Ravn + Annie (and the Schertz)

It was a great honor to stay at the Schertz family the days before Cornerstone + be at Ravn and Annies wedding!!

Above: Ravn, Annie, some girl and Mika (Annies great boy).
Ravns dad from Norway => and => Karen & Larry Schertz.

It really felt like family staying with them, and I can't wait to visit them again..! They know what it is to love on people! Thank you my Friends!
Annie and Amanda Schertz......My friend Jeremy (from heavy metal band Strangeland) did the photos. 

A quick update from Tennessee / Illinois

It's awesome being back in the States seeing friends and hanging out with the McCavanaghs + driving around Nashville with Pastor Bob again.

Birthday
The 25th was my birthday and Pastor Bob put up a surprise party for me at Abbie's house. About 30 people came and it was great seeing so many people again. I really appresiated it!

Wedding
PB and I had a 8-9 hour drive to Illinois yesterday. My friend Ravn (lead screamer of Norwegian black metal band Frosthardr) and Annie Schertz are being married by Pastor Bob this weekend. My Danish friend Stefan "Ghashul" Bruhn is here as well.

Cornerstone Festival
will be this upcoming week from Monday to Saturday. I will be playing 3 times with Jim LaVerde and the Sanctuary Worship Band on the Sanctuary Stage. Besides that I've scheduled 30 band interviews that I hope we'll get done. Usually there's about 30.000 people at this festival. Christian bands where most of them are playing hard core metal.

Nashville it is

Goood being back, in spite of country music and bad traveling..!  

... Actually the traveling wasn't as bad as it used to be  :O)  This time I only got my travel schedule changed twice, missed one flight and had an extra 12 hour layover in Chicago. But it felt like luxury this time! Because of all the mess at the airports I got a room at a nice hotel + a business class seat from Washington to Chicago. AND a food voucher, YEAH, hehe:

I usually post my food voucher food at this blog, so here you go B-)

The good thing about traveling by my self is that I don't have to worry. I've got no traveling partners to take care of, and I don't mind sleeping in the dirt. But it would have been funny to share the travel and the funny episodes with someone, like when I entered business class, sat down, and all the pretty business folk was convinced that I was in the wrong section of the plane, hehe :-P

But after a few seconds I started talking with the very wealthy business lady beside me, and we had a great chat for at least an hour. 

Back to The States

So, tomorrow early early early I'm heading back to Nashville, TN!

Looking VERY much forward to see everybody again, especially my little American family; The McCavanaghs!

I will only be here for 3 weeks though, due to a huge SummerCamp that I'm involved with in Denmark.

While being in the US I will go to Cornerstone Illinois to help at the Sanctuary Stage, do some band interviews and play there as well with Jim LaVerde and the Sanctuary Worship team.

Road trip to Sweden

JUST got back after a very impulsive road trip from Friday to Monday. My old nanny and friend "Tante Gerd" has got a little cabin out in the woods in Sweden. No electricity, no running water and the toilet is a bucket out door: Awesome!

It's probably the 5th time I'm here => sweet place for vacations out in the wilderness! ...But this time we went to clean up after someone broke the door down. Fortunately nothing was stolen, but a dude had had at least one good nights sleep there.It turned out to be an GREAT time of quietness, retreat and fellowship. Tante Gerd, my friend Jered (from Nashville) and I went for it. Appreciated some quiet time in-between a whole lot of world-wide-traveling. God knows how to turn bad things into great things => what a blessing!

Hard Rock Halleluja, Germany

Last weekend was a GREAT one as well!
We rented a van and went on a road trip down south to our German friends. Pastor Bob did seminars and Solace The Day brought the axes. Here's the line up for the metal event:

My friends from Arcane Legion, who are working with their church on putting these events up. This sweet stage is actually the church room:
Solace The Day in back stage warming up. With a little help from Martin from Corpse Under Construction:

It's always great to meet the Pantokrator guys, and it has been lots of fun sharing stage with 'em two weekends in a row. ...Here Panto-Jonas and I are having a serious talk down under in the catacombs of Eckernförde:

...or something like that.

After the show Arcane, Panto, Solace and more friends went to grab a beer sausage. Sweet time of fellowship and hang out (though a couple of these guys look a bit spent):

From left; my Nashville-friend Jered, I, Solace-drummer-Jonas, Solace-guitar-Levi.

