Check before you arrive!
Thanks to one of your comments, we now know that the Map/Brochure you will get when you arrive at Passion 06 has Breakouts that happen Tuesday and Wednesday listed as happening Monday and Tuesday. We have made the change online and you can see the new BO schedule under the Essential Stuff link on the Passion 06 site.

Friday 12//30//05
26 Eight

As in 26:8.

Well, the Passion House is getting emptier by the day, as most of our team is already in Nashville making plans for you to arrive. And as you make your way, carry with you today’s simple prayer: “Yes.”

That’s it. The whole prayer. Everything.

Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.” Isaiah 26:8.

Since Passion’s birth this has been our theme, and will always anchor everything we do. While we usually focus more on the last phrase of this confession, the most powerful part of the declaration may be that simple little three-letter word at the beginning. Yes means I trust You… trust You enough to say yes before I even know all You are going to say. Yes means I must say no to something else, or someone else, I’ve looked to to satisfy my soul. Yes is daring. All in. Anticipating. Calculated. Weighty. Waiting.

Yes without a blueprint, only You. Yes to whatever, as long as it’s for Your fame. Yes alone or with others, as long as You are there. Yes to You, Jesus, the one who said yes to the Father and purchased me forever.

Father, Your cross beckons me to say nothing less than yes today.

Through the day: Trust.

Thursday 12//29//05
25 Reverent Party

What? Can these two words go together? A reverent party? I think they can…and pray they will.

Reverence is recognition that we are not coming to an “event,” but coming as the people of God before the One who is radiant and pure. So holy, in fact, that if He did appear in visible form, His presence would send us crashing to the floor with blinded eyes.

The party happens when we glimpse the cross of Christ, truly seeing the price He paid to forever wash away our guilty stain, and cannot help but shout for joy.

At Passion 06 we want both. As we come into His presence we want eyes opened wide to His Majesty as we dance before Him as those set free.

Father, please help us. Help us live in the balance of Your Royalty and friendship-grace. May we, when we see You, “shout for joy and fall facedown.” Open our eyes. Free our feet. Move us with mercy to rejoice in You as we go to the world. Thank You Jesus, Amen.

But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down. Psalm 5:7

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24

Through the day: Jesus is the party.

Make Your Arrival Smooth. Key Things To Know Now:

1. There are a lot of people headed to Nashville. Plan extra time in your travel schedule for January 2. Arrive early and familiarize yourself with your hotel, the downtown event locations and registration.

2. Registration opens at 2:00 PM, January 2, in the Gaylord Arena (Rehearsal Hall). Please bring your Registration Confirmation. If you do not have your registration confirmation proceed to Registration and we will assist you there. Do not e-mail for another confirmation at this time. If you are registered, proceed to registration.

3. If you are staying in a downtown hotel, go first to your hotel and park, then walk to registration. All others proceed to the Gaylord Arena.

4. Doors open at the Gaylord Arena for the January 2 PM session at 6:00 PM. The session begins at 7:00 PM. There will be security screening at the Gaylord Arena. Travel light (no backpacks, etc.) to make entry faster for everyone.

5. Seating is General Admission and the Arena will be full. HELP US MAKE ENTRY TO THE MAIN SESSIONS AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE FOR ALL. Please help us fill every seat. No large blocks of seats may be saved by those arriving early. If you wish to sit together as a group, meet outside the Gaylord and enter together.

6. The GO CENTER is the hub of Passion 06 and will open at 2:00 PM January 2, located on the lower floor of the Nashville Convention Center (the NCC is adjacent to the Renaissance Hotel). The 268Store, The Mobilization Experience, Graffiti Art, Renown-A Visual History of the Passion Movement and the Information Center will all be open in the GO CENTER beginning at 2:00 PM. AS WELL, tickets for LateNite events on January 2 will be available in the GO CENTER on a first come basis from 2:00-7:00 PM. Tickets for January 3 LateNites will NOT BE AVAILABLE until January 3.

7. Throughout Passion 06 attendees are encouraged to participate in Kneel-A 24-Hour Prayer Journey. Sign-up is available beginning at 2:00 PM at Registration, in the GO CENTER, as well as at Kneel locations in the Arena (GO CENTER Tunnel) and the Nashville Convention Center (First Floor). We would love to have everyone take the one-hour journey through Kneel, helping us cover the conference in prayer from beginning to end.

Updated 12//27//05 11:42 PM

[Welcome Sarah from Jacksonville State University, Caitlin from Grand Rapids CC, Trey from Auburn, Lisa from York College, PA, Jason from IU, Hannah from UGA and Kristin from Wheaton. They registered while I’ve been posting this Blog and are going to be at Passion06. But, I’m sad to say, we are over 99% capacity tonight and there’s a very good chance registration will close TOMORROW (Wednesday). When that happens, Passion06 will officially be full! If you know people who are waiting to register, let them know today is the day.]

Wednesday 12//28//05
24 Open

Praise opens the way for us as we come in the name of the Lord. Both literally and spiritually, our worship opens doors that may have been shut for ages, allowing us to walk in new places with God.

So, today, we want to pray for the city of Nashville, asking God to flood the whole city (not just Passion 06) with the redemptive tide of His Spirit. Like David and his men returning to Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s glory and presence in that day) we want to proclaim Him as we approach the city, saying,
Lift up your heads, O you gates, be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates, lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory. Selah Psalm 24:7-10

Many Believers are welcoming us to Nashville, rejoicing with us as we draw near. And many pastors prayed over us and gave us their blessing as we met together a few weeks ago. With them, we want to say to the city, “Open wide, God is in your midst, open your hearts and let Him in.”

