First Gig & Rehearsal

(Updated - Sunday May 14)

What an amazing weekend it was ... the excitement of meeting for the first time ... during a setup, sound-check and immediately into a youth worship event ... and then almost a whole day of rehearsal.

Lot's of work, even just to focus on how I should fit in musically, style wise and harmonically into a seven piece band within the context of the developing band personality, the expectations of the leader and my own preconceived ideas and expectations. Add to that some audio issues and you have potentially an evening of exhaustion without much "fruit". That is, creatively or spiritually.

By the way, hat's off and thanks to the folks at Cedarview, you guys did a great job!

Well, I was pleasantly surprised with "good fruit" ... and I was exhausted, in a good way, in the end.

Even though there was so much grabbing my attention, I was pleasantly surprised by God's presence during our whole time together.

First Gig - Friday April 21

God's presence became especially obvious Friday night, when after a lengthy evening of university sales pitches, a teaching on praise and worship interspersed with what could have been an overwhelming concert atmosphere (a big band like that can be a distraction) ... the Spirit of God broke through and settled on many young people.

They where obviously seeking Him and in His response to them He touched them and poured His love out onto them. I was really struck by the sense of innocence, guilelessness and purity that swept through the room as one teen after another got to their knees and responded to their heavenly Dad with humility and passion. That turned into a proper "kingdom" gig ... and I believe God was honoured.

Now ... about the band ...

What an awesome group of guys!! Right from the beginning, every musician showed incredible kindness as well as a real professional attitude. What was really evident was each man's love for Jesus and passion for kingdom life. There's no question that each one of them are great musicians.

That came out during set-up and the first pass sound check and became increasingly evident as we gelled together. By the time the evening kicked off we were really tight ... I was especially impressed by how quickly the rhythm section got into the "slot" and stayed there.

Allen's leadership throughout was really excellent and I believe was part and parcel of the growing unity in the band both musically and spiritually!

Afterwards at the Legiehn home, we had a chance to chill and get to know each other a bit more, discuss plans and logistics for the trip and potential upcoming gigs. A bite to eat, again generously supplied by Curtis and family, followed by much needed sleep.

Curious ... at one point I woke up because a small pillow had landed on my face, seemingly out of the sky. Confused, I unzipped my sweltering sleeping bag (-7 deg. bag zipped up indoors ... duh!) and went back to sleep.

Rehearsal - Saturday April 22

Next morning at brunch (mmm .... pancakes and strawberries) I was offered a clue. Shayne asked me if I remembered a pillow being thrown at me ... ah! Apparently I snore like a freight train ... both Shayne and James couldn't get to sleep because of the racket I was making. Apparently the pillow did the trick.

No time to go for thirds ... sound tech is waiting for us at Bayview Glen. Who is Glen anyway?
What a huge church! We only took up about 30% of the stage, and we were spread out. The sound quality was very high. I tried fitting flutes and Irish whistles into the mix as well as my violin ... jury's still out on that one I think.

One particular thing really stuck out for me. While we were setting up, Curtis needed to restring his guitar. Christopher offered to help him and proceeded to kneel down and wind strings on. I was moved by the humility and kindness that was demonstrated. I thought it was kind of a musician's version of foot washing.

The afternoon was a good day of constructive work. Song structure, arrangement, voicing. etc. Allen kept the flow going at a good pace until about 6pm. Mid afternoon break was a time of prayer and testimony. We topped the day off with a nutritious meal of pizza and pop. :o)

Time to leave the church that A.W. Tozer once pastored ... no wonder I felt theologically refreshed ... ? A time of prayer and blessing by the front doors followed by most of the band leaving for home. Jeremy and Curtis and I drove back to the Legiehn home. One more night for me in Thornhill before the last leg of my weekend journey.

That evening I had the opportunity to really get to know both Curtis and Jeremy. Curtis's family has a Brazil connection similar to mine as I spent much of my childhood with a Mennonite family that had emigrated from Curitiba Brazil in the early 60's. Curtis's family has a German background with his father's side of the family from the same town.

