Beech Tree News Network

There is a campaign underway to make the word “bossy” a bad word.  The campaign is spear-headed by Sheryl Sandberg, a former executive at Google, presently the CEO of Facebook and author of the book, “Lean In.”  Sandberg contends that, “Bossy is a negative put-down…and it stops girls from pursuing leadership roles.” (ABCnews.com)  There’s even a website (banbossy.com) that gives tips about how to encourage young female leaders. 

After Philip caught up to the Ethiopian eunuch, he taught him about Jesus (Acts 8:35). They came to some water, “And the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8:36). Friend, have you ever had someone ask you what is stopping you from being baptized? We want to look at some reasons why people are “hindered” today and then try to remove those hindrances. What reason(s) might one have for not being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38)?

Last week I was mending some clothes for my daughters and grandchildren. I learned to sew from my grandmother and my mom as well as in a class during high school. At one time, sewing was a common skill; but, I failed to teach my daughters. Our daily lives have changed through the years, and household tasks have changed, too.

Our friends, Ron and Hank, graze cattle on our property.  This week, they moved the herd from one pasture across our driveway to another pasture.  The transfer was successful except for one Black Angus calf.  You know the sort—the kid who runs off to hide when it’s time to go to school.  With the herd safely in the other pasture—where the grass really was greener—junior was left alone with two horses.  He was not happy and he bawled his little head off to prove his displeasure.  Ron and Hank, seasoned cattlemen that they are, knew a little separation time wouldn’t hurt the calf and would li

There is much confusion on the subject of God’s grace. Part of the reason why there is confusion is because folks teach things the Bible doesn’t about grace. For example, some try to say we are saved by grace alone, which is not true. Other religious folks seem to take the opposite extreme, implying that one can “earn” salvation, thus leaving little room for grace in our lives. This problem was discussed in Bible days, and folks were reminded that God’s grace is needed in our lives. In writing to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul said, “by grace are you saved…” (Eph. 2:5, 8).

I’m an avid reader.  Being that summertime is upon us, I figure I’d share some of my favorites.  Maybe some of these will capture enough interest that someone out there will try one.  Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Derek Blass.  I’m absolutely hooked on his Enemy In Blue series.  These books are subtitled as Cruz Marquez novels.  In short, these books chronicle a tale of cops whose former superior, Sergeant Shaver, went rogue.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” - Joseph Campbell
Memorial Day is upon us, which serves as a reminder that we, as Americans’ are blessed to have the freedoms than our forefathers fought and died to preserve.

I’ve seen strawberries and fresh corn in the grocery store – a hopeful sign that the season of fresh food is approaching! I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. They just taste better than canned or frozen. I’ve been looking for recipes that would go well with summer foods and found the following recipes that I plan to prepare soon. I hope you enjoy them, too!

Sometimes, I read back over journals I’ve written years ago.  Recently, I read an entry that said, “I was raised by the wrong mother.”  The entry was a reference to my stepmother.  It wasn’t written with resentment, it was simply an observation.