Beech Tree News Network

I came across a small book at a consignment store recently entitled, “Don’t Worry, Make Money.”  I was drawn to the “Don’t Worry” part of the title, and if I happened to make money in the process, I figured that would be alright too.  If I had realized the author of this book, Richard Carlson, was the same man who wrote, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” I wouldn’t have given the book a second glance.  (The whole don’t-sweat-the-small-stuff concept has always seemed ludicrous to me, because it’s the details that make or break almost everything.)  I didn’t know he was the same author, so I boug

Almost 2000 years ago, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. When He died, His body was laid in a new tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea (Mk. 15:43-47), there to await His resurrection on the third day. The account of the women and the apostles finding Jesus’ tomb empty is found in Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:1-12, and John 20:1-10.

The empty tomb means something to Christians. It is important and has great value to all those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. What does the empty tomb mean?

Thursday night, September 12, a seven year journey comes to an end when the USA show Burn Notice airs its series finale.  Since the series premiere June 28, 2007, the one hour show has garnered a bit of a cult following, especially on Twitter.  #BurnNoticeAddiction(@SunnyODay) and @BurnNotice_USA are the two biggest accounts for the show.  In fact, @SunnyODay and I follow each other.  I once won a Burn Notice Twitter contest.  That’s another story.

My sister sent me an email message last week. Since she rarely emails, I quickly opened the message to find an entertaining bit of imagination.

The message was one that she had received and forwarded:

Deep down, we all knew the difference in a movie and TV cowboy, but we liked the movie cowboy better.  There were more romantic, ridin' down the canyon on horseback, strumin' a guitar, singing about tumbleweeds or cactus plants bloomin'.
The real cowboys got down and dirty; was kicked and smeared with seven different kinds and consistencies of "cow patties"---cow patties on his hat, matching the cow patty on his shirt.  The only time you ever saw dirt on a movie cowboy is when he'd been in a fight...although he seldom lost his hat.

“Chapter Two” is one of my favorite plays, written by one of my favorite playwrights, Neil Simon.   (It was adapted to film in 1979.)  The play is semi-autobiographical, and centers around Simon’s struggle to move on with his life after his first wife died.  In the storyline, Simon decides to try dating again, and gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with his soon-to-be second wife, Marsha Mason.  Simon puts on the brakes when he realizes he is still grieving the death of his first wife.  He says to Mason, “I resent everything you want out of marriage that I’ve already had, and for making

Perhaps all of us at one time or another has heard someone say, “Life is too short to ….” Yes, based on the Bible’s teachings, we see that our life on earth is very brief. David said, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10). James said, “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (Jas. 4:14). Last week, we studied some on this subject. Today, let us conclude this study.

Why do your favorite stores always change their placement? I can almost guarantee that your favorite products aren’t in the same place as the last time you visited the store.  I can be sent to look for a certain product, and it’s honestly like a scavenger hunt.  I’m going down this aisle and that aisle.  I’m looking left and right.  All the while, the dye that I’m certain they put in the air is messing with my eyes.

A recent newspaper article reported that “driving in America has stalled.” Total vehicle use (the collective miles driven) peaked in 2007. Even though our economy has shown signs of recovery, auto use has not. The article described contributing factors for the decline and quoted economist Sean McAlinden as saying, “… I think it’s all economics” [Lowy, J. (2013, August 29). Americans’ drive time falls. Daily News, p. D1.]. Decreased driving may be symptomatic of a changing America.

Sometimes I guess we all wonder what makes people "tick".  Barney was one like that--Barney Barnheart.  Years ago, I worked with Barney at a chemical plant in Texas.  It was said Barney slept in a coffin--he lived by himself.  Actually though, he slept in a wooden box coffins came in"bought it from a local funeral home.  Slept warm, he said.  In winter he claimed it cut down on his heat bills.  We do know that wood is a good insulating material.