Jeremy and I have similar musical interests. That afternoon he started to idly play "Portrait of Tracy" during a down time. That's a tune by world famous bassist Jaco Pastorius. Most really serious bassists know who that is ... what a treat to hear that. We talked well into the evening about God, music, missions, Germany, Brazil and family.

What a pleasurable stay at the Legiehn home. Thanks so much Curtis and family!

Worship Event - Newmarket Ontario

I'm excited! The band is meeting for the first time this Friday (April 21) ... on stage! We're playing a youth service at Cedarview Community Church in Newmarket, Ontario.

Arrive, set-up and sound check at 4:30 pm, gig at 7pm. No small undertaking for a 7 piece band that's never played together let alone even met. I think It'll be a proving ground for the caliber and maturity of musicianship of each player. Awesome!

Allen Froese Band line-up:

Allen Froese - Keys/Vox
Curtis Legiehn - Acoustic Guitar
Christopher Conley - Electric Guitar
Jeremy Daw - Bass
Shayne Laity - Drums
James Mercer - Percussion
Christoph Hermann - Electric Violin

Most of us are staying at Curtis's home in Thornhill where we'll have brunch together on Saturday. All day Saturday we're booked for rehearsal and prayer at Bayview Glen Alliance Church in Thornhill, Ontario. I'm sure there will be lot's of discussion on logistics and travel for this July.

Sunday I'm invited to Pastor Herman & Gudrun Meyer's home for lunch. Pastor Meyer and his wife were both an important part of my early walk with the Lord at the Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde my family attended when I was a child. He is presently suffering from terminal cancer as well as Parkinson disease and diabetes. I haven't seen him in almost 11 years and am really looking forward to this visit. I had a telephone conversation with Mrs. Meyer a few weeks ago that was a huge blessing to me.

I'm taking my camera and hope to post some notes and photos of this weekend's experiences here in the next few days.

Pity that I'm missing the city wide Prayer Summit being held at the Harbour in North Bay this weekend. My heart is really tied to this kind of thing which is an answer to many years of prayer. Thank you God!

Symphony of Praise

Every time I think of You my heart pounds,
It's beating a song of love for you my God!

Your Majesty

I'm just a love-sick worshipper of you my King,
and this song You're singing is just in the prelude stage.

Your Beauty

I'm so excited and full of anticipation,
You will have to strengthen my frame before we get to the ...

Your Might

... beginning of the first movement.

Your Lovingkindness

Yes Lord, a most beautiful symphony of praise is gaining momentum,
ready to burst out of darkness ...

Your Mercy

... into Your glorious light

Your Faithfulness

to proclaim the wonder of who You are!

Your Power

Come you, His mighty angels, behold Him,
look how wonderful He is!

Your Holiness

Worship Him,
oh let's fall down before Him!

Your Creativity




© Jubal Music 2006

Immigration vs. Christianity in Canada, is it an issue?

A first-hand perspective by a son of Canadian Immigrants

I was born forty six years ago to German Immigrants that came over to Canada after World War Two. They grew up under a brutal Fascist regime that hated all things not German, including things that were even perceived as not German (interestingly enough, this was a prevalent nationalistic point of view that was becoming increasingly common in nations around the world, including Canada and Britain). Eventually those that were branded as not German enough were at first robbed of a life of dignity, then made to leave the country. As that became less efficient, people were sent to concentration camps and then eventually exterminated, murdered.

This is what my parents came away from. They were amazed at a land that seemed to make all kinds of culture welcome, no matter how strange. They were even more amazed at how it was possible for these diverse communities to co-exist without being forced to "ghetto-ize" or anglicize.

I grew up in an almost exclusively Eastern European neighbourhood in the west end of Toronto (1960/70s). Almost all of my neighbours were either Ukrainian or Polish immigrants. My neighbourhood smelled of cabbage rolls and perogies at dinner time on most days. I clearly remember mothers wearing babushkas and aprons calling their children home for dinner in either of those languages.

