Day 4
Regeneration 2010 has been seeped in prayer, from church members committed to praying for individual students to the staff praying each morning for the speakers, students, and specific situations in their small groups. And we’ve seen God answer those prayers in ways abundantly beyond what we could ever ask or think.
My alarm honked this morning—6:15 a.m., signifying our last day here, I forced open my red eyes and it felt like trying to split open a rock or bend iron. And one foot at a time, I forced my aching, sleep-deprived body out of my comfortable sleeping bag. And I realized that my alarm signaled our final day in Glorieta. And I purposed to make the most of it.
Austin Duncan closed us with a final sermon about our theme—regeneration. He reminded us that regeneration is not just a fresh start, or a second chance, it is a total and complete new creation. There is no question that the gospel was again clearly delivered by our pastor.
Then, we finished out our last day of team games. Our final day in New Mexico decided to be warm and sunshiny—we’re thankful for the warm send-off. The light blue team, the Beluga Pirates, won the team competition for the entire week. Imagine the cheers that erupted when that was announced!
Tonight there was no sermon. Just a chance for us to respond in worship to the One who has regenerated us. Tonight was an extended time of singing. And for the last time we enjoyed the Christ-exalting worship the band has worked so hard to bring us. It’s always a joy to focus on what we’ve learned this entire week and direct our praise and thanks back to God in heart-felt worship.
Our buses are about to pull out of the conference center. I’ll miss our sessions in the quaint Glorieta chapel with the beautiful blue stained-glass steeple—it’s started to feel like home. But a long shower does sound good and so does a night in my own bed. We’ve still got a meal at cracker Barrel to look forward to and 17 hours together in close quarters. But I’m sad to go. We’ll see you at home. But hopefully you won’t recognize us because we’ll be so different, in the spiritual sense that is.
