The six of us trucked it down to Atlanta in a minivan. It was me, Travis, Stephen, one of Stephen's friends from KU, and two of his friends. The drive to Atlanta was pretty fun! I have never driven through the South before (I did once when I was little, but I don't remember it). I love seeing the country and taking roadtrips, so this was perfect! We drove all day and got into Atlanta around eight o'clock. We were about two miles from our hotel when the back right tire popped. We pulled over and checked out the damage. We called Triple-A and they came and put the spare on for us.
Growing up, my mom told me Satan tries to attack before the Holy Spirit moves. I didn't realize it at the time, but my mom was right. Satan tried to steal our joy with this flat tire, but it wasn't going to happen. We all kept a positive attitude about being stranded in Atlanta for an hour and half while waiting for Triple-A. Nothing was going to take away from what the Holy Spirit was about to do over the next four days.
After the tire was fixed, we went to the hotel and dropped off our stuff. We sneaked our stuff into the room because I am pretty sure it is illegal to have six people in a room that only sleeps four. Since it was New Years Eve, we went to the Peach Drop in downtown Atlanta. This is their big New Years Eve celebration. We picked up some Dominos and then took the MARTA (train) into the city.
Downtown Atlanta was PACKED! We had no clue where to go, so we just followed the crowed. As soon as we started walking down the street, we came to a barricade with cops standing everywhere. Apparently, we stumbled upon a huge fight that was just ending. Welcome to Atlanta, right? haha
We decided to go a different way and try to get a good view of the peach. We walked for awhile and made our way into the middle of the crowd. As we stood there, I quickly came to the realization of how lost this world is. I don't say this in boastful way at all. I am just being honest. Seeing grown men and women completely drunk and acting like kids is something I didn't want to see, but glad I did see. After watching the Peach Drop, we followed the slow-moving crowds back to the train. Thankfully, we made it back to our hotel room without any trouble.
The next morning we woke up and were ready to check-in at the conference. We drove into downtown Atlanta and checked-in at the other hotel where we would stay for the next three nights. We took the shuttle to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), the site for Passion 2011! We got off the shuttle and were immediately greeted by the nicest "Door Holders" (volunteers)! Everyone was very welcoming and asked if we had any questions. We made our way to the end of the line which stretched for a good 300 feet.
After we checked-in, we walked through the GWCC and made our way to the convention center downstairs. As soon as we walked into the convention center, I immediately got goosebumps. The whole area was filled with different causes. It was called "Do Something Now". I believe "Do Something Now" has 14 different causes worldwide, which range from rescuing people from human trafficking (modern day slavery), to clean water projects. As we walked around, I was filled with excitement, anticipation, and compassion. I was excited and anticipating all the speakers and all the worship that was about to come. And I was filled with compassion for all the people around the world who struggle for their lives each day.
One sign read, "According to the UN, 2,500 WOMEN and CHILDREN are SOLD into sexual slavery EVERY DAY." This completely blew me away. I could not believe this. Here I am in America worried about not playing good golf when 2,500 women and children are sold every day! Are you kidding, Kyle?! You're worried about not playing good golf when people are being sold into slavery every day? This really put life in perspective. Another sign read, "EVERY 15 SECONDS A CHILD under the age of 5 DIES BECAUSE OF A WATER-RELATED DISEASE. That's 5,000 CHILDREN a day."
One of the last things I think about is having clean water to drink. I pretty much have access to clean water whenever I want. There are people around the globe who wake up every day wondering if they are going to get clean water and make it through the day. That sign said 5,000 children die under the age of 5 every day due to unclean water. That's only children under the age of 5! Imagine what that number is for all age groups combined.
Walking through the "Do Something Now" center softened my heart. God was already at work and I had only been at Passion for one hour.
Stephen, Travis, and I decided to take part in the water walk. The water walk is a small simulation of what it's like for those who have to walk miles each day just to get clean water. We each picked up two, large containers of water, each weighing about 40 pounds. The path we had to walk was only 1/8 of a mile long. We made it half way around before we had to stop and rest. Stephen requested the three of us pray, so we put our arms around each other and joined together in prayer. This was the beginning of a strong, spiritual friendship between the three of us.
