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Local church briefs

Bible Study LOCK HAVEN — God’s Eternal Life Church at 30 Woodward Ave., Lock Haven, is holding weekly Bible studies each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The topic will be Thru the Bible Word for Word. Please feel free to join. Church services are held on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. All are welcome. Pastor Dean Williams can be reached at 570-748-3700. Holy Moments Series MILL HALL — Bald Eagle United Presbyterian Church will be starting their Holy Moments in History series on Feb. 5. Retired history teacher Mike Palischak will lead the program. Mike has chosen William Penn as his first ...

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being. Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Maori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred land are people before. The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano is the second highest on New Zealand’s North Island at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) and a popular spot for ...

Don’t be afraid

While watching the Redskins (Oh, I mean “The Commanders”) game over the weekend, I noticed a lot of the commercials seem to want to scare you into buying their product. At the very end of the commercials, fear seems to be the overriding motivation of why you should buy their product. I counted five pharmaceutical commercials, each warning us that if we didn’t take their shots, use their pills or apply their ointment, we might never be cured of the sickness that was coming our way. In another commercial advertising a different product, one couple warned us if we didn’t ...

Challenging times to speak God’s truth to ourselves

The Bible encourages Christians to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). The verse’s context is spiritual maturity and church unity (vv. 12-15), and many Christians apply its truth in counseling others. They share what they’ve learned from the Bible, and what is beneficial to hearers to build them up “according to their needs” (Ephesians 4:29). While it’s true we are to teach and disciple one another with truth in love, we first need to lovingly but firmly speak the life-changing truth of Scripture into our own lives and then act on it. It’s an authentic way to ...

Local church briefs

Trombone Concert HOWARD — Howard United Methodist Church will host the Penn State Trombones in a mini-concert at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, and on Sunday, Feb. 16. The Penn State musical students will be playing during the church service. Come hear the students playing and drop a few dollars into their trombone case to encourage them and to help with their expenses. Grief Support LOCK HAVEN — Community Grief Support is a new opportunity for men and women to gather and seek help together. The next meeting will be on Jan. 28. The group will meet the second and fourth Tuesday of ...

‘Peace, Peace,’ when there is no peace

I have been doing my quiet time in the book of Jeremiah, intentionally going slow to meditate on and ponder the words of this ancient Old Testament prophet. Although it is certainly a heavy read and often not so encouraging; he is even referred to as “the weeping prophet.” I can’t help but think how similar the days he prophesied are to today. Just as he is calling God’s people back to faithfulness, he describes how many claim “Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Have you ever noticed how the subject of peace is in vogue, in-style today? There are ...