It's Official

I've fallen in love with Sydney. It happens as soon as you step off the plane, but blooms fully the first time you stand in Sydney harbor...one of the most stunningly beautiful collisions of city and sea on the face of the earth. Adding to the warmth and allure of the city was the welcome of the amazing people of Hillsong Church/Conference. Though Passion (as a movement) is not too well known in Australia, they graciously carved out a place for Eddie and me during the days of the conference. And the conference was great, but I was overwhelmed most by how well these guys do what they do. Everything was done with incredible excellence...and the heartbeat of their culture is irresistible.

Thanks for your prayers during these days. Sitting in LA with one more leg to go before home I'm surprised at how relatively easy the trip/time adjustment has been. I could sense God's breath in the sessions I spoke in and was personally impacted during the days on many levels. God has been kind.

After a brief pit stop in ATL, it's off to a cozy little camp with CTomlin and about 7000 teens in Florida. So don't stop praying now! LG

Whatever Happened To The Fourth?

I love the 4th of July. But somehow this year it got away. Last I remember I boarded a Qantas flight at LAX for a takeoff just before midnight on Monday the 3rd. Soon I was dead to the world, and when I woke up mid-flight on my way to Australia it was early this morning, July 5th. Honestly, I still don't know how that works, but I closed my eyes and missed the fourth altogether. Crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I'm not sure how I got myself into the last few days....
Sharing the morning with Chris T at Saddleback's Purpose Driven Worship Conference Friday was amazing....plus it was my BDay. But a Sunday flight brought me back through Atl and then another flight ended with a late-night arrival in DC where I led the next day with DC (as in DCB) at DC/LA with about 11000 teens. But before sundown I was out of DC on the way back to LA, and now I've missed the fourth. But as a consolation I am looking out my hotel window over Olympic Park in Sydney.

I'm here to speak at Hillsong Conference and all I can say so far is that Sydney might just be the most beautiful and inviting city in the world. For me the conference starts tomorrow with a full day of speaking, but apparently the 30,000 or so people who are here are already fully engaged with God... just one more reminder that the God we love and serve is keeping His promise, building His church (not ours) all over this planet. And nothing is going to stand in His way.

And more crazy news back home... we passed the June 30th registration deadline for Passion 07 with a flurry. Registration passed 6600 as many of you claimed your spot in Atlanta, not a cause for celebration in numbers alone, but a sign that God is stirring something beyond what we have seen before. Even today (the fourth I missed) people were coming through. So welcome to:
Chris and your crew from Clemson
Nicole from UGA
Aaron from Kennesaw State University
Monique from U of Pennsylvania
Patrick from Georgia Tech
And Leslie from Kansas State University.

We're praying for you now and excited about what God has in store for us all.

I'd treasure your prayers while speaking down under!
Louie