Veteran old school metal act True Strength is four albums into a career that got its start in 2014 with independent full length debut The Cross Will Always Prevail. The project of founding member and guitarist/bassist Ryan ‘the Archangel’ Darnell proceeded to sign with Roxx Records for 2017 sophomore effort Steel Evangelist and conceptual based third album Sanguinary Vivification from 2019. October of 2020 finds True Strength releasing its fourth album The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh (also Roxx Records), which is also conceptually related but brings change to the group in the form of musical direction and lineup. Angelic Warlord had the recent opportunity to talk with Darnell and drummer Chris Lee Faulkenberry, whom go into detail in regards to the albums concept and the changes in question.
For readers not familiar with True Strength, please go into details in regards to the group’s background. How did it form and when? What albums has it previously released? What are the goals of True Strength?
RYAN: First and foremost, I want to thank you Andy for this interview and I would love to thank all your readers here on Angelic Warlord! We appreciate everyone’s support, because without it, Christian heavy metal would not be growing as much as it is today. I see more and more bands popping up around the world proclaiming the Word of God, which both encourages me and strengthens my resolve! We hope and pray that if there are any musicians out there that feel they are being called by God to start their own Christian heavy metal band, that they listen to that calling and join the ranks of our growing army! We need you!
CHRIS: Yes, first and foremost thank you Andy for the interview and all of your fantastic readers. As far as being one of the newest members, Ryan is the one who can answer that question the best, I’m just happy and honored to be a part of the True Strength family.
RYAN: For those not familiar with True Strength, we are a Christian heavy metal band based in the United States of America, with members in Italy and Greece. We are currently signed on Roxx Records out of San Dimas, California. We specialize in traditional, classic, power metal, NWOBHM, doom, progressive metal and more. True Strength formed in 2012 with the encouragement of my family and my friend Chris Clark (the original drummer of True Strength), we have the mission of serving God and giving 100% of our earnings to The Lord. We have been blessed to have released four albums: The Cross Will Always Prevail (2014), Steel Evangelist (2015-2016), Steel Evangelist: Roxx Records Edition [Re-mastered]” (2017), Sanguinary Vivification (2019) and our latest, The Mighty Hand of Yahweh (2020). Our goals are to honor God with our music, to spread His Word and to do His Will with our band!
CHRIS: My thoughts are right there with Ryan as to what the future holds. Ryan and I were talking one day about trying to release one album a year, trying to cover all the books in the Bible, God willing of course. For me being able to express my thoughts and feelings through drumming, this truly feels like the perfect fit for me.
True Strength will be releasing this October via Roxx Records its fourth album The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh. Please tell us more about The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh, specifically the writing and recording process.
RYAN: Absolutely! So, a lot of the songs that ended up on this album were kind of floating in my head for some time. A lot of the riffs existed without songs for a while. I realized that these ‘misfit’ songs all seemed to kind of fit together in their own way. The songs themselves started coming together musically as newly inspired riffs helped find new homes for the older disembodied riffs. I noticed that the songs had an epic, battle-like feel, which led to me putting them together as a concept album about the Book of Joshua. I had written the completed versions of the songs and the concept around the time the Steel Evangelist album was being recorded. After releasing Sanguinary Vivification I was ready to record The Mighty Hand of Yahweh album almost immediately (as it was nearly chosen to be recorded before Sanguinary Vivification because of how complete it already was).
I went into the studio early-summer of 2019 and started to lay the guitar and bass guitar tracks down. I worked with a new producer/audio engineer named Justin Long. I recorded my guitars through an amplifier modulator while simultaneously recording my guitars cleanly using a direct-in channel in case I didn’t like the effects we were using, it gave me the option to then put effects on the clean guitar tracks (which proved invaluable as I will explain later). At first, the recording process was a little slower and more methodical than Sanguinary Vivification, but I was able to finish my parts by the Fall of 2019. Originally, Pastor Brad Windlan was going to be on the album as our new lead guitarist, I sent him the tracks around this time; however, it was around Christmas that Brad told me that he had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling issues, so I started searching for a new lead guitarist.
