Morning brings warm light
Feeling God’s peace through His Word—
Faith for another day
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Pre-dawn sky looks down
Crescent moon glistens above—
Feeling God’s presence
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Parents pray to God
Child walks a life filled with sin—
Coming home to God
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From 2 Thessalonians 1:11: “To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of His call and will fulfill by His power every good resolve and work of faith.”
Feeling lost, alone, and unworthy
Walking forward to seek God
Questioning and asking, crying out
Gathering together, we trust God
Seeking Christ must come first
Contrasting himself to the Messiah
Foretelling of the One coming
Crying out in the wilderness
Baptizing believers at the Jordan
Sending John to baptize Jesus
Sensing himself to be unworthy
Finding Christ must come first
Expressing love now for family
Adoring father, mother, son, daughter
Returning from his sinful journey
Rejoicing, a prodigal son found
Suffering dishonor for Christ’s sake
Preaching, Apostles speak the Gospel
Loving Christ must come first
Accepting God’s gift of Grace
Blessing us as worthy Christians
Coming to believe Christ’s Salvation
Humbling praising His blessed truth
Creating all things, God cares
Receiving glory, honor, and power
Standing alone at the Cross
Ransoming His body and blood
Loving and accepting our Savior
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Only in America
Selling garages and yards—
A curious sight
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Yummy pie awaits
My sugar angel arrives—
Absolutely, no pie!
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My morning coffee
Deliciously mountain grown—
Good to the last drop
Giving credit to
Folgers and Maxwell House
coffee brands.
Every Monday, Big Sky Buckeye will edit and update a poem from December, 2018. This “Monday Memory” carries a great deal of significance because it salutes the hardworking staff at Buckeye Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. This was my final school assignment during the last nine years of a fulfilling teaching career.
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Anchoring the Southside on Parsons Avenue
Buckeye Middle School presents quite a view
Providing a safe, caring, and nurturing school
The dedicated staff is the definition of “cool”
Displaying patience despite the everyday grind
Everyone makes a big difference in all they find
Working as a team throughout the school year
They face many challenges with nothing to fear
Laboring patiently at their craft each and every day
All have chosen a worthy profession, they will say
Giving a great deal of themselves and even more
A humble and hardworking team has much in store
Saluting the Buckeye staff as heroes above the rest
Hats off to all of them for performing their very best!
Here is Buckeye Middle School!
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From 1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”
Chosen and precious in God’s sight
To believers, Christ’s Spirit brings Salvation
Jesus Christ turns darkness into light
Our faith’s chosen and precious cornerstone
Christ comes forward to redeem us
We can live by His bread alone
Jesus becomes our Holy, High Priest
Believe and never put to shame
God’s own Son takes His seat
Nonbelievers reject God’s Holy, chosen one
Christ prevails to become our Rock
Salvation goes through God’s Holy Son
Christ suffers mightily for His flock
Yet, He never commits any sin
Following God’s steps around the clock
Christ never waivers, He follows through
Entrusting Himself to His Heavenly Father
Bearing our sins, Resurrection’s glorious view
Our lives feel threatened with gloom
Jesus never ceases caring for us
Standing by, Christ prevents our doom
Jesus at our side, always a friend
Loving us with passion and intensity
Our opportunity for Salvation, God sends
Christ, the Good Shepherd, beckons us
No longer gone astray and lost
Christ’s body and blood heal us
The old, rugged cross stands tall
Freeing us from our endless sins
Washing us white, Salvation calls all
Living in bondage, forever in sin
Emancipation by Christ, paying the ransom
Accepting Christ, brings all believers in
From Luke 24:6: “Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”
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People recall the 60’s, a very “trendy” decade
Rocking America into a new era, never to fade
Momentous events and life transformations arrive
Creating a cultural revolution, just trying to survive
The youngest President ever elected in this land
Sending JFK with a new generation’s eager hands
President Kennedy challenges a waiting nation
Landing on the moon brings wonder and elation
Civil Rights for “all” people lights a hope-filled beam
Marching to Washington to hear “I Have a Dream”
Ford creates a flashy and stunning sports car
Rolling out the Mustang, best ‘lil pony by far
The British invade with innovative music to bring
Introducing the Beatles, their tunes endlessly sing
Southeast Asia slowly captures more of a nation’s time
Making Vietnam, a catalyst filling emotions that climb
Rock music festival invites all to a muddy field—Woodstock
Continuing to sing his top hits, Elvis Presley’s movies rock
Beautiful music and worthy films reach out to all
Singing and acting, Julie Andrews’ fills the call
Television comes into its own with new innovation
Viewing “The Fugitive” becomes a nation’s fixation
Assassinations tear through a nation, they sadly ring
Losing two Kennedy’s and Dr. King, forever will sting
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From Psalm 51:3: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”
Lost soul in the wickedest valleys of life
Needing directions, take away this strife
Life’s transgressions mount, God knows them all
Living a life of denial, witnessing an arrogant fall
Every day takes one deeper and deeper into sin
Losing awareness, asking where have we been?
