Copy Kilauea?

Tim Riter May 28, 2018

The Big Island grows bigger. For several decades, Kilauea safely sent lava on a downward slope to the sea, giving a bit more land to the island. But a new series of eruptions have changed things, with about two dozen fissures, or cracks in the earth’s surface, that allow lava to surge, destroying homes and highways and immolating cars. The earlier cool lava has given way to fresh and hotter lava, creating steam as it reaches the Pacific, and slowly increasing the size of Hawaii. But something struck me. Didn’t God finished creating…

Know Your Opponent

Tim Riter May 21, 2018

Once again, a shooter at a school took lives, and commentators and citizens and officials offered their takes on both the causes and solutions. One US Senator weighed in, with one part of wisdom and another of ignorance. Speaking of Santa Fe High School, Ted Cruz said, “This community has seen the face of unmitigated evil.” Yes they did, and we’d all agree. But he then amazed me with…

Hope Lies Eternal in the Divine Breast

Tim Riter May 14, 2018

The cushy beds in the tent trailer at Convict Lake claimed my son-in-law and grandson as I rose alone at early dawn to entice the trout in the creek. Yes, I caught a few. But better than the rainbows was the reminder of God’s patience. Mountain mornings bring a unique freshness. Something about being immersed in God’s creation makes me more aware of him, and the following flowed from…

image from LA  Times — image from LA Times

Here They Come!

Tim Riter May 7, 2018

Yeah, the pic looks political. The topic looks political. But honestly, they’re not. Hundreds of refugees from Honduras headed north, seeking refuge from gang violence. A week ago, they arrived at the border, and the political discussion over immigrants has grown hotter. But while reading in Mark this week, I came across the passage where…

A Decaying Past

Tim Riter April 30, 2018

I like old stuff. Always have. Dad’s aunt and uncle would escape the Utah winter and snow to stay in Santa Monica for several months each year, and I’d quietly listen to tales of much earlier frontier days. On the bike trips, old farms, barns, and houses entrance me. Two years ago we spent a few days in Deadwood, SD, where Wild Bill Hickok was killed, where Calamity Jane capered, and I was nearly in heaven. Last spring Sheila and I visited an old central California town. She headed for an antique store; I crossed the street to a hotel/bar about 120 years old. So when Roland Peachie…

Stretch Yourself

Tim Riter April 23, 2018

The pic above represents of one the most rewarding and stupid decisions of my life. Back in high school, I got a lot of A’s, but never one in physical education—you had to be a super jock in regular PE, everyone on sports teams got them. Dad had razzed me a lot, so I bet him $5 I would my senior year. Distance running came fairly easy on a regular PE class level, so I checked out cross country. The best 10 ran varsity, the next 10 junior varsity. I figured…

Making Trades

Tim Riter April 16, 2018

I enjoy making trades. Back in ’78, I swapped a well-used ’73 Honda 750 and a few bucks for a nearly new ’78 Goldwing. The pic above shows an authentic Colt .45 from 1889, that my dad’s brother got in trade for a pocketknife, in about 1925. The Colt has a value of about $2,000—I’m sure the knife got thrown out or lost quite some time ago. A recent and much better trade has made a huge difference in my walking with Jesus...

Wipe Out--Others

Tim Riter April 9, 2018

We have all been wronged, deeply, by a friend or a family member or a boss or a coworker or a spouse. Those scars run deep, and the memories sometimes never fade. The pain can still eat at our hearts. Last week we explored the forgiveness that God grants us, how he wipes out our sins and guilt. We get a clean slate. But genuine forgiveness is a two-edged sword, one that cuts both ways. If God wipes out our sins, we need...

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following