One of the icons of London’s historic landscape, the Tower Bridge, provided a great location to gather university leaders from all across the UK (and Scandinavia) to dream about Passion’s return to the City in 2010!  If you squint (or just enlarge the image!) you’ll see a set of windows just below the fly-over connector on the tower to your right.  This past Monday, 40 of us met inside to pray and think about the possibllity of another London Passion event next year.  The vantage point was amazing and there was still a buzz among us from our event in Hammersmith Apollo last summer.  But what was really cool was seeing new faces in the room, people who are joining the movement for a Passion gathering to be hosted in London in May of TwentyTen.

I’m not sure I’m even supposed to be releasing this information, as no plans for a LIMITED Passion World Tour in 2010 are official as yet!!  But if you’re in the UK, I’d watch closely for the something in the coming months!

[And, just in case I am in some serious trouble right now, please do not write us or lobby for your city in 2010.  For one, we loved EVERY city we were in on the inagural Passion World Tour and would love to come back to see you all again.  But, reality says that seventeen cities in one year (with our major Passion Twenty Ten gathering in Atlanta in January and this little thing called Passion City Church coming to life) is maybe not the wisest plan.  So, we will be back in a few cities next year, God willing, and might even add a new destination this time around.]

A few days after our London gathering I was speaking in Oxford where I met a student leader from the south coast of England.  Their group was recognized on the last Passion Twenty Ten Live Link web stream (and they said they would be with us for our next one in September as well) at 2AM AND that they are already bringing 9 students to Atlanta for Passion Twenty Ten.  Brilliant!

So thanks to everyone who joined us in the Tower Bridge (and those who met our team in Kyiv before that).  We loved hearing about how God is stirring in your hearts and movements and look forward to even greater things for London and beyond.

Passion London, May 2010?!?!?

But first, Atlanta!  January 2-5, 2010.

Louie

PS- Tower Bridge is most often confused with London Bridge, the latter made famous by the song London Bridge is falling down, falling down…

Most notably, this confusion happened when the London Bridge was sold for $2.4 million in 1968 to a US oil tycoon who dismantled it and had it rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it stands today.  No kidding.

This is what we had in mind when we introduced onemillioncan back in August of 2008, a small army of people working together to accomplish great things for people God loves so much throughout the world. And while it is exciting to see our total grow, far more amazing is knowing the women of Sari Bari (and their children) are free of the injustice and oppression of forced prostitution and now have a hopeful future filled with dignity and worth.

As is so often the case, these women have been trapped in a degrading cycle of evil that has inflicted enormous pain on their lives simply because others could take advantage of them in a weakened state, exploiting their innocence for selfish gain. But today, 75 of these precious women will taste rescue as they begin a new life in the Sari Bari project.

Not only will our gifts through onemillioncan purchase their freedom, but these women will now be gainfully (and meaningfully) employed, producing 2500 blankets per year that will generate an additional $96K that will be reinvested in the freedom of others.

While three of our onemillioncan causes are now FULLY FUNDED, other opportunities remain. We still have a long way to go (we’d like to see all the causes funded before Passion Twenty Ten!) and are grateful for your support and your willingness to spread the onemillioncan message to those in your world.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, so let us now stand firm and not become entangled with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

Louie

In a way it’s a little weird to be singing Joy To The World in June, but then again, quite appropriate as Christmas is simply about Emmanuel–God with us. The miracle of today, and the best thing that has or will ever happen to you and me, is that Christ stepped into our reality, God with skin, to live among us and set us free.

Packed with songs you know and love, Glory In The Highest will arrive in time for “real calendar Christmas,” bringing with it some original songs from Chris and friends that I can’t wait for you to hear.

So wherever you are today, remember the miracle and celebrate the unthinkable…Christ has come. To me. To you. Right here. Now. Emmanuel.

Merry Christmas!!
Louie

Available Everywhere Today!  We’re Excited!
Louie and the sixsteps Team

A lot has changed in Waco since we sensed the urge to take our first big “backwards step” together–namely, forsaking the normal post-graduate school path of ministry to hang out and give birth to a fledgling little collegiate Bible study at the world’s largest Baptist university–and the face of the campus has undergone a radical transformation.  But one thing is very much the same as it was in the fall of 1985 (quietly lift your hand if you were not born at this time)…the place it all began.

