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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.

Lee Strobel Quote

statue of jesus

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God is the God of do-overs, and that should give us great hope.  We really can be absolved of our past.

From Acts 22:6-8:  “[From the conversion of Paul] While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.  I feel to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’  I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'”

2 in 1 Barnabas Award

Renee from Heart Tokens has graciously nominated me for this Barnabas Award.  I am truly humbled by her appreciation of my writing.

If you have not visited Renee’s site, I encourage you to do so.  She is a Christian who shares her faith without reservation.  She inspires many readers with her praise and love of God while sharing other experiences in her life.

The Barnabas Award is presented in recognition of encouragement and inspiration a blogger brings to his or her readers.

How the award works:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you, and share their blog.
  2. Think of five bloggers that encourage and inspire you and nominate them.
  3. List five things about yourself and answer the questions.
  4. Lastly, ask your nominees five questions. Why five? Because it is the number that signifies grace.

Five things about me:

I am a retired teacher who’s turned to writing.  After 40 years in the classroom, my writing journey has been a true joy.

I now live in Ohio, the Buckeye State.

I grew up in Montana.  I will always look forward to visiting my homeland under the Big Montana Sky.

I grew up with five siblings (four brothers and one sister).  I’m the oldest, for better or worse.

I have nine grandchildren between my blended family in Ohio and Montana.  The most recent addition arrived on November 29 . . . a boy.

Here are the answers to Renee’s questions:

If you were given as much money as it took to change something for the good, what would be that one thing you would choose?

Eliminate hunger across the world.  I am far too blessed with what I’ve been given.

What is one trait from a bible character that you wish you had/or am currently working on having more of?

Witness the Lord’s Word much as Apostle Paul did.  I have felt God’s nudges to write more Christian-themed poetry as a way to share my faith.

If you could have been in the crowd that day the young man had the loaves and fish lunch, what do you think your modern-day lunch would have consisted of?

My lunch would have consisted of the same fishes and loaves.  To humbling break bread with Jesus would be a life-changer.

If you had a choice, which would you do, stop world hunger or stop bullying?

I already addressed hunger, so I would then turn my attention to removing bullying from our culture—schools, workplace, on the street, politics, and so many other places.  Jesus commands us to love one another, just as our Lord loves us.

Do you believe that we can change the world by the words we speak? Whether negative or positive?

We can change the world in a positive way, one conversation at a time.  The world definitely needs more positivity.

Here are my five questions to my nominees:

What do you like most about blogging?

Who serves as one of your main inspirations for life?

Do you have a favorite quote or verse from Scripture?  Feel free to share it.

If you could change one negative thing in our world, what would you want to change?

Besides God and Jesus, who is a person or an event which you enjoy reading about from the Bible?

My nominees:

To those whom I give this award to, I dearly appreciate you for your unwavering inspiration.   If you wish, you are invited to participate.

Deb

Sonrisa

Jason

Suzette

Robbie

 

Friday, the 13th

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Does Friday, the 13th, bring on bad luck?

Breaking a mirror, let’s not make a scene

Crossing paths with a black cat, now fear struck

This Friday’s trying hard, to make us scream

 

Let’s focus on a different number

Twelve delivers a comforting meaning

Twelve Days of Christmas, never to shudder

Twelve Tribes of Israel, never demeaning

 

For some people, “thirteen” seems unlucky

Not really sure why others whine and fuss

Heading out the door with my dog Lucky

Snow flurries in June, now that’s treasonous!

 

So, what’s the big deal about the 13th?

Just change the calendar to the 14th

horseshoe luck sidewalk

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Faithful Prayer

The words of this poem are inspired from some of my prayers for family, friends, and acquaintances here on WordPress.   Being a prayer warrior is an important element of my faith and witness.  

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From Psalm 86:5-6:  “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.  Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.

Praying for others through God’s love . . .

 

Praying with patience and care

Asking God with nothing to spare

 

Witnessing son’s lasting love for his Dad

Time spent together, making both glad

 

Bringing empathy and care to a young boy

Cancer rages, but medical staff deploys

 

Waiting for prodigal children to return

Inviting God, His lessons will be learned

 

Watching a lost mother, now showing love

Children feeling God’s mercy, from above

 

Allowing time to heal a brother’s relationship

Now picking up the phone, full of friendship

 

Battling health problems for years and years

Faithfulness and hope carry on, without fear

 

Nurturing a relationship, despite great distance

Love flourishes, with God’s constant assistance

 

Finding life no longer survives through a bottle

Weekly AA meetings turn up a man’s throttle

 

Moving to a new city, with its new demands

New job arrives, life settles in God’s hands

 

Feeling empty loneliness, each and every day

Woman discovers love, with so much to say

 

Revealing unconditional love toward a spouse

Love carries on, refilling this blessed house

 

Sacrificing His Son for our sinful ways

God offers Jesus, with Salvation today

 

Praying for others through God’s love . . .

smiling man and woman wearing jackets

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Charles Swindoll Quote

multi cultural people

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When you’re hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness, that’s when a friend comes through.  You don’t even need to ask.  They just do it.  This is faith in action.

From Proverbs 17:17:  “A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.”

Enough Is Enough

white and orange pumpkins on table

Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food 

Harvest and Halloween, over and done

Autumn trying to hang on for some fun

 

November arrives, but what you say?

Christmas music begins to fill the day

 

Black Friday “Preview Sale” beckons us

To be shopping, without all of this fuss

 

Right on schedule, Thanksgiving arrives

Eating far, far too much, we’ll all survive

 

But wait . . . Pre-Black Friday calls

Following our feast, off to the mall

 

What’s absolutely annoying with this scene?

Leaving family to shop, a dreadful scheme

 

Oh!  My frosty enthusiasm, definitely not humming

This longer shopping season; totally mind-numbing

shopping business money pay

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Hold on to your horses!  There’s more to come

Political campaigns rolling, like a beating drum

 

Elections are months and months away

Too many candidates, with little to say

 

The rhetoric ramps up, the speeches too long

Hoping laryngitis will quell voices, with a gong

person dropping paper on box

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Buried with mindless literature in the daily mail

Sales flyers and candidates’ bios, tip the scale

 

At least, there is one good thing with this mess

Plenty of excessive paper to start a fire, no less

 

While warming myself and trying now to relax

Please accept my apologies for all of this flak

 

Enough is enough, these changes are too extreme

Wishing now for more simple times, I shall dream

fire wood firewood fireplace

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Haiku Series #42 (Life)

Novelist

Words, words, and more words

Thrilling adventures crafted—

Gifts of a writer

woman typing writing programming

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Mentors

Caring and thoughtful

Teachers make a difference—

For countless lifetimes

man teaching woman in front of monitor

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Meditating

Car radio plays

Soothing and peaceful music—

Parked in the driveway

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