A Reflection on Our Montreal Experience (#1)

A couple summers ago, after our first of three years in Montreal, we were in San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I had recently heard about a man in San Francisco named Mark Scandrette who had visited the church we were part of in Montreal a few years ago. Without going into much detail, he was a man who seemed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus with a uniqueness and intensity I'd never encountered before. Needless to say, I wanted to meet this guy! I emailed the organization that he started (Reimagine.org) to see if I could meet with someone from there. I was delighted when Mark himself responded and agreed to meet me at a cafe in the Mission District while I was in SF. It had the makings of meeting a guru in an ashram. So, I sat with Mark in this cool cafe located in an ethnic melting-pot you only find in big cities. We talked for 2 1/2 hours or so and I asked him about anything I could think of. One thing he said, that has continued to come up in my mind from time to time, has particular insight and relevance concerning my reflection on our Montreal experience. He told me that as long as you're in your twenties, you can't get past your ego. You can't skip over this part of your life where the world still more or less revolves around you. There are no easy shortcuts. It is a necessary season of life.