Four Souls - Softcover

Medefind, Jedd; Peterson, Mike; Sklar, Trey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 084991633X ISBN 13: 9780849916335

Publisher: W Pub Group, 2001

Synopsis

Four Generation X-ers share the adventures of their year-long trip around the globe, as well as their realization of what it means to live completely for Christ. Original.

About this title

About the Author

During college, Matt Kronberg worked with the homeless in Santa Barbara and spent summers as a counselor at a camp in the Sierra. He has a double major in Philosophy and Communication Studies and is now pursuing graduate studies at North Park Theological Seminary.

Jedd Medefind grew up with his three brothers on a small farm in California’s Central Valley, thriving on sports, books, and the great outdoors. He now serves as chief of staff for Assemblyman Tim Leslie in the California State Legislature.

Mike Peterson would be your run-of-the-mill beach bum had he not carved out a niche in the world of commerce with his own small business. Even so, he’s still rarely happier than when riding the waves or cutting through deep powder on a snowboard.

Trey Sklar’s passion has always been for lands beyond, studying at the University of Zimbabwe and working with an international corporation in Moscow. He has a degree in International Studies from Westmont College and dreams of living a ministry of hospitality – wherever he ends up.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the preface...

There was definitely some fear. Hope as well. The two are always intertwined in one way or another.

The four of us – Matt, Jedd, Mike, and Trey, all seniors at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California – stood at one of those points in life where the future seemed to lay spread out before us like a boundless landscape, heavy with both expectation and uncertainty.

We could not shake our feeling that the expected, “sensible” routes might not actually lead to the fullness and purpose we hoped for. Would life out there ultimately leave us weekend-waiting, vacation-dreaming, diversion-driven and dissatisfied?

We knew we had to choose our own route, or else the expectations of others, along with the ruts of our culture, would make the decision for us. If we were serious about pursuing something more in life, we had to start now.

Grad schools pressed for decisions and job opportunities tugged at our shirt sleeves, but a different idea also began to take shape: the prospect of traveling around the world working with local Christians for the better part of a year after we graduated.

Perhaps we heard the same voice calling us that has beckoned young people throughout the centuries, drawing them to board an explorer’s ship, enlist in the cavalry, or join the wagon train heading West. We wanted more than just adventure, though. We wanted to discover something we called “epic life,” the kind of living that would make each day worth waking up for. We desired to see our characters grow stronger, our relationships deeper, and our vision of life clearer. Though we did not know exactly what epic life would look like or just how it should be defined, we simply knew we had to find it.

This story is about that quest, as best we can tell it, our discoveries alongside the bumps, bruised expectations and jagged edges. Many of the questions we ask—and sometimes try to answer—are questions others have wrestled with as well: Is the “good life” really the best life? Who defines success? What will I value on my deathbed? How can I best serve God and my neighbor? What can I learn from people whose lives are radically different from my own? How can I learn to love my friends well, day after day and mile after mile?

We do not venture into these questions as theologians or philosophers, but as fellow explorers on a grand journey. Our hope is that the stories can be experienced by you in much the same way they were experienced by us: sometimes provoking, sometimes enlightening, sometimes confusing. If you are looking for a master plan for life, you will not find it here. You may end up with more to wrestle with than when you started. But if you are up for a journey, join us for the adventure of four souls in pursuit of real life. Our travels together just might get you moving in the direction you want to go.

Matt Kronberg
Jedd Medefind
Mike Peterson
Trey Sklar

California, 2001

Edition details

• Publisher: W Pub Group
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 084991633X
• ISBN 13: 9780849916335
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 363
• Editor: Kronberg Matt