Day 4

Today was a busy day and we were all still very tired from our long van ride here. We had morning worship at 9am which was on the topic of the resurrection of Christ. This will be the general theme of the conference all week. We will be looking at how the resurrection of Christ changes everything about our lives. From how we think to how we work to how we pick a spouse...everything. I'm glad that they are challenging our kids to really think through some of the major themes of the bible and how those themes directly affect how they live.

This was followed by a bunch of outdoor team building exercises at 10:30am. These included running blind folded towards a stone wall and trusting that your team-mates would stop you before you hit the wall. Other activities that I couldn't quite describe online but the jist of all of them was trying to build a trust in your team-mates.

After lunch we had our first Grace Talk which was on the topic of Regeneration. It was a great lesson on our need to be regenerated by Christ before we can even begin to understand the gospel or exercise faith in Christ. The room was a little stuffy and the kids and I were a little sleepy and our bellies were still digesting a heavy lunch of tri tip, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, so we had to fight sleep. We did manage to get through it alright though.

After the talk on regeneration we did a personality profile. Each kid got to see what kind of personality he/she fits into. Whether they are left side or right side of the brain thinkers. The kids all seemed to enjoy it though, as many of you know, I'm not a big fan of those kind of tests. But...I digress.

From 3:30 to 6 the kids had free time. Don't ask me what they did because they all scattered to the four winds. They are all starting to interact with other kids from other groups and seem to be really getting along with different people. I'm glad to see that they are adapting so well. We really do have a great bunch of kids. During this time Mindy and I and I believe Erik also took a nap. It felt great to be able to catch up on some rest.

After dinner we met again for worship and an evening seminar. The topic again was on the resurrection. This time we looked at Luke's passage in chapter 24 of Christ talking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. How the disciples were expecting Christ to redeem Israel from their Roman oppresors right there and then and how they really didn't grasp the real reason for his coming - to save his people from their sins.

After this talk we split up into our groups and discussed the days lessons. I am really enjoying the kids I have in my group. I have kids from New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, California (Leilani), and Nebraska. Nice variety.

Tomorrow we have another packed day starting with prayer at 6:17am. Boy that's early! Erik will get the blog tomorrow. Thank you all again for praying for us. Please pray specifically that our SOPC kids will be able to open up in their groups and be real with others and from that they would seek to have a closer walk with Christ, one that is marked by a genuineness and openness to Christ and to others.

God bless,

Chad