The close friends of my family were almost all German immigrants as was the congregation of the church we attended: German Evangelical Fellowship on Ossington Ave. I went to German school on weekends. We spoke German at home, ate German food, listened to German music and read German books. We also celebrated German cultural events with the rest of the German community. We worshipped in German. I still do.

Our closest friends were from Brazil, but because they had a varied ancestry, they spoke Portuguese, German and Russian.

My Father became a Canadian Citizen soon after he arrived in Canada. He was very proud and grateful to be a Canadian. His command of the English language left much to be desired at times. He certainly was more fluid in his mother tongue which was German. My mother was highly educated in several languages, English, French, Latin and of course, German. Her grammatical abilities in English and French were more advanced than most multi-generational Canadians that I knew, however, she never lost her very strong accent. She was much more fluent in her mother tongue as far as important issues were concerned, especially of the heart. She never became a Canadian Citizen and stayed a Landed Immigrant for a number of reasons. One was that her children could retain an automatic dual citizenship, the other was that she loved her homeland which was under communist rule (East Germany). She hoped that one day she would be heir to her family's estate as she was the last survivor. This seemed hopeless because of 1000 kilometres of barbed wire fence and landmines erected by a government that wanted to keep people out and in. She was however, very grateful to be a Canadian.

(She died before she could realize that dream of freedom for her family and people, and so her legacy was passed on to me and my children. I have now seen with my own eyes her dream become reality as Germany is now a unified nation as well as having been able to lay claim to our family's estate from a now non-existent criminal government.)

Later I moved to what is called "Little Italy" in the Dufferin & St. Clair area. Almost all of my neighbours spoke Italian. Many did not speak English. The food, the music, the movies and most events were thoroughly Italian. I worked at a bakery were most of my co-workers were Italian, Portuguese, Greek and Macedonian. Most spoke in their mother tongue with a sprinkling of English just to add to the complexity. It was rare for me not to at least have an accent of my own while conversing with others. Then I moved to "Little Greece" and was a neighbour to "Little India". It was like moving to another nation, and yet still in Canada. Incredible! I'll never forget it, while driving taxi in Toronto I had the pleasure of probably hearing just about every major tongue on earth. Wow!

As a young man in my twenties, I moved to Thunder Bay were I married my very beautiful, still German Immigrant, very European but every bit Canadian, wife Kirsten. Thunder Bay has the highest Finnish population in the world outside of Finland. It probably has the highest per capita sauna statistic in Canada as well. It's probably the only Canadian City that considers it normal to have a business meeting with 12 others dressed only in towels in a Sauna.

So what is my nationality and how does that affect me? I am very grateful to be a German-Canadian. I speak German and English. I wish I could speak French (the fact that I can't is the result of an unwise choice made while a student in high school), Spanish and perhaps Mandarin and even Urdu. I'm blessed to be a citizen of Canada. I also hold a German Passport and am welcome to live in that land as well because of my birthright.

A few years ago I felt led to stand in proxy for my people and repent to God and the Jewish people for what my ancestors did. I committed myself to not propagate, and stand against, the lies that rise like a tide from angry and jealous people filled with pride and eventually hate. I'm very sensitive to that sort of thing and tend, on discovering it, to want to rip it out by it's roots before it has a chance to grow. I don't want my children and their children and their descendants to ever carry that kind of burden again.

God recently let me know that He was the one who gave me my heritage and that no-one could take it away from me. Who am I to argue with God? As far as rights go, I was reminded that the only right I have is to spend eternity without God in hell. That really put things into perspective for me. I'm so happy that He saved me! I rarely demand my rights anymore. God doesn't let me get too far when I do (He's good at that and I'm grateful).

Most importantly I'm a citizen of heaven. My passport is the blood of the Lamb and I'm already recorded in His census. I'm learning the language of that Kingdom, it's ..... "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (or legislation).

