Life In Greencastle

It is no fun being in the belly of the whale.   No fun at all. Have you ever been there? You would know it if you have. The feeling of being stuck.   Isolated.   Groping around a bit for answers, for a way out. That is the hardest part.   There answers don’t come very easily, if at all.   The way out can take a while to happen.   When will this end? … But, let’s back up.   Let’s back up and consider how we can end up in the belly of the whale in the first place. And for that, we’ll rely upon two stories:   story of Jonah, which we just heard, and the story of St. John of the Cross. We know why Jonah ended up in the belly of the whale.   There was a stubborn streak in the man.   There was a good bit of ego.   God had a specific desire for Jonah, and Jonah couldn’t accept God’s plan for his life.   He wasn’t humble enough to embrace the charge, the call, the mission, the invitation.   So inst...

What a gift it is to share this fellowship with you, and to know that - together - we are but a part of God's work going on here in Greencastle.  There are weeks, like this one, where I often marvel at how lucky I am to be surrounded by individuals and families who are doing such good and loving work for our community.  I've just emerged from a chat with Carol about her role as a CASA volunteer.  I often bump into Patti Harmless as well and think of this valuable work in our community, a work begun in many ways by Diana LaViolette. Carolyn McKee stopped in yesterday to both say hi to Trisha and check in with me about some ideas for a daycare fundraiser.  She went on to share about how the members of her Tri Kappa group had just taken up a spontaneous collection for the Non-Food Pantry, an incredibly valuable ministry that provides immeasurable help to many in our community faced with limited financial means and ever-present life needs.   Kara Jedel...

It's happened again. It just keeps happening. I've often joked recently that if I were the devil (which some people may assume that I am), here is what I would do.  Anytime there was any piece of news or issue or potential opportunity for political dialogue, this is what I would do.  I would immediately cast one side against the other.  I would immediately try to make an enemy of the other and see if I couldn't cause both sides to circle the wagons in defense of a position, batting down the hatches and arming for war. The strategy seems to be working pretty well.  So, as I sat watching the Shakira and Jennifer Lopez on Sunday evening, I knew that it was only a matter of time before the two sides encountered one another and prepared for all out trench warfare.  You know.  Dig more deeply down into your position and lob some attacks at the other side. That's how it goes. And it creates this strong desire to protect those on the inside of our own ci...