A great time i Germany meeting friends and getting new ones! The Hard Rock Halleluja events happen once in a while. Please go check it out at myspace.com/hardrockhallelujah1 ! They are great people with a good ministry and a cool show!

Green Light District Festival 2008

WOW!! WHAT AN AWESOME WEEKEND!!!
400 excited people making fellowship, connecting and encouraging each other! EVERYBODY was extremely positive and loving on each other. JUST what I was dreaming of. ...And much more! B-)
14 bands from 5 different countries entered the stage during the weekend. We had all the brutal metal genres represented; Gore Grind and Chaotic Tech Black Metal included. Blindside (picture below) was the headliners and the softer band at the fest., but delivered an awesome show!!
Barricades (picture below) did a one-time reunion gig at the festival, which was lots of fun. I've been to festivals all over the world, but I must say; we REALLY have the best crowd at this festival! If you haven't been here, come be a part of it and see for yourself!
...And then Solace The Day (picture below) entered the GLDFestival stage as well. This festival is the birth place for many great bands! Keep an eye out for this band ;-P

We will play Hard Rock Halleluja in Germany tomorrow. Pastor Bob Beeman did seminars at the GLDFestival and will be speaking at HRH as well. It's gonna be good seeing my German friends down there and getting new ones!
It has been an extremely blessed festival with GREAT bands and AWESOME seminars, but the best thing about it all: IT HAS BEEN FAMILY! Come join the family next year! myspace.com/greenlightdistrictfestival

The reason why this festival is alive is because of all the excited people working away with me!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

GLORY TO GOD! ! !

...all photos by Stefan Bruhn - www.Ghashul.dk

Kinder Garden Story #3

Okay, time for another one. Not because of the kids (but because of "the grown ups") I'm wearing a long sleeve to cover my tattoos:

"
Accidentally my spider web tat on the right albow was showing. "You've got a TAAATTOOOOOO", one of the girls yelled at me with a pointed finger. No one of the other grown ups were in the room so I gladly showed 'em my just-like-Spiderman-tattoo. After taking a good look at my albow the little girl said, with a girly-deep rusty voice; "I call that a blooood tattoo". "A blood tattoo", I asked; "why's that, you say?". "You don't know that?", the girl said, "it's because it's made with needles and there's blood and everything!".
...And at that time it got clear to me that my tattoos are fake! The real ones are the ones you get in chewing gum packages and you can use water to put them on.
"

Staying busy

Life is pretty busy these days..!

Spending the week day-hours working at the kindergarden,
the evenings on GLDFestival and
the weekends on practicing with Solace The Day and Barricades and working on GLDF.

A whole lot of work, but at the same time a blessing!

We in Barricades are doing a one-time reunion gig at the Green Light District Festival this year, which will be in less than two weeks..!

Solace The Day is going great. We've found a bass player and we're looking very much forward to play at GLDF and Hard Rock Halleluja in Germany the week after.

It's such an awesome thing working with this metal music ministry and putting together this festival. ...And hard. There's no doubt about it; God isn't lieing when He tells us that by Him we find rest and peace! I really need Him! Everyday..! HE's good and faithfull!

Pastor Bob joins the family

In 20minutes I'll drive to the airport to pick up my very good friend, Pastor Bob!
He will be staying here for something like 6 weeks. We've got a lot of projects, festivals and catching up to do! And maybe find the time to chill out as well :)

It's such a blessing knowing PB!
Please, if you haven't be listening to some of his 4 podcasts/radioprograms for a while, do it now; http://sanctuaryinternational.com/

IT WILL ENRICH YOU!

(This picture was taken here at my home in Fjellerup last time PB payed us a visit, August'07)

Elements Of Rock

Awesome finally being at this metal festival in Switzerland! It's the 5th year they're doing this and the fellowship was great! Lot's of cool metal concerts, teachings by Pastor Bob and worship by Jim LaVerde..!

Picture above: Drottnar (phycotic black metal from Norway) who'll also be playing at the Green Light District Festival in a month!

There's was a very good crowd of black-clothed folks from all over the world! MANY people I've met before at other festivals and MANY new heads I got to know! Some of the most friendly people who'd meet (though a lot of people had a hard time understanding English here, and my German isn't too good..!).It would be hard to find a better fellowship than at these Christian Metal Festivals!

I totally enjoyed meeting so many new fellow metalheads/-Christians + getting to know a whole bunch of people from the bands.
The picture above is two new friends whom I hung out with at the festival; Manu and Miika from Deuteronomium (death metal from Finland).