Chris, whom I met for the first time in the Summer of ’19, asked if he could try recording drums on a few of the tracks at DeHaan Studios after the first of the year. I retrieved the session files from Justin Long and sent them to DeHaan’s; a few weeks later Chris met up with me and showed me all of the work he had done on the song “Joshua”, I was very impressed with his performance and formally invited him into the band and he asked if he could record all of his drums with Josh and Walt DeHaan, since he knew them well and was impressed with their setup, to which I agreed. Originally, I intended on having Chris record all his drums at DeHaan’s and we would export the tracks back to Justin Long and continue with the final recording, mixing. However, after meeting Josh and his father Walt DeHaan and seeing how strong their faith in Jesus Christ was as well as how comfortable the atmosphere was at their studio, I decided just to finish out the album with them.
Little did I know that Walt was a legend in his own right in the heavy metal music industry, he and his wife Barb were the former managers of the 80’s metal band, Winger and was a recipient of a platinum album from the sales of their self-titled debut album. Chris Lee Faulkenberry grew up with Kip Winger and his brother Nate Winger and intimately knew the DeHaan family. Josh, his son, served as the main producer and Walt was the assistant producer on our album. We proceeded to record the drums throughout the winter and into early spring. During the drum sessions, I was having newly hired lead guitarist Takis and keyboardist Marco record their parts in Europe for the album. I was also having the woodwind and string musicians record their parts, as well. Chris and I hit a wall around mid-Spring with the combination of coronavirus lockdowns and issues we were having on the original iteration of “Blood-Soaked Waters of Merom”, which was a completely different song- a speed metal song that I had written in a strange time signature. I even hired a drum consultant from Poland, and he couldn’t figure it out! So, I scrapped the song and wrote a brand-new song in a week to replace it- the song that is now on the album.
Also, in addition to this, when I started the process of doubling up my guitar parts, we discovered that half of the guitar track files that were recorded through the amp modulator with Justin Long became corrupted when we uploaded them into ProTools at the DeHaan’s, and couldn’t be used, so thank goodness I recorded all of those tracks simultaneously with a direct-in channel! We added effects to those clean guitar parts and the tracks were restored.
CHRIS: I will talk a little bit about how the drums were recorded. I wanted the drums to be big and powerful, so the listeners and fans of True Strength could feel the music through the sound of the drums. Ryan actually gave me free reign to experiment and express my feelings of what I could feel through his Bass and Guitar riffs. It actually came to me very easily, it’s like I could hear and feel what Ryan was trying to feel and accomplish. When in the studio with Josh DeHaan, we decided to mic every drum on the kit. I was feeling like I wanted the big Arena rock sound. We panned the drums from each mic left to right so when listening to our music, you could actually hear and feel the fills going up and down the kit as if you were sitting or standing in front of it. With that being said, I couldn’t be any happier with the production and recording of The Mighty Hand of Yahweh.
RYAN: So, we started gaining momentum in early-Summer 2020, George was amazing as always, recording his vocal tracks over the course of a week; he even contributed to the lyrics and vocal harmonies on this album and did an incredible job! We had then begun the final editing and mixing of the album when tragedy struck. My parents contracted coronavirus and though they were able to beat the virus, my 94 year old grandfather who lived with them (who I mentioned in last year’s interview, was once a well-known accordion player in polka band and one of the people who inspired me to play music) also contracted coronavirus and for him, it was far more serious… he was hospitalized. It was in the hospital that they discovered a dark mass on his lungs that the doctors suspected was advanced lung cancer. My grandfather beat coronavirus and was sent home, but his condition quickly deteriorated; He died in late-July.
We found out the same week that Walt DeHaan was losing his battle with a long-term illness that he struggled with for over ten years, and he was placed into hospice care a week before my grandfather died. I told Josh DeHaan to tell Walt that we are going to dedicate the album to him, which Walt was very happy about. The following Monday I was at my grandfather’s funeral when I received a text from Chris that Walt died that same morning. We were scheduled to go back into the studio that next Saturday and I wanted to cancel out of respect for the DeHaan family, but Josh said that his father insisted that “the music goes on”, and remarkably we started mixing again. Credit the resilience of Josh and the DeHaan family to have the drive and will to work through that difficult time.
