Life In Greencastle

"In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 “… And a large crowd followed Jesus and pressed in on him.” – Mark 5:24 Back in the 15 th Century, back when medieval serfs harvested the land with ox and with sickle, there once lived a man named Thomas a Kempis. He grew up along and around the Rhine – the river that runs its course from high in the Swiss Alps, through the German broad land and to the wet marshes of Netherlands. Eventually, Thomas followed that river up to the Dutch lands, and one day he encountered a group of religious monks, educating and caring for the poor. He was attracted. He was intrigued. He, too, became a monk. Then, some years down the road in 1441, Thomas published a book by the title The Imitation of Christ . With that, Thomas a Kempis became famous. His work spread throughout Europe – becoming one of the first true “modern devotionals.” For Thomas...

“ Every moment was so precious … And it’s such a perfect day.” Coldplay, Strawberry Swing “Awe is a way of being in rapport with the mystery of all reality. The awe that we sense or ought to sense when standing in the presence of a human being is a moment of intuition for the likeness of God which is concealed in his essence. Not only man; even inanimate things stand in a relation to the Creator. The secret of every being is the divine care and concern that are invested in it. Something sacred is at stake in every event.” -Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, from God in Search of Man It happens. We don’t predict or plan it. In fact, it often occurs when we seem at our wits end, when we have tried everything in our power to order and right our world. We have struggled and frustrated ourselves. And if we were truly unkind we have even managed to frustrate others, leaving a wake of discord behind our frazzled intentions and hurried attempts. But, still it happen...