Freakstock 2006 // We are... relaxed

My 10th Freakstock is lying now behind me. To answer the question how it was for me this year I have to go back in the past. The last years freakstock has been very disappointing too me. It always had been nice too though cause God is sovereign and has done some mighty things although. But that were things that were independent from freakstock. I often asked myself why I was going there again.

Last year I had the impression that on freakstock the freaks should be set free to go into the nations to reach the freaks there and that freakstock itself should multiply itself into the nations. And I was disappointed cause it did not happen.

I was reconciled a little when I saw that everyone was all of a sudden talking about Jesus Freaks Japan, as we were getting really International (Jesus Freaks Holland and Czechia), everything is translated into English on events now. We even have a full version in English of our magazine (The Sick Messsenger). I realize with this that certain things need their time to grow. As a prophetic man I can see things others are not able to see for a long time. And I have to learn to wait...

Having this in mind I went to freakstock. I arrived there and everything looked pretty cool. But it felt like something was completely wrong deep inside. There were some things that were strange: The setup was very chaotic and one day behind, the staff service was exclusively only for people with a staff ribbon (though there were many other freaks on the ground who served all the rest by i.e. making pizza), for the first time there were less visitors than the year before (about 5,500), the weather went crazy. At the first place there was not much room for the main seminar. I asked myself what is really in center?

Luckily this impression did not remain for the rest of the festival. I had a nice talk to someone of the prayer team. She was watching the JF movement for a while too. For her the shell of the freaks was crumbling, something was breaking up. And that would not look nice at all. But inside something beautiful was spouting. And that changed my vision. I always thought that everything would break down with nothing inside. That gave me hope and encouraged me to wait once again. Though it will be difficult and wearisome.

What have I done this year? It was very heavy this year. I had an exhibition on KunstRasen (the art tent of the festival), then there was a videopresentation of some of my videos and finally I joined again the prayer team. That was a lot of stress before hand.
However the prayer team was great. It was very relaxed though we rocked a lot. We met twice a day. The prayer times were really intense. That was really fun to pray with the others. The benefit of such meetings is that you yourself get prayer and cool impressions. And so it was this time again :)

During the main seminar I had some nice and special impressions for people. Some really fittet like an arrow directly into the target. Wow!

The main seminars were really great. The worship was full of passion and fire (especially with Obadja and Jesusburger). This year everything from the stage was translated into English. It felt a little weird but really was a step in the right direction moving more towards International.

The sermons mainly were about standing up and to go forward. Not letting the others do the stuff, only to pray for certain things that someone would care about things, help poor people, homeless ones etc but do it for yourselve and join in. Jesus came for the weak and the sick to serve and save them. But not that they would stay weak and broken but for their healing and to set them free.
During the last message of David Pierce it felt like birth pains and I had a heavy prayer burden to pray it through what David wanted to happen...

Freakstock always had been international but this year it jumped a great step forward. Many friends from different countries were invited to help shape the festival. The announcements were always mad by them, the JFI Tent was arranged this year by the Jesus Freaks Holland. So this year it was really the Jesus Freaks International tent. And it really was very stylish!

But the cherry on the cake was the international roundtable of emerging and underground churches. That never happened before. People from around 40 nations were there. I so much liked to be part of it. Unfortunately most of the time they were for themselves. You hardly saw them anywhere else. I would have liked to get to know some of them. I could not really talk to even Denny & Maureen (Rock on the Rock) who had been part of the roundtable.

Yet there was some good result. People from the roundtable were giving seminars in the JFI tent. On the first day I saw Andrew Jones though I really wanted to see Bob Beeman. Andrew said something about the history of mission in the last century. Many ideas and impulses came from Germany. On the next day there finally was Bob Beeman. I always liked him. In the 80ies he founded the Metal Church Sanctuary and supervised many White Metal bands. Wow, he really had something to say! But the best was everything he said beamed out of his body. He was beaming love and Jesus. Such a love. So cool! Perhaps I am doing an extra post about what he said...

All in all it has been very cool to have been at freakstock. It was so nice that the main seminar had in the end more room. Jesusburger had all the freedom to play and do what they liked and how long they wanted. I had some nice talks (though I was not able to talk with as many I wanted to talk with). Let's see how freakstock is developing. There's a lot of prayer needed for this - that's for sure. For the ones who have to find out the new directions.

Shortly before we went home on sunday evening I met a guy from Brazil. I sat in the saloon tent and was waiting for my people. I told him from my wish to visit the Zadoque churches and that it never happened. He invited me to stay at his home. Perhaps something will come out of this...

What I missed last year I finally could see this year: Violet Burning. I really like this band. I first saw them years ago at the Flevo Totaal Festival way back in 92. I was very impressed with their gig. They were praying all the time. Michael Pritzl the singer alsways focused us on the lord. The last song the played is very famous among jesus freaks because we sing it often during worship: Clean. Great!

© Pictures by Haso
© Photo of Violet Burning by Emmanuel