By Courtney Roberts
On Valentine’s Day weekend, I had the privilege of traveling to Houston for Passion 2014 with my younger brother, Connor. (I joked with him that he was my valentine, but I think he was weirded out by that!) Passion’s tagline is, “The Jesus generation united,” which sums up nicely what it is all about. Passion is a gathering for 18-25 year olds to come together to worship, hear speakers and connect with other believers that are the same age. This was the first time Passion has ever come to Houston, as it is usually only in Atlanta, Georgia. Passion is no small thing, either – there were about 17,600 people in Houston’s Toyota Center.
On Friday, I picked up my brother from his apartment in College Station, and off we went. If nothing else, it was wonderful to be able to experience more of who Christ is with my only sibling. It was great to have time to bond with him and play games as we traveled a few hours south to Houston.
Over the course of two days, we heard messages from Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, Beth Moore and Judah Smith. Most of the messages were centered on Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Each speaker spoke on the topic from a different angle; some of which included: earning God’s love invalidates Jesus’ sacrifice, don’t waste your time on this side of Heaven and choosing to follow God daily. I’m so thankful that I spent the weekend away from campus to reconnect with God and take a break from the routine. Between All-University Sing, schoolwork and applying for jobs, a healthy break was definitely overdue.
I also love the rich community that we share at Baylor. I ran into so many other people from Baylor: sorority sisters, study abroad friends and alumni. The three universities with the largest presence were Texas A&M, Baylor and University of Texas, respectively. During breaks between the sessions, all the Texas schools did their school chants, and you could identify where everyone went to school based on what chant they yelled. I loved knowing that though we’re all rivals, we all love Jesus, and that unites us!
Passion 2015 is going to Houston again, and I recommend going if you can. Grab a couple friends, take a road trip and have a blast learning about Jesus while getting lost in downtown Houston. You won’t regret it! Passion 2015 in Atlanta is January 2-4 and in Houston January 30-February 1.
Find out more about Passion here.