If you wanna see it, click here and check out the street view image.  It’s the Arbors Apartments Clubhouse on Cottonwood Street, and it looks as it did that night the seven of us who had been praying about launching a spiritual movement on this campus opened the doors for whoever wanted to come.

About 40 friends showed up, the lyrics to a few choruses (I Love You Lord was one) had been typed out and photocopied at Kinkos to provide song sheets for everyone, Shelley and a sophomore named Kay helped lead the worship (with no instruments), the talk was from Ephesians 5:1 and a journey was begun that has carried us to this day.  We didn’t have a name at first, nor staff, money or strategy.  Just a desire to see this place come to life for His name.

That, my friends, is pretty crazy.  And amazing.  Wow.

Well, that’s it.  I think that’s all the nostalgia for one day.  No big conclusion.  Just, wow.

LG

It’s hard to believe, but today is the “day it all began” one year ago as we stood on the brink of the Passion World Tour, a journey many of you reading this had given for, prayed over and taken ownership for somewhere deep down in your heart.

May 16 was a Friday and our team had arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine, a few days before.  Interestingly, we were anxious about the fact that all our resources were being held by Ukrainian customs (they were never released and ended up being returned to ATL, our only international incident of the whole tour) and a few instruments had missed connections and were yet to arrive.  But the overall mood was clearly “what are we in for?” as we stepped into a future we were confident was set in motion by His calling, yet at this point it was a future we didn’t know how would unfold.

Around 6PM everything at the venue was set and our team huddled backstage with our Ukrainian partners for prayer and worship.  I liked the vibe in the room.  Humble, yet faithful.  Vocal.  Loud.  Centered on the One we had come to make famous.

But inside I was adjusting.  As we were walking toward the prayer time I was told that there were about 200 people in the Sports Palace…not too bad given we were an hour away from the start.  But the news went on that no one was outside in the huge plaza and there were no people in site at the doors to the aging Stalin-era building.

“That’s OK,” I kept telling myself as we prayed.  “We are here.  God is here.  It’s a first step.  We will go for it.”   I was acutely aware of the whole movement that was behind us…people from around the world leaning in with us in hopes of something supernatural for Kyiv and the following sixteen cities in our path.

At this point someone will most likely interject that “crowds don’t matter,” or that I should have had more faith.  But this was the moment we had been giving our all to for  almost two years and I was fighting between flesh and spirit, asking God for a miracle, for people, for a city, yet all the while trying to readjust the inner barometer to factor in a more intimate night than we had hoped for.

What happened next is history now, but a moment etched into my memory forever.  As we walked through the hallways toward the auditorium, eventually entering onto the back of the stage, I got my first glimpse at the thousands of young people who were filling the place.  Soon I was through a doorway and into the arena and all I could see were clumps of 5-12 people coming rapidly through every portal.  Within minutes, the opening video flashed “PRYVIT KYIV” on the screen and over 4000 people went absolutely nuts.  [It could have read Privet Kyiv, as I can't remember in this instant if the text was in Russian or Ukrainian.]

While it’s true Ukrainians are a bit reserved, and smiles are rare when passing strangers in the city, there was nothing reserved about the desire these young people had to shout out the name of Jesus over their city and nation.  As I stood in the middle of them, tears welled up in my eyes and, like the rest of our team, I knew we were in the place God had for prepared us…a barren barn of a sports arena, now holy ground.

A year later it’s not uncommon for our team to be asked what our favorite city was on the World Tour.  Though a totally unfair question (there are no favorites, right?!), I always say that I loved them all in their own special way but that I will never forget Kyiv.  For one, it was the first, a moment never to be repeated again and one from which we drew strength in the hours before we began in every city that followed.  And for me, it was a miracle.  I am sure there is a human explanation for what happened (there is a subway stop right below the Sports Palace and all 4000 must have come on the same train!), but the instantaneous multiplication of people is still a mystery to me, something I will never forget.  More importantly, the WT was on, and there was no stopping it now!

