Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following
  • Poetry
  • Reflection
  • Happenings
  • About
    • About Unconventional
    • About Tim
    • Tim's Books
  • Contact
  • Poetry
  • Reflection
  • Happenings
    • About Unconventional
    • About Tim
    • Tim's Books
  • Contact

Blog

  • All
  • Happenings
  • Poetry
  • Reflection
Image from SB Nation

Image from SB Nation

Transcending Political Differences

Tim Riter October 15, 2018

Honestly, as venomous as current politics have become, they can’t match some of the past. Like 1804, when the sitting Vice President of the US shot and killed the former Secretary of the Treasury. Two other founding fathers, close friends in the Revolution, became bitter enemies, slandering each other far more than we see today. Make no mistake however…

Read More
In Happenings Tags Colin Kaepernick, SF 49ers, National Anthem, Kneeling, Trump, Fire Him!, Disagreement, Love, Grace, Mercy, Citizenship, Heaven, Following Jesus, Christian Living, Spiritual Formation
Praying Hands.jpg

Pray. Like This

Tim Riter October 8, 2018

Following Jesus has its difficulties, and prayer ranks near the top. Communication with the God we love shouldn’t distress, but it often does. Even the apostles need to ask for a prayer lesson, in Matthew 6:9. Mutual, two-way communication builds any relationship, and the lack brings damage. I do OK with trying to stay aware of God each moment of the day. I try to say thinks for the good stuff, and rely on him for help with the bad stuff. On the big decisions, I’m decent with immersing it in prayer. But I’m not OK…

Read More
In Reflection Tags Prayer, Spiritual Intimacy, Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Christian Living
Pickles.jpg

Bucket Lists

Tim Riter October 1, 2018

Bucket lists typically focus on getting dreams finished near the end of life, but we all have goals and dreams and hopes. Important tasks we desire to do. However, we all face limits that hinder those. It may be physical conditions. Despite my love of playing football, I knew that would never occur in the NFL. Too small to be a linebacker or lineman, too slow for backfield spots. Now, I did…

Read More
In Reflection Tags Goals, Dreams, Bucket Lists, Failure, Heaven, Career, Family, Knowing Jesus, spiritual formation, Christian Living
Rock Creek Aspen.jpg

Make God Laugh

Tim Riter September 24, 2018

Typically, each year brings three trips to the eastern Sierras—a May weekend, an October weekend, and four or five days in the summer. 2018 broke the mold. Plans for our granddaughter’s June wedding, which included prepping the house and yard to host the rehearsal dinner, consumed the spring. Summer featured a 6,000 mile motorcycle trip with friends, including an Iron Butt run the first day…1,000 miles on two wheels in 24 hours. The rest of the summer was given to recovering, along with a bunch of yard and house tasks. That left room for…

Read More
In Happenings Tags Sierras, Trout, Plans, Changing Plans, Adapting, Proverbs, Christian Living, spiritual formation
Image by Jeff Boyer

Image by Jeff Boyer

Who Ya Hangin' With?

Tim Riter September 17, 2018

A good friend from Taos days, Jeff Boyer, spotted this arrangement in a magazine rack, featuring a magazine containing the entire New Testament, and I weighed in, “Jesus hung with wine drinkers and sinners, so it’s appropriate his Word does the same.” Makes sense, right? But…

Read More
In Happenings Tags Jeff Boyer, Friends, Companions, Sin, Forgiveness, Reaching Others, Marijuana, Right and Wrong, Alcohol, Christian Living, spiritual formation
Image from Immanuel Bible Church

Image from Immanuel Bible Church

The Glory of Guilt

Tim Riter September 10, 2018

Pain from a broken leg keeps us from doing more damage to the injury. So we limp to see a doc and get it casted to enable healing. We don’t all break our legs, but we do sin. Perhaps, just wondering, but does guilt serve a similar role spiritually for those times?

Read More
In Poetry Tags Guilt, Shame, Sin, Redemption, Worship, Christian Living, Spiritual Formation
Victims of clerical sex abuse and their relatives reacted as Attorney General Josh Shapiro discussed the grand jury report at a news conference in Harrisburg.CreditCreditMatt Rourke/Associated Press

Victims of clerical sex abuse and their relatives reacted as Attorney General Josh Shapiro discussed the grand jury report at a news conference in Harrisburg.CreditCreditMatt Rourke/Associated Press

Follow Your Leaders?

Tim Riter September 3, 2018

For the last couple of months, several guys that ride from our church have joined in with the biker group from another church, and the motley crew in the second pic above depicts us on one of those rides. But the most recent, a few weeks ago, added an important spiritual lesson to the great companionship on a scenic ride to the town of Ramona. By the way, names will be changed to protect the guilty.   ;) The leader picked out a route ahead of time, one he’d not yet ridden, entered it on his GPS, and…

Read More
In Happenings Tags Leaders, Mistakes, Obey Leaders, Confront Leaders, Sins, Restoration, Church Life, Spiritual Formation
Bow Lake Flowers.jpg

No Good Deed

Tim Riter August 27, 2018

Many consider Lake Louise as the jewel of the Banff region in Canada, but Bow Lake, just a bit north, entranced our Gray Hog group even more. Perhaps the less than crowded conditions contributed to that. We took pics of the lake and Crowfoot Mtn from the central area, then strolled south for another angle of the glacier. Out of the many impressive qualities of Canada, we noticed the almost total lack of litter. Until, walking back to our bikes, we stopped to see …

Read More
In Happenings Tags Banff, Bow Lake, Lake Louise, Wildflowers, Good Deeds, Rewards, Personal Benefit, Approval by Others, Goodness, Christian Living, spiritual formation
  • Blog
  • Older
  • Newer
TimGlacierMcDonald.jpg

A bit of an unreconstructed Jesus freak. Almost old enough to have known him when he walked this world. About 27 on the inside. Investing his life in university and teen students. Inveterate cross country motorcycle rider. Nature lover. Entranced with the power of written and spoken words. Still learning.

Read more... 


Subscribe to Unconventional

Site built by Sparkpunk using Squarespace.

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following