It was an honor when they from the stage dedicated one of their songs "To Die And Gain" to me.


THANKS for an awesome weekend at Elements Of Rock!!

Kinder Garden Story #2

"
"Are you a wizard?", a 4 year old boy asked. And all I was doing was walking into the childrens restroom to wipe a few butts. "Hmm..." I answered, and grabbed thoughtfull around my 10 cm long beard. "But ARE you a wizard?", one of the 5 year old boys asked. "You think I am?", I asked. "ARE you!!?" 4 boys yelled at me, and now they really wanted an answer!
"

How I love that crazy imagination!

Oldies but goodies

18 years ago when I was 7 at age something pretty cool happened..!

In the early days my lovely parents dragged us kids around to all kinds of Christian rock concerts like Jerusalem, Newsboys, PFR and this well-aged Norwegian dude:

Hans Inge Fagervik is his name, and he's a pretty cool guy and a reason for many good things. When I was 7 years old I pointed at the man on the stage and told my mom that I wanted to be him. That was Mr.Fagervik. After the concert we walked up to him. He toke my little hand and walked me through the crowds to get a free poster for me, oh YEAH, that was the beginning..!

Next Christmas my parents bought me a little guitar, and today I'm playing a Kirk Hammett Signature with skull and bones printed in the guitar neck. Thank you Hans Inge. And GOD!

So yesterday it was my turn to take my parents hands and bring them to a concert. It was an in memory of LARRY NORMAN tour with something like 10 bands performing. Andraé Crouch did a great gig, and then H.I.Fagervik played as well. After the show my mom and I (like 18 years ago) went over to have a chat with him.

As a musician I can only respect passionated musicians, and wheather I like or dislike the genres and tunes I'm thankfull for what the oldies/goodies created with mind, heart and soul. A big respect to people like Larry Norman, Keith Green, Glenn Kaiser and Andraé Crouch!

Kinder Garden Story #1

I'm now working 4 days a week in an idyllically little kinder garden with 30-40 kids in age 0-6.

For the next few month I'll be living here at my parents house, which is 3 minutes walk from the kinder garden.

Story of the day:

Kids are sometimes so weird and funny which always cheers me up. Sometimes they're also insainly loud, and that's what this tory is about.

"Once upon a time in a little country in Scandinavia a dread head got himself some work in a little kinder garden in a very little village. Let's call him "Dude". Dude liked hanging out with the little people, but he also liked insects and reptiles very much. Unfortunately there were no reptiles to be found in the garden of the kinder garden. But insects is something you can find in every garden; Dude knew that! Therefor he and some of his little people friends decided to go on an adventure, finding insects. They found a lot of obscure insects and they all enjoyed them very much. There were happiness and laughter all around. But then one of the 5 year old little people found another funny one:

Dude told him that it would role itself together like a hard ball, if it got scared. Everyone were very excited, which became the end of that idyllic day. ...And the beginning of little people screaming and making scary faces for hours, all for the sake of seeing the new insect becoming a hard ball."

...to be continued.

GLDFestival ticket sale and HEAVY METAL bus

The ticket sale has now started, and maaan it's gonna be a GREAT festival!!
myspace.com/greenlightdistrictfestival
I'm REALLY excited about doing this 3 days festival again this year!
It's a whole lot of work, but it serves an amazing purpose which is ALL effort worth!
Because it's all about the metal fellowship and the fellowship we have in Christ, we've booked two HEAVY METAL BUSSES that's runs from Aarhus to GLDF Friday and back again on Sunday. It's a 65 minutes drive through small Danish villages, forest areas and open fields!

Keep it metal :-p

In His grip;

Andreas

Solace the Day

My new band is now official! "Solace the Day"..."Solace The Day is a new energic band blasting out of the dark woods of Denmark and into the wide open fields of Southern Metal ready to chop your wood!
Former member of Barricades, Andreas Larsen, sat in country capital Nashville, Tennessee, with a vision and an urge to be a part of creating a positive and brutal southern metal band with a bunch of anti rockstars...
Only a few months later the band met in Denmark and wrote their first material!
Solace The Day holds members of Magtesløs, Amorém, Corps Under Construction, Annihilation Of The Fragiles, Day Of Disaster and Barricades."...
These 3 guys are also on the core team for organizing the Green Light Disrtict Festival with me which is a blessing!
http://www.myspace.com/solacetheday

"Solace the Day" is a tool for us to reach especially young people with the love of Christ. At the same time we're having a lot of fun writing music and dancing away! :)

One of the visions is to go touring with a main reason to encourage and inspire young folks with the love that God has shown us, and IS pouring down on us every day! Everywhere we go, we wanna give people a killer show, but also be humble to the crowd and be the last people to leave the clubs, just talking with whoever may need it.

