Beech Tree News Network

A well-known Bible passage is found in Ephesians 6:1. There, the apostle Paul wrote the Christians at Ephesus and said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” A parallel passage is found in Colossians 3:20 where Paul wrote, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Such passages as these are powerful for several reasons. However, I am afraid that these verses have escaped the notice of many parents.

Every now and then I ponder the question of why I do what I do.  I’m not the best speaker.  I found my college public speaking class deplorable.  Not because it was a bad class, but because I was terrified of public speaking.  Having to give a speech on a specifically given subject for a certain amount of time isn’t easy.  I didn’t like it.  The last week of that class was one of the best weeks ever.  As if I needed more evidence, this proved that public speaking was not for me.

The world in which we live is pretty amazing. Not being a scientist, the bits of information below interested me – for different reasons.
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The Old Farmer’s Almanac began publication in 1792 and has been continuously published for the entire 222 years, making it North America’s oldest continuously published periodical. It is distributed each year in the United States and Canada. The periodical includes long-range weather predictions, claiming an 80% accuracy.
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Thoughts: The mind is its own place.  Ponder that some.  Notice it doesn’t say The Mind has its own place.

For instance folks can be influenced to CHANGS their minds, but a rational person, one who knows enough to know you can’t push a one-handle wheel barrow, can’t be forced to erase something from his mind something he has heard.

In John Irving’s book, A Widow for One Year, a little girl tells her father that she sometimes hears a disturbing sound in the night.  When he asks her to describe the sound, she says, “It’s the sound of someone trying not to make a sound.”  I have lived in that particular twilight, and with a young granddaughter in the house, I sometimes still do.

We hear many varied excuses or justifications for the things men do today. One common justification is to say, “It’s entertainment” as a way of getting around certain sinful activities. For example, I heard a man on the radio justify watching controversial/sinful movies, reading sinful/controversial books, and watching certain TV shows by saying, “It’s entertainment.” Whether or not he intended it in this way, he left people with the impression that since it is entertainment, it has little or no impact on men and women today.

Southerners tend not to use threes words when twenty will do: “ Now at this time.” If its not now, what other time could it be? Then you throw in “school –teacher” with Southerner you’ve got word trip around the world:  “Last time class, if you remember, (half of them don’t), we were discussing the effect of the bacterium, ALCALIDGENEESE VISCOSIS  on COLOSTOL milk.” “Last time,” is superfluous (not nessary). Now you have both “at this time, and then last time”. By-the-way, I wanted to use “superfluous”  to show how swave I can be when needed.

Games aren’t just for kids anymore.  There are lots of games that pique the interest of adults.  My favorite right now is Words With Friends.  I’ve loved UNO ever since I was a kid.  In fact, my family would get mad because I used to leave my cards face up on the table where everyone could see, and I’d still win.  I say they let me.  They said no. The Kindle version of UNO is a little different, but it’s just as addictive and fun as the old school card game.

Years ago, when my friend, Josh Hampton, and I wrote for another paper, he wrote a column about a man who called him out because he (Josh) didn’t specify p.m. after the number “6” in an announcement about chili being served at a local event.  Seems the guy turned up at the event at 6 a.m. to find the place empty.  He was irate and let Josh know that his confusion could be laid at Josh’s feet because Josh hadn’t specified the “6” with a p.m. to indicate that the chili was being served as an evening meal.  The column made me laugh for two reasons: 1.