In the short time I knew Walt, he was an amazing, kind, gentle soul… it saddens me that I only knew him for only 6 months before losing him, but I am eternally grateful that I got to know him and his impact on this album cannot be understated and will not be forgotten. After all of these trials, we finished mixing the album in late-August and sent the files to Rob Colwell of Bombworks for mastering in early-September.
What are your feelings about The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh? Are you happy with the way the album turned out? And how has the response been so far?
RYAN: I am very happy with how The Mighty Hand of Yahweh turned out, considering some of the obstacles we had to face during its production. I am glad that I was able to express the 70’s classic rock side of my songwriting in True Strength! I am also thankful that God has allowed me to write, record and release another True Strength album. Additionally, I am thankful for Chris, George, Takis and Marco and the joy it is working with these guys! I am thankful to the entire DeHaan family, being able to forge deep friendships with everyone involved.
The response to this album has been mostly positive, with a lot of radio play from stations reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Fans and friends of the band seem to enjoy the different dimension our sound has taken on this album.
CHRIS: I am super happy and excited of how The Mighty Hand of Yahweh turned out, when starting the album after Ryan sent me the recordings of Bass and Rhythm guitar, I would listen to what he had put together over and over, finally I would hear the drum tracks in my head, so I would actually write my drum tracks in notation on paper first, then I would practice different parts at different times putting it all together like a puzzle. Ryan made it pretty easy to feel the rhythm due to his excellent playing and writing skills. As for the feedback from friends, family, and fans it has been phenomenal. For example, a few of my friends aren’t really metal fans but after listening to a few sections of the songs, they couldn’t wait to pre-order The Mighty Hand of Yahweh!
It is my understanding that The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh is a concept album based around the Old Testament book of Joshua. Please go into more detail regarding the subject matter. Why did you choose this topic to cover? What meaning can listeners derive and apply from the Book of Joshua?
RYAN: One of my ultimate goals, that I have stated before, is that I want to bring the Bible to song. I want to make the stories accessible to people who may never have read the Bible. Each book holds such an importance to and a foreshadowing of the events of the life of Jesus Christ that I personally feel are overlooked by many. I want to bring to life the people and the places where these events took place. I chose the Book of Joshua because it is a very difficult book to read, especially through a modern lens: there is total warfare, stoning of transgressors, burning of cities, executions and displays on poles… a lot of secular critics of the Bible frequently quote the Book of Joshua as a way to “invalidate” its moral positions.
It is a book that without context, seems horrifying to a modern mind, and without going into a huge theological discussion about it here, I believe people make a mistake when they evaluate the Book of Joshua this way. The short answer is that God uses nations to proclaim His judgment on nations and peoples. He used the Israelites to bring judgment and destruction upon the Canaanite tribes (Joshua) while simultaneously fulfilling His promise to them, he used the Assyrians and the Babylonians to bring judgment and destruction to the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, respectfully (Kings). He later used the Medes and Persians to bring judgment upon the Babylonians (Daniel).
The use of total warfare was normal for the time-period, no matter how brutal it seems now. It also served a purpose: to prevent prolonged and continuous conflict. Another point to consider is some of the people who occupied Canaan prior to Israel’s reclamation of it: the Anakites (Anakim) were descendants of the Nephilim (the giants, or men of renown that were a result of an unholy union between fallen angels and human women); God proclaimed His judgment against them even before the Flood and up until that point, they somehow eluded judgment. Again, this is God justly proclaiming judgment against a nation of people who sinned against His Holy Name, purifying His Holy Land of inequity and worship of false gods. In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites were His Sword against those offending tribes.
Wanting to eventually turn every book in the Bible into an album, I usually listen to the music I am writing and feel the direction it is calling me to go. I mentioned earlier that these songs had a battle-like feel to them, which if anyone knows, there are a lot of battles in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. So how did I determine that these particular songs fit the themes of the Book of Joshua? Well, I came up with the chorus lyrics to “Joshua” with relative ease and I knew that was the direction that I was being called to go in. The chorus to “Joshua” is directly taken from the Book of Joshua and ‘massaged’ to fit the music, without compromising context. It is such an inspiring and reassuring chorus that I don’t think the song could truly be about anything else other than the Book of Joshua.