Another new job

I've found the perfect job to earn some money and have a good time as well, only 3 minutes walk from my parents home (where I live at the moment). It's a kinder garden for 0-6 year old kids and today they just offered me a 25 hour week and no weekends!That gives me a pay check and some time off to work on aaaaaaaall the projects.

I wish I didn't have to work besides the ministry, projects and festivals, but then again I simply couldn't get a better job than this!!
What a blessing!
...And one more thing: I just found out that one of the main things that they wanna teach the kids is to accept and respect that we are all different! 50 times a day I get questions about my
1) Piercings
2) Beard
3) Tattoos
4) Hair
5) Jeans hanging low
6) Festival wrist bands

...Maybe that's why the hired me?? , hehe :0)

BAND list for the GLDFestival

myspace.com/greenlightdistrictfestival

Today we announced the last 4 bands for the Green Light District Festival in Denmark!

Here's a list of the bands (all of them are Christians):

- Blindside (Sweden) : Legendary hardcore/rock from this major band!

- Pantokrator (Sweden) : Death/thrash from a 12 year old great band!

- Drottnar (Norway) : Very technical and very psychotic black metal!

- Barricades (Denmark) : My old metalcore band. ONE TIME reunion concert!

- Back Pocket Prophet (England) : Old school rockin' trash metal!

- Magtesløs (Denmark) : Hardcore/metal with explosive live show!

- Servants of the Immortal (Denmark) : 13-16 year old boys playing brutal doomy death metal!

- Amplified (Denmark) : Melo-death when it's best!

- Threat Chest (Denmark) : Great thrash with technical brutalities!

- Amorém (Denmark) : Debut concert with this promising actioncore metal band!

- Solace the Day (Denmark) : My new band. Brutal southern metal rock!

- Corpes Under Construction (Denmark) : GrindGORE from the slaughterhouse!

- Silent Highway (Denmark) : Peaceful singer/songwriter!

- Sanctuary Worship (USA) : Nice!

And seminars by Pastor Bob Beeman!

Meeting w the CORE group

Last week I had a weekend meeting with the core group of the Green Light District Festival and a great weekend is was!!
The core group consists of 5 people: 4 amazing young friends between 16 and 18 years old and I. I couldn't do it without them! 4 more GREAT bands will be announced within the next couple of weeks and the ticket sale will start very soon!

By the way: The pictures hasn't anything to do with anything. I just love the fact that Fainting Goats exist..! (Took the pictures a few month ago at a fair in Knoxville, Tennessee).

New work (for paycheck)

Yesterday and today I applied for two jobs here in my parents 700 inhabitant beach village. Money doesn't grow on trees and flight tickets for festivals doesn't do either...

I applied as a substitute teacher at a boarding school for teenagers and as a substitute social worker at a home for disabled children...and got both jobs, which is a blessing. When I'm at work-work I'm there a 100% and when I'm doing ministry work it's the same. 

I've got ministry projects for a full time work (and more!) and would love to do that as a living, but I guess God is about to teach me something more at the moment. I'm sure I'll learn a lot through these two jobs as well.

My new band: Solace The Day!

During my first week i Denmark I spend 4 days with my brand new Southern Metalcore band!

We still need to get a couple of things done, so it's still (a bit) unofficial. But I'm excited!

Family and birthday!

It was GREAT seeing my family again!!!

I can feel at home most places but still there's nothing like home...

And I made it home in time for my one and only nephews 2 years birthday, how awesome is that!! And as a true half-American boy... he is born on valentines day :)

My birthday present for him was VeggieTales cartoons. 

Thanks for the inspiration, Bryndan! :)

The Order of Mission

I made it home JUST in time for an important conference that I had been looking forward to!

It's a world wide order fellowship amongst Christian leaders and missionaries. Very loving, caring and visionary! 

The Order of Mission has got three vows:

- Simplicity

- Purity

- Accountability

For the past few years I've been working on building my life (with Gods help) on these tree vows, so I got very excited half a year ago when the two pastors from my church (Århus Valgmenighed) asked me to join!