We finished the water walk with just a tiny glimpse of what people have to go through every day. We walked 1/8 of a mile. Some people have to walk 5 miles every day just to get clean water, and then another 5 miles back. Not to mention they have to do that in weather which could be extreme heat, rain, wind, etc. Also, once they have received their clean water, it's not uncommon for half of it to spill on the way back. Carrying 40 pounds of water isn't the easiest thing to do. Especially if it's a KID who is already thirsty for water. With fatigue setting it, it wouldn't be unusual for a kid to accidentally spill some of the water.
I will try to fast forward and pick out all the highlights. I have already written a lot and I haven't even talked about any of the sessions.
The first session opened with about an hour of worship. Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels lead the opening worship. I was immediately caught in awe of 16,000 college students filling the Phillips Arena (6,000 college students in the GWCC Arena (overflow arena)) to worship Jesus. Louie Giglio spoke on how God is no respecter of age. Just because we are young doesn't mean God can't use us to change the world. Look at Mark Zuckerberg. He was a college student who completely changed the world through a thing called facebook. Just because we are in college doesn't mean we aren't capable of changing the world. God wants to work in and through us, even those in college. Louie talked about Paul's life. The story of Paul sums up the gospel. God can do anything! God can save anyone! Who would have ever given Paul a chance. Before Paul was Paul, Paul was Saul. Saul murdered Christians. He was completely against people who followed Christ. He had a complete life transformation and began serving Christ. Jesus' mercy and forgiveness is for everyone! It doesn't matter how many bad things you have done, Jesus still loves you and forgives you. Jesus loves the sinner, but hates the sin.
The next day we had the chance to hear Beth Moore speak. Beth spoke on the renewing of the mind. She began by saying God has a specific plan for our lives. We are put on earth to bring glory to God. Whatever God calls us to do, is more than we are capable of doing. It is only done through Christ and the Holy Spirit within us. Beth also spoke about strongholds.
Stronghold- something that takes power over your mind. It pretends to have more power over you than God.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul tells us strongholds can be defeated. Beth Moore ended by saying, "We can change our minds by changing our hearts." We can think new thoughts about past experiences.
Later that day we went to a breakout session by Ben Stuart. Ben spoke on "Fighting For Holiness". The whole idea about Ben's talk was about what goes in, must come out. If we are constantly filling ourselves with things that are pleasing to God (studying the Bible, prayer, positive music, fellowship with others... etc.) then things that please God will flow out of us. But, if we fill ourselves with negative things, then out of that will come actions that don't please God.
That night Francis Chan spoke. Francis' talk was about living a life worthy of the gospel we read. He talked about how people say they follow Christ, or are a Christian, but don't live what the gospel says. People will say, "Yeah, I am a Christian." But if you look at how they live their life, they don't actually live what the Bible teaches. Francis challenged us by asking if we have the guts to get out of our comfort zone and serve Christ. He also encouraged us not to be "consumer driven" Christians. Too many times we go to church expecting to be given all sorts of good information for the week. What do we do with that information the majority of the time?... NOTHING! We need to stop being consumer driven Christians, and start living what the Bible teaches, and that is loving and serving God, and loving and serving others. He closed by saying, "If I believe what the Bible says then I need to share Christ with everyone."
After Francis spoke, we all went to our community groups. I was in a community group with six other people, none of which I knew. During the four days at the conference, I became really close to these six people. We openly shared with each other our personal struggles and encouraged one another. I always looked forward to our community group time.
After the community groups ended that night, Stephen, Travis, and me joined together in prayer. I have never felt a bond that strong between a group of guys before. Stephen and Travis have been an unbelievable blessing in my life. All of us lifted each other up in prayer. This was one of the most uplifting and encouraging times I have ever had. Our time in prayer was definitely emotional. Unfortunately, I did not have a tissue, so I had to use the best alternative, my jeans and pullover. After we finished praying Travis lightened the mood by saying, "Well, at least I'm in better shape than Kyle... Splash zone over there." We got a good laugh out of that.
