The Clock Is Ticking
...and registration for Passion 07 is getting closer by the second!
As you know, we are headed to Atlanta in just ten short months. Sure, there's a lot of life to be lived between now and then, but plans are fully underway for next year's gathering, January 1-4, 2007. We'll have a little more space this year as we move into Philips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center, but after selling out for Passion06 we don't know exactly what to expect.
What we do know is this: registration opens at 12 noon (EST) Wednesday. That's this Wednesday, as in the day after tomorrow, March 1. In an effort to make Passion as affordable as possible, a special discounted price will be available for the first 1000 people who register. The first 500 to make it through will get the super low price of $99, while the next 500 will be at $109. For person 1001 and those who follow, the cost will be $119 until June 30. Last year the special price sold out in 28 minutes, so type fast. Hotel info and other details will be available in coming days on the new Passion07 website, but the preferred location is The Omni Hotel @ CNN Center. The hotel is attached to Philips, offers great fast food options in the CNN Center, is steps from the GWCC and offers free wireless.
Some of you, in fashionable collegiate style, will wait 'till the last possible nanosecond to try to get in. But for you guys who like to plan ahead, happy registering!
We Need Your Help...Tonight!!
Today in Birmingham started early (7AM) with a visit to the Rick and Bubba morning radio show. If that doesn't mean anything to you, I'm at a loss for words. For openers, their listener call-in number is 1-877-WE BE BIG. They are Alabama boys through and through, have one of the leading morning shows around on any format and are lovers of Jesus...and crazy. Their show is syndicated in lots of markets and live on Turner South. Chris, Matt and I were on for about 45 minutes and had a blast!
Bubba took up the cause to get the iTunes Bundle to the top today. "Louie, get ready. It's going to number 1 today." Bubba even downloaded the Bundle on air! How poetic that we might get to the top with the help of Rick and Bubba In The Morning! Well, I think their listeners/viewers definitely got "Made To Worship," pushing it to #1 on the Inspo song chart, but the Bundle didn't move. How is that possible?? We need their listeners to grab the whole Bundle to get some movement. If it works, maybe Rick and Bubba will have us back to play Party live on air!
What do we need you to do??
E-mail Rick and Bubba tonight (their show starts at, like 5 AM tomorrow) and say thank you for helping the Passion Movement get to the top of iTunes with stuff that honors Christ. How fun if their mail box is busting when they arrive tomorrow (Friday) with mail from all these nice Passion people from across the world saying thank you.
Call your friends and get them to send an e-mail. Tons of e-mails. Happy, thank you e-mails.
We want hundreds in their box in the morning. If we send enough, maybe they will spend Friday trying to help us get the Party Song going!! Can we do this??? Drop a quick Blog and let us know you made some noise!
Copy to all:
rick@rickandbubba.com
bubba@rickandbubba.com
speedy@rickandbubba.com (He's their producer, I think. Cool guy who got behind the Bundle).
Let's go for it....only 6.5 hours till they arrive.
Louie
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
In the spirit of trying to impact culture, thank you so much for making a huge statement at iTunes. The Passion Worship Movement...more than music, a way of life. Yet, we are linked in part through these great songs that amplify our God and point to Jesus Christ. I'm so humbled to be a part of this movement with you and floored by all that God has done.
We are still in Nashville where we had an off day. We spent some time with our friends and label-mates at EMI for their company devotions today. In the midst of remembering where the vision for sixsteps began (we were inspired in 1999 by the story of the return of the Ark to Jerusalem...2 Sam. 6) and encouraging all of us to keep connecting the dots of our daily routine to the greater story of God's kingdom, we celebrated a crazy day at iTunes!
Passion was #6 and #70 overall, and as a result of the amazing sale they are running on all Passion/sixsteps records, our projects held 7 of the top 10 spots in the Inspo section. What? The Brown Bundle is also #1 at Inspo in Canada, so thanks to our friends above the border. You guys are making some serious noise and you have to know people are noticing. Trust me, it's not only about charts and sales or dollars and cents (when we sell a CD for 7.99 on iTunes there's not a lot to go around!)...it's about making His name famous in every way possible. Thank you for speaking loudly and for being the kind of people who both love the music and seek to live the life.
