Westward-Ho (post-L’Abri update part deux)
July 31st, 2006
So I’m breaking the blog silence after nearly two months. We just finished the L’Abri term last Saturday, have said our goodbyes, and are heading west again in the ol’ Sentra.
Spending a second term at L’Abri was really worth it. As helpers, we had a lot less study time and a lot more work to do, which I was glad for actually. I think my brain appreciated the rest from absorbing new stuff, because it got more time for processing what what I’ve been learning and where I’ve landed post-L’Abri.
Going into the winter term last January, I was dealing with some significant doubts about the truth of the Christian faith, some frustrations with my own Christian experience, and just feeling fried in life.
My mentor at L’Abri, Dick Keyes, was really helpful in talking through my doubts. He was one of the first Christians in my life to encourage me to express my doubts openly in their most obnoxious form. Through conversations with Dick and the wealth of lectures and books he pointed me to in my study time, I’ve come to a a renewed belief that the Christian faith in the Bible is the truest source of meaning available. I’ve also learned that a lot of my doubts have come from a general attitude of cynicism I’ve slid into. The effect of identifying the cynicism has been to clear out room in my mind and my heart for belief.
So now we’re on the road headed back west. Since we were in New England and Canada was so close, Jen and I popped up to Montreal for a couple days. We enjoyed being surrounded by French (which makes it seem like farther away place), walking around the Old Town, and trying out the Montreal Casino. After putting a whopping $30 in the nickel slots, we walked away only ten in the whole thanks to my skills at the one-arm bandit.
We stopped to see some good friends in Ashland, Ohio for a few days and had a good time with them. Today we’re headed on to Iowa, then on to Minnesota after that. Inevitably Eventually we should find our way back to California. We’re planning on staying with my parents in Fallbrook, CA which is near San Diego. Jen’s looking into a graduate program at San Diego State University in Rhetoric. I’ll be looking for a job in computer programming or systems support. Hopefully we should be back into an apartment of our own by my birthday, September 11.