Posted by denverbierman on June 13th, 2010 | 1 comment
Ok, so I’m a HUGE Boston Celtic fan and love Larry Bird since he’s the greatest basketball player ever from Indiana (MAD props to Oscar Robertson….I’m just crazy in love with Larry…)
So It’s a huge game 5 tonight in Boston, and I’m all decked out for the game….if you want to get a good chuckle, check out this fun little video I made right before gametime…..
also, I’m staring at my autographed Larry Bird rookie card that I got autographed personally by Larry Legend ironically on the final game of his NBA career in Cleveland, OH against the Cavaliers back in 1992………Larry Legend Mania is alive and well in the Bierman house, and GO CELTICS!! BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.!
Posted by denverbierman on June 9th, 2010 | 0 comments
Hey everyone, I wanna apologize HUGE for not posting in the last week or two…..we have had a bunch of unexpected events happen here in our family. The toughest thing that’s happened, is that my wife Amy’s Grandmother– Virginia Harmon, passed away a week ago. This was such a hard thing to go through with our family, and it has made me reflect on life, family, my own mortality, and having a strong desire to live my life for things that are lasting.
Virginia’s desires were that I would speak at her service at the graveside….I’ve never done anything like that in my life, and it was such an intense and powerful experience. Trying to sum up almost 80 years of life in just a few moments is completely overwhelming. I turned to the Bible to describe her life, since she had put her faith in Jesus Christ. From John 3:16 to Eph 3:16, I was able to honor Virginia’s life by reminding those of us still here of how to live our lives for the things that are truly lasting…..living for the Kingdom and the Word of God.
I’ve been deeply moved by the loss of friends and family in my past, and many times I’ve asked the question, “What is my legacy? What kind of impact am I leaving on this world someday when I’m dead and gone?” I wrote a song a few years ago to express my intense search for meaning and hope in my life. I wanted to share with this with you today, and hope it comes as a word of encouragement, and as a reminder to what’s truly important. The song is called, “Only Jesus”. If you’d like to listen to the song, click on the link below…it’s an MP4 file.
What will they say
When my life is over
Will it fade into the past
What will remain
When my life is over
Is there something that will last
What will I Leave behind
To stand the test of time
I leave the one who’s worthy
Of My whole life
My legacy
All I will leave
Is Jesus, only Jesus
The world will see
Inside of me
Is Jesus, only Jesus
Lord, I long for you to be
My legacy
Live thru me
Forever and ever
Every moment, Everyday
So My Legacy
Forever and ever
Will never fade away
People are longing for
Something so much more
May my life testify your glory, Lord
They won’t remember my name
But they’ll know the God that saved me
My life may fade away
But they’ll know the truth that sets me free
So I will live today
For you alone to be
My life, my love, My legacy
My legacy
All I will leave
Is Jesus, only Jesus
The world will see
Inside of me
Is Jesus, only Jesus
Lord, I long for you to be
My legacy
I hope this song encourages you today that your life matters to the heart of God, and that these temporary days can have eternal meaning. I’m going to write my final blog post about our amazing trip to Russia in a couple of days, but thanks for joining me in honoring Grandma Harmon’s life, as we celebrate her eternal life in Christ….
Posted by denverbierman on May 20th, 2010 | 5 comments
For my birthday this year, I took my kids to Chucky Cheese (yes, that was for MY 33rd birthday….when you start having kids, your birthday is for your kids, and not so much for you anymore…) And when we pulled into the parking lot, but Son Boston said, “I’M SO EXCITED!!! I HAVE JUICE BUMPS!!!” (Instead of goose bumps….hehe) He made us laugh so hard. Well, seeing the sights of Russia has given my many “Juice Bumps” moments, so let me share a few with you:
One of the most memorable experiences for me was visiting Red Square, the Kremlin, and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. This place has so much history, mystery and complexity. For example, legend has it that the architect of Saint Basil’s Cathedral was blinded after he completed the amazing building, so he could never replicate such beauty for someone else. Here are some great pictures from some of our sight seeing adventures:
We also went inside Saint Basil’s Cathedral (built in the 1500′s) and got a chance to see such incredible art and beauty. This cathedral is truly a symbolizes the heart and soul of Russia. We heard the most amazing Quartet singing hymns on the second floor of the cathedral in a room with one of the tallest domes of the structure. I caught one of their songs on video…..this was an INCREDIBLE experience! Check this out:
The more I’ve gotten to hear stories from the Russian people, the more I realize how much I don’t know about life and the culture here. On our way back to where we were staying, we also visited the subway stop where the recent bombings 5 weeks ago took place. Even though the place has been cleaned, On some of the panels of tile, there are still faint blood stains from the 40 people who died and many others who were injured there. I see such a dichotomy in this country of beauty and hardship, searching for a new path, for a new purpose. I’m seeing God revealing himself to these people in powerful and profound ways, and it’s an honor to be here and experience the change that is happening all around us in Russia. This truly is the kind of place that gives you “Juice Bumps”!