When born, God knows our sinful ways
Needing God to teach wisdom each day
Life continues to carry us on the very same road
Walking and falling, becomes frustrating and cold
God delivers His judgement, He feels justified
Viewing our sin-filled cravings, never satisfied
Life’s journey demands we find a different route
Using God’s compass, His directions carry clout
God brings deliverance, a better means to live
Declaring praise to our Lord, offerings to give
Another wayward life takes a detour from the Pit
Cleansing of sin, God’s road creates a better fit
God teaches an upright way, follow and trust
Purging all evil, washing white our sinful lust
God’s steadfast love delivers a redeeming route
Hearing God’s joy, His compass brings us about
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Pre-dawn darkness fades
Inspiring sunrise arrives—
Feeling God’s presence
Darkness surrounds me
Shadows of life overwhelm me—
God’s Word brings comfort
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Keep your life simple
Our complex world churns away—
Reach out to God’s peace
Here is another installment of Monday Memories where Big Sky Buckeye revisits a previously published poem. Enjoy this edited and updated poem from January, 2019.
Unforgiving winter weather abates with a sunny pause
Hiking on hills and trails will be today’s special cause
The hiker dresses warmly due to the windy, chilly air
Hoping that his stamina will endure without any cares
He looks prepared to attack a vigorous hour-long walk
Knowing later, his body could stumble on a way to balk
The wooded trails in their colorless winter hue
Appearing in a much different setting and view
A hasty, gray squirrel scurries among fallen logs
Searching for a yummy morsel to stash and hog
The shadows look friendly and different today
Walking these trails will seem more like play
The hiker’s pace remains steady and brisk
Feeling stronger, without bearing on a risk
More trekkers descend upon the challenging trails
Experiencing nature’s offering, not wanting to fail
The journey takes the hiker up the outer route
Seeing barren trees and fallen limbs all about
Nature provides a spiritual place for all to shine
Inspiring anyone who walks this wooded shrine
A youthful boy’s eyes search up a steep hill
Locating a solitary deer, brings a huge thrill
The pace of the hiker remains steady and true
Tackling the inner trail, he will soon be through
A previous homesite welcomes the hiker’s arrival
Imagining from years ago, a past family’s survival
The unaccompanied hiker finishes the trek again
Smiling, his robust body allows him to flash a grin
From 1 Thessalonians 4:1: “Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more.”
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God blesses us with opportunities to learn
Viewing our sinful ways, brings Him concern
Our Lord assembles His flock to learn His law
Witnessing our errant behavior with many flaws
We are encouraged to learn about God’s Word
Humbling ourselves, embracing faith now stirred
God creates each of us with simple, blessed minds
Acquiring wisdom from His Word, we gladly find
Wayward hearts and lost souls run to seek God
Taking time to learn His righteousness, all nod
Pursuing life’s errant ways, lost will be one’s fate
Our heavenly Father gathers many on this date
Our Lord delivers honest and equal justice for all
Learning to contribute good for others, is our call
God possesses sovereignty over all things
Conveying His message, truth will ring
We learn about Christ, His righteous ways
Staying with us to the end of our long day
Christ brings forward promises to be kind
Praying each day for mercy from His mind
Christ teaches at the temple, seeing God’s way
Bringing forward His Father’s Words, to say
Christ learns obedience, His Father knows
Taking our sins to a bloody Cross, He goes
Step forward and accept our Lord and Savior
Learning a new way, praise God’s selfless favor
God’s Word encourages us to listen and learn
Calling out to sinners, all of us stop and turn
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Big Sky Buckeye 