Passion 2010 Day 2

This day was absolutely packed and I wanted to post some pictures so I'll try to keep it brief. In our morning session worship was led by Matt Redmon and Beth Moore spoke to us. Now as a guy, I'm not necessarily giddy over Beth Moore but I was most impressed by how God used her to speak to such a large mixed audience. Her main point was that God's will for our life is to make us beneficial for Him and He equips us in so many ways to get there. His will is not about us getting what we want but rather about being who He wants us to be.

In the afternoon there is a time for breakout sessions where you can go hear various speakers and leaders of causes, but yesterday was so chaotic that a lot of those venues got filled up to capacity. So Kellie and I went down to the Go Center in the basement of the GWCC to explore all that was there. The Go Center is comprised of 12 different displays set up by different mission organizations. These groups do everything from helping to free women from sex trafficking in east Asia to providing small business loans to women in Haiti to making sure that there is clean water to drink in third world countries. The goal for these 4 days is for $500,000 to be raised for these causes and these college students have already given so sacrificially that this goal will surely be surpassed.

Other displays in the Go Center.


These are part of the 60,000+ pairs of socks and 15,000+ towels that have been donated for the homeless in Atlanta.


This is a booth in the Go Center called Gobena Coffee, which belongs to a ministry that buys only fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee and puts all of its profits into communities in Ethiopia to help orphaned and disadvantaged children in the name of Jesus. This is some really good coffee too.


This is the main stage in Philips Arena.



For the evening session the Passion Band led worship and it was simply amazing. In this group is Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, and Kristian Stanfill to name a few. The speaker that finished the night for us was the one I had been really wanting to see, Francis Chan. Francis is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA, and his way of communicating just resonates with me. His main thrust wasn't some grand theological treatise; instead, he just exhorted us to read God's Word and then do what it says. He was compassionately blunt, urging us to stop making excuses about sin that we know the Bible clearly shows us are wrong.

Our community groups have been great as well and Kellie and I have really enjoyed connecting with the 5 other adults in our smaller family groups within the community groups. Tonight on Day 3 we have the chance to worship in a late night session with Hillsong United and I am very pumped about that. But the thing that has struck me - and moved me - the most has been the emphasis on authentic worship and God. We have been reminded time and again that our gathering is to bring God glory above all, not just to hear some good bands or gifted speakers. And there have been many times as I have looked around the arena at the masses of worshiping students that I have been struck mute by the sight and sound of it all. It is more than refreshing and humbling to be in a place where God's Spirit is moving so strongly and freely.