The-Order-of-Mission

Nashville => Fjellerup

My trip turned out to be more than twice as long as scheduled... After 48 hours traveling I arrived to my birth home, and it felt goooood... Personal record!

It's a crazy story: 

- Nashville flight 3,5 hour delayed.

- Missed direct and comfortable flight to Copenhagen, Denmark.

- I then had to wait 17 hours AT THE AIRPORT on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

- The Frankfurt flight was an hour delayed.

- When I came to Frankfurt I was out of time to catch the Copenhagen flight.

- Waited 5 hours.

- Copenhagen flight an hour delayed.

- When I got to Copenhagen the Airport didn't have people to deliver our luggage.

- Waited an hour.

- When all luggage got through my two suitcases were missing. DOH!

On the pictures you see what I could buy for my 3 food tickets. 

1) Night-food in Chicago Airport

2) Lunch in Chicago Airport

3) Dinner in Frankfurt Airport :)

When I think of the trip everything that could go wrong did go wrong EXCEPT for the really important things like health issues and violent episodes. GOD is SO good and always looking after me! He has been faithful as always these 48 hours! Often He even protects me from harm though I mess things up. How GREAT is our God!!

What I've learned

A few of the things I've learned (or have had confirmed) during the last 6 month working with Pastor Bob and traveling around at metal festivals:

=> ANYTHING is possible for God...NOTHING is impossible for God.

=> God is dreaming bigger than I am.

=> I've got a leader responsibility and God will give me the strength...when I lay it all over to Him.

=> I've got friends and contacts all over the world because of Gods guidance.

=> Christ is the foundation, and my character should reflect the "Fruit of the Spirit". Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law!"

=> Blessed to be a blessing. I'm receiving Gods love and grace for nothing, therefore I give.

=> Home is where I lay my head when God is by my side.

=> God would much rather have me than my work. His first priority is having a RELATIONSHIP with me!

=> First rest...THEN work. Rest is the foundation of healthy work.

Bye for now

When the tornado storms cooled off in the morning I started packing :)

A bit tired, but life-giving as always when Bryndan woke up, ran to my room and with a big smile said "duuuuuude".

Above: On this picture we're watching the trailer for "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (A VeggieTales movie). He NEVER gets tired of watching that 1,5 minute video!

Below: A memory picture of my home (while being in Nashville) since August 2007.

...And the Mercury '88 who was my dancing partner on the American freeway.

THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING TIME WITH YOU AT YOUR HOUSE, JAMIE AND TRISH!!!

See you in Nashville in June!

Tornados

My very last night in the States was spend watching the news together with Trish...

16 tornados went through the Nashville area and did a whole lot of damage. It especially destroyed a lot of mobil homes. Twice we had to wake up Jamie and Bryndan and then the 4 of us crawled down under the staircase, which is the most safe place in the house if then roof would be ripped of. 

I wasn't really afraid, maybe because I've never experienced tornados like that before. But another thing is, that I know God has big future plans with both me and my little American family, and our time has not come yet! If my death would draw more people to Christ than if I was alive, then let it be. Many times death doesn't make any sense. I pray that mine will. 

LotR marathon

For months Jamie, Pastor Bob and I have been longing to burn of a day watching the 3 extended versions of Lord of the Rings. My last Saturday in the States was the day it happened!

One great thing about Lord of the Rings is, that everybody think that Legolas looks exactly like my brother...which is true! And then off course; Viggo Mortensen is one of the great Danes...

In studio

I met Devon and Becki Ryan (and their baby) in Denmark 4 month ago, when I spend 2 weeks in Denmark. They are touring with their worship songs and payed my Danish church a visit. As I did, they really liked this Church + the worship and decided to record a Danish song that my church wrote... And record it in Danish! 

I payed them a visit in the studio and helped with pronouncing the words. For ONCE I was "on my own ground" language wise. Felt good :) 

The song is "Lad din godhed komme over os".

Please listen to their worship at myspace.com/beckiryan

Hanging w Nashville metalheads

Before I left the States there were a few things I had to do. One of the very important things was to hang out with some of the cool people over here, who has now become good friends of mine!

Above: A picture of my Metal Brothers => Dennis, Kevin and Jered. Awesome guys!

Below: While we were just chilling out in downtown Nashville, I thought I might just get something done :)