Posted by denverbierman on May 15th, 2010 | 5 comments
We’ve gotten to do a lot of sightsieeing in our time here, and I wanted to share with you some of the most notable of all we experienced. I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in my day, but these next couple things are quite interesting! Earlier in the week we performed at the very famous Gorky Park, and to my knowledge this may be the only amusement park in the whole country of Russia. They have a couple of roller coasters, but I didn’t ride them. You pay for every ride or attraction individually instead of a single price of admission, and each ride was on average $13-$16 to ride. WOW….I don’t know about you, but to a trumpet player, that’s pretty expensive!! They also have rides for children, and the next one I found quite intriguing…needless to say I’ve never seen a ride like this in my life. It was a race track for kids to race around…but not on a race car, or even a little cute motorized animal…..but A TOILET. These kids were lined up t0 spend a lot of money to race around a little track on TOILETS! We laughed so hard at this, and I had to show you a couple priceless pictures:
Next we came to the haunted house. Our translator’s told me that this was the ride that was to give you thrills and chills. Well as we got closer, I began to hear the evil laughs and screams, and I couldn’t believe my eyes for what I saw next. There on the front of the haunted house with goblins were the faces of 4 American Presidents!! If for some reason the video doesn’t show up in the video, just copy paste the link below. Check this video out:
We were all a bit shocked and it was truly one of those moments in life when you realize how drastically different cultures and perceptions of people can be. Men that I’ve considered to be heros of my country my whole life were depicted on the front of the haunted house. The more I experience this country, the more I discover I’ve not even scratched the tip of the iceberg at what is at the heart and the soul of this country. Tomorrow I get to share with you a couple of the more heartfelt sight seeing experiences we’ve had here…but today I had to show the wild and wacky of Gorky park. We definitely got a chuckle out of it, and realized we’re not in Kansas anymore!
Posted by denverbierman on May 11th, 2010 | 19 comments
We’ve had a FULL couple of days here in Moscow now! I can’t get over the immense size of this city, of the buildings and infrastructure, the amount of people, and how so much here is larger than life…. On Sunday night we performed at a private banquet for most of the church denominational leaders of the country of Russia, as well as Chief Advisor of Religion who deals directly with the President of Russia on any and all religious matters in the country….no pressure for a horn honking Indiana boy…..the entire event went amazingly well, and we have helped open many more doors for Christian music here in the country of Russia. Here are some pics of us performing an acoustic set at the event:
Then Monday we had an incredible experience performing in legendary Gorky Park here in the heart of downtown Moscow. This amusement park has been here since the 1920′s and saw some of the CRAZIEST and RANDOM things I’ve ever seen in my life….but that’s going to be my blog in a few days….you DON”T wanna miss that…..overall, the Gorky Park show was amazing….we were closing the show with John Schlitt of Petra, and the show was cut short because of rain, but I was so amazed again at the Russian people’s reaction to our music. As soon as we started playing, people we’re INSTANTLY dancing…..unashamed…..so energetic….the people here have been nothing like my expectations…they have been so warm, genuine, and responsive to our music. I know I already posted a clip of us playing get down earlier in the week from “Radio City” club over the weekend, but you guys have to see this clip of us playing Get Down so you can see some of the dancing that the audience was doing….I know some of it will make you smile, and maybe even laugh, but try to imagine the joy and freedom these people now have to experience a Christian music event in the heart of Moscow. Check this out…..
We had such an incredible reaction from talking to people afterwards….people who had lived in Moscow their entire lives, who have visited Gorky Park tons of times, and NEVER IN THEIR WILDEST DREAMS did they consider there would be a major concert event of Christian Music in the heart of Moscow at Gorky Park. When I heard this, it truly made me realize and be reminded of what our purpose here is. I’m glad that everyone is enjoying the concerts and being entertained..(if we were really awful no one would want to listen) but it’s truly more incredible that for some of the first times in the last 100 plus years , there are music events praising the name of Jesus in the streets, amusement parks, and clubs of Moscow Russia. Everyone keeps telling me how ground breaking this is for their country, and I feel incredibly honored to be a part of it. One of the greatest honors I’ve ever had.
