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About bigskybuckeye

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.

Love in Christ

From Isaiah 40:3-5:  “A voice cries out:  ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'”

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Earth filled with gloom and doom

Sinful and fallen race

World empty of joy’s light

Love transforms from God’s grace

 

Love comes from the Father

Love bringing God to earth

Love for our salvation

Love born in His Son’s birth

 

Angels proclaim great news

Majestic, glorious

Never-ending peace sent

God’s love victorious

 

Christ delivers God’s love

Replacing life’s darkness

Silence and confusion

Overcoming starkness

 

Compassion sharing hope

Shepherd gathers His lambs

Lighting the world with love

Grace breaking sin-filled dams

 

Sunrise leads to Jesus

His Kingdom never ends

Rejoice in His Glory

Rising Son’s love now mends

  

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From Ezekiel 34:15-16:  “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy.  I will feed them with justice.”

This final poem completes the series posted on each Sunday during Advent.  If you missed any of the previous Advent-inspired poems, here are the links:

Charles Swindoll Quote

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The greatest character trait you can provide your spouse and your family is moral and ethical self-control.

From James 21:22-24:  “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.  For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.”

Fear Not

From Matthew 14:22-24: “Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.”

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Life’s storms intensify

Overcoming with fear

Facing each hostile sea

Darkness, nothing seems clear

 

Spiritual squalls come

Turning world upside down

Battered by strongest gales

Fearing each wave’s knockdown

 

Christ’s love intercedes

Praying hands, clay’s potter

Mountains to heavens

Walking on calm water

 

Jesus never leaves us

Storms quietly subside

His blessed protection

Lasting, sovereign guide

 

Fear not, faith’s spark ablaze

Christ’s true light boldly seeds

Following Son of God

Hope ripens from His deeds

 

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From Matthew 14:25-27:  “And early in the morning He came walking toward them on the sea.  But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’  And they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.'”

John Eldredge Quote

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Teach a man a rule and you help him solve a problem; teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life.

From John 13:14-15:  “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”

Friday Smiles (Haiku Series #113)

Incoming Message

Microwave blows out

Houston, where’s our hot pockets?

Hungry astronauts

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Always Prepared

Impassable roads

Remember the ice outside—

Putting on ice skates

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Into the Moonlight

Nursing home “Rec Night”

Dancing through the starry night—

Golden oldies night

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Coming Home

This poem is dedicated to the many lives which have come and gone along the tracks of the Great Northern Railroad from years ago.  Perhaps you can feel the living spirit still riding the Empire Builder passenger train across the Hi-Line of Montana.

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Feeling a bit like heaven

Blessed Big Sky, almost home

Paradise spelled as two words

Riding free, spirit’s train roams

 

Scanning God’s creative touch

Mountains shaped by nature’s hand

Valleys carved out by rivers

Dreaming of this treasured land

 

Stirring up past memories

Iron horse roaring at top speed

Long ago, been here before

Coming home, spirits now freed

 

Flashing by Hi-Line’s vast farms

Cropland caresses these tracks

Golden fields of wheat ripen

Waiting for harvest’s comeback

 

Fading daylight turns to night

Darkness covers Montana’s peace

Town lights twinkle here and there

Thinking back to life’s past lease

 

Climbing through Marias Pass

Glacier Park saying good-bye

Big Sky’s wonder never fades

Ageless spirit, dropping by

 

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Oswald Chambers Quote

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A heartless Christian must be a terrible grief to our Lord.  Are you in the direct line of intercession of our Lord and the Holy Spirit?

From Romans 8:26-27:  “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Without Faith

From Hebrews 11:6:  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”

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Living without faith

Never pleasing to God

Scripture grows musty

Seeing life as a fraud

 

Lacking true knowledge

Missing God’s living Word

Whole heart feels empty

Running with the wrong herd

 

Callous attitude

Faith absent, lonesome walk

Mind unbelieving

AWOL from Shepherd’s flock

 

Holy Trinity

Faith’s long forgotten light

Father, Son, Spirit

Blessed angels take flight

 

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From Proverbs 3:5:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. Quote

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Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

From Matthew 5:43-44:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’   But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”