January 2-5. Rumor has it there was somewhere between 42 & 45 thousand of us. We were sardines bundled tightly in coats and gloves, meandering winter winds through Centennial Park toward the Dome. 2,000 volunteers and 200 of our own Bama students in Atlanta for Passion 2012. Half an hour until the first 7 pm session began. I'm not one for fog machines and laser beams in worship, a snotty self-righteous preference I developed a few years back, but I took a deep breath, asking for God to use this gathering. I was exhausted but praying this week would encourage our students, laser beams and all.
First came Scripture. Thirty minutes straight of Scripture. Scaling down the screens as waterfalls gently washing the grime from my soul. This, our introduction to Passion, set the tone for the rest of the week. Engulfed in Scripture. Propelled by God's Word. Driven by His Direction. Moved by His sentiments.... Passion was ALL about Scripture.
For three days we met 5 times a day, twice for community groups and three times for main sessions. We heard from Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, Matt Redman, Christie Knockles, John Piper, Francis Chan & a slew of other Christian Celebs, not one of whom introduced themselves. The worship was loud and, as expected, the laser beams were bright, but somehow the worship was so beautifully simple. The same lines, same verses, over and over and over again until the words finally broke through our thick, busy skulls and began to melt our stony hearts. Everything about Passion was so genuine, so rooted in Scripture. At one morning session all we did was read straight through Ephesians. No glam or glitz... just the Word, just a reminder of the Supremacy of Christ & the unwavering value of submitting our lives fully to Him. Messages were the Gospel, Gospel, Gospel... not just moralistic, topical speeches but exogenical preaching deeply rooted in a call to sacrificial living. And, as you may have heard on the news, the theme was freedom.
We, as Christians, experience freedom when we take the focus off of ourselves & allow our lives to be saturated wholly and soley in the Holy Spirit. When we seek to know Christ intimately, we cannot help but to lose ourselves and feel joyously out of control. In this we feel freedom. When the things of this world 'grow strangely dim,' we feel liberated to let go of the shallow things that entangle us. We can then delight in choosing sacrifice because it doesn't feel like sacrifice at all. In this... we are free. The perfect God we serves delights in freedom... demands freedom, both inside of us.. but also in the world in which we live.
Today there are 27 Million slaves in the world, that is more than any other time in history. And as Christians, we have no excuse to sit back and watch. As one speaker pointed out, feeling bad about something and acting on it are not the same thing. We must act.
By the end of the conference, participants raised over 3 million dollars to fund 6 different organizations around the globe. Our goal was one million... Each group works to rescue, restore & prevent human trafficking. Although international justice causes have always stirred an intense passion in me, I was most moved by the 100,000 dollars that was given to the Mayor of Atlanta. Atlanta is shockingly the largest & most active sex trafficking city in the nation and with this money, we funded the first human trafficking task force in the state. Cops began training last week.
The final night of the conference, we stood right outside the windows of CNN, in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and illuminated a memorial sculpture that students built throughout the week. It was a single hand reaching up to God for help in a vigil for human trafficking. The world was watching and we, as the next generation, made a bold statement. It's just beginning.
Returning back to Tuscaloosa from the conference, I was exhausted but refreshed. My soul needed the Truths explained time and time again over Passion. And, what is more, I cannot express how excited I am to watch the effects of Passion as they ripple through... the world. It was not just an emotional experience. It was not just lights. God showed up. He is moving. With Passion 2012 as a tool, I guarantee you the world will never be the same.
I met Mac at the beginning of his freshman year & have really enjoyed watching him grow as a godly man. He has been bold in leading a community group this year & is now seeing some awesome fruit in his relationships. Guys are coming to know the Lord because of his desire to serve. Last year he played back up guitar at our weekly meetings but has since become the leader of the whole band! Our loud, blow-out worship has become much simpler, more genuine &, to be honest.... I think everyone is loving it. I'm proud to serve with Mac week end and week out... I'm also excited to share with you the email he sent me today about our Spring Break trip to New York. I asked him to tell you guys about his experience. This is what he said: 
