Back to Passion. It's been like 2 weeks since PASSION: Part 2 about the cause we supported, and PASSION: Part 1 about the speakers. So what's left?
The worship.
HOLY COW. In very few places (short of Heaven of course) will you find more powerful worship. The absolute magnitude of 45,000 loud, unashamed college-aged Christians singing their hearts out for the Lord is something you can't forget. If ever in our lives do we have the chance to SHOUT and be LOUD and have so much ENERGY for our Lord... IT'S NOW. It's in college, while we have a strange combination of adult maturity and childlike vitality. And Passion was the perfect place to do that unashamed.
The worship leaders there were fantastic. Chris Tomlin was sort of the head of all the worship leaders, but throughout the week we got to have Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Hillsong United, and David Crowder Band lead us in worship (I don't think I'm forgetting anyone?). Every one of them was amazingly talented, and speaking purely from a musical standpoint, were incredible. Then from a spiritual standpoint, things get to a whole new level. The connection to the Lord that was felt in the room whenever worship music was going on was overwhelming.
After some of the songs, I found myself thinking, "Why isn't worship always like this?" I'd justify it with the fact that there were 45,000 people singing together, there were loud bands, there were incredible flashing lights, or maybe because we came to the Georgia Dome for this exact purpose? Then I started thinking, "Seriously, why isn't worship ALWAYS like this?" Worship, in addition to its corporate context, is a very personal thing too.
Why should I need 45,000 other people around me to have one-on-one time with God?
I don't. It's nice. It's really cool. It's motivating even. But necessary? I don't think so.
Even still, it was an amazing launching point for me to begin to realize this a little more, and it's definitely something everyone should experience. I don't want it to sound like I'm criticizing a huge gathering of Christians like that. I'm not AT ALL. Oh my gosh, I wish I could have that every day!! (Which gets me even more stoked about Heaven, because it's going to be approximately a billion times as awesome). It says in Matthew 18:20 that "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” But realistically, we probably don't have quite that magnitude wherever "home" is. Back to what I was saying before though, because worship is a very personal thing as well, it's not necessary to have thousands of people with you. That same experience of complete surrender to God can happen even while worshiping alone!
Back at school and at home, sometimes it seems like people just generally not as interested in worship as they are at conferences like Passion. I'm guilty of it too! But why? I don't think there's really a good reason. So this is challenge to my brothers and sisters in Christ who are reading this. Stop caring about how you look or sound when worshiping. Stop thinking that you should save your best "worship hands" for conferences. START letting God into your heart and mind. START allowing Him to take you over. START making worship personal again.
I'm not much of a hand-raiser during worship. I have absolutely nothing against it, just personally that's not usually my thing. But at Passion it happened. I don't even know why, surrender I suppose? But I didn't really care if I looked goofy or awkward, or if I looked cool and more spiritual. It didn't matter at all. All that mattered is that I had the honor and privilege to worship our God.
So be bold. Be loud. Be energized. Be joyous! Clap your hands and lift up a shout to our God!!
Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this! I didn't plan on writing a post like this at all, but here it is! Please, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or if you have any questions feel free to contact me!
The worship.
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| Source: Donna Irene via flickr |
HOLY COW. In very few places (short of Heaven of course) will you find more powerful worship. The absolute magnitude of 45,000 loud, unashamed college-aged Christians singing their hearts out for the Lord is something you can't forget. If ever in our lives do we have the chance to SHOUT and be LOUD and have so much ENERGY for our Lord... IT'S NOW. It's in college, while we have a strange combination of adult maturity and childlike vitality. And Passion was the perfect place to do that unashamed.
The worship leaders there were fantastic. Chris Tomlin was sort of the head of all the worship leaders, but throughout the week we got to have Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Hillsong United, and David Crowder Band lead us in worship (I don't think I'm forgetting anyone?). Every one of them was amazingly talented, and speaking purely from a musical standpoint, were incredible. Then from a spiritual standpoint, things get to a whole new level. The connection to the Lord that was felt in the room whenever worship music was going on was overwhelming.
After some of the songs, I found myself thinking, "Why isn't worship always like this?" I'd justify it with the fact that there were 45,000 people singing together, there were loud bands, there were incredible flashing lights, or maybe because we came to the Georgia Dome for this exact purpose? Then I started thinking, "Seriously, why isn't worship ALWAYS like this?" Worship, in addition to its corporate context, is a very personal thing too.
Why should I need 45,000 other people around me to have one-on-one time with God?
I don't. It's nice. It's really cool. It's motivating even. But necessary? I don't think so.
Even still, it was an amazing launching point for me to begin to realize this a little more, and it's definitely something everyone should experience. I don't want it to sound like I'm criticizing a huge gathering of Christians like that. I'm not AT ALL. Oh my gosh, I wish I could have that every day!! (Which gets me even more stoked about Heaven, because it's going to be approximately a billion times as awesome). It says in Matthew 18:20 that "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” But realistically, we probably don't have quite that magnitude wherever "home" is. Back to what I was saying before though, because worship is a very personal thing as well, it's not necessary to have thousands of people with you. That same experience of complete surrender to God can happen even while worshiping alone!
Back at school and at home, sometimes it seems like people just generally not as interested in worship as they are at conferences like Passion. I'm guilty of it too! But why? I don't think there's really a good reason. So this is challenge to my brothers and sisters in Christ who are reading this. Stop caring about how you look or sound when worshiping. Stop thinking that you should save your best "worship hands" for conferences. START letting God into your heart and mind. START allowing Him to take you over. START making worship personal again.
I'm not much of a hand-raiser during worship. I have absolutely nothing against it, just personally that's not usually my thing. But at Passion it happened. I don't even know why, surrender I suppose? But I didn't really care if I looked goofy or awkward, or if I looked cool and more spiritual. It didn't matter at all. All that mattered is that I had the honor and privilege to worship our God.
So be bold. Be loud. Be energized. Be joyous! Clap your hands and lift up a shout to our God!!
Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this! I didn't plan on writing a post like this at all, but here it is! Please, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or if you have any questions feel free to contact me!
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