With God's mercy and grace and by the power of His Spirit, I'll become fluent in His language. I'd rather learn to speak that than the language of Cain any day. I pray that the language of God becomes the prevailing language of this nation. God please bring Your will to bear on our nation Canada!

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:8-12 NIV)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few facts:
(to clear up some alarming misconceptions I've noticed)

Canada's official languages are English and French.

One of the reasons that our flag was changed to a Maple Leaf was because of the fact that we really are not a British nation.

The first people to live here were native aboriginals. They were eventually subjugated by the French and English armies and European greed. That's why Ojibway is not an official language.

The second people to arrive in Canada were Norse warriors. Norwegian is not an official language here either.

The next European people to arrive here were business people first and military people second. Christians came later, and that was because they were being persecuted at home for not fitting in. They were hoping to find a safe place were no-one would notice they were different.

Strangely enough, the first major explorers to North America were looking for a shortcut to India.

There is no scriptural basis for "Christmas" (regarding this popular issue). December 25th is absolutely not the birth date of Jesus but rather was first introduced as a Christian holiday by Pope Liberius in 354 and became the rule in the West in 435 AD when the first "Christ mass" was officiated by Pope Sixtus III. This coincided with the date of a celebration by the Romans to their primary god, the Sun, and to Mithras, a popular Persian sun god supposedly born on the same day. It also falls close to the midwinter solstice, which is also traditionally a pagan celebration. The birth of Jesus is believed (by scholars)to have occurred in autumn during the Jewish feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), which is sadly rarely celebrated by Gentiles (non-Jews).

Most holidays and feasts that were celebrated by Jesus and subsequently the first century church, as an example, are not celebrated in Canada or Europe, except for the feast of Pentecost, which has been celebrated since the time of Moses. Worldwide anti-Semitism has taken care of that.

Most opposition in North America to Christianity is from white Anglo-Canadians/Americans. Most are upper middleclass with a university education. Many are left leaning well educated liberals with a tendency towards self worship. Few are new immigrants.

Most anti-God anti-Christ rhetoric comes from non-immigrants.

Often, new immigrants are poor and have virtually no say in the affairs of this land.

Most new immigrants work extremely hard and often work two or more jobs to make ends meet. They rarely have time to sleep let alone demand rights.

There are more real Christians in China than there are people in Canada. Few speak English. Food for thought.

Most people in Canada are sadly NOT followers of Christ. They are perhaps religious. That is true of every Western nation on earth at this time.

There are more people suffering because of the name of Jesus in developing nations than in the West. More food for thought.

Developing nations are now sending Christian missionaries to Canada and the United States.

Da Vinci Code

I had written the following excerpt (edited) in response to an e-mail exchange I had a year ago January regarding the Da Vinci Code. I thought perhaps it would be food for thought today.

In these times that we are in it will be more and more difficult to be a marginal follower of Christ or for that matter a marginal "opposer". It's all or nothing. So it shouldn't be a surprise that opposition to Christ will become fierce. Scripture says that in the end times many will fall away. We shouldn't let anyone fool us into thinking that it's possible to take a relaxed or marginal posture. The Lord will make sure that fence sitters will fall off ... it'll be worse than what happened to Humpty Dumpty. __________________________________________________________________
" .... From my end, I've heard of the Da Vinci Code (the book), and I'm aware of the fact that it's an attack on the authority of scripture and the divinity of Jesus ... and there are many more, that have come and gone ... They eventually all fade into obscurity, as if they never existed.

No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible.

... For example ... In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible was to be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, who denied the existense of God, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. He is quoted as saying: "One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker." Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. Before the end of that century the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles. God always has the last laugh.

Recommendation ... Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell http://www.josh.org . An excellent book that discusses historical evidence with regards to scripture, the bible and the person of Jesus ... it's a book that answered huge questions for me when I was in my twenties (a long, long time ago).