Pray for the churches of Nashville who are proclaiming Jesus throughout the city. Pray for their leaders, asking God to awaken them with new purpose and vision, protecting them from everything that seeks to hinder them as they serve Him. Ask God to birth a spirit of oneness among them.

Pray for the colleges and universities of Nashville, that somehow our gathering in the city will spill over on them as well, igniting new life so that all hear of His fame. Pick one school and pray for that school through the day: Vanderbilt, Austin Peay State University, Fisk, Tennessee State, Belmont, Trevecca Nazarene, Middle Tennessee State University and others.

Pray for the people of Nashville, all the students who attend these schools and those coming to Passion 06. Lord, may we open our lives fully to You. You alone satisfy. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

Through the day: Lord, You can change a city.

Tuesday 12//27//05
23 Up Front With Worship

[First, a quick thanks for all you guys who have been on the Journey with us so far AND hi to those of you who got a text, call or e-mail from a friend yesterday and have just arrived. Seven days to Nashville, and today we begin our final week of the Journey.]

Worship is powerful stuff. It’s not just something to prepare us for the “message” or feel-good music that moves the soul. Worship is a weapon against the foe. The shout of those headed to battle. The cry of the oppressed. The right thing to do all the time, anytime. Worship in faith leads us to praise God no matter what we see and understand, affirming that He is sovereign over all things, orchestrating everything for His glory and our good.

At Jericho a shout brought impenetrable walls crashing down. And, when three armies pressed in on the King Jehoshophat, he formed a choir to lead the people into the fight singing, “Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever.” Not exactly hardened fighting words, but an affirmation of faith, praising God for His heart of love and thanking Him in advance for what He was going to do. God delivered Judah that day without a battle, as their enemies mistakenly turned on each other until they all were destroyed.

Today we worship God for who He is and praise Him for all He is doing/and has done at Passion 06. No asking for anything today. Just praise going before us as we fix our eyes on Him.

Father, we exalt You today and lift You up as our banner of hope and victory. You have no rival and are greater than all gods. Thank You for Your faithfulness to every generation and Your unfailing love expressed in Jesus Christ. I praise You because Your power holds the Cosmos together, yet You know every single thing about each of us. We are happy that You are our God and we are Your people. Thank You for choosing us and placing us in Your family…in Your story. Thank You for Passion06…for doing more than we could ask, think or imagine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through the day: Don’t stop shouting His praise.

Monday 12//26//05
22 Join

Merry Christmas. Or as my English friend said on my voicemail today, “Happy Christmas!” Oh, I know it’s past midnight EST (yes, these posts actually are written in real time and not generated by a computer that auto posts while I’m asleep) and it’s not actually Christmas anymore. In fact, for the Brits, it’s Boxing Day, I think. Yeah, a little strange, but it’s not the day they like to fight, rather (I hope I get this right) the day they box up all the stuff they got they don’t like and take it back to the store. Come to think about it, there may actually be some punching involved in that after all. Anyway, the point. It’s not that important to me what day Jesus was born, but that He came. And to that, I wish you all a Happy Christmas today, because He is here now. Still Emmanuel. Very much the light of the world. Living in you and me.

Ours was split between two cities again, as we always try to hit both families on Christmas Day. So we awakened to sunny, mild Houston where we had been with Shelley’s family, took Delta home (sounds odd, I know, but it’s really a nice day to fly) and celebrated with my family here in Atl. Lot’s of family, laughter and Honey Baked Ham. Which makes me wonder what we used to do before those people came into existence. If you had a Honey Baked Ham at any point during the Christmas season can I see your hand. Yep, that’s pretty much all of us. But we are back at the house now, still mesmerized by my favorite gift so far, that little 20 Questions thing that somehow deduced “braces,” “sand” and “cupcake” in the first three attempts to fool it. Well, actually it answered cake and not cupcake, but given that it costs less that $20 and fits in my hand, I gave it that one, too.

But most of the questions over family meals included the familiar, “So, are you guys ready for Passion?” Briefly my mind would race to the 9,000 things that have to be done between now and a week from tonight… so I would quickly try to refocus on the sweet potato souffle or the laughter coming from the other room. Yes, there are a million details that still have to fall into place, and no, we’re not exactly ready yet and will have a full week of hard work to be able launch on January 2, but it’s Sunday, January 25 (technically, not so much, but we’re going with the fact that it’s still very dark outside), and both Christmas and Sabbath all rolled into one. So we are resting from the details and savoring the Savior, trusting that He is making us all ready for what He has in store.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will begin the last seven days of our journey to Passion06. Your mission: get everybody you can that’s going to Passion (and anyone not going who wants to pray) to join the cause. There are a bunch of you out there, but we want as many of the 18000 people who are coming as possible to be in step when we hit the city. So, call, text, IM, shout, woo, e-mail… whatever it takes, reach all your peeps. Every single one of them. And say, 268Blog.com. Meet me there. Seven days till Passion. Join the movement. Pray!

Through the day: It’s still Christmas.

Sunday 12//25//05
21 Christmas

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light,
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy,
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:2-7

[Merry Christmas from all of us at Passion. Hope there's a trip to Nashville under the tree!]