Prepare The Way To Passion 06

Registrations are pouring in for Passion 06 from all across the nation. With the next price increase coming tomorrow, a new registration drops into our online box every minute or so. While I've been posting this blog people from Tampa, FL, Dublin, GA, Lake City, Michigan, Lincoln, NE, and Laurel, MD, have staked their place in Nashville. And last night, a student from Bismarck, ND, registered! Trust me, not too many registrations come from North Dakota, and when we see one we get pretty excited around the Passion House.

But for us it's not just about people coming to an event (we don't think of ourselves as being in the event business) but about lives awakening to a bigger story. Passion 06 will not be successful if all we do is gather a huge crowd. What we are after is a tidal wave of lives that will reflect the face of Christ to this generation. We want to see Him, and be with Him, and sense and know His presence. And we want to leave Nashville with something fresh pounding in our hearts...a new connection with His heartbeat that will propel us beyond our comfort zones until the whole world knows that He is alive.

So while it's really important that people come (and register now!), it's more important that we prepare the way to Passion 06 with our prayers. We don't want to just show up and see what happens. We want God to know that we really are desperate for Him.

If you haven't heard, we're joining together online starting Monday, December 5, for a 28-Day Prayer Journey to Passion 06. Each day a prayer focus/guide will appear on the 268Blog. Carve out a few minutes in the midst of finals and holidays to link with students and leaders around the world, asking God to prepare your heart and ours for all that is ahead at Passion 06. If for some reason you can't make it to Nashville, be a part of the movement and pray with us wherever you are.

"And it will be said:
'Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.' For this is what the high and lofty One says‚— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" Isaiah 37:14-15

LG

The Toronto Story Is Bigger Than Just One Night

God is always at work, painting on a canvass bigger than our ability to fully comprehend. He's in motion before we arrive on the scene and continues to accomplish His purposes long after we have gone. Our role is to be "with Him" in the moment, carrying well the baton while it's in our hands...faithfully passing it on to those who follow while always remembering those who have gone before.

While Passion was in Toronto for one night, God's story in your city has been going on since the beginning of time. There is a rich history there of God's faithfulness as generations of men and women have sought to follow Him and make Him known. And He's doing amazing things today! Just think of the amazing sight of seeing almost 5000 university-aged young people going for His heart in worship last Tuesday. But was that all the university-aged followers in the city? Of course not! Some had to work. Others had classes they couldn't skip. :) And I'm sure some (despite the fact that the buzz was massive) didn't even know about it. (we missed you).

Hopefully, we are now convinced that there is a small army of believers on the campuses of Ontario, and certain that army is much bigger than what we saw last Tuesday night. God is at work in the GTA. His kingdom is advancing in every part of the city!

Why did we come? Because we love university students and fully believe you are at the pivotal crossroad of life. And because ignited in vision and passion you can change the world around you. And we hoped a night like this would help us all see that there are Jesus-followers everywhere in Toronto, a city strategically poised to touch the whole world for His renown.

Our prayer is that the vision God has planted in your hearts will be strengthened exponentially because of Passion Toronto... vision for what He is doing and can do and vision for how much louder our voices are when they are one.

We at Passion have carried the desire to come to Toronto for several years now, but we couldn't have done it by ourselves. Passion Toronto was fully paid for by the students at Passion 05! Thank you to the those who gave so kindly last year in Nashville. God used your generosity to make Passion Toronto possible, and we were humbled by the opportunity to invest your resources in such a beautiful city filled with endless possibilities. We are grateful.

Many of you have asked about a video of the night. Sadly, the night will have to live in our memories as we did not set all the plans in motion necessary to make a CD or DVD of the night. But we did shoot footage of Passion Toronto that will be made into a short glimpse of the night to be shown at Passion 06 and beyond as we continue the Boston, NY, Toronto story, and invite many to consider the opportunity to join you in Canada as God does more than we could ask or imagine.

Louie

New Pics from Toronto!

Ohhhhhh Canada!

Well, it's time to say goodbye to Canada as our team is flying home to places all across the US. It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, so we're headed out to be with family and friends from coast to coast. If you see a plane flying out of Toronto today there's a pretty good chance one of us is on it. We'll be back in a few days with more thoughts on last night, but know that as we go all of us are carrying the amazing sight of 4,500 university students going for it in worship... and the sounds. Yeah! The sounds of many voices calling out to God, filling the Ricoh with prayers for Canada and the song of Jesus.

And, like a lot of you, we are so encouraged. God is BIG...really, really big! And He's making Toronto a place for His renown!

Hopefully there will be more pics posted later today.

Louie (and the Passion Team)

THANK YOU CANADA!

I can't tell you how excited I am to be making my inaugural blog post on the Passion 268 Blog from north of the border in the beautiful city of Toronto.

Toronto, wow! What can I say? We are overwhelmed. No one has ever attempted a citywide (OK, Ontario-wide!) university gathering before, so we really didn't know what to expect. But when a student from Alberta (that's not in Ontario for all you guys reading this from down below) was outside the Ricoh at 9 AM, we had a feeling something pretty amazing was about to happen.

Thank you so much for allowing Passion to come and share this night with you. Your beaming faces, and the hunger in your hearts, have won us over. As much as we already loved Canada, and felt a tremendous connection to the university students throughout the GTA, that feeling is even stronger now.

One thing I know sitting in the Ricoh as you head back to places all across southern Ontario... God is alive and well here! He is alive and His name was made great in this place tonight.

Headed out into the cold Toronto night now, humbled God would make it possible for our Passion team be a part of such a special night!

THANK YOU CANADA!

- Louie