thirsting soul.

I have been blessed by the ministry of Passion ever since my sophomore year of high school. That was the year the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my lukewarm so-called Christianity. 3 formative things happened that year. 1) I read Desiring God by John Piper. 2) I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. 3) I started sneaking into Louie Giglio’s weekly College Bible study in Alpharetta, GA.
 

Louie absolutely loves our Savior and lives to make Him known.

So, I was happy to attend Passion 2011, January 1-4 in downtown Atlanta. Here are a few reasons I loved this conference. 

1. God Spoke: As a vocational minister I attend a lot of Christian stuff; programs, conferences, camps, etc. I don’t always hear the Spirit speak at these things. This past week God spoke. Loud. And. Clear. I’ll save that for another post.
    
2. Real Worship: You’ve got the top Christian musicians and worship leaders at this thing. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, David Crowder, Lecrae, etc. But the humility of these brothers and sisters in Christ just radiates. They’re all about Jesus.
   
   More than the music- justice was a constant push at this conference. Justice as a form of worship. The causes included raising money for surgeries in africa, building wells, freeing women from sex slavery, feeding hungry children, micro-finance loans in Afghanistan, towels and socks for the homeless in Atlanta. Together, the 22,000 college students raised over $1,000,000. Since 07 Passion has raised over 3 million for gospel-centered global aid.
   
   
3. John Piper said this: “God’s love for you that makes Him a supreme treasure is a greater love than a love that makes you a supreme treasure.”
    
4.  We sang All To Us by Christ Tomlin. Listen to it HERE 
5. My wife: I was glad to share this time with her and have a lot to process with her in prayer.  
6. When it ended: I was excited to see my kids, start to process, pray, apply, etc. etc. 

I plan on bringing a group of high school seniors and young adults next year. The reason is Isaiah 26:8- Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. This verse is the heartbeat of Passion and of a generation of young people.