If there is such a thing as an epicenter of a movement, it’s probably true that the epicenter of the Passion Movement happened ten years ago today as 40,000 university students gathered on a field outside of Memphis, TN.  Though Passion was only three gathering old, we felt a sense of urgency that led us to call the students of the nation to a holy fast, a scared assembly…a day set aside to put our faces to the ground and pray for this generation.

More than a festival or concert (no names were used in promoting the event and we didn’t even call it Passion), OneDay 2000 was a day purely set aside for God.  Though students arrived in the days prior, no one set foot on the OneDay field until the morning of May 20…with the exception of those who read the Word over the ground 24 hours a day from a wooden tower erected in the middle of the vast grassy slope.

And when the crowd did arrive, they arrived in silence.  As you would expect with Passion, clouds were overhead and a steady, misting rain met the morning.  But the weather only seemed to add to the serious tone as tens of thousands of people made their way from the various campsites onto what we all felt was holy ground.

I can’t say I have ever experienced anything quite like it, especially given the months and months of prayer and anticipation that led up to that morning.  Our team had crossed the nation by tour bus and RV, meeting face to face with students and holding events on hundreds of campuses from coast to coast.  And, in response, students had come from the four corners to be represent their campuses and bow before the Lord with their peers.  OneDay was billed as: Sacred. Holy. His.  And it was all that, and more.

An hour or so before the day began, our leadership team was together praying in a tent off to the side of the main stage.  The moment was marked by such a sense of God’s presence that no one wanted to set foot on the platform.  No one wanted to taint the beauty and power of His presence.  On our knees, the mood was more of, “I’m not going up there…you go up there!”

As the day unfolded, there was no rushing into celebration.  Confession and repentance led the way.  And then the cross came…visible in our midst and massive in our hearts.  I think we were so in touch with our sins (and those of the nation) that we felt we needed its power as never before.  I remember standing, somewhat stunned, as students started running toward the cross from the edges of the field…from hundreds of feet away.  Their response wasn’t organized or dignified as they sprinted past their friends and literally threw themselves on the ground at the foot of the cross.  We were all wrecked by His grace and mercy…and sent out with a desire to amplify the One who bore our shame.

I can close my eyes and be back there in a heartbeat.  I can see a generation on their knees…on their faces…bowed down in the muddy grass to be lifted up again to touch the world in Jesus name.

Ten years later I would guess anyone on that field can tell you how God touched their lives that day…and many would say they are where they are because of the calling God put in their hearts at Shelby Farms.

That’s why Shelley and I are here in Tokyo tonight with a Passion Team that still carries the heartbeat of OneDay among a nation that is yet to see His grace and sing His praise.  For a time we thought that OneDay 2000 would be the end of our Movement, yet, today, it serves as fuel for a journey that has only just begun.

Along the way we are: Remembering. Grateful. Humbled. His.
LG

Passion London is in the books…or, maybe, it’s just begun.

We’re hoping, if you were there, that you’re voting for the latter…feeling like we have experienced something powerful together but are just now starting to work out what God has revealed and planted in our hearts.

This I know for sure: my God’s not dead, He’s surely alive, and He’s living on the inside, roaring like a Lion!  And, contrary to popular opinion, the Church is not dead in Western Europe, and certainly not in the UK.  Evidence?  The faces of a new generation that are real about their “stuff,” yet confident in the sure foundation that is under their feet.

Tonight, I really felt like we saw faith arise in the hearts of people–a growing confidence in God’s unstoppable purposes for us, and the potential that He can use us to show His Son to our world.

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but we love London…we love the city and the nations it holds.  And we love England, and are so grateful for the way the awakened Church here has spilled over on us in America.  And we love the world, especially the European nations with us for these two days.  The numbers of Believers within your walls may be small, but the God who leads you is greater than all.

Thanks for welcoming our little Passion tribe.  We are so grateful to share these days with you and to play a tiny role in the beautiful work God is doing in and through you all.

Tokyo…a shout went up for you tonight that was more than simply crazy LOUD! It was a shout of hope and belief from one side of the earth to the other that is sending us out of this place with huge expectation for what is to come.

Kyiv + London –> Tokyo

All for Jesus,

LG and the Passion Team

We are off to a great (brilliant) start here in London after a really beautiful night with students from Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Holland, France, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, all across England…and of course greater London!

CT, Matt, Christy and Kristian did fantastic leading us tonight and we all walked away stunned again that miraculously, by amazing grace, we are in the movie…we ARE IN THE STORY OF GOD.

It’s way past late here, and we have another great night ahead tomorrow (DCB/Chan rocking things), so we’ll sign off for now.  We feel your prayers and love being in this with all of you!

More tomorrow!
LG

PS-Plenty of tickets available for tomorrow night for only 10 pounds!! Come on!

