Just in time for the new semester we have a delightful array of new banners and icons for Passion 07 available. How nice it would be to see them proudly displayed on websites, Facebook pages, MySpace sites and everywhere else you can think of as the vision for Atlanta spreads. We’re convinced you can take the message far more places than we can, so visit the link, find your flavor and fly the banner!

From sunny London….ooops, no rainy London….wait, no sunny London

Sure, it’s just a plastic wristband (used to be yellow, so we’re told, yet now is balmy white), but you have to give props to Eric in NC. Just goes to show that plastic is one of man’s crowning achievements.

Hope your fall semester (or whatever you’re headed into as August comes to a close) is going smashingly.
LG

From Rainy London…

It’s true… the wave of momentum propelling the Passion Movement is growing. When I say that, you have to know it’s not just about the numbers, yet the numbers for Passion 07 are tracking ahead of anything we’ve ever seen before. But that’s not all. While people are staking their place in Atlanta, e-mails are coming our way from cities all around the globe. Students everywhere are attaching to the vision and longing to see something happen on their campuses for His renown.

Speaking of heading to Atlanta, people have continued to register through the normally slow summer months and now that school is kicking in the tide continues to swell. As of tonight there are 8025 people who have claimed a spot at Passion 07, far outpacing the 2900 who had registered by this date last year. For us, it’s not just about a number getting bigger, it’s a sign that God is doing something that people don’t want to miss.

Even today more faces emerged as registrations rolled in….so welcome:
Maggie, from Appalachian State University
Caroline, from Auburn
Matt, bringing a group from Sugar Land, TX
Heather, from Southern Illinois University
Lindsey, from Brewton Parker College
Jason, a group leader from Hendersonville, TN
Joseph, a leader from Springfield, Mass
Justin, a college leader from Baton Rouge, LA

We’re already praying for you and can’t wait to see you.
Louie

Happily, the Everything Glorious DVD is arriving in mail boxes everywhere. We’re still not sure if they’re available at walk-in retail stores (we haven’t heard of anyone picking one up at a local store), but we continue to ship them from 268Store.com daily.

By the way, the DVD’s 11-minute docu-piece, Essence, is a great way to share the Passion story and paint a picture of what Atlanta’s going to be like as you’re telling your pals about Passion 07. And we need your help spreading the word. You are our primary promo strategy. So go for it!

BY THE WAY…several people have commented on the language on the back of the DVD case that says it cannot be shown for public performance (in the really small print). This DOES NOT mean that you cannot show it to large groups/small groups/groups of friends/churches/chapel services, etc. It’s for that one guy out there that wants to sell tickets to a video performance and profit off of the contents of the DVD. Please show it to as many people as you can!

I’m headed to the UK this week, so if you’re still waiting for yours (and if not, what are you waiting for!) here’s the last sneak peak from our friend across the pond, Matt Redman.

Enjoy.

We’re glad the Everything Glorious DVD is finally reaching anxious hands and finding its way into DVD players across the nation and around the globe. It’s been a while since production wrapped up, so I haven’t seen the footage in a few months. But looking back this week, these powerful images and the roar of so many voices has humbled me all over again. Passion 06 was for me a treasured time…the culmination of many dreams and much energy…all coming to life in a way that exceeded even my wildest hopes. It’s pretty stunning looking back and remembering all God was and did in our midst.

Well, it sounds like the stores are bare, so sorry to all of you who have searched high and low for the DVD at your local retailer. All I can do is tell you what we’ve been told, which is that Everything Glorious should have been at Christian stores on the 15th and is scheduled to arrive at some mainstream stores on the 29th. But, then again, you can count on us at 268Store.com to get you one today. We have DVDs in stock and will zip one your way as fast as we can. We are doing our best to serve you.

One more clip from your friends at Passion and our dear friend Charlie while you wait.
Enjoy

Finally! The long-awaited, much anticipated images, sounds and messages from Passion 06 are trickling out to the world. If you’ve ordered yours at 268Store.com, it’s in the very trustworthy US mail system and speeding along to you even now. If not, EG DVDs should have hit Christian stores today and will be in stores everywhere August 29!

But now, only here at the 268Blog, from your friends at Passion and sixstepsrecords, another preview.
Enjoy,

You’ll be happy to know that all the Everything Glorious DVD pre-orders left the Passion House today and are headed toward waiting little hands around the globe. Enjoy! And thanks so much for your patience.

For those of you wanting to go the traditional store route, the DVD should be at Christian retailers tomorrow (August 15). For mainstream stores the street date is August 29, so if you don’t see it on the shelf at your local Christian bookstore, ask for it. You can always get yours at 268Store.com, but we also love it when you support the fine folks in the stores!

Another sneak peak from your friends at Passion.

Passion: Everything Glorious DVD coming next Tuesday, August 15, to a Christian retailer near you AND available for preorder now at    268Store.com.

Today, the first little bit of Essence: A Documentary, Eleven Minutes in Nashville.
Hey, maybe you’re in it!
More to come.
Enjoy!

Well, well, well. We didn’t disappear entirely. It was just a summer break. But we’re back and looking forward to regular Blog updates as we head into the fall semester and toward Passion 07.

Hopefully, your summer has been swell and you have lots of great memories. Most of July has been a blur for me, and there’s no slowing down now as I have a little more summer to go. This week I’ll be heading out to the OC for the LA half of DC/LA, sharing with thousands of teens in this significant event. While there I’ll also connect with the JAMA crowd, an additional 6,000 Korean Americans linked together with DC/LA but holding separate gatherings during the event. California means a break from the smoldering heat and humidity of ATL, great times and In-N-Out. Happiness.

Plus, I still have a summer-closing 7|22 on the 15th and then I’m off to the UK to speak in a small village in the west of England where we first made our UK connections while doing college ministry at Baylor in the late 80’s. Yep, that long ago! So there’s still a bit of the summer journey to go, opportunities I’m humbled to be a part of and looking forward to.

As for Passion, things are cranking! Two weeks ago our whole Team (staff) was in Florida for a few days of planning/vision casting/and sun. We’ve come back refreshed and ready for the charge to January 1. You’ll be excited to know some really cool things are on the table as we look down the road. I wish I could share them all right now, but everything has a right time and we will unpack the direction we feel God is leading us in as the days and weeks unfold. It’s going to be an exciting ride.

For now, we’re REALLY happy to have the Passion 06 DVD (Everything Glorious) on its way. If there are no more “issues,” it should hit most stores next Tuesday. We think it’s going to be a huge encouragement as we relive all that happened in Nashville and prepare our hearts for Atlanta.

Starting this week we will be pre-viewing short clips from the DVD here on the Blog. Clips you can’t see anywhere else but here. So if you don’t have a high speed connection, now’s the time. Call the cable company and get them out there today!

It’s great being back with you!
Louie