The meaning that listeners can derive and apply from the Book of Joshua is that it is a book about the promise that God made to the Israelites finally being fulfilled. All the hardships, pain, trials, and tribulation that the Children of Israel went through in the wilderness, had prepared them for the battles in Canaan. Another very important meaning, that I believe is overlooked by many, is the connection of the Book of Joshua with King David and Jesus Christ. Rahab, the harlot (or innkeeper) in the city of Jericho who'd hid the Israeli spies in her dwelling would later marry Salmon and give birth to Boaz, who married Ruth, who gave birth to Obed, the father of Jesse who fathered King David of whom, the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ descended from! Her brave decision, made in faith, to hide the spies from the authorities of Jericho, not only saved her and her family when the Israelites attacked the city, but secured her a place of honor forever in Israel, by having the royal line of King David and the Messiah Himself descend from her.
It shows that God greatly rewards those who act in faith and that He can do great things through any person, small or large, rich or poor, no matter who they are or where they come from. There is also a major foreshadowing of the saving blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the act of Rahab being instructed to tie a scarlet cord outside of her dwelling to signal to the invading Israelites not to harm her or her family. Blood is the color of scarlet, when we are covered in the Blood of Jesus, His Blood is the scarlet cord that spares us from the coming wrath, saves us.
What are some of your favorite songs off The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh?
RYAN: My favorite songs would be (in no particular order) "Joshua", "The Sun Stands Still Upon Gibeon" and "Blood-Soaked Waters of Merom". All three were fun to write and put together, I love Marco’s Hammond organ on “Joshua” and “Blood-Soaked Waters of Merom” and I especially loved his grand piano performance on “The Sun Stands Still Upon Gibeon”. It is hard to have a favorite song when you have an amazing singer like George Tsalikis on your album! I was blown away by his performance on every single song. The depth that Chris’s drums brought to this album’s sound cannot be understated: his tom and cymbal work adds a Neil Peart, Jerry Mercer or John Bonham-like quality to our songs that I absolutely love, and I feel on those three songs were truly on display!
CHRIS: It’s super hard to choose a favorite because I could pick a reason why each one would be a favorite. My first pick would be “The Burning of Ai”; for me personally I love how the intro just shouts at your ears right off the bat, one of my favorite parts of the song is actually towards the beginning of the instrumental section. We prep the listeners for a signature change, and it breaks down into a melodic straight forward, rock beat slowly building toward the organ chords over the lead guitar solo, climaxing back into the metal sound of True Strength. “Joshua” is another one of my favorites, when recording “Joshua”, it was just one of those songs that just felt right from beginning to end. I feel like the flow of the song along with the lyrics is in perfect unison. “Rest from War” is another one of my favorites, to me it has a feeling of a battle that was inevitable coming to a triumphant victory. I will admit it was really exciting to narrate the intro to the album, something I’ve never had the opportunity to experience.
Please offer your thoughts regarding the musical changes The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh brings to the True Strength. Specifically, why did True Strength choose to use keyboards when making the album? How do keyboards alter the True Strength sound? Also, the album is not quite progressive as previous releases with track times abbreviated in comparison. Why the change to a less progressive direction?
RYAN: The answer to this harkens back to why I had called these particular songs ‘misfits’ as not only couldn’t I find a place for them on previous albums but there were certain musical aspects of them that were missing and I couldn’t figure out what that specifically was. They were good songs on their own, but they needed to be great songs. I didn’t bring keyboards into the project until around the time I brought in Takis for lead guitars. The idea came to me when listening to bands I was inspired by like Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Alice Cooper, Rush, Uriah Heep, Procol Harum and others… I realized that one of the reasons I loved their music so much was the blend of hard rocking rhythm guitars overtop keyboards.
