passion 2011
picture it. 22,000 college-age students. voices raised. hands held high. jesus being glorified. doesn’t get much better than this.
to learn what passion is, click here.
Beth Moore was as good as I’d hoped, Francis Chan was passionate and convicting, Andy Stanley was incredibly profound and engaging, and John Piper was mind-blowingly deep and spot on. And David Platt is another whole story. But as Louie Giglio said the last morning, it’s not about the names. Names and notoriety are such a coveted possession in our culture, and because of this, Jesus’ name should be constantly on our lips. It’s not about coming home and telling people all the great speakers we got to hear from, but proclaiming Jesus’ name and sharing what HE did this weekend through others.
That said, here are a few nuggets i took away from the weekend. While everyone spoke on a different topic, I seemed to pull some insight on the same topic from each speaker. In one way or another, they all referenced determining God’s will for our lives and embracing our calling once we’ve found it.
Beth Moore ::
- To discern the will of God is something you must fight for in the Spirit.
David Platt ::
- When we know God truly, we will love God deeply.
- Jesus is never going to tell us, when we stand before him in heaven, that we should have kept more for ourselves.
- God will direct us to our job in life so that we can advance the kingdom of God no matter where or what that job is.
Francis Chan ::
- Is the way we’re doing church in America lining us with the church of the New Testament? We don’t have to be radical or extreme—we just have to live lives that line up with the gospel. When we’re doing that, the crazy things start to make sense.
Andy Stanley ::
- We have no idea how God is going to use us in life to impact the world.
- We will either be ruled by our appetites or we will rule them. Appetites are so powerful that they will determine the course and the quality of the rest of my life, depending on if we give in to them or not. My response to my appetites determine if I fulfill the will of God for my life.
- Jacob and Esau [Genesis 25]. Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew because he let his appetite rule him. Because of it, he gave up being the father of Joseph, David, and Jesus. His one decision changed the course of his entire life.
Gabe Lewis ::
- Combining our talent and heart’s desire will result in our calling. How does our faith connect to our role in the world? This is only possible if we’re grounded in Christ.
Ben Stewart ::
- What you think about is what you care about, and what you care about, you will chase.
John Piper ::
- Do I feel loved by God because He makes much of me or because he’s enabled me to make much of Him?
- God, not ourselves, should be the “bottom of our joy.” When we strip everything away, Jesus should be at the foundation of everything.
- God wants us to feel loved. “You are so precious to me that I won’t let your preciousness become your God. I will be your God.”
“Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”
Isaiah 26:8
