Beech Tree News Network

Sunday night is the series finale of Revenge after four years.  That got me thinking about the most satisfying/disappointing series finales of all time.  All-time favorites range from Roseanne(even though it had the bizarre ending of Roseanne being a writer and killing the Dan character) to Lost(best show until the finale).  X-Files and House were listed as disappointing.  Sopranos and Seinfeld also made the list of disappointing.

I watch and read the news because I like to know a little about world events. Some things I filter out – I don’t want to know any more. But, some recent news items caught my attention. A few of those are below.

I have insomnia—often—and usually after a day of strenuous physical labor.  We painted our barn this week, and my carpal tunnel kept me awake, long into the a.m. hours.  When my body is too tired to move, but my mind is still racing, I use the time to think about life’s really important questions, which have taken a back seat to urgent issues that tend to push their way to the front during day-to-day living.

At times, we see the question asked, “What would Jesus do?” In this article, however, I wish to ask whether or not Jesus would do what we are doing. Would He be practicing what we are practicing? May we take these thoughts to heart …

This Saturday is the 141st (first occurring in 1875) running of the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.  The Kentucky Derby is held the first Saturday in May, we all know.  The race caps the two-week long Kentucky Derby Festival.  Close to 10,000 people watched that first annual Kentucky Derby as 15 horses ran what was then a 1.5 mile course.  In 1876, the length of the race was changed to 1.25 miles. 

Some of my friends are making a conscious effort to be more helpful to those who have encountered hard times. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give" (http://www.wisestuffs.com/best-and-famous-quotes-of-winston-churchill/). Giving involves personal sacrifice, but the giver and the recipient both benefit. So, what are some examples of acts of kindness?

When I reached seventy I thought the world couldn’t get any crazier. Now that I’m past eighty I see I was bad wrong.

Genesis 28:1-2 record Isaac sending Jacob to Padanaram to find a wife among his mother’s people. After some traveling, Jacob spent the night in a certain place (v. 11). As he slept, he had a dream in which he saw, “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” (Gen. 28:12). In this dream, God blessed Jacob, promising him the same things He had promised Abraham and Isaac in previous years (Gen. 28:13-15).

The 50th anniversary of the ACM Awards were held Sunday night April 19.  The show, hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan.  Fifty years ago, the ACM’s Most Promising male vocalist was Merle Haggard.  The show kicked off with a tribute to Merle in the form of Eric Church and Keith Urban’s “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag”. That was actually a 2006 Eric Church song.  Keith then launched into his new track “Raise Em Up”. 

Last week, I received an announcement of the birth of a friend’s grandson. The parents had included all the critical information: name, gender, date of birth, birth weight and length, as well as the parents’ names. But, best of all, the announcement had four pictures of the handsome baby boy. Babies are such a blessing! Somehow, my memories of the first days following the births of my beloved daughters are mixed up with the daily tasks of a young mother.