Beech Tree News Network

Step Back and Reflect this Memorial Day

It has been one of those weeks when I have questioned the wisdom of my having brought children into this world.  This is not one of those “back in my day” columns.  I am pretty much a forward-looking person.  This week, however, the clamor of the world and all the vitriol it is spitting at our children and grandchildren have caused me to reflect.  I understand why some people have chosen to homeschool their children, and why others have completely removed their children from social media.

Sometimes folks’ recoil at emphasis on bible obedience. Sometimes they will counter by offering “love” and “just being like Jesus” as if they are alternatives that stand in opposition to any emphasis on obeying God’s will. Consider what John, the Apostle of Love, recorded regarding Jesus’ example of obedience.

 Jesus & Obedience in John’s Gospel:

This week, I’ll conclude my two-part series on the UFC.  The following information comes from Vice Network’s Dark Side of the ‘90’s.  When I left you last week, the bloody sport had sparked political backlash, spearheaded by former war hero and Arizona senator, the late John McCain.  The company Semafore had purchased the UFC for 7 figures after just 5 events.

May is traditionally the month for graduations. College graduations were earlier in the month, and our local high school graduation is later this week. Each graduate reached a milestone worthy of celebration. My children’s and grandchildren’s graduations were moments of both thanksgiving (for meeting a standard) and hope (for the future). This week one of my granddaughters will graduate from high school. I know it, too, will be memorable, as family and friends celebrate her achievement.

You’ve read the stories in my mother’s column about my grandmother's place and the effort it is taking to get it ready to sell.  After recently visiting to do my part in the process, I’m here to tell you it’s no exaggeration.  There really are hundreds of quart jars emptied of their canned contents, as well as many other items accumulated during a lifetime of living in one place.

Three New Testament writers use a word that means “wiped away” in five places. The word originally meant "to plaster, rub smooth, or whitewash” a wall. Later it referred to "wiping out" meaning "to cancel" and was used for canceling obligations or debts. Sometimes translated as “blotted out” or “canceled” the word came to mean to totally and completely remove, erase, or obliterate. Remember that as we consider…   

In the ‘90’s, a controversial new sport hits television and America can’t look away.  1993 was America’s first look at the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  The sport had been first popular overseas.  Mixed Martial Arts is a tournament format that incorporates karate, tae kwon do, wrestling and jujitsu.  The early UFC is a far cry from the predetermined professional wrestling.  It bears no resemblance to the glitz and glamour of professional boxing.  The UFC of 1993 isn’t even the UFC of 2024.  The UFC of ’93 was an anything goes, unsanctioned free-for-all.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: Avoid being scammed

Financial scams are growing in prevalence and are among the most common crimes today. A recent poll showed that approximately 15% of those who responded to a recent poll say that at least one member of their household has fallen prey to on, with 8% reporting that it has happened to them. And, scammers target both men and women and people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds.

Sometimes, despite other plans, a life takes on a life of its own.  You might say that’s what happened to Butler County couple, Tommy Hines, Sr. and his wife, Gingie Hurst Hines.  Married in 1958, the couple lived in the local area until 1965, when they and their sons moved to Louisiana.  Tommy, who had finished his BS at WKU, received his MS degree in Wildlife at LSU.  Shortly after, he accepted a job with Florida Fish and Wildlife in the Florida Everglades.