As well, a huge thank you to our Father. Just driving through a semi-quiet and rainy downtown tonight I couldn't help but think of the grace that has been extended to us in this place. Both Passion 05 and 06 were covered in His kindness as a shroud of His presence encompassed us. We won't know until heaven how gracious He has been, but I have a sense tonight that His goodness is a whole lot more staggering than we can imagine. Father, thank you for the days here in Nashville, history making days with You. We sought and You answered, we were in need and You filled us here. Please know tonight how grateful we are for all You have done. We have not forgotten and hopefully, we never will. You are good and Your love endures forever. All glory to You, Jesus. We are Yours.
Louie
The Passion Movement Speaks
You guys rock! We all awakened to the nice little surprise of the Passion banner on the iTunes main page, linking to the new Passion/sixsteps store page with all our projects in one spot. We knew it was coming, but thought it would be more fun for you to discover on your own. You guys are making a statement today: there is a generation of God-lovers out there, a generation passionate for the One who frees and redeems.
While you were enjoying the new bundle it was rocketing up to #6. We heard it hit #4 at one point, but it stills shows #6 now. We'll see what tomorrow holds. Thank you for speaking up and linking together. I have a feeling there are a ton of Passion 06 people out there who don't know about the Brown Bundle. You've got to help us find them and get them on board. The Party Song offer is still on the table for WHENEVER, and we just might pull it off...if that happens, the clip is waiting in the wings. Let's make some more iTunes noise tomorrow...climb higher and stay there for a while.
The Indescribable Tour was in Nashville tonight at the historic Ryman Auditorium. There was a great Passion contingent on hand (I loved watching your faces as the Glimpse video played!), but as earnestly as you tried to get Party started, the overall crowd vibe just wasn't there. I was proud of your organization and effort though, and it was such an honor to worship with you. BTW, heard about a couple of unique T's in the crowd. Thanks for the shout out!
Most of all, it's been a day of remembering. We had a big event this afternoon where Chris received his Gold Record for Arriving and I remembered the early days when God breathed sixsteps to life... and all the steps we have trusted Him for in between. There is no adventure like following Him. And we remembered all of you from Passion 06 as we spent the day in downtown Nashville. Something is forever different about this place in my heart. Tonight we prayed for all of you, asking God to fan the flame in your hearts. What a ride this Passion journey. Following God is unmatched in this world!
Louie (and the sixsteps/Passion Team)
iTunes Now!
The iTunes Brown Bundle Is Here!
Search for Passion: The Early Session 02. Enjoy!
(40 seconds of Party is on standby, just in case something crazy happens!)
Party In Florida!
Outdoors and under a clear, starry night in West Palm…what a beautiful sight. Especially you guys down front going after God’s heart with every single ounce of energy. I think you guys tipped the scales and brought on the Party Song. Which, for clarity sake, is what we want to be about as we see people coming from death to life through the power of Jesus Christ. It’s not an “eat, drink and be merry” party, “for tomorrow we die.” It’s a “we are the redeemed of God” party, and no one is going to out shout us as we live dangerously for Him until everyone on the planet hears His name. The final celebration to end all celebrations is heaven, so we are storing treasure there. But make no mistake, we’re going to show this world what it means to truly 
be alive, for, after all, we’re the ones who have everything to celebrate. Funny, you can be on a radical mission and celebrate at the same time when Jesus is the one leading you onward!
Tonight, Jacksonville. Who knew? We found a BIG Passion contingent here tonight…the biggest and loudest of the Tour so far. Loved being with you guys and watching your faces as the Passion 06 video played after the break. [For the past four nights we’ve been playing a “Glimpse” of Passion 06 that we just finished for iTunes.] I think you J’ville guys were in the video. We felt at home with you tonight!
