Hey, this is Josh--you know, the Indian guy behind the sound booth Wednesday nights. I'm going to put myself right out in the open here, I love metal and I LOVE Jesus! To some, these two passions don't belong together--I can see why. On one hand you have baby Jesus, meek and mild, in swaddling clothes, sleeping in a manger, with cows and sheep in the background singing 'O, Holy Night' softly and on the hand, you have a bunch of long-haired guys, usually growling, banging away on drums, playing chaotic music that sounds like random noise. People in church have kind of accepted having generic rock bands play Christian music, but metal still needs to stay far away--with all those un-Godly people who still need to be saved by watching 'Facing the Giants'. Call me crazy, but I have feeling that Jesus loves all people, regardless of what kind of music they like. There has always been a pull in my heart to use metal centered around Jesus and excellent music to reach those who don't want anything to do with Christians or Jesus. I've had countless conversations with metal-heads who are blown away that I like metal, don't compromise my faith in Christ, but still love them and don't shove a cookie-cutter version of Christianity down there throats. To me, this is showing them who Christ is all about. Christ is in the business of relating His love to sinners by using what is relevant to the sinner.
I came across this story about a Christian metal band in Ecuador that has been experiencing alot of abuse for being Christ-followers. Take some time, read it, understand that Jesus used the language, customs and the experiences of the people He was ministering to so that He could bring them Good News. Also, take some time and pray for all those who are still lost and need Jesus in their lives and those willing to take risks to be ambassadors for Christ.
Good day folks,
There have been a few incidents this year concerning threats and assaults toward a few black metal evangelistic bands in South America, happening in Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador. My friend Abraham who is playing in Golgotha just told me that recently, the band played at a 400 person show in Quito. Apparently, for some time, Golgotha had been receiving threats from a group of black metallers who are part of a quasi-militant self-professed satanic cult group that actively speaks against Christian metal of all styles and has been doing so for a long time. When Golgotha took to the stage, the antagonists began to blaspheme. Golgotha played an excellent set and some of the crowd began to headbang and enjoy the music. A few people in the crowd became aggravated at the fact that others were enjoying Golgotha's music (both Christians and non-Christians at the concert.) and tried to persuade them to stop. Their inability to do so caused a few to pick up bottles and rocks and throw them at the stage. A couple of the band members were hit but not badly. The band did end up speaking to the crowd and some became very angry at the message, and didn't let the band finish the set successfully. Nobody was seriously hurt.
Read the rest here --
http://forums.firestream.net/showthread.php?t=27099
In Christ, Josh
Jesus and Black Metal
"A 17-year-old grocery bagger was ready to wash his hands in the bathroom at the Federal Way supermarket where he works when he saw a brown canvas money bag on the floor.
Several years ago, I vaguely remember my tween-age daughter telling me about Twilight, a new book that she and her friends were reading. Mom had looked it over and assured me it was no big deal. Now, flash forward to opening night of the new big screen version of Twilight and I can tell you from being there, the words “Big Deal” are a HUGE understatement. At our nearest theater, young girls (and their moms) were in line two hours in advance of the theater doors opening and, on a national level, Fandango reported that they had been selling 5 Twilight tickets per second as of early Friday morning, “making Twilight online ticket-seller Fandango's fastest-selling film since The Dark Knight last July.” Yes, it’s a very big deal and the young ladies in your youth group will definitely be seeing this one.
I'm in Love with a Vampire - The Subtle Messages of Twilight 
