Serenity or Stress--Your Choice

Tim Riter November 18, 2019

We all face sources of stress. Jobs. Relationships. Family. Finances. Neighbors. Life isn’t always a stroll in the park, but perhaps we can extract a lesson from my bike trips. The pic above came from the ride from SoCal to Alaska in August 2019 with Rich. The stretch of road between Kitwanga Junction and Stewart BC, right next to Hyder, Alaska, held chances to spot grizzlies and moose and deer and glaciers. But no one mentioned it ranks among the most…

Celebrate Our Surrender

Tim Riter November 11, 2019

The riddle for the day: What do you call a husband and wife when she has a Ph.D. in History, and he's an oncologist? Answer: a paradox. OK, corny and old, but cute. A paradox, in reality, is two contradictory statements when both are true. My preeminent example comes from Jesus as a double paradox, "If you save your life you'll…

Do Words Matter?

Tim Riter November 4, 2019

I’ve seen this post multiple times, and can’t express how profoundly these words impact me. From Sir Winston Churchill as it claims? Likely not, but that’s immaterial. The purpose, often put up by people whom I know love Jesus, attempt to justify bad and offensive language by leaders and ourselves, and this can be from both political persuasions. However, this Unconventional rant is NOT political—but essentially spiritual. The question: do these words represent or oppose how Jesus and the Bible view words? Good words…

Why Worship Together?

Tim Riter October 28, 2019

Many say they can worship God just as well at the beach, or the mountains, or the golf course. And, some of my most glorious worship occurs in the mountains. Immersed in the beauty of the world that God created, away from the overpowering touch of man, my ego shrinks as I get lost in God’s transcendence. But must we worship together?

To Cruise or Not to Cruise

Tim Riter October 21, 2019

need for speed. Frankly, that caused some cramping on long rides, and my third bike, a ’78 Goldwing, had a throttle lock that I loved. Get to the speed you want, set the throttle lock, and it held it there, saving your hand and wrist muscles. But when a hill arrived, you slowed down going up, and sped up going down. Not ideal! The first pic shows the throttle lock on my ST1300. Then I…

LIghts Cameras Action

Tim Riter October 14, 2019

With your forbearance, this week’s post will depart from the pattern. Just a poem. A poem that expresses many of the concerns I’ve had for some time about the practice of our faith. A poem where I ask you to think, to pray, to ponder, to reflect. I would love to read your thoughts, either on Facebook or on the Unconventional site. Agree fully, disagree fully. Agree or disagree in part. Or questions. Concerns. Uncertainty. Yeah, pretty free wheelin’, like a long bike trip should be. What prompted this? We…

Trust Not the Chip

Tim Riter October 7, 2019

On our recent east coast trip we left DC on a warm October morning heading for a Hampton Inn in Danbury CN, leading to our return flight in Boston. So I loaded the address into Waze on Sheila’s cell, those marvelous silicon chips did their work and spat out the directions, with a distance of 286 miles. I hit start and followed what it told us. I trusted Waze; she’d never led us wrong. But…

Seasons

Tim Riter September 30, 2019

Five years back, Mick thought the right time had arrived to stop riding his bike. He looked back on many miles and a lot of trips with no problems, and a slew of great stories and memories. So he decided to quit while he was still ahead. To show his commitment, he gave his Honda Goldwing to his son-in-law. His riding days ended. But his wife…

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following