation of creation’s beauty, so we chewed on it a bit. He didn’t convince me, until I started writing in earnest, decades later.

Getting Better All the Time?

Tim Riter June 16, 2014

Mark Twain, one of America’s wittiest authors, proclaimed that “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little.” Well, I’m over 48. Well over. Yet I find a blend of both pessimism and optimism within myself. Pessimism: about how America is abandoning widespread cultural values in place of subjective ethics; about the rise in violent crime, particularly in young adults; about growing alcohol and drug abuse. Optimism: about God working in the midst of a dark world and bringing eventual justice and victory.

Pontificating on the source of evil in the world tempts me...

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following