We left the community group room and went to the Lecrae "Late Night" concert. This was the first time I had ever really listened to Lecrae's music. For any of you who don't know, Lecrae is a Christian rapper. A lot of you may be thinking, "Christian rapper? Are you kidding me, Kyle? That's an oxymoron." If you ever take the time to listen to the lyrics, I think you will have an appreciation for Lecrae and how he is reaching people with the gospel. His lyrics are so good! I really encourage you to listen to the music or read the lyrics even if you don't enjoy rap.
Monday morning, January 3, we listened to Andy Stanley talk about "Appetite." He opened by saying, "We will rule our appetite, or our appetite will rule us." Andy talked about Genesis 25, and how Esau let his appetite get the best of him. Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Let me say that again, ESAU TRADED HIS BIRTHRIGHT FOR A BOWL OF STEW! Did you get it that time? How many times do WE do the same exact thing?! God has so much in store for us, but sometimes we trade future joy for temporary pleasures. How ridiculous is that?! We are all guilty of this though. Esau traded his birthright, something that would bring him joy for the rest of his life, for a bowl of stew. Andy said appetites have the potential to determine the outcome of our lives. Be careful not to trade what God has in store for you for a small, temporary pleasure. Andy also said we have no clue what's at stake. God can do great and unimaginable things in and through us if we let him.
That afternoon Stephen, Travis, and I went to hear Francis Chan speak again. Francis spoke about being like Christ. Christ took the form of a servant. Matthew 28:18-20 talks about the "Great Commission," which is sharing Christ with the world. Francis really encouraged me not to be a stagnant Christian. He said we need to go on in the process of teaching and discipling. Something Francis said really stuck out to me. He said, "Learn it to pass it on. Don't learn it just because you should." Then he said, "Oh, by the way, it's not going to be easy. You will be rejected. Keep pressin' on!" Listening to Francis speak really challenged me to be more bold in my faith. I have always been fairly timid to talk about Christ with those I encounter. I feel challenged to be more bold in sharing the good news about Jesus with those around me.
That night we had the chance to listen to John Piper speak. Piper spoke about making God the source of our joy. Piper prayed that we would put Christ on bottom. At first, this confused me. I thought, "Put Christ on bottom? Shouldn't we have Christ on top, putting him first?" Then Piper clarified what he was saying. He said that we need to have Christ on bottom as our foundation. He is the solid foundation we need to have. Too many times, we put ourselves on bottom, and try to make the root of our joy ourselves. The root of our joy needs to come from God. Piper also said God showed His love for us by sending a Savior. The cross is a sign of how valuable we are. This is/should be enough. Jesus died for us with a specific design... That we might glorify Him.
Tuesday morning, January 4, Louie Giglio spoke at the final session. Louie's main theme was this, God is counting on us to carry HIS name!!!!! Christianity isn't about going to church, or going to Bible studies, it's about living Jesus and sharing Him with everyone. The world is dying to hear Jesus' name!
.....
The Passion Conference was absolutely incredible. I honestly can't even put into words how amazing it was. The worship, the teaching, the discussing, it was all amazing. I have never grown so close to a group of guys spiritually. My friendship with Stephen and Travis is one that will last forever. I know I can turn to my brothers in Christ, and they will be there for me. Before Passion, I always found it semi-awkward to pray with a group of guys. Now, I look forward to those times when the three of us are together and can lift each other up in prayer. There is nothing more enjoyable for me than to spend time with my brothers in Christ and spend time discussing God's word with them. Even going back through my notes while I wrote this has been so encouraging and inspiring. The Holy Spirit definitely planted a seed in my life at Passion. I have never had a heart for missions, or a heart for those in need, but ever since Passion I have had a complete change of heart. I am starting to realize why we are here on earth. We are here for ONE reason, and that is to bring glory to God by loving and serving Him, and loving and serving others. We need to become like Christ and take the form of a servant. How often we forget this and become wrapped up in the busyness of life. I am definitely guilty of being self-centered and not focusing on the needs of those around me. There are so many people around the world who need to hear about Jesus. Christianity isn't about being above everyone else, or being judgmental of others (two common misconceptions/negative views of Christianity (unfortunately)), it's about sharing Christ's love with everyone. Jesus brings freedom, hope, peace, and eternal joy. I hope and pray those who read this will see the love of Jesus and not someone who judges. God's love and forgiveness is for everyone. We are all level at the foot of the cross.
