"For all you people new to Passion, I'm so, so sorry we didn't inform you before arriving about the post Passion dilemma of trying to tell people who were not there about what happened. I mean, honestly, have you ever felt more frustrated trying to search for mere words? So you say a lot of things that are sort of discombobulated and exasperating, hoping that the exploding radiance in your somewhat droopy eyes translates more effectively the surging truth and emotion that are about to blow your heart wide open."
Louie is right. It's so hard to truly express what I went through last week. I'll do my best in the next few paragraphs and photos, but if you really want to know about
Passion and what I experienced...call me or email me. We will go get some coffee and I will talk for hours about it. In fact, please do that. I would love to share it with you. Here it goes:
I spent January 2-5 in Nashville, TN at Passion '06. Honestly, I went into it a bit skeptical--thinking it might be a bit cheesy, and a bit like a singles convention (most Christian conferences I've been to are). What I found was exactly the opposite. Instead I found that I could feel at home in the presence of God along with 18,000 other people. His presence was completely palpable and real. I've never, ever been in His presence like I was last week.
I experienced what it's like to be completely exhausted from worship. In the main sessions it was amazing to hear and see so many voices and hearts lifted up to God and His glory. The lighting, sound, and video work were all amazing, but they stood small in comparison to how big God was in the room. I knew He was there the whole time we were gathered. He touched us all individually. It was as if David Crowder or Charlie Hall weren't on the stage, but instead God was and we were all singing to Him. I've never felt such a direct connection.
The time of worship that stands out first and foremost in my mind is the night Laura and I went to see Nathan and Christy Nockels and Matt Redman perform at the Ryman Auditorium (the original Grand Ole Opry--how cool is that?). I hadn't heard much of either of these artists, but for some reason Laura and I were led to leave our group for the evening and see a different concert then the rest of our friends. I believe this was no mistake. That night changed my life. We sang hymns all night and I cried, I smiled, I danced, I lifted my hands to my Father. There is no question that God was with us that night. The whole room was warm from His energy. When the concert ended, Laura and I could not move. We just looked at each other and sat down. We were in awe of how His glory had washed over us that evening. I will never forget it.
One of the cool things about Passion is that they don't leave you in the group of 18,000. They want you to connect with others on a smaller level. You are broken down into Community groups of about a thousand, and then family groups of about 7-10. My family group was awesome. I was able to meet a bunch of new people (they're not all pictured below) from different areas of the country. We were able to open our hearts to each other and share our struggles and encourage each other while sharing our insights about Jesus and His wonderful love. They were all a huge encouragement to me, and the cool thing is we all plan on staying in touch and keeping each other accountable for the new passion that we left Nashville with. You guys are great! Not to forget, the eight people that I travelled to Nashville with and walked 4-5 miles a day with to and from our hotel. It truly was a pleasure to meet you and experience Jesus with you all. Thank you.
And as Amy spoke of in her post about Passion, it was crazy how many coincedences I ran into in the midst of so many people. I met Amy's friend Shibu in line at McDonald's, ran into Amy and Cari in the GO center, and met countless people from different states that had random KU/Lawrence connections. It was cool to see the way God brought people together the whole week.
In all, I hope this newly burning fire in my heart never dies. I don't want to come down from the high that last week provided me. I have been changed forever in one week. I can only imagine what God can do with the rest of my life.
"Jesus, my passion in life is to know You
May all other goals bow down to
This journey of loving You more."
--Above All Else
