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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.

Charles Stanley Quote

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God wants us to remain steadfast in the face of affliction and temptation.  It’s important to remember that faith doesn’t rescue us from all this but will get us through it.

From Hebrews 11:39-40:  “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.”

Headlines Share Goodness

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Comet Neowise visible in nighttime sky

Brightness adds wonder with this fly by

 

Book lover yearns for a single, big library room

Books scattered throughout a house consumed

 

War veteran’s birthday reaches milestone of five score

Celebrating with drive-by parade, lasting love adores

 

David Lee Roth allows his artwork to do all the talking

Van Halen singer creates vibrant drawings, all rocking

 

Backyard farming brings garden-variety experiment

Mix of triumphs and failures sparks life’s merriment

 

Michigan man creates million dollar treasure quest

Buried jewelry, precious metals, antiques—no jest!

 

Teachers making investment in beneficial skills

Determined to make remote learning fit the bill

 

Old hardware stockpile offers newest treasures

Ghosts of hardware past make lasting pleasures

 

Hosting backyard movies invites welcome distraction

Adding drive-in movies as summer’s main attraction

 

Family should earn a doctorate for raising four boys

Each becomes a surgeon, filled with talented poise

 

Pandemic increases customer demand for reading material

Shoppers buying books and paperbacks along with cereal

 

Probe, rover, and drone plan to scrutinize planet Mars

Called Hope, Perseverance, Ingenuity—heavenly stars

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Life Lessons (Elfchen Series #25)

Life Rewards

Character

Built slowly

Over one’s lifetime

Integrity becomes a habit

Precious

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Making It 

Life

Trekking uphill

Reaching its summit

Fulfilling journey never ends

Perseverance

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Starting Over

Discipline

Sometimes lacking

Daily excuses strike

Replace with fresh renewal

Determination

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The German-inspired poetry style of Elfchen (or Elevenie) contains five lines of poetic verse, usually without the use of rhyming verses.  A total of 11 words are used with a sequence of one, two, three, and four words before ending with a single word in the final verse.

Right Field

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The right fielder just happens to be the newest boy in the neighborhood.  His family makes their new home down on Lexington Drive, not far from a park with a baseball diamond.

A group of boys organize pick-up baseball games every morning during the summer at the park’s diamond.  The right fielder shows up, eager to play, but he is the final player picked for one of the teams. 

Few of the other boys put much faith in the smallish right fielder’s short stature.  His glove is well-worn as the seasoned leather molds around his small hand, and his tattered jeans feature a gash at the knee which provides for some extra ventilation.  He wears a faded cap with the Brooklyn Dodgers “B” logo still showing.

On most pick-up baseball teams, whoever plays right field is usually one of its weaker players with not much of a glove, little speed, and a dreadfully weak throwing arm.  Willing to play right field serves as a consolation prize for being picked last.

The right fielder humbly accepts his position.  He is hungry to play ball, and he just wants to fit in with the other boys.

He enjoys a decent game at the plate with a couple of solid hits.  His teammates begin to take notice of his skills.  The right fielder has yet to see a ball hit his way.

The score remains tied with two outs now in the bottom of the final inning.  A runner stands in position to score from second base as he waits for a much needed hit to bring home the winning run.

With the crack of the bat, the runner is on a dead sprint to third base on his way to home plate.  The ball has been hit like a shot into right field.  The right fielder makes a quick jump on the sharp hit, fields the ball cleanly, and sets up his feet for a throw to the catcher.

The runner is rounding third base, and the field is buzzing with excitement.  The catcher positions himself just in front of home plate as he prepares to receive the right fielder’s throw.

With a hop and a step, the right fielder uncorks a frozen rope of a throw.  It carries low toward the waiting catcher.  The runner looks to be a dead duck.  The throw arrives at home plate well ahead of the runner.

The catcher flinches as the ball skips off of the turf in front of the plate.  With a perfect bounce up, the ball arrives well ahead of the runner.  Sadly, the catcher misjudges the throw, and it bounds over his glove into his body. 

Runner safe!  Game over!

With the game over, the rest of the boys discover they have a pretty darn good right fielder.  They’ve never seen a throw quite like his. 

Lee Strobel Quote

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Struggling with God over the issues of life doesn’t show a lack of faith–it is faith.

From Matthew 8:24-26:  “A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He [Jesus] was asleep.  And they went and woke Him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us!  We are perishing!’  And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’  Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.”

Chains Broken and Free

From Titus 3:4-7:  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

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Running life’s perpetual marathon

Searching for finish line, never in sight

Scaling boundless mountains, summits hidden

Paddling always upstream, with all our might

 

Living foolishly through sin-filled choices

Thinking daily good works shall pay our way

Falling down exhausted, never enough

Realizing God brings His goodness each day

 

Loving us with kindness, comes the Father

Giving to us freely, eternal Grace

Sharing His Holy Word, wrapped in mercy

Renewing Holy Spirit will embrace

 

Chained in darkness as unrighteous sinners

Witnessing now—a mournful, blood-stained tree

Paying for our life’s transgressions in full

Accepting Jesus, chains broken and free

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From the words of American pastor and Christian teacher, Charles Stanley:  “There is only one way to receive our heavenly Father’s favor, and that’s by faith in His Son, who did all the work for us.”

American Presidents

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Rutherford B. Hayes

The bold enterprises are the successful ones.  Take counsel of hopes rather than of fears.

James A. Garfield

Few men in our history have ever obtained the Presidency by planning to obtain it.

Faithful God (Haiku Series #92)

Faith

Waiting for the Lord

Our hearts filling with gladness—

Trust His Holy plan

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Always Here

Asking God, “Why me?”

Feeling unprepared for Him—

He will walk with us

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Never Forsaken

Make our hearts ready

Hearing, serving, witnessing—

Quench our thirsty souls

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