Passion

Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to drive down to Atlanta, GA to go to Passion 2010. I hadn't expected to go and found out like 10 hours before I headed out of the parking lot in BG. CRAZY but AMAZING!!! I hadn't planned on going because of the cost of the trip, but on Friday night last week my college minister from home Facebook chatted me and asked where I was and if I could go to Passion. My mind started moving at 100 mph. I was like, well I am in BG and can't drive the almost 2 hours home now. So I called my college pastor here in BG and asked if there was a spot on their vans that I could ride down to Atl in. There was :D So I told Jon(from home) that I could ride down with the group from BG and I would meet the SPG group in Atl. I was so excited. I really wanted to go to Passion and it seemed now that God really wanted me to be there. He had a reason for me to go, that is for sure.

Last Saturday morning we loaded up the trailer and a couple of big vans and were on our way to Atl. It wasn't a bad drive at all, especially with my best friend, Meg, by my side and her boyfriend, Ry, driving. We talked, laughed, and just enjoyed the scenery. I will spare you all the crazy details and just jump to finally in Atl I met up with people from Spg.

Saturday night there was a main session and Louie Giglio was the speaker. He talked about getting a wake up call from God. He said that there is something going on around us, a bigger story for God's glory. The scripture he used was John 11 & 12. Jesus woke Lazarus up and he can wake us up. He can unbind us just like he did Lazarus. I really learned that I need to be unbound and to let go of what is binding me. I am hoping to live an unbound life this year.

Melissa & I before the start of one of the main sessions

Sunday morning we had another main session, led by Beth Moore (All of the speakers are amazing, but really these names meant nothing to me over the weekend, I just focused on what was being said.). She talked about God having a will for our life and a plan leading us to that will. She then talked about how God equips us in his plan. She covered four of the ways that God equips us.

-God equips us by Preparing us.

We have two lines, a natural one and a spiritual one. God is equipping us and using both of our lines.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

-God equips us by Adjusting us.

We are always adjusting to be more like Christ. Our biggest adjustments will be to people and we are in new situations to become new, not just to be the same old us. You are around people that bring out the worst in you so that God can bring out the best in us.

-God equips us by Repairing us.

We won't always keep it together. God restores us from all kinds of brokenness and addiction. Oh how awesome is is grace & mercy.

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16

-God equips us by Filling us.

Whatever God has called you to do/be, you cannot not do it. We need to quit trying to run in someone else's lane and run our own race.

I really learned from Beth's talk that what I am doing doesn't need to depend on what others are doing. So often I look at the people running around me and try to keep up with them when I really need to focus on my own life and God's plan for it! I also was reminded that God restores and that is really important right now where my life is.

The main session Sunday night was given by Francis Chan. He talked about how a GPS never gets mad at you when you don't follow its directions. It just says "recalculating" and finds you another, little bit longer route. God is our GPS. He doesn't get mad and we can still get where he has planned for us, it just might take a little longer to get there. God's ability and willingness to recalculate should lead us to repentance from what caused the recalculation. He also talked about how you can clear history, but that you need to stop trying to defend it because it isn't anyone's fault but your own. 2 Peter 2:20-22

I loved hearing this talk. It helped me see that even though I mess things up, God is still there and that he is still able and willing to use me. I also think that it was great to hear that our history can be cleared, but that we still need to realize that it is our own fault when we sin and not anyone elses!!

Monday morning we heard from Andy Stanley. He talked about how it is Always a Mistake to determine what you want to do before you determine who you are going to be. The order of things should be 1. who you are going to be, 2. relationships 3. what you are going to do. The pressure in this life isn't on who you are going to be, thus it is easy to look past that. He also said that when you set a goal you should ask yourself why you want to accomplish it. A big part of his talk dealt with thinking about what you want said about you at your funeral. He said that the things you want said make a boundary around your behavior, it is your personal definition of success. Daniel 6:3-5

I am still thinking of what I want said about me, it is weird to be 20 and thinking about what I want other people to say about me at my funeral, but it is also interesting and exciting. It is giving me goals to live for and a way to live my life. I am trying to figure out who I am this year instead of building what I want to do.

Mondays main night session was given by John Piper. He talked about God being God-centered and that he is passionate about His glory. His purpose is the exaltation of his name. We all battle with cherishing something above God and every time we sin we are telling God that that is more important than He is. Our salvation is not based on my value - but on God!! Thank goodness!!!!

"For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great." -Psalm 25:11

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake." - 1 John 2:12

It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that God is God centered, but it is also really awesome!!

Worshipping with 20,000+ other college students

The last main session on Tuesday was given by Louie again. He talked about having the same way of thinking as Christ has, not about being a little more whatever than those around us. We are to live as Christ not matter what we are involved in, whether we are in a campus ministry, in Greek life, or in SGA. One of his points was also that it doesn't matter when we became a Christian but that you are a Christian.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you,both to will and to work for his good pleasure." - Philippians 2:12-13

I am looking past what I am involved in and what my friends are involved in and just working on living as Christ!

God taught me so many things. He revealed a lot of things to me about how I am living and how I should be living. He also showed me that some of the paths I am heading down are right and that I should keep going in the direction I am heading. I have been unsure about some of the choices about my future and now I am sure about some things, or at least sure about heading down some paths.