As we have come to expect on Passion World Tour outings, the schedule has us right in the middle of historic change in many of the cities we visit.  For starters, we were in Kyiv on the 65th anniversary of Victory Day.  Next, we touched down in London on the very night that a deal was brokered between rival parties and a new Prime Minister took office. Not to mention, there is a presidential election happening in The Philippines, the country we’ll be in two stops from now.

As a lover of history, and someone who appreciates “the moment,” I couldn’t resist taking a stroll down to Number 10 Downing Street yesterday to breathe in the atmosphere surrounding David Cameron’s first day in power.  Of course we didn’t plan to see anything special (you can only get a tiny glimpse of #10 through the gates off Whitehall Street on the best day), and, as expected, we were met by a throng of media-types and on-lookers when we arrived.

Not wanting to cram up to the gates, we just hung out across Whitehall, looking on the activities and thinking about how often God puts us in spaces where culture and the Gospel collide in such obvious ways.  What I mean by that is this: we love being in a city when the eyes of the world are on that place.  History is being made this week (specifically the day we arrived) and we are right in the middle of it lifting up the name of Jesus over London and the nation.  Right time.  Right place.  Yes!

So, we’re standing there, just taking it all in, when a motorcycle cop comes blazing by toward Parliament.  As we looked back the direction from which he came, another cop was being closely followed by a Rolls containing none other than the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh! Yep, right there in front of us.  (OK, some are going to spiritualize here and make Queen/King references, but no matter how you slice it, it’s cool to see the Queen of England that close.)

Yet, my day was made complete when I saw this pic from a student in Kyiv.  In case you didn’t know, in each city there’s a wristband required for entrance to the event.  On one side it says where we are, but underneath it has the name of the next city to serve as a reminder for those students to pray.  So Kyiv is now praying for London, and we’re hoping there are a lot of these wristbands floating around Ukraine to prove it!

That’s one of my favorite things about the WT…students praying and giving for their peers around the globe, an unbroken wave that is circling the globe for His fame!

London starts in 24 hours!  Tickets and info here.
LG

PS-(Kyiv gave 53K in their currency–about $8K US–to help with costs in London!)

It’s pushing midnight in Kyiv and we are still trying to fully process a beautiful and powerful night with over 6500 students and university aged young people in the Sports Palace.  One word seems to work in every language, so can I say it again…wow!!

The word we felt like we were carrying tonight was Freedom, the result of grace that is stunningly free and radically amazing.  Ukraine knows “church,” but what the Spirit of the Lord brings is liberty.  So we lifted up the Saving One and echoed His grace with all our might.

Our team did such a great job, singing and leading in Russian and English.  About three songs into the night Matt started singing the chorus of Blessed Be Your Name in Russian and the lid that wasn’t really so much on anyway completely blew off.  It says so much when you lead in the language of the people and I love our guys for going for it and bridging the gap.

The students were pretty floored when we told them the story of Passion 2010 and how you guys that were there prayed for Kyiv and gave so generously to kick-start this journey.  They got it, and flooded toward the buckets to give to help support the London stop in four days from now.

One of the coolest moments of the night happened when the band led Our God for the first time.  Yep, you guessed it, the song has already made its way to this part of the world (CDs are not available here, so go figure and thank you for YouTube!) and they were on it from the start.  That became our theme for the night, and is our hope and prayer for the city and the nations tonight.  And if our God is for us, who could ever stop us?

Tonight, we saw the future of the Church here…a powerful wave of people awakening to the grace that brings freedom and fuels worship.

We are all pretty wiped out, but humbled and honored to spend ourselves serving the Church in Ukraine and the people of this city. Thank you to the ministry partners and churches that sacrificed so much and welcomed us for a night we will never forget.

We love you Kyiv!

Иисус живо!
LG

Hello from Kyiv, Ukraine, where it’s Victory Day and the eve of Passion Kyiv. [Kyiv is the preferred Ukrainian spelling of Kiev, by the way...Kiev being Russian.]  Today, to mark the occasion, a massive parade celebrating the 65th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis made its way down Khreschatyk Street into Independence Square.  The sun is out and the city is filled with people taking advantage of the national holiday tomorrow.  It’s a festive time to be in Kyiv and an exciting time to be lifting up the name of Jesus over the city.  Freedom is on the lips of people and that’s what we are all about.

All of our team has finally arrived (Icelandic ash delayed a few flights today) and we are getting set for a full-on Monday.   For now, we’ll do our best to recover and get set for the start of a great adventure.  It’s great knowing so many of you are praying with us and believing for supernatural things in the days ahead.

Happy Mother’s Day to all, especially MJG!
LG and the Passion Team

Thinking about Ashley today, and those she loved so much, and celebrating the fact that our God is greater than seemingly random and tragic events like the accident that took her from this life three years ago today.

Thank you Christa [Fruitcake!] for being the light of the world at the University of Florida and for showing Ashley, and all of us, the rare and compelling grace of the One who rescues and restores.

