Back from Sabah.
Tim was right. The retreat actually *was* very good. It forced me to examine many issues and questions that I'd been ignoring (conveniently) for a long time, being a semi-skeptical non-denominational Christian, and to reflect. I still need some time to meditate on everything, though, but for now, I'd classify myself as a hopeful skeptic.
Naturally, I took copious volumes of notes (about 4 A4-sized sides, in my usual spidery handwriting). Look for the essay to come up in 1-2 weeks.