Beech Tree News Network

My granddaughter, Sabria, and I started on Wednesday, waiting for her great-grandmother, Aggie, to show up on Friday.  We sat in the swing under the maple tree and waited.  We sat on the bench on the front porch and waited.  We sat in the chair in front of the dining room window and waited.  Finally, Aggie arrived on Friday evening at 8 pm. 

"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (I Cor. 1:17). This passage is misused by those who teach that baptism is not necessary for salvation. This verse can be confusing if we listen to men’s “twist” (II Pet. 3:16) and do not handle it “accurately” (II Tim. 2:15). At first glance, it seems to be in contradiction with such passages as Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, and I Peter 3:21, but this is not the case.

Recently, I purchased a rolling file cart for under-desk storage. I try to keep my workspace uncluttered and needed this additional tool (the file cart for hanging pocket folders) to organize my workspace. This caused me to think about how important organizational skills are to success at school and at work. 

There are two lions that figure very prominently in the Bible. In fact, not only do we read about these lions in the Bible, but we are also affected by these two lions each day. When studying the Bible, we see that these two lions are polar opposites, continually fighting against one another. Specifically, they are fighting over us. As a result of their conflict, we are also affected.

Are you aware of these lions? The Bible contrasts them quite vividly. The Bible tells us that:

•    One lion brings fear to us, while the other lion brings comfort (Jn. 14:16).

Information increases at a phenomenal rate, doubling every ten to fifteen years. The Internet and media reports keep us informed about world, national and local occurrences. Yet, my interest in a topic helps me to retain – or discard – data. Recently, the following information gained my attention.

There was a story on the news this week about a guy who set out to kill a spider that was crawling on his wall.  He used a can of spray paint and a lighter.  The combo created a blow torch effect, engulfing the wall in flames and burning the man’s house to the ground.  The man was not injured.  There’s no word on the spider.

From time to time, we are asked about the place of the 10 Commandments in modern times. Put simply, we do not live under the 10 Commandments today because we are living under the New Testament. The book of Hebrews (7:12-14, 8:13, 9:15-17) makes it clear that the Old Testament is done away. The Old Testament (including the 10 Commandments) was given to a specific group of people (Deut. 5:2-5). Exodus 19-20 tells us that the 10 Commandments were given to the Jews (Ex. 19:3-6).

He’s back! Garth Brooks is not only back.  He’s back with full force.  Garth had “The wait is over…7/7”.  A few days later, Garth announced that a new world tour AND a new album was in the works.  In fact, there’s probably more than one new Garth album on the horizon.  These announcements have me, a Garth fan since 1989, very excited.

Have you found yourself drafted into taking photos at the family reunion or a ball game only to find the memory card littered with "Blurry" photos? If so, you may find useful information in this article. Before continuing, please note that blur can certainly be used in advantageous ways. Photography can be a very subjective art- This article is for those that wish to avoid unwanted blur in their images.

This summer, I’ve noticed that some of the foods that family members disliked in the past are now on their ok-to-eat lists. Many of my preferences have altered over time as well. These changes show that human preference can vary over time.