Going miss sunny FL. OK, it wasn’t sunny at all today. Actually, cold and windy, but that didn’t slow down our tennis game as Chris and I played with some leading young pros from the International Christian Tennis Association Academy nearby. Was ug
ly, but so fun. We got smoked by two girls. Yeah, before you laugh too hard I dare you to play them. One’s ranked in the top 100 on the women’s tour and the other is getting her tour ranking soon. Great new friends with a great mission.
Just one more day to get your $3.49 together. iTunes comes sometime after midnight Monday night. Are you with us?? Speaking of iTunes, we hear you guys outside the US and have asked our partners about why stuff doesn’t reach you. We are bummed, too, but don’t have a clear answer yet. All I can say is let iTunes hear from you!
See you soon Nashville, Birmingham, Tyler and Austin.
Louie
Happiness = Palm Trees and Jordan Hare
Palm trees make me smile because they almost always announce warmth and sunshine. And, usually, surf and sand are not too far away. Yep, you guessed it. The Indescribable Tour has made it to the Sunshine State, a first for us after over forty cities. And if those of you in colder climes (I heard it's in the teens in Ohio today for the Crowder stop) have ever wondered what's up with Florida, well, it's February 18 and around 80 today, with blue sky, lots of sun and palm trees all around the ampitheater we are playing in. That's a great sight to wake up to after a 600 mile ride through the night from Alabama.
Actually, we've had two days in a row with great morning views. Yesterday, we awakened and raised the bus shades to the sight of Jordan-Hare Stadium looming overhead. Happiness is waking up at Auburn University. All is well in the world!
Yeah, I'm an Auburn Tiger! Deep down Orange and Blue. No, I didn't go to school there (wanted to, but God had other plans and mighty Georgia State University was in my future), but my dad did (Louie Giglio 2), and I have grown up loving the place. So it was great hanging for a day in lovely Auburn, and as a bonus, seeing our favorite AU student. Two nights and two nieces. That's happiness, too!
Auburn feels like a place that could explode. As I spent a little time sitting and praying over the campus yesterday that's all I could think about. So much good stuff is happening for Jesus and it seems like the potential is here for a full-blown revolution. Looking across the campus I'm reminded of words we've all heard lately thanks to Narnia coming to life on the big screen. He (Jesus) is not safe...but He's good. May the not safe Jesus awaken not safe followers to live not safe lives of not safe worship that fuel not safe journeys and a not safe movement of not safe proportions with not safe ripples that bring the message of His goodness to every crevice of this campus and all peoples on planet earth.
"Could such a not safe wave begin right here," I thought? Well, it's not too much to ask of One as grand and glorious as our God.
War Eagle!
Louie
Ahhhh, The South.
Golden Eagles, Georgia Dawgs and Auburn Bound
Our indescribable journey has taken us far north, through the glorious Midwest, around in the expansive Midwest, back to the Midwest, did I mention the Midwest?, and now, we are finding warm sunny days in the south. The deep south. Hattiesburg, MS, was pretty crazy. 4100 people in Reed Arena, home of the Golden Eagles. Great night! And tonight...Athens, as in GA. After a day off at home and in the Passion House Shelley was nice enough to give me and Chris a lift to Athens since we missed bus call this morning. (OK, we didn't try to make bus call). Today/tonight it was cool to have a lot of the Passion team with us and our favorite UGA student! It's always more fun when tons of college students are in the place, and really interesting when they get backstage like this one did with her friends who basically trashed what was left of the food in the Green Room. I've never seen people get more Pop Tarts, cookies and fruit into their bags faster.
Just being here, and walking the streets with Ayns brings it all (our mission) into focus. Lot's of people it seems wondering where the best place is to plant a life. So they'll know, we've got to know this man named Jesus...really taste of Him and know Him to be all and all...and live something better before their very eyes. Tonight was about Him, not songs or us. He is alive, and more fierce than we can imagine. More able than we often dare believe.
Just 7 nights left on this Indescribable adventure. And, speaking of adventures, the Crowders rocked VA tonight, so I've heard, as they kicked off their spring run with the Third Day crew. Watch for them coming your way any day now.
