REPORTER: Louie Giglio is the pastor of Passion City

Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

He's also the founder of Passion Conferences, where

college kids from around the world

meet for more than just music.

This year, 50,000 young people from 90 countries and all 50

states packed the Georgia Dome for Passion 2017

to pray for a spiritual awakening for this generation.

Louie uses his gift to connect people

with the message of the Gospel.

In his book, "Goliath Must Fall,"

Louie uncovers a new twist on the timeless story

of David and Goliath and reveals a plan

that will silence our personal giants once and for all.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Well, joining us now

is Louie, and thanks for being with us.

LOUIE GIGLIO: It's great to be here.

Thank you.

GORDON ROBERTSON: This book, "Goliath Must Fall,"

it came out of your own personal struggles, didn't it?

LOUIE GIGLIO: It did.

You know, I think that's the twist in the book.

People start reading along.

They're like, wait a minute, you're a pastor.

But I talk about some of my own struggles, particularly

a struggle with anxiety that led me into a pit of depression

a few years ago--

a big pit, where I was out of commission

for a few months in life.

And so "Goliath Must Fall" isn't some platitudes that dropped

down from the pulpit on high.

It's a real life story, a real live person-- me--

and other real life people who God

brings very, challenging times.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Yeah, you said it in passing,

but I've got to stop you on this one--

wait a minute, you're a pastor.

Why is it we expect pastors not to go through the struggles?

LOUIE GIGLIO: Isn't that weird?

You know, I think somehow we have

this idea that if you're a pastor,

you've got a different line of communication to God.

You live in a different zone, a different world.

But it just helps us remember that we're all

made out of the same fabric--

all of us on planet Earth.

And sometimes a pastor doesn't feel

free to share what his struggles are,

because the church is looking to him, to lean

on him, to lead them.

And it's interesting.

When this happened to me, we were planting a church,

so I was becoming a local church pastor for the first time.

One of the meetings, Gordon, that we were going to

was in a living room.

Only 20 people, that's how small the church was.

We hadn't even opened our doors to the public yet,

and I'm in the middle of a breakdown.

My wife is driving me.

I can't stop shaking.

I'm about three weeks into this six month process.

And I say, babe, I don't know if I'm even going to make it.

And I walk in the door, sit down among a bunch of friends

of mine, and I say, look at me.

I am your pastor, and I am a mess.

And gratefully, God slowly brought me out of that,

but no pastor wants to say that.

No pastor wants to say, hey guys, I'm going to lead us,

but I'm a mess.

But the truth is every pastor struggles in the same way

that every person struggles.

And we all know that, but we--

GORDON ROBERTSON: It must have been a huge thing for you

to admit that.

LOUIE GIGLIO: Well, it's a big thing to admit it.

It was big that night.

And then after a process of about six months,

I sort of started coming back to life again,

and then after a few years, by the grace of God,

I actually was myself again.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Yeah, you made it though.

LOUIE GIGLIO: And I went on a tour

with Chris Tomlin a few years later.

We were doing basketball-sized arenas around America--

7,000, 8,000, 10,000 people a night.

And I did a message called "I Lift My Hands."

And I told that story every night,

standing on a stage in a basketball arena in Cleveland

or in Sacramento, California, because I wanted people

to know we're all in this together.

And you could see it on people's faces.

They're like, what, you're on tour.

You're on a stage.

You're an author.

You can't be struggling with the same thing.

But I found that transparency has really

brought encouragement to a lot of people.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Well, what was the reaction that night

when you said it to the church?

Here are 20 friends, and you say, I'm a mess.

What did you get?

LOUIE GIGLIO: It was incredible, because here's the thing.

People know you're a mess, before you

admit that you're a mess.

And so--

GORDON ROBERTSON: They've already figured it out--

LOUIE GIGLIO: When a husband finally comes to his wife

and says, babe, here's the story,

and I'm just going to be honest, she's like, no kidding.

And so when I shared that that night,

I was expecting people to be like, oh wow, we didn't know.

But people were like, yeah, we've

been seeing this fragmenting for a little while.

