Imagine the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta packed with 65,000 18 to 25-year-olds, joined together to worship Jesus. Imagine every Christian song performed by today's most influential worship leaders. Imagine an unbelievable event of incredible speakers sharing the message of Jesus in a way you've never heard it spoken before.
Imagine fireworks exploding at the strike of midnight as Hillsong United sings "Good Grace" to ring in the New Year. Can you believe all that happened at the beginning of 2020? For sure, 2020 was a crazy year. But, Passion Conferences began the year in such an extraordinary way on December 31, 2019, through January 2, 2020.
Those incredible three days happened only twelve months ago. But. it feels like a lifetime ago. Although our lives look so much different now, one thing remains the same: God is still good.
Living in uncertain and difficult times, Pastor Louie Giglio and his wife Shelley know that Passion must go on. They decided to have faith, and hold Passion 2021 online. So, that's exactly what they did.
Passion 2021
On December 31, 2020, the all-day conference began. God completely blessed their huge step of faith. And, just a few weeks before Passion, someone covered the cost of the entire conference, making it free for everyone. So, from the very beginning of Passion, you could see that God's hand was on the whole conference. Of course, this year's conference had to look different, but the message of it remained the same.
The whole theme of Passion 2021 was "Good News." Despite the challenges of 2020, there is still the good news of the Gospel. That was portrayed throughout the entire conference.
The Event
Passion began 2020 with fireworks and music, but this year we began 2021 on our knees. Everything about this conference was so beautiful, and it felt so needed after a trying year.
Getting to be part of Passion is so special for every speaker and artist that gets invited to speak or perform. No matter how popular the person, there's something significant about getting asked to join Passion. I know this is true because I got to talk with one of the artists who was asked to perform at Passion this year.
I felt honored to talk with pop artist Tauren Wells. And, I know he felt honored to join Passion 2021. In 2018, Tauren made a special appearance at Passion to share the stage with Crowder for the song "All My Hope." "This performance was so last minute," Tauren shared. Thankfully, this year was a lot less chaotic for him.
Passion 2021 was jam-packed for speakers and musicians. Some speakers featured included Christine Caine, Louie Giglio, Sadie Robertson, and Matt Chandler. Some artists featured include Tauren Wells, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Crowder. There was something for everyone to take away from this event.
One of my favorite moments was taking communion online alongside thousands of people around the world, as the clock struck midnight. There was something so touching knowing that we were entering 2021 right where we should be: at the table with the King.
For Tauren, one of his highlights was hearing artist KB speak. "I loved KB's word that 2021 isn't the promised land, the promotion isn't the promised land, the relationship isn't the promised land, God's presence is the greatest promise that we can ever hold and treasure."
Another big highlight from Passion 2021 was getting to hear Tauren Wells debut his song "All God's Children." The song was written in collaboration with the Tim Tebow Foundation's anti-human trafficking organization. And, it truly has such a powerful message.
Tauren said, "The hope for my new song is to raise awareness around the issue of human trafficking. We want to bring awareness to the fact that men, women, and children are being exploited sexually, and in slavery, as a workforce as well. There are so many different situations that hold people in this bondage all over the world."
For years, Passion has partnered with organizations to end human trafficking, and their work has been so impactful. While I was watching the conference, I was so excited when Tauren came out to debut his song, "All God's Children," especially when I heard that this song was part of something so important. It was a special moment. Tauren's performance was incredible.
Tauren and Tim have created a unique way that we can get involved to join the fight to end human trafficking. "There are several ways that you can get involved. You can stream, download, or purchase 'All God's Children' on whatever platform you use." Tauren said.
"You can play the song on YouTube and share it with friends. Awareness is a huge key component to this, so you can stream it. You can also purchase the 'This is Our Fight' T-shirt. You can go to taurenwells.com, and that will take you to Tim's foundation's landing page that was created specifically for this. And ultimately, (we can never do less than this) we can pray. Pray that these evil schemes are exposed, for the families that are put in these positions, and of course pray for (the majority being children) that are enslaved in this despicable evil."
Closing Thoughts
Overall, Passion 2021 was amazing. It was estimated that 730,000 people attended virtually this year. "Even though the buildings are closed, the church has remained mobile. This was one of the greatest online audiences that there's been for Passion, so it's amazing," Tauren shared.
I've been watching Passion online for the past few years. But, there's something special about this year. It's such a blessing that Passion 2021 even happened. It was amazing getting to worship together with people from around the world. Although miles separated us, we still got to experience the presence of God.
The Lord used Pastor Louie Giglio to change my life four years ago. I've loved how He has used him and Passion to change the lives of so many other people. Since I've found Passion, I've been able to find freedom from anxiety, and I've found a true relationship with God. Passion Conferences and Passion City Church will always hold a special place in my heart. It's blown me away seeing all that God has done through them over the past few years.
I ended my conversation with Tauren asking him if he had any final words he'd like to share about Passion. And, it feels like the perfect way to close out this article as well.
"I want to say thank you so much to Passion Conferences and Passion City Church for letting me be a part of this event. I have so much respect for Louie and Shelley Giglio." I'd like to echo that as well. Thank you, Passion. Thank you, Louie and Shelley for following the calling that God has placed on your lives. Thank you, Tauren, for taking the time to talk about Passion with me. Let's all continue the fight to end human trafficking, and continue to remind those around us that we truly are "all God's children."
Grace Chaves has been a fan of all things Christian music since 2016. She is one of NRT's youngest writers. Homeschooled, Grace is an author, loves Jesus, concerts, and roadtrips.
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