Our lives [and this world] will never be the same!
LG

Many of you have been asking for updates from our friend Hannah Redd as she shares the story of grace among the Bozo people of Mali, Africa.

[If you're new to the journey, we all met Hannah back in September during the Passion 2010 Live Link, an event she was supposed to be joining us for from Mali, where she was working among a people group called the Bozo with no known Believers.  Our hearts were crushed that day at the news that Hannah's mom had suddenly died here in the Atlanta area, and though Hannah was already on a plane back to the States during the link, thousands prayed for her family and the Bozo that night via the web stream.  While she was home for a few weeks following her mom's death, we at Passion City Church got to meet and pray for Hannah.  And, on the night before she returned to Africa in November, we were privileged to come around her as a church and send her out again.]

This came from Hannah and her team over the weekend:

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”

This scripture was brought to life yesterday here in a small village in Mali as myself and Mr. Y, a Malian Christian, sat with 20 or so men and women who were eager to here the word of God. After some storying and explanation, they answered with “We are ready, tell us exactly what we need to do to follow this Jesus road!” Praise the Lord, not only did 6 Bozo men and women receive Christ yesterday but 12 others from 5 different people groups received Christ too! Already these new believers are asking how to gather, how to pray, and so many other questions that can only be explained by the work of the Holy Spirit. Before we left the village yesterday, I challenged each of the new believers to tell at least 5 people each what happened in their lives today to which they replied, “That won’t be a problem, we’ll gather the whole village and tell them!”

I am so happy and amazed by God, I don’t think there are adequate human words to describe the feeling.  Honestly, over the past year there were few days when I truly believed I would ever be here to see a Bozo man or woman come to know Christ as savior. But praise Him that He is the God and Father of all things and that He does more than we could ever fathom or expect.

Please join us in praying and rejoicing for these new believers who are so hungry for the Word. Pray that their faith is strong and endures and that it produces much fruit in the coming days and weeks!

Rejoicing with you

hannah

I agree with you, Hannah.  Human words seem to fail in this moment, but not shouts of praise!!  History is being made right before our eyes, the promise of God being fulfilled as we carry the message of Jesus to the nations.  Thousands around the wold are shouting with you, rejoicing in what God is doing…and we are all believing this little tribe among the Bozo will become a mighty nation for His renown! Hannah, we love you and our hearts are with you and all those working throughout Mali.

Until the whole world hears…

LG

It’s hard to believe it’s here, but in just a few short weeks we will be off for the first leg of the Passion 2010 World Tour, returning to Kyiv, London, Tokyo, Manila and Hong Kong.  [Later this fall Sao Paulo and Vancouver!]

We are so excited to be back in these cities, building on what God allowed us to experience in 2008.  Our friendships with church partners and campus ministries have expanded since then, and there is a great energy in the conversations we are having with students and ministry leaders about the next generation God is raising up around the globe.

First up, Kyiv, Ukraine, and then on to a two-day gathering in London and one-night stops in the Pacific Rim cities of Tokyo, Manila and HK!

Obviously, if you’re anywhere near these stops we want to see you there.  But there is a place for everyone in the Passion Movement to be involved…and we need your support.  Will you consider taking at least one city and making it a strategic focus of prayer?

As well, these events are priced incredibly low so that there is no financial hurdle for those wanting to be a part.  Those of you at Passion 2010 were amazingly generous and gave over $200K to help get things started, but the expense for all seven cities is ten times that amount.  We are trusting we will see God provide in beautiful and miraculous ways, and hope you will be a part of that process.

We will be posting a specific prayer focus for each city in the coming weeks (and recording Podcasts in each place), but for now, all the info is on the Passion World Tour 2010 website.

Check it out and join the journey for His renown!

LG

It’s official, Passion is returning to Texas!

That means you can choose to be a part of Passion 2011 either in Atlanta, GA, January 1-4 OR Fort Worth, TX, April 1-3.  The heartbeat and core of both gatherings will be the same, but there are a few differences.

Passion 2011 Atlanta will look a lot like last year: four days, six main sessions, dual venues, Community/Family Groups, an interactive Do Something Now area, and breakouts.  The main difference is that we are working around some space issues this year that will mean our capacity in Atlanta will be less than it was for 2010…so not as many people will fit in Atlanta this year!

Passion 2011 Fort Worth will be a three-day gathering with five main sessions, one venue, Community/Family Groups, a more streamlined Do Something Now approach and no breakouts.  As well, our capacity in Fort Worth is significantly less than that of Atlanta.

We are excited to be back in Fort Worth (the site of Passion ‘99) and hope this additional location will make it possible for a lot more students to join the Passion wave in 2011.

Registration for Passion Atlanta is open [the current price is $139 through May 1 and over 2700 people have already staked their place].  Registration for Fort Worth will open next Wednesday, April 7 at 12PM (Noon) EST [opening price-$99 through April 30].

Visit www.268generation.com/passion2011/ to register and get the latest info!