Introducing the Heaven's Metal Festival
If you’re reading this, chances are that you and I share a common and deep bond; the fact that we love and most likely have had our lives touched in a profound way by Christ-focused rock, hard rock and heavy metal. And, at one point and time over the last 25 years or so, that we were all connected to these artists and music through the vehicle known as Heaven’s Metal Magazine.
I don’t know about you but I couldn’t wait, over the years, to get the next issue of Heaven’s Metal! Through that magazine, and the thousands of other people I knew who were reading it, I always felt like there was a HUGE amount of untapped potential available. That God was saying something to all of us, and that He had a specific plan for all of it; a purpose, something divine, a vision, a strategy, something more than hey…..let’s all just rock out to the music.
So many God-given and powerful elements existed through Heaven’s Metal; Jesus first and foremost, many incredible bands who were passionate about reaching people with their music, an incredible promotional platform-the magazine itself and the thousands of us across this nation and world who supported all of it! I believe many of us felt that the music we loved and supported could and would change the world!
By the grace of God, and our willingness to take a few simple and easy steps, it can and it will!
Growing up in the 80’s I was a huge fan of Van Halen, the Scorpions, Motley Crue, Ratt, Cinderella, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, etc…. After getting born again in 1990 I vividly remember, after being directed to my local Christian bookstore, experiencing Whitecross for the first time! What an awakening! So many of their songs spoke directly to me, strengthening me as I began my walk with Jesus.
Later in the spring of 1991 I had the extreme blessing of meeting, and going to Church with, Living Sacrifice. I was blessed to see how God was flowing through them and witness first hand their collective passion and calling to share the love of Jesus through their music.
From the early 90’s to the early 2000’s God did amazing things here in Central Arkansas through Living Sacrifice, and the passionate Christ-followers who prayed for and supported them. Many free concert outreaches were held that were financially supported by this small core of people, who were passionate about reaching hard-core/metal kids. The love of Jesus was shared with 1000’s and 100’s of young people, who would never darken the door of a Church, were born again! Living Sacrifice, POD, Zao, Mindrage, Spoken, Few Left Standing and others shared their faith through their music to those that were desperate to hear the Gospel in a language that they could understand; truly it was, and is, Heaven’s Metal!
Looking back now, I can see that decade of time was a microcosm of what God wants to accomplish through His music, His bands and His people, to reach the youth of this nation who don’t yet know Him. I don’t say this lightly but we truly experienced an out-pouring of the power of God for many years, here in Central Arkansas, a true revival! Through that time and to this day, I felt God urging, imploring and weighing on my heart….”THIS is what I want to do with my bands and people ALL across this nation!!”
Now here we are today and it seems like it’s all coming full circle, all over again! What an amazing, God-given, opportunity that lays before all of us! Some will get this and some won’t, and that’s ok!
I don’t know about you but I am so excited about what God is doing, in bringing back Heaven’s Metal Magazine! I am so excited about the resurgence in heavy, Christ-focused, music. God is moving! We have the opportunity to allow our Father God to unite us for His glory, so we can reach the youth of this nation; our “deep water fish.”
The Father, through His Son, redeems culture and the arts not only for our benefit but for the benefit of those who don’t yet know Him. This “Heaven’s Metal” that we all know and love isn’t just for our enjoyment alone. It’s His chosen weapon of grace to show His love and goodness to the unreachable, “deep water fish” of this nation! As Christ-followers, let’s be willing to open our hearts so that we can begin to understand how God wants to flow through all of us!
Many artists and bands realize that God has raised them up specifically to reach out and share the love of Jesus with the youth of this nation. It’s time for us as the Body of Christ to rally together in unity and support them financially, so they can do what God has called them to do!
Heaven’s Metal Magazine can be the promotional and rallying focal point to begin a movement to reach the youth of this nation. Here’s what can happen when we all work together; “Reaching the youth of this nation, with heavy Christ-focused music, through a unified Body of Christ.” How will we do this? By all of us giving just $5, $10 or $20 once a month to support huge and free concert outreaches all over this nation! How simple is that?! But that is the power of love and unity and how God could flow through ALL of us, to show His love and goodness to the youth of this nation!! John 17:20-23.
I don’t know about you guys but I’m so done with watching stuff happen and feeling like I have no control. I’m tired of talking about, oh well, we’ll just have to pray about it. I’m tired of hearing about how I have to stand up for my faith, having fear crammed down my throat daily or being told that I have to take back what’s been stolen from me. We owe no man nothing but to love them, and the abundant life we’ve all been promised will be experienced when we give away what we’ve all so freely received! Let’s quit waiting around for a solution, or something to happen, let’s all go and be the solution our culture and society so desperately needs!
Stop and think for a few moments, to dream if you will, what we ALL could accomplish if we work together! Imagine when ultimately there are millions of Christ-followers across this nation, like us, giving just $5, $10 or $20 a month to do these free and huge concert outreaches!! Imagine POD, The Whosoever’s; Head, Love and Death, Lacey, etc.., Stryper, Living Sacrifice, For Today, Demon Hunter, Project 86, Blindside, etc….all playing the same stadium outreach together, and it’s FREE! John 17:20-23.
Together, with very little effort from each of us, many bands that are passionate about reaching the youth of this nation through their music can be free to do what God has called them to do. Not one of us will miss a $5, $10 or $20 bill once a month. We can share in the joy of knowing that we not only prayed for these bands but supported and launched them, and worked together with them to reach the heavy metal culture for Jesus! John 17:20-23. SO powerful! Together, with the launching of the new Heaven’s Metal Magazine, we all have the ability to do something HUGE and historical! This is the power of unity when it’s mobilized in His love and focused on reaching people! Let’s stop just enjoying this music for our own consumption but come together, support the bands who want to be involved, and launch them out into the harvest fields!
Can you see it!? Venues filled with thousands of people experiencing the love of Jesus through POD, Head, Lacy, Stryper, For Today, Project 86, Living Sacrifice, Demon Hunter, etc…..all playing together in huge and free concert outreaches!
To all the bands, friends, fans, brothers and sisters in Christ and those who just love the metal….Are you in? It’s time, time for a change, a new thing is coming! Are you ready to show the love of Jesus, to the youth of this nation, in a huge way??
My $20 a month is on the table. Who else is in?
More coming…. John 17:20-23
We love you guys!
Ed - What's next? Join the conversation. Comment here. Share this post via your social media, email, etc. Phillip Blunk is in community with churches in the Little Rock, AR, area. He will be setting up an accountable financial machine to oversee donations and managing and accounting for the festival. Stay in touch. Help us gather interested parties that will want to support and promote these kind of efforts (an email list will be nice). Bottom line: Stay in touch. We will post more here in the near future. This is the first shot. :) Artwork and all those important details will be forthcoming...
