Last week I took some time off to head to Atlanta and spend some time in State Farm Arena. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably thinking since I am the sports reporter, I spent that time watching the Atlanta Hawks play basketball. Well, that was not the case.
Many people know me as the sports reporter for The Hartwell Sun, but there are more important titles that I have in my life. A husband to Madison, a father to Baylor Kate, a son to Todd and Jennifer, a brother to Heather, Katie, Mark, Eliza, Bradley, Beau and Bella, as well as many other titles. But there’s one title that I have that is more important than all of those, and that is being a follower of Jesus Christ.
Over the past year, I picked up another title as I have had the honor to serve as the College and Young Adult leader at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Hartwell. One of our favorite trips of the entire year is going to a conference called Passion. Now for those who don’t know about Passion, it is a conference that began in 1997 with the mission to call 18 to 25-year-old college students from their campuses across the world to lift up the name of Jesus. After it has been held in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta over the past few years, this year it was hosted in State Farm Arena on two separate occasions — Jan. 2-4 and Jan. 6-8.
Days before we departed, I had sent out a text to the group that we had going and asked them to begin to prepare their hearts for what the Lord had in store for them. From the moment Passion began, it felt like almost all 17,000-plus prayed the same prayer. The picture that will be a part of this column is living proof of that. As in that moment, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes were leading everyone in worship as they sang “Holy Forever.” In that moment, it reminded me of what heaven will sound like one day.
Speaking of that, we had four first timers travel with us and I didn’t know where they stood in their faith. My other prayer was that if they didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, that they would come to know Him. Praise God that prayer was prayed. When Sadie Robertson Huff spoke, she asked the question to many, are you hiding from God or are you lost? We had one student who admitted in our nightly debrief on night two that he was indeed lost and needed a relationship with Jesus. We rejoiced and are still rejoicing in his decision to follow Jesus!
There are three reasons I wanted to share this column with you all. One, I wanted you to see that the Lord is alive and is working in the next generation. Just in the Jan. 2-4 gathering, over 900 colleges across the world were represented, and I know a fire was ignited in the hearts of many students, which leads me to my second reason. Two, I pray that you will join me in praying that the flame stays lit in all of these students’ lives as they started back classes or work this week. Three, I wanted to also share just a few quotes that I took away from some of the sessions, because even as a leader, the Lord worked in my life as well.
“You cannot control what you hear, but you can control what you listen to. So it’s time to turn on our spiritual hearing and cancel out the enemy,” Christine Caine said.
“When you are Positioned in faith, Aligned with righteousness, Sharing the gospel, Standing in faith, Internalizing your salvation, Operating in the word and you Never stop praying, that is what it looks like to have PASSION,” Jonathan Pokluda said.
“The scariest thing God can do is let you have your own way,” Louie Giglio said.
But the final one I wanted to share is something I am carrying into 2025. “It’s not about you. Everything you do should exist to glorify God,” Giglio said. I will glorify Him as a husband, a father, a brother, a friend, a leader, a sports broadcaster, a sports reporter, and whatever other role I have. So here’s to glorifying Him in everything I do in 2025.