{"id":336,"date":"2008-01-26T01:01:01","date_gmt":"2008-01-26T01:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/01\/you-know-youre-in-a-small-town-when-a-ghost-in-the-city-library-grabs-the-headlines.html"},"modified":"2008-01-26T01:01:01","modified_gmt":"2008-01-26T01:01:01","slug":"you-know-youre-in-a-small-town-when-a-ghost-in-the-city-library-grabs-the-headlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/01\/you-know-youre-in-a-small-town-when-a-ghost-in-the-city-library-grabs-the-headlines.html","title":{"rendered":"You Know You\u2019re in a Small Town When . . . A Ghost in the City Library Grabs the Headlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week The Boerne Star<\/em><\/a> feature this headline: “Certified Ghosts? Boerne Public Library gets certificate of paranormal activity.” Other cities may have fires, murders, and official scandals. But we in Boerne have ghosts! And in the public library, no less.
\nHow do we know this isn’t just some silly ghost story? Well, a couple of weeks ago a group from Everyday Paranormal<\/a> came to investigate. They found evidence of ghostly activity, including strange sounds and a book balanced precariously on a bookshelf. That evidence has been gathered and displayed at the Everyday Paranormal website<\/a>. Really! You can check it out for yourself. (Photo: The Boerne library in the not-scary daylight.)
\nAccording to The Boerne Star<\/em>, there’s no consensus on the identity of the library’s ghost. It could be the spiritual remains of Jospeh Dienger, the man who, in 1884, built the building in which the library is found. At first it was a market and a home. Then it was a restaurant and an office building. Finally, in 1989, the so-called Dienger Building was purchased by the City of Boerne, which turned it into a library in 1991. Others think the ghost is a woman whose abusive husband drank in a saloon that had once been housed in the Dienger building.
\n\"boerneLibrarian Natalie Morgan didn’t seem particular disturbed the idea of a ghost haunting her workplace. As The Boerne Star<\/em> reports:<\/p>\n

“At least one person a day expresses interest in the ghost,” she said. She freely confessed that she\u2019d very much hoped to have an otherworldly presence confirmed and was happy with the outcome.??”I love the certification,” said Morgan. “I think it makes the whole ghost legend even more fun.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, take that big cities and metropolitan areas! You think you have big news. We have a ghost in the Boerne library, which doesn’t look very scary when it’s covered with Christmas lights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week The Boerne Star feature this headline: “Certified Ghosts? Boerne Public Library gets certificate of paranormal activity.” Other cities may have fires, murders, and official scandals. But we in Boerne have ghosts! And in the public library, no less. How do we know this isn’t just some silly ghost story? Well, a couple of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-town"],"yoast_head":"\nYou Know You\u2019re in a Small Town When . . . A Ghost in the City Library Grabs the Headlines - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/01\/you-know-youre-in-a-small-town-when-a-ghost-in-the-city-library-grabs-the-headlines.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"You Know You\u2019re in a Small Town When . . . A Ghost in the City Library Grabs the Headlines - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week The Boerne Star feature this headline: “Certified Ghosts? Boerne Public Library gets certificate of paranormal activity.” Other cities may have fires, murders, and official scandals. But we in Boerne have ghosts! And in the public library, no less. How do we know this isn’t just some silly ghost story? 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A Ghost in the City Library Grabs the Headlines"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}