We'd done a 16 nation, 17 city world tour--

a lot of us in this room together that year.

And interesting, I've never said this before.

But one of the guys in the room was a musician,

and so on some of these events, we were all on mic together.

So he can hear me in his in-ear monitors.

And he said, I've been noticing a few nights

that when you're standing there, you're

making this [TREMBLING HUMMING] sound, and I thought,

why is Louie doing that?

He says, now I know it was just a manifestation of the fact

that you were about to crack.

And so people saw it coming, but-- and I

know we are really short on time--

but a guy stood up in that 20 person group and said,

I went to visit a church this weekend,

because we don't have one yet, and this was the message.

He quoted a passage out of Isaiah,

and that passage became one of the key bricks in the road

that I walked on back into the light again.

So as soon as we are willing to admit where we are,

God begins the process of leading us on the journey

to where He wants us to be.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Yeah, it's always that way.

We first have to admit I need help, I need a savior,

I need you, and look to Him.

Let's talk about the book, because the Goliaths

that you had to defeat, for you, were very real.

And so of all the ones you list in the book,

which one was for you the hardest one?

LOUIE GIGLIO: Well, I think it's that fear.

We talk about fear, and we try--

there a lot of Goliaths in our lives-- but we

try to actually let the text 1 Samuel 17

identify these giants.

And we're not trying to write our giants into the story.

We're letting the real giants-- and the first giant

in the story says when Goliath came out 40 days and 40 nights,

they were terrified, when they saw him, heard him,

knew his track record.

And I think fear has a grip on people.

We hear it said all the time, but there

are 365 verses in the Bible that say do not be afraid.

GORDON ROBERTSON: Do not be afraid.

LOUIE GIGLIO: So God knows--

GORDON ROBERTSON: The first thing that comes out--

LOUIE GIGLIO: God knows that our tendency is to be afraid.

He compares us to sheep in the Psalm 23 who need a shepherd.

Why?

Because sheep have a tendency to be hyper afraid

all the time of everything.

And so we have this ability-- because of our brokenness

and our sinfulness-- to want to take

on the weight of the world, manage

the affairs of the world.

And that leads us to be fearful people who

are gripped by anxiety.

Anxiety has a death grip on this nation right now.

And so I think fear is probably--

GORDON ROBERTSON: In the headlines--

LOUIE GIGLIO: All the people--

GORDON ROBERTSON: Is the government

going to come through?

Is North Korea going to lob a missile at us?

When's the next terror attack?

LOUIE GIGLIO: And we'll looking at it

in real time on our phones on our nightstand.

It's not like I'm going to get up and read

about it in the paper tomorrow.

It's like I can wake up in the middle of the night

and get a terrorizing headline right on my screen.

And so Psalm 23-- best known passage of scripture probably

to most people--

"the Lord is my shepherd."

He said, "even though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Why?

Because I'm strong, no.

Because I've got a technique, no.

Because I read Louie's book, no.

Because you are with me.

And I had to rediscover that in my life.

There is a shepherd named Jesus who

actually walks through this life with us, and He can handle it.

I used to take joy that I had a friend who had my back.

But then I realized, wait, a minute.

He's 5' 11".

He weighs 162 pounds.

And what if he changes his mind?

I can't count on that when I've got

a shepherd who's promised me--

I will lead you I've got a rod in one hand

and a staff and the other.

That should be the thing that comforts you.

And I put that into practice every night when I went to bed.

I would just start offloading to the Shepherd, the things

that we're making me anxious.

I would name them, and put him in his hands, and say,

I've got to sleep.

And I can't solve this tonight, but I'm

going to trust it to You and trust

that You're going to manage it in some way for Your glory

and for my good.

And I believe that.

GORDON ROBERTSON: I believe it, too.

That's a good word.

If you want to hear more, "Goliath Must Fall,"

it's the latest from Louie.

It's his latest book.

You can find it nationwide, wherever books are sold.

And thank you for being here.

LOUIE GIGLIO: Thanks, Gordon.

It's a pleasure to be here.

GORDON ROBERTSON: God bless you.