The planned Estonia trip, and what really happened.

Just about everyone know I was going to go to Estonia on tour. So why then am I sitting in Skien, while the rest of the Reboot-team are on the ferry in Stockholm?

Because I'm not finished here. And because I was really tired.

Finished with what?

I am not finished with the magazine we are making for YWAM Skien. It's a magazine advertising YWAM Skien in a pretty exhaustive way. With pictures, text and cutting edge graphical design, we are recruiting dts-students to come to our base in Skien.
It's gonna look really good, and we have put much work into it. Maybe that was part of the problem. Why I got so tired. Working days and nights for some time really tires you out. And the fact that you see you won't reach the goal, stresses you out even more.

So then i asked if it was possible for me not to go to Estonia, and they let me stay. Thank you Thomas for going instead of me.

"Will this mean you're not coming on the planned USA-tour, either"
No. I am coming.

For those of you who don't know, we are going to the East Coast in two weeks. We are having a 18 days' tour in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, and hopefully New York and Virginia. There are some dts-friends there, some have I planned to visit, like Chad, my fearless one legged leader, and hopefully also Doro. But if you're not mentioned here, please contact me, and I'll see when we are in what state. Would be so cool to meet even more friends when I'm finally returning to the country of my dts.

We are taking our Reboot tour there, where I am one of three singers, in addition to dancers, tech crew and preachers. I made a promo video on www.uioskien.no/reboot There is some more information about the tour on www.uioskien.no/tour.

I am really looking forward to it!
Already now please start praying that lots of people will be saved on these two tours, both the Estonia tour and the US tour.

Wow. I didn't expect me to be going on a US tour in 2006, but now it's happening!

Until next time, you have been updated a bit. Send me an email or comment if you want more information, or just want to talk.

-paulandreas

Playing in the snow

Check out my Photo Album for more pictures.

Check it out. It's worth it.

Remember to check for toilet paper

Remember to chck for toilet paper before sitting down.
That is a a word of wisdom from Norway.

After watching Narnia.

I watched the first Narnia-movie today, or, the new one, that is actually the first one if you count the BBC-thing as a TV-series, but that is the fourth one if you count them as movies... And, to top it all off, it is book number 2 in the series, but the first Narnia book C. S. Lewis (Clive Staple...) wrote. So that makes it the FIRST Narnia-movie.

OK, now that we have that out in the open, I must say that I really enjoyed it. From the small little details, to the things added to the story, to the talking animals, the battle, and the way they got the message through, I really loved it, actually. I know love might be a bit strong, but it wasn't far from it.

We watched it the three of us that are home, as my brother is celebrating Christmas in Virginia, introducing them to all sorts of Norwegian Christmas traditions.

I was just so excited after the movie, so I had to write it in my blog.

So there you go. I recommend it to everyone, and as C.S. Lewis said: It is a book (or movie, now) he wrote to display how God would save another fallen world that was far away from him, and that's why we see it allegorical, because it is so symbolic towards the way he saved our fallen world was saved by his death and resurrection. And I am so glad he did it. Are you?

-paul andreas

Making faces

The night before

It's the night before Christmas Eve! Wow.

Time has gone by quickly, I know it's one of the commonest clichés, but still...

Right now, I don't remember how long it has been since I updated this thing, but I know it is way time for me to do it. And what a timely time to do it.

The last days has been relaxing, shopping (gifts and food), watching some TV (not much, just enough to see some of the game show finals) and sleeping. Yeah, and eating, of course. Real bread, for instance, and homemade strawberry jam, cakes and lefse! Yummy!

Ok, so now I kinda spilled it all: I'm on vacation. On Christmas vacation. At home. And here we have a lot of homemade stuff that we don't have at the base. Not to say anything bad about the base, but things at home are a bit more comfortable, quiet, homemade and white.

Speaking of white: When I came home on Sunday, we had snow. Then, on Friday, that is today, we still had snow! God has given me snow for Christmas. He knows how I love the quietness and beauty it creates. (The day before outreach on my dts, it snowed as well.) So the last days, some of the time has been spent outside taking pictures, and some inside, watching the snowflakes slowly finding their spot on the ground. It's a beautiful and peaceful journey.

I want to wish you all a peaceful Christmas, with joy and laughter, peace and quiet, singing and praying. Love. Those around you. God. Yourself. But God, you should love with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength! He shall be number one.

-paul andreas


Daniel, du er morsom. Lo akkurat.

Nils-Andreas, gratulerer med dagen.

Dere andre, ha det bra dere også!

On the road again, kinda.

Tomorrow we have our next Reboot-show, this week we're going to different places on the eastern and southern parts of Norway.

Pray for unity and health. And not least: That people will get saved and people will meet God, either for the first time, or again. Changing peoples' lives.

God is god. He is good!

-paul andreas

It´s snowing. Life is good. God became man.

Today the first snow fell! On the first day in December! It was the first package in God´s advent calendar to us on the base.

This really has been a fun week:
On Monday, we made peppercookies shaped as hearts for all the people on base. We decorated them and today, we hung them up in the prison, inviting everyone to our annual Christmas party celebration on the last day before Christmas break. It´s gonna be on Thursday 15th, just so you know. It was so good to see all the happy faces of The Invited.


Then, on Tuesday, we went to see Petra´s last concert in Norway, and I met with my best friend there, and you know what? For the opening band, it was Darrel Mansfield wth band. (for all of you interrested in 70´s Christian music, and know who he is, it was an impressive opening on the show. That man is SO fast on his harmonica!)
Then Petra came, and did alot of the old songs I grew up listening to, and John Schlitt, the singer, pointed and smiled at me alot of times as I was singing along. It was fun. If you´re a fan, ask me, and I can give more details about the show.

