Big Sky Buckeye

A writer's journey continues

Healing Our Divisions

Posted on August 9, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

This poem is written as a traditional Sonnet, but it can certainly be read as a prayer. God’s peace!

Lives pretending to follow a Holy God

Being of the flesh, greater than the spirit

Living as infants in our Lord Jesus Christ

Thirsty for our Father’s love, we shall fear it

Life filled with jealousy and quarrelsome times

Behaving outside of our Father’s design

Belonging to the Left, beholding the Right

Only walking with Jesus, should lives align

Sowing life’s seeds for a bountiful harvest

Thirsty for true living water and care

This world’s Master Builder brings His hope-filled Grace

Humbling kneeling at the Cross, hear our prayers

Only through our Lord Jesus, rests our foundation

Unifying voices throughout this nation

From 1 Corinthians 3:21-23: “So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”

His Greatness Stands

Posted on August 2, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From Psalm 146:1-2: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”

**Photo by Zachary DeBottis on Pexels.com**

Bless the Lord’s name forever

Sing praises for Holy deeds

His greatness stands infinite

Loving us like tender reeds

Witness our Lord’s mighty acts

Share with each generation

His greatness lauds His goodness

Building our firm foundation

Recall love works from His hands

Fueled by Grace’s steadfast love

His greatness flows with mercy

Protecting us from above

Call on the Father this day

Pray to Him on humble knees

His greatness lighting the way

Watching over all He sees

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From Psalm 145:17-18: “The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

Calming Our Fears

Posted on June 25, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “Courage faces fear and thereby masters it. Cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it.”

**Photo by Gianluca Grisenti on Pexels.com**

Worry arrives with concerns never to come

Building upon past fears, stoking future ones

Life’s landscape fills with looming mountains

Instead of gentle molehills, fear gathers and stuns

Concerns about future challenges come forth

Transforming into worries, fueling more fear

Darkest clouds come together and gather

Who will grab the wheel and start to steer?

Waiting for our Lord, He renews our strength

Living by faith, His Word restores our soul

Rejoicing in hope, patient in suffering

Renewed by the Spirit, we feel more whole

God always walks with us, seek Him in prayer

Darkest valleys ahead, His love casts out fears

With compassion for our sufferings, hear His Word

Comforted by His rod and staff, God never veers

Asking of our Father, seeking His counsel

Bringing clearer witness, through His precise scope

His guidance renews our hearts, calming fears

His wisdom touches minds, filled with Gospel hope

From Mark 5:35-36: “While He was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.'”

Taste His Goodness

Posted on June 18, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

David praises the greatness of God through Scripture found in Psalm 145, and these verses inspire this poem.

Each day life seems too normal

Monotonous and mundane

Beautiful bundle arrives

Hallmarks of our Lord’s domain

Blessing us each precious day

Spontaneous surprises

Praising our Father’s great name

Goodness comes in all sizes

Reaching depths of every sea

Loving each generation

Eclipsing highest heavens

Honoring God’s creation

Awesome and vast deeds come forth

Witnessing God’s mighty acts

Glorious splendor singing

Filling what life truly lacks

God’s everlasting kingdom

Harvesting abundant gifts

Faithful words stir greatest feats

Balancing life’s slips and shifts

Singing of God’s righteousness

Showering with compassion

Tasting His Holy goodness

Remembering His passion

Blessing His name forever

Amen

From Psalm 145:8: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

Following His Voice

Posted on May 10, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From 1 Peter 2:25: “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

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Like sheep, we wander astray

Turning away from our Lord

Feeling harassed and helpless

Sheep lost, by our own accord

God lays a new cornerstone

Our Good Shepherd, Holy Son

Calling us, hearing His voice

His work will never be done

Leading us, on this right path

Following His voice, love flows

With Him, we shall never want

Restoring souls, we all grow

Good Shepherd, loving His sheep

Bringing comfort, rod and staff

Green pastures, nourishing us

Still waters, on our behalf

Jesus, loving Good Shepherd

Unblemished, Lamb of God casts

Body and blood on that Cross

Risen Savior, His hope lasts

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From Christian author, W. Phillip Keller: “It takes some of us a lifetime to learn that Christ, our Good Shepherd, knows exactly what He is doing with us.”