On our previous albums, there is little to no doubt how much 80’s metal, European and US power metal has inspired our sound, but many don’t realize how much 70’s rock and proto metal influenced me. I began to kind of imagine what a Hammond organ, a church pipe organ, a grand piano, and a harpsichord would sound like over our new songs. When I sought out a keyboardist, I wanted to find one who had a great love and appreciation for bands of that era; this is when I found and hired Marco. I sent him “Joshua” and “Five Kings Put to the Sword” first and asked him if he could put a Hammond organ over the top of it, and I swear I could almost see him smile through the email. Marco is a big fan of Deep Purple and I could tell right away that he was going to have a fun time on our songs- and he did! I also asked him (casually) if he could match note-by-note the lead guitar solo runs in places on those songs- and incredibly, he did! The result was spectacular, what he sent back confirmed in my mind what I had long suspected… these songs weren’t ‘misfits’, they were just the 70’s rock and metal side of my writing that needed to have the right pieces in place in order to be executed properly!
I proceeded to have Marco record keyboards on all of the songs with the exception of “Rest from War”, using different instruments like harpsichord and church pipe organ together on “Sounding of the Shofar at Jericho”, church pipe organ on the doomy “Vision of the Commander of Yahweh’s Army”, “Burning of Ai” and “The Southern Cities Fall”, and a grand piano on “The Sun Stands Still Upon Gibeon”. I hired viola, violin, cello and flute players around this time to give another dimension to this sound, such as the violin and viola playing the glissandos at the beginning of “Burning of Ai” and the flute following along with the rhythm guitar before each verse sequence to give it a Jethro Tull-like feel to the thrashy, doom metal song. In conclusion, I try to do a little something different on each album without departing too far from the True Strength sound. I never want to hear “If you’ve heard one True Strength album, you’ve heard them all.”, I want to always try and give each album its own flavor.
The album’s songs are definitely shorter than the ones on our previous releases. None of it was by design really, I just think that with all the instruments and moving parts, we made shorter songs ‘sound bigger’, if that makes sense? I was actually really surprised when we recorded these songs that they weren’t much longer than they actually were, especially songs like “Sounding of the Shofar at Jericho” and “Burning of Ai”, I was convinced they were in the 6 to 7-minute range, but the producer looked at me and said, “Nope, they are around 5 and a half minutes.”. You know I am a fan of long songs; I usually have one or two that are in the 8 to 10-minute range, but for some reason, none of these songs ever got close. I think these songs sort of make their point, drop the mic, and walk away. I still hold to the belief that this album would be perfect for a vinyl release because of the production, tone, atmosphere and the length of the album; hopefully, the album sells well enough for Roxx Records to consider it.
The Mighty Hand Of Yahweh also brings changes to the True Strength lineup. Please introduce to the Angelic Warlord readers new members in keyboardist Marc Bravi, guitarist Takis Koroneos and drummer Chris Lee Faulkenberry. What are the musical backgrounds to the three and how did they come to join the group?
RYAN: I would be honored to do so! Marco "Mark" Bravi is from Italy and is the keyboardist for the power-progressive metal band, Virtual Symmetry. I hired him after hearing his amazing keyboard work with that group. Takis Koroneos is from Greece and is a professional lead guitarist, music producer and audio engineer and after I discovered his incredible lead skills, I had to hire him for True Strength! Last but certainly not least is Chris Lee Faulkenberry who has not only turned out to be an amazing drummer, addition to True Strength, but a leader and a friend who has kept me grounded and on-track throughout the recording of this album. Chris was the drum tech for the band Queensrÿche and has extensive studio and playing experience spanning decades.
How I met Chris was nothing less than miraculous... So, it was during the final mixing of Sanguinary Vivification, that we discovered that my Uncle Lester was dying of cancer that had spread to his brain. My cousins decided to host one more family dinner together to celebrate his birthday at my uncle's favorite Italian Restaurant. I really didn't want to go, because it was going to be hard to see my uncle in this condition, but after talking with my wife and my parents, I decided it was probably best for me to go. As we were driving to the restaurant, my mother called and told me that there was a guy named Will there who'd worked with my uncle and my cousin, who loved Christian heavy metal and they wondered if I had any Steel Evangelist CD's in the car to give to him, which I happened to have. When we arrived, Will was already sitting with my parents, talking about music. I introduced myself to him and gave him the CD's (I am thankful that I brought the CD's because my uncle, who has always followed my career in music, also wanted one). We all had a great night and I was thankful that I went because it was the last time I would see my uncle; the whole dinner was actually very nice and it was a happy celebration and not somber as I feared it would be. Will and I exchanged numbers and he told me that he would provide feedback on the album.
