Skip to main content

passion

it's been awhile since i last posted, simply because i really had nothing to say and there wasn't a lot going on. so i just became silent.

we've been on christmas break for the last two weeks (today was the first day back), which was wonderful. it's always nice to have time off, and being on a teacher's schedule is soo good! these last few days of the break, however, i was at passion. i have never been to passion before, and i really wanted to go this year (strangely, i've never really wanted to go before). just in case you're unfamiliar with it, which i doubt for those of you that i know read this blog, passion is a conference for 18-25yr olds, focused around making God known. the key verse they use behind the passion movement is isaiah 26:8: "yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls."
from the passion website:
"passion exists to glorify God-uniting students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in this generation....seeks to gather college and university students across the nation and around the world to seek the face of God, asking Him to ignite in our souls a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and a desire to spread His fame to everyone on earth...we believe God is calling out a generation of college students committed to the glory of His name in all things. God longs to bring awakening to every campus, mobilizing the students of today to finish the task of global evangelization in this generation. God is calling us out for this purpose, in this moment, for His renown."

i had some friends volunteering for passion, also, who said i could stay with them. my original plan was to volunteer with them, but technically i wasn't old enough to (you have to be 26) and i couldn't be there all 4 days. so, even though i was a week away from being too old to attend, i decided to sign up and attend the conference.
and i'm so glad i did. the speakers (louie giglio, beth moore, francis chan, andy stanley, and john piper) were absolutely incredible and the worship was just as wonderful. 22,000 college-age students (and some who are older) simply learning and worshipping God. being challenged, in thinking, worship, matters of justice, and so much more. 4 days (or, for me, 3ish) of concentrated learning and worship and friend-making.
there was so much said and done to process and remember and so on, so i may have more to say later, but here are some of my favorite moments:
*getting to see steph and annie (and meeting annie's friend becky) and having a chance to spend some time with them
*hearing beth moore live and in person. i love listening to her videos, but i've never seen her live. it was wonderful.
*walking around the city again. oh, how i've missed walking everywhere, but i guess God knew that because my community group was a good 3-4 blocks at least from the arena. plus walking up and down lots of stairs, to and from venues to hotels....and now my body is sore because i'm out of the habit :)
*watching the audience at the lecrae concert...lecrae himself was good, but watching the audience was cool.
*finally sponsoring a compassion kid
*hearing a beliver from china pray over everyone in the arena in chinese (having no absolute clue what she was saying) and then hearing a recording artist from brazil sing "God of this city" in portuguese while everyone else was singing it in english. truly, completely amazing.
*walking from the arenas to our community groups in complete silence. all 22,000+ of us.

Comments

Lauren said…
That sounds awesome!! Thanks for sharing your experience. I love Louie Giglio!
January 6, 2011 at 2:24 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

the final list of 25 :)

so, today's the day! i'm now a quarter of a century old :) and to celebrate this year, i decided to create a list of 25 things to do the year i turn 25.... the list that started all the other lists.... because then it turned into a week long list-making event.... and i've loved it! because, as you know, i love making lists. so, without further ado, here is the last list of 25: 25 things to do this year 1. re-learn to play the piano 2. read all the books on my shelf i've never read 3. go to a movie by myself 4. visit the museums in this city 5. learn to sew and knit or crochet 6. re-learn my spanish (or at least, start to) 7. cook something i've never cooked before at least 2x a month 8. start saving money 9. try to visit my friends who live in other places 10. send more cards to people 11. read one classic novel a month 12. take more pictures 13. become less dependent on makeup 14. make a meal plan every week 15. become less emotionally-d...
2 comments
Read more

His Straight, Not Mine

Whenever I have a huge decision to make, I stress. My default mode is "what if I'm wrong??" This has been true for the last 10+ years of my life. College, mission trips during college, where to teach after college, quitting teaching, moving to Baltimore, leaving Baltimore, beginning seminary. All decisions fraught with questions, doubts, fears. And I'm there again. Graduated from seminary, looking for the next step. Wondering. Doubting. Questioning. Hoping. Dreaming. Fearing.  Every big decision is the same. You'd think I'd have learned by now just to decide or jump or trust or whatever. But no. The reason for this struggle is that I so badly long to do what I am meant to do. I long to follow God where He is leading, to fulfill the purpose He has planned for me from the beginning. But I'm only human. And so how on earth do I know what God has planned for me? And how on earth can I possibly do that without screwing it up completely?  I look at vers...
2 comments
Read more

good for the soul

So, in my last post, I mentioned that I was headed to Atlanta to spend some time with some friends from college and that it would be the first time all of us had been together in about a year. I know I said it would be a surprising day.....and it was. Surprisingly good. The 5 of us have been through a lot together. A whole lot. The good, the bad, and the ugly. But, despite everything that we've experienced together, done to each other, and done with each other (or maybe because of it), the friendships remain. Maybe stronger than they were to begin with. I met 3 of these girls -- Becky, Steph, and Meghan -- freshman year through a mutual friend. They had all gone to high school together. I wasn't thinking that these girls would be such good friends when we met. We started hanging out together all the time. There were several times when we'd be in each other's dorms (along with a few other people) until real early in the morning. Many of my memories of freshman year of co...
Post a Comment
Read more