Would the night have been just as cool with 210 people?  Maybe.  We will never know.  But it was powerful and life-changing for us all (and the multiple Eastern-European nations represented) and a night that sparks us to pray for Kyiv today on the anniversary of what God did there.

In the days since our visit the global economic downturn and growing Russian instability/hostility in the region has created a much different landscape in Kyiv.  Jobs are hard to find and people are pressed hard.  But there is a living, breathing Church rising up there with a passion to make Jesus famous in Ukraine and the entire former Soviet bloc.  Let’s pray with them today, and pray again over seeds planted months ago to the glory of His name.

Louie

When we launched the onemillioncan.com mission just over eight months ago, we had a dream that all of us doing something together could accomplish something massive in the world for God. So we asked the question, “What can a million bucks do to touch the lives of the last and least of these around the globe?” The answer for us was to partner with friends and organizations we know and trust to fund seven causes ranging from clean water for African villages to life-altering surgeries for children in developing countries.

Looking back, the recent economic climate was probably not the best scenario in which to launch a one million dollar cause, but thankfully, in the Kingdom of God things are often upside down and we are more than thrilled to announce that as of today, two of our seven causes are fully funded!

A portion of the offering at Passion City Church last night went to build the two remaining wells of the sixty-six we desired to fund. And last week, largely with the help of Chris T. and the Hello Love Tour, we were able to surpass our $150,000 goal and all of that money is now in the hands of Watoto to construct five homes for 40 former child soldiers in the northern Ugandan city of Gulu.

Right on!

So now when you visit the onemillioncan.com site you will see “Fully Funded” over the icons representing these causes, as well as five additional needs that we would love for you to help us meet. You can join us by giving often (even small amounts add up!) or taking a more creative swing as one couple has just informed us they are doing by having people at their wedding give to OMC in lieu of a gift registry. Wow. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with getting a Cuisinart product for the kitchen or a Target gift card, there’s something cool about knowing your union is speeding the love of God to those around the world with the greatest needs.

So once again, thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey and contributed big and small gifts to get us past the $700,000 mark so quickly. Once this million is complete, we will launch a new round of causes and start on million number 3. How cool is that?

Thank you God for allowing us to be a part of what you are doing throughout the nations. We are thrilled.

Louie

PS- Just so you’ll know, there are ZERO administrative costs with onemillioncan. We at Passion cover all credit card processing fees and admin fees so that every penny given can be funneled onward to our partner organizations!

Soon, the funeral home is filled with people we know and some we don’t, people come from near and far, a service is held and a long procession winds to that place where our bodies finally rest. In the whirlwind the wishes are well, the hugs numerous and the cards, calls and notes steadily come. Yet, in time, people return to the pace of their days. Soon, it dawns on us that our hearts are still breaking while those around us merge back onto the freeways that are their day to day lives. Faster than we would hope, everything around us shifts back to normal while we are just beginning to feel the weight of our pain and the finality of our loss.

I say this not to blame the world, for people cannot bear every burden of every person for the long haul. Rather, to just affirm for those of you who have been left standing there that you are not alone.

In a small way, that is why we have dedicated these days to the memory of Ashley Akins, championing her story as if to say, “We have not simply moved on.” We have not forgotten her, nor have we moved so far past the pain that we have ceased to bear the burden of those she loved. Though her story has swept the globe, bringing good Ashley could have never imagined, the truth is her family would give it all back to have her in their arms again.

To Jeremy and Christa, thank you for allowing us to barge into your world and tell your story. We all can identify with you as none of us are where we want to be in that process of embracing those who are different from us or who may be totally against the things we hold so dearly. I know you are more than characters in a story, you are friends who grieve and a couple who has walked through your own pain and loss in recent months. We love you and are so thankful for your lives.

To Ashley’s friends (initials and names in her story, the closest of friends and those she deeply loved), thank you for allowing us to share your friendship with Ashley. I know it must feel weird for the whole world to become aware of your friend and to call her theirs. But we all know we never knew her on the level you did, nor did we ever share the intimacy of life and laughter you had. Your Ashley has become quite famous in her own right, but I think you all saw the depth of passion and truth in her love for Jesus and know she would love to be a part of the whole world hearing about Him. But, one of the things I love about her most is she never walked away from you and never thought her new-found faith should be a barrier between her and those she loved. Instead, she always loved you, sought to be with you and openly shared with you about the One who had changed her heart. We all love you too (I know that sounds weird), simply because she did. We are thinking about you as you carry her loss and wish the very best for you in the days ahead.

