Beech Tree News Network

You’ve read the stories in my mother’s column about my grandmother's place and the effort it is taking to get it ready to sell.  After recently visiting to do my part in the process, I’m here to tell you it’s no exaggeration.  There really are hundreds of quart jars emptied of their canned contents, as well as many other items accumulated during a lifetime of living in one place.

Three New Testament writers use a word that means “wiped away” in five places. The word originally meant "to plaster, rub smooth, or whitewash” a wall. Later it referred to "wiping out" meaning "to cancel" and was used for canceling obligations or debts. Sometimes translated as “blotted out” or “canceled” the word came to mean to totally and completely remove, erase, or obliterate. Remember that as we consider…   

In the ‘90’s, a controversial new sport hits television and America can’t look away.  1993 was America’s first look at the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  The sport had been first popular overseas.  Mixed Martial Arts is a tournament format that incorporates karate, tae kwon do, wrestling and jujitsu.  The early UFC is a far cry from the predetermined professional wrestling.  It bears no resemblance to the glitz and glamour of professional boxing.  The UFC of 1993 isn’t even the UFC of 2024.  The UFC of ’93 was an anything goes, unsanctioned free-for-all.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: Avoid being scammed

Financial scams are growing in prevalence and are among the most common crimes today. A recent poll showed that approximately 15% of those who responded to a recent poll say that at least one member of their household has fallen prey to on, with 8% reporting that it has happened to them. And, scammers target both men and women and people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds.

Sometimes, despite other plans, a life takes on a life of its own.  You might say that’s what happened to Butler County couple, Tommy Hines, Sr. and his wife, Gingie Hurst Hines.  Married in 1958, the couple lived in the local area until 1965, when they and their sons moved to Louisiana.  Tommy, who had finished his BS at WKU, received his MS degree in Wildlife at LSU.  Shortly after, he accepted a job with Florida Fish and Wildlife in the Florida Everglades. 

“The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31) is an instructional story Jesus told the Pharisees, who were lovers of money” (16:14). It tells of a very wealthy, indulgent man who feasted daily, yet ignored the sick, hungry beggar laying at his front door. In the story, both men die. The beggar, Lazarus, is carried by angels to Abraham’s side, a place of comfort. The rich man ends up in torment, compounded by the fact he can look and see Lazarus. He calls out to Abraham only to learn that it is too late for him to receive mercy, and too late for him to encourage others to seek God.

This week, Vice Network Dark Side of The ‘90’s on the show Cops.

Recently, we have gone through some “little winters.”  These cold snaps are most prevalent in the southern states and might have a different order or a different expected date depending on the location. According to folklore, four basic springtime “winters” are: Redbud, Locust, Dogwood, and Blackberry. Two other “little winters” are Linsey-Woolsey Britches (or Cotton Britches) and Whippoorwill. These cold snaps may occur from March to early June.

-Redbud Winter: Redbud Winter is the first cold snap in spring, occurring in March or April when the redbud trees are in full bloom. 

The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is a childhood favorite. How can you not be drawn to a little man who climbs a tree to see Jesus? And then there’s that catchy song. But there are some lessons for grown-ups in the story. Zacchaeus should be remembered as more than just “a wee little man.”    

I’ve told you before that there was never any love lost between Garey’s dad, J.D., and me.  I didn’t like the fact that he was so disrespectful to Garey’s mom, Aggie, and I really didn’t like the fact that he treated the rest of us like we were idiots.