Passion 2010 :: Awakening

2 warnings: 1. this is long. 2. the formatting is so messed up, but I have been trying to finish this for so long that I just don't care.

So, a few weeks ago I went to Passion. In case any of you don't know, Passion is a conference headed up by Louie Giglio for college students. Also known as the most incredible conference ever. There's so much to say and I don't really know how to say it all. I had every intention of just giving main points and being done with it, but this just kept getting longer and longer. So yes, it is real long, and no, you don't have to read it all if you don't want to.

I went into the week definitely expecting God to show up and do great things, like always, but I feel like I unintentionally underestimated what God was going to do.

Louie Giglio spoke at the first main session. We focused a lot on God's glory. We sing and talk about it all the time, but I don't think I ever really thought about it. Every single thing we do is for Him and His glory. Louie talked about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When Lazarus woke up they celebrated. There is a moment in a Christian's life where Jesus just wakes us up. It doesn't have to be right when we are saved (though it probably should be if you really think about it), but there is a point where we see what God has really done for us and can't help but celebrate. I wrote this in my journal: "when you wake up, celebrate extravagantly! go big or go home!" There comes a point where you have to say that God' glory is the most important thing. Bring it on. Whatever may come, bring it on. Whatever is going to bring God the most glory is what I want to be a part of.

bring me joy, bring me peace, bring the chance to be free, bring me anything that brings You glory. & I know there will be days when this life brings me pain, but if that's what it takes to praise You, Jesus, bring the rain -Mercy Me, Bring the Rain

Second session was my dear friend, Beth Moore. She talked about how God equips us for things and the ways he equips us. I'm just going to give part of my notes here because I could never say it better than Beth (that's right, we're on a first name basis).

1. God equips us by preparing us.

-God has prepared me for this generation.

-if it was not going to be beneficial and equip me, God would not allow it.

2. God equips us by adjusting us.

-God puts me in situations where I don't feel like I fit in order to get me out of my comfort

zone.

-I can't go into a new situation without changing.

-until I am around people who bring out the worst in me, I am not at a place for God to bring

out the best in me.

3. God equips us by repairing us.

-don't surrender to ministry, surrender to God.

4. God equips us by filling us.

-whatever God has called me to do, I cannot do.

-don't compare to others. stop running in someone else's lane!

Francis Chan was a little all over the place, but great as always. The biggest thing I got from him is how the people trembled at God's Word. We read it just like a normal book and don't even think twice about it. This is the Word of God. This is God speaking directly to us. It's no different than if He was standing right here telling us the same things and we completely disregard it. We ask God to speak to us as if we deserve such a thing, and we don't. He has given us that gift, but we don't deserve that at all. We should ask him humbly to speak to us, not deservingly. All of this hit me really hard. I felt almost ashamed about the way I had come before God. And still do sometimes, honestly. It take a daily, intentional effort to keep my pride at bay, which is new to me because it is not something I have ever struggled with before. Francis also talked about Peter. Yes, he is kinda marred by his doubt, but overall, he was a wonderful man who loved the Lord so much. Sometimes I look at people in the Bible, like Peter, and think that I'm not that good. I'm not good enough to do the things that they did. But God sees me just the same. He says I can do those great things. That's so amazing to me.

Next in the lineup is my dear school church pastor, Andy Stanley. I love his sermons and was very sad we missed him on Sunday, but there he was on Monday morning to share the same sermon with us! Once again, it's so much easier to just give you my notes on the matter.

-it is a mistake to determine what you want to do before you decide who you are going to be.

-who I am on the inside directs every aspect of my life.

-my doing will always flow from my being.

-when they try to dig up dirt on me, I don't want them to find any.

-what do I want said about me at my funeral? why? what's at stake?

-honesty is the foundation of my relationships.

-purity paves the way to intimacy.

-generosity ensures that what I own doesn't own me.

-what I want said at my funeral is my personal definition of success.

-we are the next generation of leadership.

-what are my non-negotiables?

-don't just be a leader, be a leader worth following.

This is from a breakout session we went to about worship. It was somewhat of a panel consisting of Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Joel Houston (from Hillsong), Matt Redman, and Marilyn Skinner- who works with the Watoto Children's choir in Uganda. Marilyn Skinner is the African Beth Moore, y'all. She blew us away and her stories completely broke my heart. I literally cried through the entire session.

-is faith going to be stronger than fear or is fear going to be stronger than faith?

-"I believe that the cry of the children offends God greatly."

-He is the God of the heaven and of the ditch.

-Jesus is famous for turning the unfortunate into the fortunate.

-for global problems, He has a solution- the church! a revolution of love!

-be a "whatever it takes" kind of girl!

-passion is the difficulty you're willing to endure to accomplish a goal.

-need is not the biggest obstacle, it's the biggest opportunity.

John Piper is really intense, y'all. Really, really intense. He is so awesome though and I loved listening to him! I honestly don't even know how to put anything into words. For him, you should probably just check out Lindsey's blog :)

For me, Passion was mostly about who God is. So many times I just stood there as 22,000 college students sang all around me and I was speechless. I just kept thinking one day I'll be with this many people worshiping like this in heaven. And it will never end. We won't have to go home. We will never have to stop. I can't wait for that day.