Born in the Big Sky Country of Montana and now living in the Buckeye State of Ohio, Richard is the creative mind behind Big Sky Buckeye. Retired after 40 years of teaching, I enjoy writing, photography, traveling, and following a healthy lifestyle.
This quotations series will focus on four significant U.S. Army generals from World War II. Each man contributed mightily to the overall success of the Allies war effort. This outstanding quartet will feature: George C. Marshall, George S. Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and Omar Bradley. Postings will include two of these gentlemen at a time.
George C. Marshall (1880-1959)
The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.
George S. Patton (1880-1945)
There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by praying.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.
From John 4:23-24: “But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Billy Sunday (1862-1935) was an American baseball player during the early years of professional baseball. Fortunately for believers and nonbelievers, Sunday later became one of the most influential evangelists in America during the first two decades of the 20th century.
Fred and Wilma return home with a purchase from the Bedrock Mall, and their daughter, Pebbles, is so excited to have her Daddy set up her brand new Kiddie Kamp tent.
With both Wilma and Pebbles’ encouragement, Fred is more than willing to take a few minutes to pitch the tent. As Fred unpacks the materials from the box, he looks at the directions and pitches them aside.
After all, Fred is set to be the next foreman at Slate Rock and Gravel Company, where he has worked for several years as a bronto crane operator. He certainly won’t need to follow any directions.
Pebbles watches her Daddy as he begins to pitch her new tent. She is excited to show it to her next door friend, Bamm-Bamm.
Bamm-Bamm’s Mom, Betty, is on the phone with Wilma. Wilma tells her, “Pebbles is really looking forward to playing in her new tent. Fred should have it up quickly.”
Patiently watching from a few feet away, Pebbles smiles as her Daddy finishes up. Fred tells himself, “Another piece of cake for the next foreman at Slate Rock and Gravel.” Pebbles claps to show how happy she is.
Meanwhile, Betty has finished her phone conversation with Wilma. She remarks to her husband, Barney, “Perhaps you should go over and see if Fred needs any help with pitching this tent.”
Fred steadies the tent. Because of the summer heat, heavy sweat is running down his face. His patience is wearing thin. Suddenly, the tent collapses and falls into a disheveled pile of canvas and sticks.
Barney takes a glance out of his backdoor to witness something he has never seen before. He steps back in and tells Betty, “Too late! Fred has already pitched the tent.”
Poor Pebbles! Her brand new tent is piled up by the trash.
From 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Divine and perfect, all love radiates from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Fill our fragile hearts with redemption, so that our hope breathes, freed from sin’s chains. Amen.
Stop permitting two strong tendencies–selfishness and conceit–to control you! Replace them with “humility of mind.” But how? By regarding others as more important than yourself.
From Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”
Make a difference about something other than yourselves.
If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.
Ohio-born Toni Morrison (1931-2019) experienced the ultimate tributes given any novelist when she received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her ground-breaking novel BELOVED and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her many awards and published works were a testament to her gifts as a writer.
The teenage boy has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for months. Mark has shown the unwavering courage of a young man who follows God without flinching.
His pastor, Wayne, visits Mark one afternoon. The teen has been at the hospital for several days as he is undergoing another round of treatments to battle his cancer. Wayne wants to share some of God’s Word with this courageous teenager.
Mark’s hair is gone. His slender frame looks even thinner than Wayne remembers. His young body is marshalling all of its resources to battle the foe within.
Mark’s bubbling smiles lights up when Wayne walks into his room. He is thrilled to have a visitor stopping by.
To prevent transmitting any germs or infections, Wayne is gowned up. He looks more like a skilled doctor than a pastor.
After several minutes of conversation, Mark surprises his pastor by sharing a verse from Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.”
The fourteen year-old’s faith under such harsh circumstances is truly remarkable.
At the end of his visit, Wayne asks if he can pray over Mark. Mark quietly says, “Certainly!” The two of them share a few moments in prayer.
Walking down the hallway after leaving Mark’s room, Wayne thinks to himself, “I feel like Mark has ministered to me. I come to bolster his spirits, yet he is the one who reminds me to always trust in God.”
Published in March, 2020, this story was based on a true life experience of a fourteen year-old boy. An entire community rallied around him as he continued to battle cancer. He shared the verse from Proverbs in a video which was shared with many believers. His witness to his Lord was inspiring indeed. Sadly, Mark lost his long battle with cancer, but his courageous spirit will live on.
Big Sky Buckeye 