Beech Tree News Network

God teaches man in many ways. While we know His will is revealed in the written word, it does not take long to see God use many “tools” to get His truth to man. In the Bible, we have a record of the various ways He did things (Heb. 1:1-2).

The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for children who are battling cancer. Many of these young patients spend time in the hospital away from home and those they love. 

Welcome to my first Christmas column of the year!

As I’ve gotten older, I have tried not to let little things annoy me. When I encounter irritating situations, I try to hide my immediate, natural reaction. Since we are all different, those bothersome, annoying things may differ from person to person. A few of the things that tend to annoy me are listed below in no special order. 

My brother told me about a conversation he had with a friend.  The friend had several children but was close to only one.  He justified his favoritism by saying, “We share the same interests.”  My brother told him, “If you love a child, you get interested in the things they are interested in, whether you are interested in those things or not.”  My brother is right.  Love is all about going out of your way.

In the hours before His crucifixion, Pilate tried to get testimony from Jesus, but Jesus remained silent (Jn. 19:9; Mk. 15:3-5; Isa. 53:7). Pilate knew Christ had been delivered out of “envy” (Matt. 27:18), so he appealed to the people and their customary “prisoner release” during the Passover (Jn. 18:39-40). Sadly, the people listened to the chief priests and elders and chose Barabbas instead of the Lord (Matt. 27:15-21). Finally, he took water and literally “washed his hands” of the situation. He declared, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves” (Matt. 27:24).

By the time Cheers signed off, Frasier-played by Kelsey Grammer-was an integral part of that ensemble.  He didn’t even join the show until its third season and hadn’t even been intended as a permanent cast member.  Nearly 39 years after Dr Frasier Winslow Crane made his first appearance on the sitcom Cheers (in the opening episode of season three, by the way), we have been treated to the first season of the Frasier reboot on Paramount +.  

Stay tuned as lawmakers convene in January

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Sometimes, I get really angry at people I’ve never met.  People who haven’t lived during my lifetime, even.  People who have been long dead for thousands of years.  I have conversations in my head in which I say things like, “What were you thinking!  What did you think was going to happen!  Did you ever consider anyone but yourself!”  These one-sided conversations usually take place in the wee hours of the morning, when sleep evades me.

One of the most striking statements concerning God is found in the book of Isaiah. “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?