And to Ashley’s family. You know how I feel about you. You have been embraced by the world, loved from near and far, prayed for every moment of the day from somewhere on earth and surrounded by people who are so grateful for your generosity. We cannot fully fathom the brokenness of your hearts, but we are holding you in ours… and we are not moving on without you.

Louie

Ashley Akinns 6/21/84 – 4/29/07
She lived a life of fun and laughter and loved God in the end.

I will never forget the first time I held Ashley’s journal in my hands. Though I already had a copy that had been transcribed by her brother, Jacob, actually holding her written life’s story, captured in an everyday composition book, was something else altogether…it felt like a sacred trust.

The transcript of the journal first came from Ashley’s dad after many conversations by e-mail over months of time. This particular e-mail read in part, “So you always say you wish you had known my daughter. Well, this will help you know a little bit more about my Princess .” So I downloaded the file and quickly realized I was reading her own words, personal snapshots of her journey beginning in the fall of 2006 and continuing until the the final entry on April 28, 2007. As I read the pages I couldn’t help but weep with sadness and joy as I watched in detail as her heart began to beat with the love of God.

But holding the journal revealed so much more about her, her personality beaming through the ALL CAPS wording, multiple exclamation points, unwavering energy, humor and varied ink colors. But nothing prepared me for what I felt when I saw what followed her last recorded words.  Opposite the last line of Saturday’s entry was nothing but an empty page, an inescapable affirmation that her life on earth had come to an end.

Innocently, the last words she penned after spending a weekend at home with her family were, Tomorrow I am driving back to Gainesville after church and sushi in Riverside.  We are going to Sushi Cafe-

What is interesting to me is that there is no period at the end of that sentence…just a squiggly line that seems to say “To be continued” more than “The End.”   The next day, a one-car collision took Ashley from those she loved.  But it did not dim God’s plans for her life.  No way.  Ashley found life in the One who overwhelmed the grave.

So, on this day that marks her death, I’d like to share her entry from February 8, written seventeen days after she encountered the grace of God in a personal and life-altering way.

Feb 8th ‘07

I went to a Bible Study with Christa tonight and that was actually kind of fun and cool.  Everyone was like hey Ashley and did not make me feel like all awkward and stuff.  It was like I belonged there.  They sang some songs which I did not know and everyone else did but it was cool.  My favorite I came home and looked up the lyrics, here they are cause I love them.  I don’t know why but I started crying when they were singing it and I just wanted to lift my hands like they did…I did not but I talked to Christa about it afterwards.  She said it was just a way of worshipping God.  Jesus did take me just like he found me, with all my failures and screw-ups.  He loved me just like I am.  He has shown me so much compassion and mercy and he LOVES me. That just blows me away, ya know…

[change to red ink]

Everyone needs compassion
A love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A Kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

My Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus

_____________

All I can say is wow.

Ashley, I cannot fathom the loss your family and friends carry and I know they miss you with everything within them. Yet, I can say with certainty that those lyrics you loved so much are coming true in your life today.  Your Savior is shining amazingly through you!

Your friend, Louie

Louie,

A High School Senior in our community was tragically killed in a car accident this week. Several of the kids in my student ministry were friends with him. It has been tough for the community, especially his friends and family. I was trying to think of what to speak on last night, and what came to mind was Hope. Then I remembered I had a DVD of Hope – When Life Hurts Most. So, instead of me doing the talk – I let you.

7 students trusted Christ as Savior and another 10 or so recommitted their life to Christ.

Kids received Hope.

Just thought you might like to know.

B.R.
Tennessee

As we all know, this has nothing to do with a DVD, and everything to do with a cross that is the only thing on earth that makes sense when the bottom falls out on life. And, once again, Ashley and her family are touching the world.

B.R., Hope it’s OK to post your message. We are praying for all in your community who’s hearts are breaking with this loss, and for those who through the pain have reached out for God.

Louie Giglio
April 23