Moving on: Yesterday we went ice skating as a social night with the staff on the base. It was such a nice time, teaching others how to improve their skills, improving my own, and getting blisters on one of my two feet. And we had clementines, peppercookies and gløgg. Such a Christmassy feeling.

And this day has been filled with snow, Chrismas music, peppercookies (they just keep coming...) and last but not least: Christmas marzipan (julemarsipan) together with Shoemaker Street (Skomakergata).

Wow. I really like Christmas. But remember the one who is, as Stryper so poetically put it, The Reason for the Season: Jesus Christ, who humbeled himself and made himself the likeness of a man, coming into this world to make right our relationship to God. That is what ChristMas is about. God becoming man, for us to be together with Him.

your norwegian friend/writer/photographer/poet/etc.: paul andreas

Salvation, spring up from the ground

As many of you by now may be wondering how the week of touring went, I'll tell you:
We saw people saved!

We're singing a song called Salvation on the tour (by Charlie Hall). And it has one line in it that goes: "let all the prodigals run home", and that's exactly what we saw. We saw many coming back to Jesus, people who once had been Christians but had fallen away. They now took a new stand for Jesus, recommitting their lives to him. It was GREAT! Not just hat, we also saw a number of people getting saved for the first time!

We had a lot of fun on the tour, laughing much, and worshipping in the mornings, eating and sleeping at churches and having our shows in the night. Our days were like this: driving to a new place, putting up the stage, sound and lights, and then hopefully have a run-through of the program, or at least have a sound check. Then people arrived, the girl danced, we sang and our leader had a presentation of the Gospel and their need to be saved, and then we prayed with the ones who responded.

In one boarding school, one night, we invited people to receive prayer, and I got to pray with three people. They were already saved, but they were touched by the message, and wanted prayer. So then I got to pray with them, and I had forgot how much I like doing that. I got to pray into their lives, and ask Jesus to touch them. It really made my week being able to pray with people.

And now I'm really looking forward to Christmas, and to this week. On Tuesday, we're going to Petra's last show in Norway, on their farewell tour. I am really looking forward to it. (You can say what you want, but I grew up listening to them).
Then on Wednesday we are going ice skating with all the staff on base, and on Thursday it's the first of December, and then I'm gonna eat marzipan and drink julebrus (Christmas soda from Hamar). Woohoo! And the week after that, we're going on tour again, around to places in eastern and southern parts of Norway. It's going to be great.

That's it for now. Check out my photo gallery with pictures from the Reboot tour. It's at http://pauliephoto.blogspot.com
Have a blessed time preparing for Christmas and enjoying this time.

Peace.
-paul andreas

Pictures from Reboot

The girls dancing Found&Lost

More pictures in my Photo Album

typing again.

Right now, I'm running back and forth between to computers. On one, I am doing the final touches on the Reboot 2005/2006 DVD. Ok, not that kind of DVD. It's the kind that has music on it, and some pictures that move to the music, and then it fits together. It fits so well together that it's gonna be the playback/multimedia/video-thing for the whole tour. And I get the privilege to make it.

Well, on the other computer, I am writing in this blog of mine. The one that you are reading to get to know my deepest thoughts, sometimes getting disappointed and sometimes greatly encouraged. I'm glad to be at your service...

So what's up in my life, you ask.

To start with the latest:
I was at a meeting yesterday with a team from the Philippines. It was a pastor and the national leader of YWAM in the Philippines. It was really encouraging to listen to them, and it was a worship team from our base that led worship.
Then, they asked all under the age of 30 to come forward, so that the ones older than 30 could pray for us. Two generations coming back together.
Then they went around praying for people afterwards, and they came to me. They prayed straight into my life. It was awesome!

Please pray for the upcoming tour week. This week, we're going to the west coast of Norway with the tour, to the area in and around Bergen. Pray that we wil function well together as a team, and that people will get saved! It's purpose with this tour, to see people saved. And Jesus has done it. The Holy Spirit will convict them. We are people who have the privilege of going together with God in His plans.
Please pray! We need it.

Updates will follow.

-paul andreas

PS! Really nice talking to you again, Lori!

And, the DVD is coming out good, if you were wondering.

More than pictures

I told you about me going to Frankfurt on the book fair. I'm back, and hva been back for some time now. Actually, I was there for only four days, so you do the math.

It was good quality time with my dad, as well as busy days meeting with most of the large Christian publishers in the US, looking at a lot of books, and being tired after the day's end. But even though it was tiring, it was really good and alot of fun. We got to see the books coming out this year, and now we know all the inside secrets of the American publishing houses. But I can't tell them to you ;) Or I could, but then I would have to...

We ate out, and went shopping, and were invited to a release party of a book. I've never been to that kind of thing before. It was the release party of the book "Jesus" by Walter Wangerin. He's a good speaker by the way.

Today I was out shooting footage for a music video for the Reboot tour. Kristin Skaug was the movie star, and you get to see it if you ever come to one of our shows. www.uioskien.no/reboot

And, yesterday I fainted. I got out of bed, walked over to my closet, and everything went black. I found myself in a pile by the door of my room, and Hans, my room mate, was shouting my name. I was out for three seconds, and was really dizzy afterwards. So I spent the rest of the day in bed, reading and relaxing. But now I'm doing much better. A bit tired, but still. I'm doing much better today.

This was a very diverse and random post, but I just had to update all you people about what's happened in my life lately.

Canada is still cool (literally).

-paul andreas