A New Beginning

I am at a new point in my life. Or, at least, I am at a point where many things are new, which maybe makes it feel like I am at a new point. I am in a new geography. I am with new people. I am at a point where I have TIME. I have time to do a lot of thinking. I have time to do a lot of observing. For that reason I am reviving what was previously a sputter start for a couple weeks: this very blog.

I've set some ground rules for myself:
1) This thing is going to be simple. And I'm going to keep it simple.
2) I'm going to actually be regular with my posting.
3) The majority of this will revolve around my experience where I am, both in terms of this place, and where this place is taking me.
4) Taking all of the above into consideration, I am not going to let this thing rule, or even direct, my life in any fashion.

That said...here we go.

I am at the end of the first week of employment at Mount Hermon. I'm not going to lie, I had pretty high hopes for this summer. And don't get me wrong - the first leg of the journey has been amazing! I spent a month on the road and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I just might have time to get some of the pics up around here or something. OK, maybe a brief sample here...



Yeah, so that was on my up to the summit of Mount Princeton. Gorgeous. Incredibly difficult hike. There is some amount of accomplishment when you get to the end of something you thought about quitting a dozen times.

So yeah, I eventually arrived here near Santa Cruz at Mount Hermon. It's been an adventure. The driving was great, and I spent half of the trip with people and pretty much the other half completely on my own. I think that put me something of an odd position as I entered Mount Hermon: I was isolated and used to it. I was enjoying my time on the road, absolved in my own travels. Sounding a little self-centered? Perhaps.

So then I arrived. Don't get me wrong, I'm thinking that everyone here is great. I really don't think I have met or seen anyone around that I think is a total jerk or anything, But Mount Hermon has a rich history, and a lot of the people on staff have experienced part of that history. They were campers here or they are returning staff. Not only that, but most people are part of a smaller staff like the Youth Staff, or Daycamp, or Child Care, or AdFac, etc. I am the one and only College Advisor. There is no staff other than me. It sets me apart and while everyone else is working together all day long I am on my own, doing my own thing. It's odd. It's unsettling. It is hard.

I'm not having a pity party. I've decided that I'm not really looking to have an amazing connection with people up here, and maybe that is how I have decided to deal with what is going on. But I have also decided that I am fine to have time hanging with the college campers, getting reading done over the summer, and having time to journal, and now apparently do some blog action.

Or, maybe I am preparing myself for the worst case scenario or something.

In addition to all of this stuff going on, I think the past month on the road has changed me. I don't think I've experienced that in a while. I don't think I've been able to put a finger down on exact changes, but there is something different. For the time being I am more quiet. I am observant of nature and things going on around me. I am not as quick to make a random comment. I am comfortable in my own skin. That comfort, however, has taken me away from people, and I am unsure of that direction. Does that mean I'm actually NOT comfortable in my skin?

Well, in a completely different direction I am preparing a Bible Study for the college kids next week that I hope to expand into a two part "series" - a Bible Study and a seminar. The topic basically deals with how we view Jesus and questions that view, and the general view of the stereotypical Christian American. Is Jesus the buddy we grew up knowing? Or is Jesus perhaps calling us to something that we are afraid of is we face it? Has the true meaning of Christ been lost in a mix of pop culture, which the church (Church?) has fallen into?

It isn't something totally new, I know. But I hope it is something that these college kids can sink their teeth into. It also allows everyone to come in with their different faiths and compare notes on who Christ is for each of them. We then move on to what we might do with those views, and how they affect who we are as we leave this place.

It is something. It is something.