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Easter brings new perspectives

The Easter season is the one time of year when our minds turn to thoughts of hope, renewal and new beginnings. It is time to say goodbye to the long, cold, and dark days of winter and hello to the sun’s warming rays. Flowers and trees burst into bloom, the grass dons its lovely green coat, and the air is sweetened by the scent of spring rains, drawing us outdoors. Everything looks fresh and new, and it feels as though anything is possible, and I suppose it is. That, at least, was my recent experience. I just returned from a few days spent in Philadelphia with my son and his family, ...

Library’s history interesting, important

I really hope you like being on this Library History journey with me. Many people tell me how much they love reading my columns and learning about the library and how it came to be. I think it’s very interesting but also important. And here is why. Before all of our renovations started, there was a plaque hanging on (well, really, screwed into) the cement block wall of the Children’s Room. Just inside the door. You probably passed it many times and never noticed it. I’m going to post a photo of the plaque on our Facebook page. The plaque reads: In memory of Nancy Margaret ...

Safely shred your documents at the Juniata County Library

Do you have boxes of papers that you need to safely get rid of? The Juniata County Library has an industrial shredder that can handle any kind of document, even including ones with staples, paperclips and rubber bands. Back in 2019 when we looked to add this new service, I asked around to see if anyone else did this kind of thing. I discovered that there were no places here you could take your documents to be shredded. We knew then that there was a local need that we could meet. Courtesy of our Friends of the Library, we have a P5 security level shredder that turns your documents ...

Easter was God’s plan through preparation

Today, hubby and I planted our potatoes together...300 pounds of them. It’s always a fun time for us. He runs the tractor and I sit on the seat of the planter. I’m sure it’s quite a sight as we ride up and down the field. I feel like “Green Acres”...somewhat...I don’t quite have the class that Lisa had. Wish I did. As I was riding on the planter, I began to wonder what kind of harvest we might get in the fall. Hubby likes his red potatoes. To me, the white are just common potatoes, but boy, how I love those Yukon Golds. Funny what our preferences are, huh? As we rode around, ...

Easter or First Fruits?

We do not want to use tradition to filter truth. Rather we must approach filter tradition with the truth! As we uncover the truth about Easter, we will discover the unfortunate truth that it is pagan and that the church is following pagan customs that we must, of necessity, disavow and leave behind. As part of the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:11-19), scripture is clear, we are not to assimilate pagan ways into our walk and observances (Deut 12:30-31). In fact, we are instructed to not even allow the names of pagan deities to leave our lips (Exodus 23:13). This challenge is ...

Sometimes it’s good to get angry

John 2:12-25 Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and the only way out of it is for someone to shake us up. Jesus certainly had that effect on the religious establishment of his time. He’d been looking forward to going to Jerusalem and the Temple for Passover. People from all over the world would be there to worship. Just being there with other pilgrims was exciting. When Jesus arrived at the Temple, he was upset by what he saw. There in the Temple courtyard people were buying and selling cattle, sheep and doves for sacrifices. The merchants selling the livestock thought they were ...