Book Review: Passion: The Bright Light of Glory by Louie Giglio

In Christmas of 1997, my parents gave me an incredible Christmas gift. It was a ticket (no, not a speeding ticket) with a receipt showing they paid my way to attend Passion in Austin, Tx. It was an incredible gift because I have heard of this conference from my friends at Sagemont Church and the fact that this was started by one of my favorite Bible teachers, Louie Giglio. Louie Giglio was the camp pastor of my first youth camp in the summer of my freshman year in High School just before I got saved.

The Passion conference has grown over the years which also includes a number of worship CD's including the one from 1998 which I still listen to this day. One thing about Passion '98 that stood out was my first encounter with John Piper. I had no idea who this guy was or what in the world he was preaching because he seemed to present God as an arrogant deity, which, thankfully, I know now, that was not the case.

There have been many messages from Passion that have been dubbed as one of the greats by not only those in attendance but also by Louie Giglio. He has taken a collection of the best talks of Passion, including a few of his own, and have turned it into a collection in one volume titled, Passion: The Bright Light of Glory. The book started out with the history of the Passion conference and how it all came together. The rest of the book are talks from different conference that featured not only Louie Giglio and John Piper, but also Francis Chan, Judah Smith, Beth Moore, and Christine Caine. A very interesting collection of speakers from various theological studies as well as preaching styles. Probably the best chapter in the book was from John Piper when he preached, what many considered one of his best sermons, "Boasting Only in the Cross," which was given at the One Day event that happened at the Shelby Farms in Tennessee.

If you are a fan of Passion, this is a perfect book for you to have in case you lost your notes on certain sermons from a few of the teachers. If you are looking for a deep theological book, this would not be the book for you with the exception of Piper and Chan. In case you were wondering if that sermon from John Piper during Passion '98 was in the book. Sorry, it was not. I am still looking for it.

Thanks Booklook Bloggers for letting me review this book.