So please continue to pray for us and with us that the hearts of the people of Russia would be open to the truth of Christ, and the life, hope and love He freely offers. Tomorrow I’ll show you pics and videos from some of the amazing sights we got to visit of this IMMENSE city…..there’s a video that’s gonna give you chills. Until tomorrow my friends, may God Bless you, and May God Bless Texas, because I truly thought things were bigger there…..but then I visited Moscow.
Posted by denverbierman on May 9th, 2010 | 12 comments
So Saturday was our first full day in Moscow, and it was quite an interesting day to say the LEAST. The good news is that we had our first show in Downtown Moscow Saturday night, the bad news is that Moscow’s subway system is bigger and more complicated the even New York City’s. Just to prove it, take a look at this map of the subway system…..there’s good reasons why the Game “Tetris” came from Russia:
SUPER LONG story short, is that 2 of our guys got seperated from the group over the course of us getting on different subway trains, and not both at the same time, but on different occasions….while this might seem comical, and it was for about 30 seconds, it finally hits you that someone in your band is lost in a city they’ve never been to with almost 15 million people in it, with no cell phone, and can’t speak a word of Russian…it’s a miracle we all met back up and made it downtown ok!!! Today brought the phrase “Watch each other’s back” to a whole new level for me! Whew……
I’m happy to report that Starbucks and McDonalds are alive and well in Moscow, and Russians love them. We needed to eat something quickly after being lost underneath the city on the subway system, and so we thought fast food from McDonalds was the way to go…..there’s nothing fast about McDonalds with literally a thousand people in it….that place was PACKED! We finally made it to this very cool suprisingly big club/restaurant either named, “The Big Apple”, or “New York City”, this place had the coolest vibe…..it did suprisingly remind you of back home in the city that never sleeps, and although sound check took a little longer with a translator, the show went incredibly well! We had a full house, and there was such a feeling of excitement and FUN when we performed….I had no idea what to expect out of the audience, especially since some of them had no idea what I was saying…but I love how God can use such a universal vehicle like music to express joy, hope, and true life in a way that spoken language sometimes falls short. After the concert, hearing the comments and reactions from so many Russians at the show was a powerful reminder for me that there’s a genuine purpose for me being here, and that when we allow God to take us where He wants, and allow him to work in and through us, there’s no limit to what can happen!
So here’s a clip of us performing “Get Down” towards the end of the concert. I’m so proud and honored to share the stage not only with such TALENTED musicians, but some of my best friends I’ll ever have…my band. So check us out playing Get Down:
My great friend Matt Newton is a guest artist who is also performing here in Russia with us. Matt has one of the most unbelievable voices I’ve ever heard, and so here’s a clip of him singing a song he wrotein the show last night called, “Mighty Power”. Check this out:
Needless to say, this was a great first day in Russia, and we have so much yet to come! Remember us in your prayers Sunday evening as we perform for many Russian dignitaries and also Russian religious leaders in a private banquet. Tonight marks 65 years since the former Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany in World War 2, and there’s going to be an incredible celebration filled with processions, parades, parties, banquets, etc. I didn’t realize this, but at the height of the war, the Nazi’s advanced as close as 60 miles from Moscow, so tonight is one of the biggest celebrations and holidays in the country of Russia. What an exciting time to be here!
I will post more tomorrow of how our event with the government leaders goes Sunday evening. I’ll never forget my opening night in Moscow as long as I live…. Thanks again for sharing in this incredible journey with me!!!!
Posted by denverbierman on May 7th, 2010 | 7 comments
Have you ever heard the phrase, you just can’t keep a good man down, that’s how we all felt after 2 seperate flight delays and 1 missed flight in Paris, and over 24 hours of straight travelling, WE HAVE ARRIVED IN MOSCOW!!!! We have now gotten a little sleep and we are all safe….still adjusting to the jet lag…in fact as I write this with the birds chirping on a beautiful Moscow morning, it’s just after midnight back home in Nashville, TN.
Just for giggles, we thought you’d love to get a glimpse of all of us in our exhausted state after missing our flight from Paris to Moscow because of two delayed flights back in the states…..I couldn’t even spell my own name at this point, but this might make you giggle….just click on this youtube link below to see our silly video from the Paris airport:
Once we landed, Driving into the city of Moscow was an incredible experience. From my perspective, this city is such a mix of old and new. Moscow has so much infrastructure built during the days of the Soviet Union that is still very evident today, and yet so much brand new industry and technology is being created and thriving in the midst of the past. I think these are exciting times to experience Moscow, because it’s literally like 2 different worlds melting together right before your very eyes. I can’t wait to experience more of the people and the personality of this place….It’s quite intriguing to say the least,and even though I’ve been all over the world, I’ve never experienced any place like this one…it is completely unique in it’s own way!
