Beech Tree News Network

2013 has been an event-filled year. Some events were more important than others. The events below – arbitrarily ordered – were significant.

•    Many notable weather-related events occurred, such as the Colorado flooding and the Oklahoma tornado. Another was the lightning-caused Arizona wildfire that resulted in the destruction of homes and the death of 19 “hot shot” firefighters (firefighters specially trained in wildfire suppression tactics).

The Ruling Order in the New Testament of the Bible were the priests, Levites, the scribes, and the Pharisees: the people of that ilk in that day; the regulating rule-members; the enforcers (without due process of the law) who couched their skullduggery in the terms that John and Public couldn’t understand.
That spelled power – still does. They converted their power. They didn’t want John to understand. Still don’t.

Christmas 2013 is now Christmas past and I feel like I do every year at this time, like a crumb on the map of the world.  Not a pin point that someone has stuck a push pin into to mark a spot, but more like a miniscule piece of a Christmas cookie that has fallen from the hand of someone who is viewing the map.
    There were highlights during this season—my granddaughter’s red “Chrisam” tree, my daughter’s visit from Louisiana, dinner with my two Alabama nephews (that hasn’t happened in ages), Christmas day with my stepmom and my brothers and sisters and their families.

•    I have a friend who is interested in my spiritual welfare, and has been even at times when I have not been.

•    I have a friend who wants the best for me, even at times when I did not want what was the best for me.

•    I have a friend who loves me, and has loved me at times when I was his enemy.

•    I have a friend who will forgive me of my sins when I repent and return to him. He does this consistently.

Since Christmas was Wednesday, I figured I’d go over my favorite things of Christmas.  No, I won’t quote the lyrics of the Julie Andrews song “My Favorite Things”.  I turn on the Christmas music at about the beginning of December every year.  I do prefer the classics like “O Holy Night”, but I also like some contemporary stuff.  Straight No Chaser, who I saw perform at SKYPAC in November, has a great one called Christmas Cheer.  They also have a Christmas edition of their album “Under The Influence”.

As reported by my middle daughter, her pastor in Ohio County preached a message last Sunday about doing the best you can with what you are given. The pastor pointed out that on the night of Jesus’ birth, Joseph and the inn keeper did the best they could with their situations. Doing the best you can with what you have is pretty good advice.

Most old fiddle tunes did not have wands. Some did.
Here’s one that did: “If I had a candy box to put my sweetheart in; I’d take her out and kiss her twice, and put her back again…round and round ole Joe Clark, round and around I go – round and a-round ole Joe Clark; won’t be back no mo.” Same song, second verse. May get better – may get worse:

Do you know Ipsey the spider, Keeko the star, and the quadruplets Murray?  Of course you do.  Ipsey goes up the water spout, Keeko shines like a diamond in the sky, and Murray, Murray, Murray and Murray row gently down the stream.

Unfortunately poor sportsmanship and even physical altercations are becoming more common across the sports world and that includes high school sports in Kentucky.  Just this past week an incident took place at a boys' basketball game between Butler County and Ohio County.  Two players were ejected after a melee at half-court.  Both players are looking at two-game suspensions, which doesn't appear to be quite fair based on the video we watched.  From our perspective, the Ohio County player seemed to be the one who initiated the altercation.

When we consider God’s authority, many will pay lip-service to it, but few seem to realize just how far God’s authority extends. We live in a time when men wish to have some authority “for themselves.” They want to be able to “call the shots” and run their own lives. This is just not possible. The sooner we recognize the extent of God’s authority over us, the better off we will be. What is the extent of God’s authority over man?