Beech Tree News Network

Who’s to blame for “realty” tv shows like The Bachelor? Well, in the ‘90’s, MTV launches a new kind of tv.  The network that was already about pushing boundaries would go even farther when they debuted their original reality show called The Real World.  By the end of the 1990’s, the M in MTV stood mostly for mayhem. 

My youngest sister tends to be an “in your face’ sort of person.  She believes that the only path to authenticity is through total revelation of the facts and airing of differences.  As a result, she seems to always be at the center of controversy, especially within our family. 

Who are you? Really? For the Christian, our primary sense of identity ought to be found in Christ. I am in Christ! I was made in the image of God. But I sinned and marred that image. Yet, through God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, I am blessed and being re-made in Christ. We are being “renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24). God’s eternal plan was to bless us in Christ. 

I’ve been watching my peonies come up, turn green, and develop buds. Hopefully, they will bloom soon. I have come to love those flowers! Over the years, I have transplanted them and added more. They remind me of past proms and of my children and grandchildren playing near them. Blooming peonies are also my personal sign that freezing temperatures are definitely coming to an end. 

Handy as a pocket on a shirt.”Garey often uses this saying. I wouldn’t know how handy that is, because women’s shirts don’t have pockets. As a matter of fact, many women’s pants don’t have pockets, or if they do, the pockets are so shallow all they can hold is a couple of peppermints and a tissue or two.

In Acts 4:32-37, we are introduced to a man we know as Barnabas. He is an important character  mentioned throughout the narrative in Acts and in 3 of Paul’s epistles. He was given the nickname, Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement” but there is much more depth and dimension to that nickname than we might think.

A good catchphrase helps make a tv show.  A great catchphrase can help make a tv show memorable for years after its end.  From Ed McMahon hailing the arrival of Johnny Carson for 35 years with “Heeeere’s Johnny (also used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining).

“If I never see another rusty nail, it will be too soon!” I said this to Garey after cleaning out a corner in the basement of his mom’s house.  “You need a Tetanus shot just to look at that pile,” I added.  We are still in the throes of the never-ending cleanup that was Garey’s parents’ property.  Garey’s dad did a lot of carpentry work, so I understand his need for nails, but the assortment of hardware in that basement could easily set you up in a business to rival ACE.  I worked for two days in that area of the basement before moving to the upstairs of the house.  Garey’s sister, Charlott

“The early church didn’t say, ‘Look what the world is coming to!’ They said, ‘Look what has come into the world’!” - Carl F. H. Henry

2024 Regular Session Veto Recess

Collaborating closely with our colleagues in the House of Representatives, we’ve successfully crafted and passed a comprehensive biennial budget that places vital investments in education, public safety, and economic development at the forefront of our priorities.