“One of the biggest needs in today's generation is to worship--to totally worship God. When you worship with Peder Eide you'll be doing just that--heartfelt praise and worship to our Lord."
~Rebecca St. James, Forefront Recording Artist
 
Peder Eide (ide) has spent most of the last twelve years serving God as a full-time singer/songwriter and speaker. Peder ministers throughout all of North America at national gatherings, festivals, concerts and churches. Youth Encounter is pleased to minister alongside Peder at several Youth Quakes and Youth Congresses throughout the Event season. His love for people fuels his ministry with the desire to encourage, challenge, and motivate everyone to a closer walk with Jesus Christ. Peder has eight recording projects to his credit. His most recent CD, What a Ride, focuses on God's call for us to "run the race" with passion and a hunger for Him--to make our lives count, not just last. You can get more information on Peder Eide at http://www.pedereide.com . Recently, Peder was kind enough to take some time to share with us about his music, his ministry, and the scoop on his newest project.
 
YE: What first inspired you to use your gifts in a full-time ministry setting?
 
Peder: Really, it was working at camp. In that one week of camp you would see the power of the Word mixed with music. Kids that didn't even want to be there in the beginning of the week, by Thursday and Friday of camp these students [would change]. A friend of mine, Swen, had a huge influence on me and gave me a lot of encouragement to do music not just for entertainment, but for something more useful. Swen said, "If you do music, and you should do music, you do it for the Lord and not for anything else."
 
Music is the most powerful form of communication. In Jesus, you find the most powerful message and truth on the planet, and you can combine that with music. It sounds cliché, but I really want God to be pleased. I want to be really excited about playing this for Jesus.
 
YE: What are some highlights to being an on-the-road musician?
 
Peder: Getting to meet other artists who I grew up watching and learning from and then later getting to co-minister with them, writing together and even having our families visit together. Calling them friends.
 
The coolest thing has been the people. When people have said, "We sing your song at our worship services." An e-mail saying, "This song has helped me," or "Thank you for coming to my church, town, college." When you get that feedback, having songs published and used. I never imagined people would want to use my songs. They are mixing the eighth project as we speak. At first I thought, "I'll never make a first project," and then I thought, "I'll never make a second," and now it's the eighth project!
 
Some of the greatest highlights have not come where I expected. Some have nothing to do with music.  For example, just sitting on an airplane. A conversation would never have happened if God hadn't said, "Okay, Peder, you're flying to Orlando." The opportunity to truly be a minister, to love somebody, may not have anything to do with the stage or CDs.
 
YE: On the flip side, what are some challenges to being an on-the-road musician?
 
Peder: Travel is hard, exhausting. It's a weird schedule, especially with Junior and Senior High, who I love. But the hours are long and late and then coming home and wanting to be the best husband and father I can be. Another lowlight is when you meet with people and you have to say good-bye. That is a drag sometimes when you build great relationships and have to say "See ya."
 
YE: What are your favorite kinds of events to play?
 
Peder: My favorite events are the weekend-long gatherings because you get a little more time to build relationships. What God does in three days is amazing. Bringing the Living Word in creative ways to students, to see how it moves in them, goes into them, how it can totally change them. To see them experiencing grace and love, a great attitude of worship, desiring to know God. When people ask why I do what I do, I say, "If you've ever been in a room where Junior and Senior High students are truly worshipping Jesus…the world can't help but pay attention."
 
YE: Having seen so much, from traveling to so many places to playing in many different settings among different denominations, what is one of the richest things you've learned about who God is?
 
Peder: That God just doesn't lose. This world can be pretty intimidating and there are many times when you're in ministry where you're going up against it. There have been times when I have said to myself "This group isn't going to want to worship," or "I can't do this anymore," or I don't feel very useful. God is constantly reminding, "The good work I started in you, I'm gonna finish." Who can thwart God? He'll never say, "I'll stop loving you." Like the story of the Prodigal Son, He runs and pursues and He is so diligent. There is a song on the new record called, "Relentless Grace." God is relentless in saying He will not lose those who He calls His.
 
I've always liked the saying, "This life we live too soon will pass. What's done for Christ will always last. " God is about wanting our lives to count for Him. It is encouraging, intimidating, exciting, overwhelming. It's like you're afraid and pumped at the same time.
 
YE: Outside of music ministry, what are some things that bring you joy?
 
Peder: Being with my family. I love dating my wife. I totally love just playing with my kids. Reading Berenstein Bears books is very fun. Carpet Monster in the living room. Taking trips with my family. Right now I'm focusing on projects around the house, and I love it because my family is there. And I love sports. I have a football league in the fall, golf in the summer. I love being outside, fishing in summer.
 
YE: What's next for you?
 
Peder: My new record is going to be available July 1st, but will get its more national release in August. It's called What a Ride. It has ten songs, eight new original worship songs. The idea is, if I fell over dead, may I be able to say with the last three words of my life, "What a ride". I hopped on, I strapped in, and if it was smooth or bumpy, what a ride. I tried to make my life count for the glory of God. I took risks. I took time when I needed to.
 
I'm really excited about the record. People can get the CD through the website. I hope people find it to be useful, that it helps them to be more intimate with God. It includes a theme song for the ELCA National Gathering this year called, "Reason We Live". It's about being passionate for God, saying, "This isn't my life. It's the life God gave me to use."
 
I've never made a record like this one before. Lyrically, and the production of it. Every song on the record makes sense with the other songs. It's cohesive. I've worked with great writers, producers, I'm really pumped about it. It has lots of energy. We'll see what God does. As my favorite line says, "All the way to my final day, I wanna live so I can say, 'What a Ride'."