Witnessing a Foretaste

Posted on May 7, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

Looking outside from the kitchen table offers a view each morning of how our Lord presents each day as a precious gift. Here is a mini sonnet which witnesses a foretaste of the feast to come.

photo of red flowering trees beside body of water

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Viewing the early morning

Welcoming each libation

Peering from kitchen’s window

Witnessing God’s creation

Growing greener, grass below

Blooming, flowers spelling love

Witnessing creative hands

Working each day from above

Taking in this peaceful scene

Witnessing each day’s foretaste

Blessing each feast, more to come

Tasting moments, without haste

Witnessing God’s daily Grace

Making life a happy place

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From Lutheran Communion liturgy, Christ’s people sing: “Grace our table with Your presence, and give us a foretaste of the Feast to come.”

Journey to Jerusalem

Posted on April 9, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From John 10:9-10: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

Triumphantly

Jesus enters a joyous city

Jerusalem sings

Praising His name . . . Hosanna!

Witnessing

Emotional betrayal

Denying Christ

Then a rooster crows

Watching

Stunning procession fills the streets

Mocking with scorn

Would-be king, carrying our Cross

Hopes

Dashed by cruel Roman justice

Absent of sin

Son of Man, never to walk free

Numbness

With tears, seeing and hearing

Experiencing anguish

Horror at a blood-stained Cross

Photo by Alem Sánchez on Pexels.com

Silence

Covering the land, Father weeps

Messiah suffers

Many rejecting our Holy God

Hearing

Good News on Easter morning

Our Savior

Defeating sin and death

Empty

Dark tomb proclaims God’s plan

Jesus Christ

Risen! Reigning forevermore

Connecting

Dots between manger and Cross

Our Father

Love for us never wanes

Lingering

In the shadow of a criminal’s cross

Singing Alleluia!

To lasting, true meaning of the Cross

Glory

Residing forever in the Cross

Good Shepherd

Caring for His precious flock

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From Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God–not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

On a Street Corner

Posted on March 19, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

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It is mid-morning on a nearly empty street corner in a remote, medium-sized town when Milt runs into one of his best friends, Fred. Little do these two men know, but their improbable rendezvous will bring both of them inner strength and hope.

Both men are in their eighties, but each is blessed with good health. Being retired, they don’t always have a chance to catch up on news.

Milt is a widower, who lost his beloved Sharon several years back. Fred’s lovely wife, Judy, struggles with many chronic health concerns.

The two friends continue to visit on the deserted street corner. Milt tells Fred, “I am really concerned about this virus news.” As he speaks, both men realize they need to stand a bit farther apart due to reminders in the news about social distancing.

Milt replies back, “Me, too. I guess we have lots of company.” Both men have been overly cautious about being safe with their exposure to the disease.

Fred shares news from home about his bride of 61 years. He continues talking to Milt, “I am really worried about Sharon. Her health is very fragile, and I hope she can weather the storm ahead with this virus out there.”

Milt looks across at his friend, and he sees the deep worries of concern and anxiety in Fred’s face. Milt asks, “May I pray for you?” Milt nods in agreement.

In closing the prayer, Milt shares a special prayer with his long-time friend: “God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Before the men depart and continue with their day’s journey, Fred shares a verse from one of his favorite Psalms (27:1): “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

The Serenity Prayer was originally written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The most common version of the prayer was published in 1951, but Niebuhr used variations of the prayer in sermons as early as 1934. In the story, Milt adapted the prayer to fit the situation.

Worship and Praise

Posted on March 18, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From John 4:23-24: [Jesus is speaking] “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers 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.”

multicolored church close up photography

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Praising with faith the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day

But, our lives needing to connect in other ways

Worshipping each day, receiving God’s serenity

Setting aside daily moments, faithful identity

Reading Scripture from the Lord’s Holy Word

Praying, praising, giving thanks—voices heard

Coming to the Lord with sincere-filled thoughts

Spending time with Him, connecting life’s dots

Sowing seeds of worship and praise with our God

Transforming by His love, perfect and unflawed

Reaping abounding harvest, singing with gladness

Witnessing God’s sacred harmony, never sadness

Filling our hungry hearts, opening up our minds

Listening to our Lord, He comes and truly finds

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From American pastor and Christian author, A. W. Tozer: “If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not really worship Him on one day a week.”

Leaving Room

Posted on March 8, 2020 by bigskybuckeye

From Galatians 1:15-16: “But when God, who has set me apart before I was born and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles.”