At this point, I knew that I would likely not have a drummer or a lead guitarist on the album that was to be known as The Mighty Hand of Yahweh and things were uncertain. I got a text from Will a week or so later saying that he had listened to the album and liked it, but he wanted to know about my drummer situation. I told him that the drummer on Steel Evangelist is the one that just finished recording for the upcoming Sanguinary Vivification album and that it was likely his last recording with the band. He told me that he had a friend named Chris Lee who was also into Christian heavy metal and was the drummer of his band. He described Chris as a quote "Human Metronome" which immediately sparked an interest in me meeting him and seeing about his availability to record, so Will gave me Chris's number. However, I got caught up in the promotion and release of Sanguinary Vivification in the Spring of 2019 and the final songwriting for The Mighty Hand of Yahweh which carried over into the early-Summer of 2019, which delayed us getting together until later that Summer when I gave Chris copies of our previous albums.
I went into the studio with Audio Engineer Justin Long in the summer of 2019 to start laying the rhythm guitar, bass tracks for the new songs. After my parts were recorded, things kind of stalled out, especially around Christmas. Chris wanted to have a shot at recording the drums and offered to record them at his friend’s studio (Josh DeHaan), which I agreed to. I retrieved the ProTools session files from Justin Long and sent them to Chris. I figured that it was a perfect time to have Chris work on the drums while I searched for a new lead guitarist. Chris’s official ‘try-out’ occurred essentially through his recording of his drums on “Joshua”, which he met up and showed me to my delight! After hearing what he had recorded, I officially invited him into the band and he really took ownership of his newfound position! I realized right away that God had truly sent Chris to True Strength; he is hardworking, dependable, reliable, and most importantly, he is a Christian, a friend and a brother that I can be accountable to, which is invaluable!
CHRIS: I started playing the bongos at the age of 5. The funny thing is I detracted from bongos being so young and chose to play the saxophone in 6th grade ‘til 11th grade. Taking piano for one year in between. When I turned 17, I saw one of my fellow students playing a kit in jazz band, at that time the sound of the drums just rumbled through me and I never looked back. Phil Collins was absolutely one of my biggest inspirations to play the drums. His off-beat flare, timing, and ability to play and sing just made me want to play even more. I started as a self-taught drummer for a few years. Then when I went to college for a short time, I studied music theory and began lessons and learning to read drum notation. Drumming was actually a natural talent that was easy for me. I do believe it was my God given talent and I’m happy to give back. I was a session drummer for quite a few years learning about natural timing and the flow of a metronome. I have played with several famous acts all around the USA. I had the privilege of being an on-tour drum tech, probably one of the finest learning experiences of my career. I do believe it was divine intervention the way I came to be part of True Strength. I really, truly feel that things happen for a reason.
What does the future hold for True Strength? Is a fifth album in the works? If so, will it also be concept related?
RYAN: God-willing, as always, we hope and pray that we will continue True Strength into the future for as long as possible. I certainly have no shortage of songs; thanks be to God! The Lord always provides me with new inspiration through His Word, which I am very grateful for! That being said, we are already working on the recording of our fifth album, which will also be a concept album about the not often talked about Book of Ezekiel, it will cover the events of the Book of Ezekiel from start to finish, emphasizing its importance to Jesus Christ. The album is going to be titled, The House, The Holy, The Third and we are hoping to have it released around the same time next year. The title is a direct reference to John 2:19: "Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.""
CHRIS: The future for True Strength is going to be remarkable. Ryan has a lot of ideas and concepts of future albums and I can’t wait to start on the next one!
I would like to close by thanking you for honoring Angelic Warlord with this interview. Do you have any closing comments you would like to offer our readers?
