fogparty

l'abri recap #2

anyone who knows me, knows i love meeting people.

so... on top of all the great study time at l'abri... i knew i'd be "kaleiding" with new faces. i think i love it because it's often where i see G*D move most in my life. and as i rode the train from the airport to southborough... i wondered how G*D would impact me and use me in this house full of students and staff.

four family groups inhabit the 2 houses... but the "students" all live in the center section of the main building was built in the 1800's. it's hard to describe what goes on between and in the work... the study... the meals... the tea times... the lectures... the prayer times... the free times... the games.

but i guess a lot like life... it's not the activities that build community so much as it is the choices we make in the activities. certainly the close proximity... and daily routine helped lean people into one another. but ultimately... people will only bend as far as they want.

as an outsider coming in for the last week...i was pretty amazed at what i saw. i didn't pick up on any animosity or cliques. everyone seemed welcoming, respectful and sensitive to others. maybe because they were in shock that in one week their l'abri friends would likely be states apart. but for whatever reason... it was a beautiful thing to watch and experience.

the most wonderful thing of all was the sense that people were free to be themselves. free not to have to shower for the last seven days of the term... free to be girls who talk about farting... even if it disgusted the guys. and free to be who G*D had made them to be. i didn't sense the games... the competition. close quarters can be a gift in that way.

i loved every person i met at l'abri... from barefoot "tor"... to sausage factory "missy"... and on and on and on. these new personalities gave me a sense of hope for the future... and definitely a smile. so if any of them ever read this... thanks!

i think G*D has fun watching them/us live in the bottom half of the glass...

...even if we don't live it perfectly.

if you want to see more pics... look at the l'abri albums on the sidebar.

l'abri recap #1

back from l'abri...

not really sure how to summarize my experience there. so much.

i think i'll take a few days to recap... it will be a helpful exercise for me to reflect on the different aspects.

i didn't expect to finish my investigation on hell and all that... and i didn't.

i knew the plan would be for me to sit down with one of the staff soon after i arrived. but it wasn't quite what i expected. i talked with dick keyes for almost 3 hours! he listened... asked questions... and listened some more. and after he understood why i really was there... he compiled a list of resources from their library for me to consider during my stay. then over the next few days... every time i saw him, he'd say... "oh, here's another one for you to look at." and he'd walk over to the wall... grab a book... and say "you don't need to read the whole thing... just this chapter."

...amazing.

the lectures were incredibly thorough and well delivered... ...great depth and yet accessible for small minds like my own. i came away challenged with the importance of thinking things through carefully. the freedom the postmodern shift offers us all to explore and rethink everything is a wonderful thing... but it's way too easy to get caught up in the sport of finding new options... new ways of seeing old things based upon new research.

but every conclusion comes with its own implications.

i'm not suggesting that we should avoid a new conclusion simply because it might have a potentially negative implication... but... shallow or hasty research should never be the basis for new conclusions. and a busy life in an emergent-esque church can be fertile soil for shifts in thinking that are fun and inspiring... but not necessarily well grounded.

i think i've leaned too heavily upon what i've always been taught... upon what's worked... and upon what feels right. my l'abri experience reminded me that as i rethink... i've gotta make sure that i lean heavily on the "think" part.