We have our first concert tonight in a club in downtown Moscow at 9 pm. I’m so curious to see how people from Russia will react to the kind of music we do, but extremely excited to remind the Russian people through music of the hope, life and love we can experience in Jesus Christ….to remind them of the incredible light in Christ shining out of the dark…..
Thanks for experiencing this journey with me…I can’t wait to write more….probably even later tonight..I’ll give an update of the concert this evening. Lots more pics and videos to come soon!!! We’ve now truly arrived…Moscow, here we come….
Posted by denverbierman on May 5th, 2010 | 13 comments
Hey everybody….Ok, so DMHO is leaving for Russia tomorrow for a 12 day trip, and I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see all the cool things that are going to happen in and through us on this once in a lifetime trip…I’m going to be posting pictures, videos, and updates almost daily from the trip…so please stay tuned!!
So I thought it would be cool to list somc crazy facts about Russia….probly stuff you’ve never thought about before, and may never will again, but check some of this out…..pretty cool stuff!
Russia is the largest country in the world and spans 9 times zones!!
Russia has the most movie theatres in the world
It is a criminal offence to drive around in a dirty car in Russia.
10 Percetn of the Russian Government’s income comes from the sale of Vodka
There are approximately 10 million more women than men in Russia
It has the world’s largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world’s fresh water
There are 143 million people living in Russia, and 2/3rds of them live in the larger cities. Moscow has 11 million people, and is considered the largest city in Eastern Europe.
Every fourth Russian is retired. The average age of Russian is 30 years old. Average family size is three persons
Russia’s home to the 2014 Winter Olympic gamse
So there you have it. I can’t wait to experience a country with so much mystery, history, and intrigue. Please keep us in your prayers, and the next time you hear from me, it’ll be from Moscow. So till then, God bless you, and I’m off to Russia, with love!!!
Posted by denverbierman on May 2nd, 2010 | 13 comments
DENVER’S GONNA BLOG?? WHAT A TRIP!!
Well, here’s a BIG HELLO to the digital blogging world from Denver Bierman!! Yes, that’s right, I can’t believe it either, but I have decided to start blogging…if any of you know me at all, I could probably become friends with a tree, and I’ve never been at a loss for words. And now that I’m 33 years old, I’m just now starting to understand a little better who I am, who I’ve been, and who I wanna be. I know what I’m passionate about, and if any of you reading can find insight, encouragement or inspiration from what I say and post here, that is what makes the blogging experience worth it to me. So if you wanna take a ride through the fun and crazy world of Denver, then come and take this journey with me…I’m excited to see where it leads! In 5 days the band and I are going to Russia to perform 5 concerts, and I thought this would be a great time to start blogging so I can send updates from our once in a lifetime experience!
First off, I wanna tell you what you can expect from my little piece of digital real estate:
1. I’m gonna blog 3 times a week, so there’s gonna be new, thoughtful, sometimes silly, but always LIFE ALTERING information almost every other day. I mean where else can you go to get life changing info so often?? (after I wrote this I thought of at least 317, then I stopped counting….) But there will always be something new here
2. My blogs are gonna be genuine, and come from the heart. I figure a lot of the thoughts and experiences I have on a daily basis lots of other people go through as well (hopefully) and I want this to be a place where I can share life. Besides, this blog thing might be really good free therapy for me….I’m a musician…and free is good!!!
3. I wanna share stuff that I’m really passionate about here…things like My family, My faith…I’m gonna share a lot about music and my hopes and dreams….. and especially about CRITICAL THINGS like my baseball cared collection or love for cartoons…….now might be a good time to tell you that I’m a crazy random person…but when your name is Denver you’re allowed to be crazy,random and passionate all at the same time, and it all make complete sense in some random, crazy way….
So that’s a little of what lies ahead for my blog……I’m probably gonna laugh and cry a lot along the way, but I’d consider it an honor and a privilege to share snapshots of my life with you. So if you wanna take a ride through the fun and wild world of Denver, then come and take this journey with me….. life was never meant to journey alone, so let’s go together. I promise you, you won’t find a crazier trip than right here!