Coming in the next few days:
Passion 07 scoop.
iTunes stuff.
About to roll. 1 AM bus call. Auburn tomorrow.
LG
iTunes Cometh!!
A welcome breather from the Tour finds us hanging out in Memphis again (twice in one week!) on our way to Mississippi. So, seems like a good time for a Passion CD update.
We are down to the wire on the production of Passion: Everything Glorious, and it's slated to hit stores 4.4.06. And for those of you dying to know, included will be Glorious, Our God Reigns, Everything Glorious, Jesus Paid It All, Party, We Win!, Center, All We Need and more! Thirteen tracks in all and you'll feel like you're right in the middle of it again...in fact, much of the CD is just you singing at the top of your lungs.
But 4.04.06 is a ways down the road, so iTunes bundle #2 is headed your way next Tuesday, 2.21.06. These bundles are quick mixes from right after Passion 06 and this time...there's no suspense. The latest bundle, the "Brown One," contains Chris' new song "Made To Worship" and Charlie's acoustic version of "Center" from the opening night where all the guys played together, both exclusives to this Bundle. The talk is from night one: Satisfied, a look at the XBox360 rage and the balance between God's glory and our satisfaction.
By the way, if you didn't know, all the Passion talks are available here.
So, last time out we did pretty well, but can we hit the top of the iTunes chart? Would be nice to see songs about Jesus and a talk about Him sitting in plain view. Well, lower and upper levels may partake at will, so scrape 15 quarters together and get ready. Remember, buying the bundle together is key and, as a fun bonus, should the "Brown Bundle" hit the top, a preview of "Party" from the upcoming album will appear here on the Blog within an hour!
Oh yeah, we are totally depending on you Blog readers to help us make this happen, so make sure everyone you know who was at 06 who wants in knows about it.
For His renown,
Louie
Oh, The Heart of America!
Peoria, South Bend, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Fayetteville.....
Seems like for days now we've been circling in the center of the nation. Over to Omaha, up to Chicago, down to Peoria, up to South Bend, down and over to Memphis, over the OKC, up to Wichita, down to Fayetteville. Round and round we go. Night after night His anthem cherished. Him adored.
Tonight, we will see what Fayetteville holds...what God has in mind for this step of the journey. But things are looking up after a lunch gathering with a dozen campus leaders from UofA (Go R'backs). Not only have they (and their students) been praying much for tonight, generous people have made several hundred tickets available for college students who may have never seen the people of God going after His heart in a setting like this. And, they have set up a prayer room on site where students will pray as the night unfolds, asking God to come in power and shake this place. Humbling. Exciting. Hopeful. Waiting.
Great memories from the middle of America:
1. Meeting CeCe (again, I should ask about spelling) after in OKC and hearing her say she had met Christ in the night and knew for sure she would spend eternity with Him. For this we pray every single day.
2. Hearing a great story in Kansas about a student who had "stopped digging" into death after the talk at Passion...still sporting a blue wristband as a reminder.
3. Seeing an intact, pristine wristband in Wichita (purple, I think) and wondering if its wearer had showered since Nashville! Only kidding...you looked showered and clean.
4. The "party clap" rising up in Memphis from a small, but determined, Passion core, and Chris' response, "the people have spoken." Thus, Memphis witnessed the only Party Song thus far since 06...fun for the Passion crowd, but a little scary for the regular Memphis-ites.
5. A quick trip home to Shelley and the Passion House on our day off Wednesday. :)
6. Meeting our new ND friends in South Bend, and seeing people around the world quickly surround them with cries to God.
7. Listening to a few early mixes (Glorious and Party) from the Passion 06 CD with the guys in a choir room (our green room). Rocking out. Shaking our heads. Feeling it again. Remembering. And, in my case, shedding tears.
If you read the Blog today from one of these fine cities, give us a quick shout. And pray with us for the Kingdom to come tonight in NW Arkansas.
Louie
And please remember to pray for John Piper and his family during his upcoming prostate cancer surgery Tuesday.
