Beech Tree News Network

Officially, winter hasn’t arrived. But, it’s getting close. During winter – the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, the days are short and the nights are long, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.

Winter is my least favorite season. Winter may bring bitterly cold weather, icing conditions and occasionally, loss of electricity and frozen water. I dislike these situations. Winter may also bring some things I like:
•  Pretty snows that don’t stay around.

•  Lazy days to read and cook.

Coming-up, my boyhood friend, Amos, Amos Jennings, was an enigma, wrapped-up in an ambiguity and sealed by a riddle.  He either had a screw loose or heard a different drum… perhaps a good bit of both.

Today, I was thinking about the celebrities who passed away this year.  Many were entertainers who, for me, will be forever connected to my childhood and adolescence.

When I talk to folks and tell them about the Caneyville church of Christ, there may be some who wonder about the church of Christ and the principles for which it stands. Those who are not familiar with the church revealed in Scripture (Rom. 16:16) generally have many questions. This is good, and I am always glad to answer Bible questions (I Pet. 3:15) and to study God’s word with others. Perhaps you have questions about the church of Christ; what we do and why we do it. I hope this writing will help you. Let us look into the Scriptures and see a description of the church of Christ.

I remember watching Larry Hagman as J. R. Ewing, as most everyone my age and older surely does as well, every Friday night.  From 1978-1991, J.R.  Ewing was the character on Dallas that everyone loved to hate.  350 million tuned in for the November 21, 1980 “Who Shot J.R.” cliffhanger (it turned out to be J.R’s wife’s sister).  I probably watched all but the first year of the show, being as I wasn’t born when it premiered.

As a child, I heard my grandparents, parents, and teachers talk about the attack on Pearl Harbor much like my grandchildren hear about the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. December 7, 1941, was a devastating day for the United States.

The passing parade: Still I hear the echo’s from the hills. Neighbors said Loshie Russet slept with blue jeans on backwards for contraceptive purposes. She probably didn’t want another baby. Folks avowed she let little J.B. nurse clear on through his first year of school. Claimed she’d go up to the schoolhouse at lunch time, take J.B. out behind the coal shed and let him nurse…standing up, while the others kids peeped and giggled.

I have found that living in an era of so much information has raised my expectation for complete information in my day-to-day life to unrealistic levels.  I find that I’m not as quick on my feet as I used to be.  It’s as if I’m waiting for more information before I act or react.  That predicament can be confusing and frustrating, but every now and then, it can be downright hilarious.

Often we find folks who justify their sinful behavior by saying, “I am not bothering anyone.” This excuse may sound thoughtful, but it is not. In fact, it is quite selfish to justify sin by saying, “I am not bothering anyone.” When we go to the Bible and study the nature of sin, we learn that when we commit sin, any sin, we “bother” others!

Sunday night November 18 was the 2012 American Music Awards. A performance by Usher kicked off what I assumed to be a bunch of songs I didn’t know or would speed through.  One interesting fact, this was the 40th Anniversary of the awards show created by the late Dick Clark.