When the Lord speaks ... His word never dies, it's full of life eternal, it gives life, it creates out of nothing. It also contains His perfect judgement and wrath as well as His unending mercy and loving-kindness ... He's described as being the personification of His Word ... it will survive and outlast any evil or untruth that is sent against it ... amazing!

John 1: 1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Isaiah 46:8-10 "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

It shouldn't surprise us when people would want to discredit words like that ... it doesn't leave them much choice in terms of who they should follow or fear ... "

Calling All Nations

A Call to Worship
A Call to Prayer
A Call to Mission

Calling the youth of the world and the young at heart to a day of worship and prayer

I want to let you know about an incredible global event taking place in just a few months ...

Just days after the final game of the largest sports event in the world, where hundreds of millions of people around the world will have watched the FIFA World Cup crowning of the kings of soccer (football) in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be exalted and will wear His rightful crown in that very same place.

On July 15th 2006 Calling All Nations will be a truly historic gathering of the world's youth and the young at heart coming to worship Jesus Christ in the strategic city of Berlin, Germany, in the Heart of Europe. Never before have so many people from all over the world gathered together like this. Never before has such a global team of worship leaders and musicians come together to serve in this way.

I believe that the Lord is planning a major outpouring of His Spirit in Germany and Europe resulting in a massive outbreak of revival. I believe that this event in Berlin is a significant part of His plan.

As a first generation German Canadian the idea has had an especially profound effect on me. Ever since I first heard of this event five years ago, I felt the Lord strongly stirring me to be part of it. This past January I was invited to play violin as part of Allen Froese's band travelling to Berlin this July. We are being asked to minister in Berlin as part of the pre-event worship and intercession being held from the 12th to the 14th of July. What a wonderful answer to prayer! As well, I've joined the Psalm Drummers, a group presently made up of more than 60 percussionists from around the globe worshipping together in the stadium.

This is so exciting! I'm inviting you to be a part of this as well ... you may ask ... "how Chris?"

• Prayer - whether you plan on attending or not, this is extremely important. Please pray for me, my family, the band, the organizers and the land. Please pray that ancient strongholds will fall as the Lord comes in power. Please pray that He will have His way!
• Attend - do you feel the Lord wants you to go? If you're a singer you could even join a 2000 voice choir! There are international representatives in 60 nations including Canada helping facilitate travel. Tickets are still available and flights are just coming on sale.
  Mission and More - outside the stadium, there will be an exhibition of Christian ministries. It is called "Mission and More" and if you are interested in exhibiting your ministry, please send an e-mail to office@callingallnations.com.
• Promotion - spread the word ... would you like me to speak at your church? Tell a friend and perhaps you'll win tickets!
• Encouragement - it's not uncommon for a musician to feel demoralized at times, even when not involved in ministry. Your support is appreciated!
• Funding - as is true of other worship leaders and musicians serving at this event, I am travelling and working "pro bono" and am sowing into this ministry. As you can well imagine, this is going to be quite expensive, i.e. travel, equipment transport, accomodation, food. The Harbour has graciously agreed to administer a missions fund to cover my expenses. I am extremely grateful for any financial help received. If you feel led to give, please make your cheque payable to "The Harbour" and indicate in the memo area and/or on an envelope: "Chris Hermann - mission". Any funds received in excess of my expense needs, as part of this mission, will go to help cover expenses of other Canadian ministry team members and will be properly acounted for. Please feel free to contact me or the Harbour leadership for more information.

Send your donations to:

Chris Hermann - Mission Fund
c/o The Harbour
30 Lees Road
North Bay, Ontario
Canada, P1B 8G4

Or donate here:

If you have any questions at all, or would just like to drop me a note, please feel free! Please also go to www.callingallnations.com .

Blessings to you in the King of all, Jesus Christ,

Christoph Hermann

Singt ihm ein neues Lied; spielt schön auf den Saiten mit Jubelschall!
Psalm 33:3