So Nice When The Blog Actually Works!!
Many Prayers For Notre Dame...
Very cool to see people from around the world all leaning the same direction, asking God to have mercy on the students of Notre Dame. Thank you for all the posts. Beautiful.
In case you missed it, we did hear from K. Her name is Kelly with a Y! Here's her post:
Hey all! Wow! Praise God! Thanks all for the prayers, even you mom (how embarrassing!). My friends were David and Ty. They would love prayers too! It would also be awesome if y'all would pray for Redford and Liz. They are a couple in town who have a huge heart for our campus and they have already done some awesome stuff to bring God's glory to ND! Thanks again and Praise His Name! HisNDgirl, Kelly
As God's Spirit continues to bring K and her friends to mind (and the Fighting Irish) let's commit to praying. Often that's a better path than big promises. Just tell the Holy Spirit, "When you bring K and her friends at ND to mind, I will pray for them." You'll be surprised when and how He will!
Encouragement for K and all of you like her...
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.
The same passage from the Message: It started when God said, "Light up the darkness! and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. Thats to prevent anyone from confusing Gods incomparable power with us.
Jesus shine.
LG
South Bend, Indiana and the Fighting Irish
The Indescribable Tour is still in the great Midwest (well, upper Midwest) tonight, hanging out for the day in lovely and freezing South Bend, Indiana. In case you missed it, SB is home to Notre Dame University, a collegiate icon in America (and the world) and possibly the most renowned Catholic University on the planet. So, obviously, I've had the 10,000+ students of ND on my mind all day, especially after seeing the golden dome, the spire of the Basilica and "Touchdown Jesus" again. It's a beautiful campus with a huge history.
But in these parts, The Indescribable Tour often draws more of a Christian radio crowd than the collegiate set, so I wasn't thinking too many students would be with us tonight. But then I met Kellie/Kelly/Kellee/Kelley/Kelli (sorry, I didn't ask you how you spell your name) and her two friends in the lobby after. K (we'll shorten so I don't misspell it over and over!) asked if we (I think she meant Passion) would pray for Notre Dame. Before I could say anything she said, "I was at Passion 06. Remember when all the campuses represented scrolled by? [For those who weren't there, we showed a list of the over 1000 campuses represented at Passion 06 in the last session as we sang "How Great Is Our God" over them.] Well, I came to Nashville without a ticket and barely got in, so my school wasn't on my registration and Notre Dame didn't show up when all our schools were listed in alphabetical order. But I was there. Notre Dame was there. Will you remember to pray for our school, too?"
Well, my heart is in my throat while I'm typing this, so I think you know I told her WE WOULD DEFINITELY PRAY FOR HER AND NOTRE DAME!!! In fact, the four us us linked arms and prayed right there in the lobby, me asking that the light of Jesus would burn brightly in their hearts and spread throughout the campus.
So, I wonder who out there will join me in lifting up K and her friends at ND? It would be massively encouraging if lots of you would drop a quick post on the Blog saying "I'm with you K, and praying for ND."
Notre Dame may be a zillion miles away from you, but how cool would it be if God was glorified through a major spiritual outbreak at this bastion of religious life... and the anthem of the living Savior of the world rang out with salvation and hope from beneath the golden dome? I know that's happening in a few hearts tonight, and K and friends, we are so with you!
Louie
PS-If any other Notre Dame students were at Passion 06-something tells me yes-would you let us know!
Our Heads Are Spinning...And Oh My, Omaha!
Ahhhh. The Heartland.
Had a lovely day in Omaha, NE, yesterday. The core of this fine nation. The heartland of America. We worshipped among the "Big Red nation" last night with an over-packed house on the outskirts of the city (granted, it's not too far to the outskirts of this sprawling metropolis!) with, once again, some really hungry people. We use the phrase a lot (hungry), but what I mean is they seemed to appreciate the chance to gather as His people in the city...and I don't know, maybe stuff like the Indescribable Tour doesn't hit Bellevue, NE, that often. So they came early, sat outside and filled the place an hour before the night began, and they went for it...went for Jesus...and though I'm not sure the Passion Movement has a strong foothold in Nebraska (yet!) I'm pretty sure we heard a resurgence of the party clap! After a brief hiatus (Saginaw is not down with the clap as of yet, but that's OK, you guys have become special friends anyway!) some of you Passion people must have been back with us in Omaha. As Matt would say, "Nice one."
