Beech Tree News Network

Reading is a way of informing ourselves. Dr. Seuss said, “The more you read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go,” and Richard Steele said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” My recent reading has included the following random information:
•    Caring for peonies: “Don’t cut back the foliage of peonies after their spring flowers fade. They need their foliage all summer to build up food reserves to bloom next year. Wait to cut until the leaves turn yellow” (Source: Southern Living, May 2017, p. 60).

I suspect we all have celebrity heroes of one kind or another. 

As a kid mine were down at The Palace-Palace Theater (Greenville), on Saturday afternoons. For 9 cents a kid could spend all afternoon there…from noon until dark. This was good during the winter months- watching the feature, comedy, and serial, over and over. You were warm and snug from the miserable watcher outside. 

My brother, Carl, is six years younger than I am.  He was the first son, after five girls.  My father expected a lot from him.  When Carl was in high school, he developed ulcers.  The doctor told my stepmom it was from worry.  He still worries, but these days, he has reason to.

When discussing the church of Christ with others, we sometimes hear the comment made that the church of Christ was started by Alexander Campbell. Mr. Campbell was a well-known preacher in America in the 1800’s; but did he start the church of Christ, or any other church for that matter? The short answer is no. Unfortunately, the teaching that Mr. Campbell established a church is made because people do not know the simple teaching of the New Testament concerning the church.

BLOCKING THE VIEW

Just when you thought/prayed it was over, ABC announced Wednesday that the network would bring back American Idol.  Idol, as you know, was originally on FOX from 2002-2016.  The show went from “ooh, this is great! Have you heard Kelly Clarkson’s voice? No wonder she won” to “Trent Harmon won.  Who’s he”? By the way, we still don’t know the answer to that not-so-burning question.  

Celebrations represent good times in life – we remember those special times. The month of May seems to be filled with celebration. Our society has created several celebrations for the month: May Day, Derby Day, Mother’s Day, graduation ceremonies, and Memorial Day as well as several other days of recognition. Three of these celebrations will be special for me.

Meandering- sometimes on the edge of common sense: 

When I was a schoolboy with a schoolboy’s brain; I, like most kids, I suppose, saw no point in being required to stand before my class and recite poetry. Then, “I saw through a glass darkly,” as it were. Now I enjoy trying to recall some of those poems… not all word for word: here are a few lines of remembrance from some.  

I’m a big fan of the spring.  Everything feels new again.  My husband Garey and I spend a lot of time outdoors during this season.  We plant seeds in pots and start working our garden plot to get it ready for the plants to come.  We have tomato plants growing all over our sunroom.  The pots are on shelves, in the floor and on top of boxes of our granddaughters discarded toys.  It’s a wonderful sight.  We actually went to the trouble of setting up one of those small greenhouses earlier in the year.  We worked on it all one Saturday.

Sometimes people think they know their capabilities better than God does. This is seen in those who will refuse to obey God, saying that they are not “able” to do what God says. What we need to understand is that God does not command us to do anything that is impossible for us to do.