RYAN: Thank you very much, Andy! The honor is all ours! We appreciate the time and effort you put into your reviews and interviews! Thank you for this opportunity to speak to your readers, we are deeply humbled for the opportunity to do so! I would like to thank first and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever. I would also like to thank my family. In addition, I would like to thank Bill Bafford and everyone at Roxx Records and my sponsor Steve Clayton, Inc. for personalized guitar picks and guitar accessories.
CHRIS: Thank you Andy, it was an honor and privilege to be a part of this interview. Thank you for all that you do for Christian Heavy Metal and thank you to all of your readers!
RYAN: I would like to share my testimony, salvation story again, as I had in the previous interview from last year, because it bears repeating. I feel like there are some people out there reading this, that need this message of hope, particularly in a difficult year like 2020. I would like to extend an offer to all those out there who may not yet be a believer in Christ but are on the fence: The time to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is now. Don't think you have a lot of years left in your life, no one knows when God will ask you to forfeit your soul. My life before Jesus Christ was a disaster to say the least... I was a womanizer, drunk, full of pride, anger and hatred, if anyone got in my way of my ambitions I would crush them. I was always chasing after my lustful desires until I couldn't live with the guilt of who I was or what I had done with my life, especially when I realized how many people I had hurt including family and friends.
I was going to commit suicide in the Summer of 2007 by drinking anti-freeze in my parent's garage when the voice of the Lord told me to put down the bottle and go to a nearby mountain that I always loved visiting. When I arrived I barely had the energy to walk up the seemingly easy trail, crying so many tears that I could barely see. I stopped at a pine tree with a rock that looked like a gravestone underneath it. It was here that I began yelling at God, telling Him to kill me, take away all of the pain. I confessed all that I had ever done to Him and told him that I didn't want to live anymore. I cried harder than I have ever cried before when suddenly I started to feel a great sadness and I began saying that I wanted to live and that I didn't want to die- I was truly scared and lost.
I confessed to Jesus Christ and asked Him to save me. It was then that a large gust of wind surrounded me, nearly drying all my tears from how powerful it was. I then heard a voice in my heart that I believe was the Lord Himself say, "Come, sit under the tree", I hesitated to do so, but I trusted the voice and sat with my back against the gravestone-like rock under it. I then heard the voice tell me to pick the seed pod off of a wild blade of grass or wheat that was in front of me and eat it. When I did the line from John 12:24 "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." spoke to me in my heart. After this I began feeling strength returning to me, then the voice told me, "Rise, Soldier of God!" and I rose and walked down that mountain and I have believed and served the Lord ever since.
Shortly after this, I walked away from my band of five years as well as many friendships. I gave up playing guitar and writing songs because I believed that they were the cause of my sin. After my salvation, God began to repair my relationship with my family as well as friends who I had hurt over the years: Chris Clark (who would become the drummer of True Strength in 2012) and I had a falling out in 2005 when he left that band we were both in, and we had become bitter enemies. In the fall of 2007, I randomly drove to an old record store that I used to frequent and there in the parking lot was his car. I hesitantly went inside the store and we awkwardly greeted each other; I then began telling him about all of the changes in my life and how I found Christ, I began apologizing for all of the wrongs I did to him and he forgave me. After two years of not speaking we were friends again, but that wasn't the end of the story: A couple months later I invited Chris to go to church with me on Christmas, it was there that he renewed his Faith and became a believer in Jesus Christ and he has served him ever since, and the rest is history!
My friends, miracles do happen and my redemption through Jesus Christ is a miracle, I truly believe this. I know I don't deserve forgiveness or the Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ. I was the worst among sinners, I used to be an enemy of God. Now, God uses my talents to glorify Him and to spread His message of the Gospel to thousands. This would not have been possible without the power of Jesus Christ. So please, believe, not for my sake, but for your sake. Remember that no matter what you may have done in your life you can be forgiven through Jesus! I pray in Jesus' name that all of you will be saved! We love you! God bless you all!
True Strength online: https://truestrength.band & www.facebook.com/True-Strength
Interview by Andrew Rockwell