Chris, Matt and I connected with beautiful people during the day, new friends in a community called WordMadeFlesh who are living among the poorest of the world's poor in the name of Jesus. They live among the brothels of India and the slums of South America (and other places) because that's where the heart of God is. You should check out what God is doing through them. Stirring. Hopeful. The stuff of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And what a week. On our day off Wednesday at the lovely Fairfield Inn (and Suites!) in Davenport, Iowa, we received the news that sixsteps made off with a ton of nominations for this year's Dove Awards. Crazy stuff. If you haven't connected the dots yet, sixstepsrecords and Passion are one and the same, the label being an extension of our Passion family and a way to broadcast these anthems of His fame far and wide to as many people as possible. Our aim has never been dollars, nor acclaim, rather our road is a determined path of excellence, desiring to serve His emerging Bride with songs of hope and redemption. So, as a radio interviewer asked me yesterday, how did you and Chris take the news?, I responded, Well, we looked at each other across the room at the (aforementioned) Davenport Fairfield Inn (and Suites) and said, 'What?? Crazy!' Then we walked across the street to Panerra Bread and had lunch."
Oh, I don't mean we took it lightly. We were floored... honored to be recognized, not by a "distant industry," but by many other servants on the music side of things who have become our friends as we have walked together over the past few years in label world. But though we grabbed the headlines, our eyes are on Jesus. That's why it was fitting that the announcements reached us on the road...the glamorous road of Fairfield Inns, and bus rides through the night and separation from families we love...for what? For the chance to turn up the volume of His song together with His people, and for the sake of the "least and last of these" in the whole world. Thank you GMA friends for your kind gesture. With you, we want it all to make His name great in this generation.
Long Blog, I know, but it's the weekend and you have extra time to read, so let me just add that your excitement/anticipation/please hurry up I can't wait feeling about/for the Passion 06 CD [Everything Glorious] will be met by much happiness! The mixes are sounding great, filled with the intensity and exuberance of an army running after Him and to the world. Keep praying as we finish the job! More to come.
Louie
Saginaw, Who Knew?
Plus More News From The Passion House in Atlanta
Well, we finally found winter in chilly (some would say freezing) Michigan. After a brief stop in Ann Arbor (and a little time to be at UM and get a glimpse of this mammoth campus) we rolled up-state to Saginaw, a first for most of us. As the night began, the crowd looked a little older and maybe a bit more reserved...but looks are almost always deceiving and they certainly were last night. These people were hungry...really hungry, going after God with incredible energy and passion. The night had some really special moments. Great stuff. Off again today. Tomorrow, Nebraska. Then back up to Milwaukee and Chicago.
Back at the Passion House things are in motion for Thirsty, our gathering for college ministers and leaders at the end of March. These days are always special and a lot more intimate in size and scope than the larger student conferences. All the info is available here. Check it out and join us.
By the way, I heard the first round of mixes for the Passion 06 CD (called Everything Glorious as of now) and saw a short bonus video for the iTunes CD release the guys in the UK are working on... wow! My eyes filled with tears as I saw video of Passion 06 for the first time. And as I listened to "Jesus Paid It All" I started shouting in my dressing room all by myself! OH PRAISE THE ONE WHO PAID MY DEBT AND RAISED THIS LIFE UP FROM THE DEAD!!
We will be finishing the mixes for the CD this week and ask for your prayers. We are working for anointed excellence that conveys the best we can offer musically and the presence and power of God that makes the eternal difference. I'll have more details on the CD and the 2nd iTunes bundle in a few days.
Thanks for your prayers on the road! LG
...and registration for Passion 07 is getting closer by the second!
