NEW HOPE MUSIC - Testimonies

We have added a guestbook to the site
where people can share stories
of how New Hope songs have been useful to them.

Would you like to be a part??
Please share the song title, where the song is being used,
approx. how many people have learned the songs,
your name/ministry/town/state/country.

The instant I hear the music with lyrics, the overwhelming anointing of God is present. More than the talent and gifting, I am blessed by the obedience and sacrifice to your purpose and calling in life; that in itself is a witness to believers such as myself... you are a prolific writer flowing in God's creativity. (Gloria, from California)

I have just found your site and the anointing just floored me.
I will be coming back many times, I'm sure. I need this for
the worship team, the church and myself... God bless your ministry,
my brother, as He blesses me though it . (Pastor Charles, from England)

I am from India, currently in Spain
pursuing my doctoral studies in cancer research.
... I have gone through some terrible times...
some people were really against me
and used to accuse, persecute and avoid me.

A great unexplainable peace surrounds me, I feel His presence
moving with me... By the time I reach my house, I feel like
my loving Jesus, my Savior, has carried me in His arms.

Thanks for your wonderful songs... when you reach eternity,
you will see many souls whom your songs have inspired.
(from a brother in Spain)

"How Awesome Is This Place". I might say that of your web site.
I, too, stopped to worship God. Other people might have talents that seem brilliant for
today's world- like inventing computers, etc., but you spotlight talents that are eternal -
since worshiping God surely is eternal.

I can imagine that in heaven singing and praising God will be the fulfillment of all we were created for. And to let us listen for free when many of us would otherwise not have the money to enjoy this "heavenly-sent-talent" of your artists, is truly something God will reward you for... What greater use of our talents and time can we give. (Maureen, from Virginia)

Wow! That's all I can say!
I was looking for songs for children and also for our church
for worship and I ran across your site. I am the Pastor of a small
community church... I work another part time job... all I can do is cry as I am listening to your music. I need to get ready for work but I just can't seem to pull myself away from your site. There is so much anointing on these songs and I am sitting in the presence of the Lord as I listen to them. I can't express how very grateful I am to the Lord and to you for this site...

(one week later)
We have started a children's worship team and they did a song from your site last night at church and will do another one this Sunday. I will be incorporating songs from your site in our adult worship also.

(Pastor Sharon, from Indiana)

Such a great site, a breath of fresh air. Your lyrics and melodies are beautiful, the kids from our church love to sing them. We have been so busy setting the clubs up that we haven't had the chance to write our own stuff, so your sheet music has been fab for us. You have also inspired us to get writing again!!! Thank you (Sam, from England)

I have found your music wonderful and refreshing.
Our church uses several New Hope songs in our corporate worship
(including "You Are Awesome God!!). In spite of our medium size -
about 375 - we don't have a lot of musical talent. So I find the audio files especially helpful for teaching the songs. (Pastor Mike, from Michigan)

Very glad to find this page. I've just accepted the Lord into my life &
all these songs would surely enhance my faith towards the Mighty One
(Choo, from England)

I just want to tell you that your songs touched my heart...
you are a tool in God's hands ! My husband is a pastor here in Romania...
I would like to try to translate (your songs) in our language and use them
to sing with our youth... Thank you for your heart for God and
for allowing us to use your music in worship.... (Dana, from Romania)

I just wanted to let you know that I just LOVE your site & your music!!! It's definitely TOPS in my book of Christian songs. I will be using the song "You Gave Us Hope" at our Christmas Eve service at church & will play guitar & sing it.

Thanks again for (using) your music to spread the news of the Lord around the world! Oh, I also learned "Center of My Soul" and performed it as a solo at church -- another pretty song.

I'm sure I'll be looking to your site to find more beautiful music... to sing in church, nursing homes, & senior centers. I don't read music; I can't tell you
how helpful it is to be able to hear the melody & to also have the guitar chords for the songs! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! (Linda, from New York)

What a beautiful, wonderful site!! I was on a quest to find a song listed in the Christmas program our church... During that search I came upon your site, and have not been able to get another thing done this evening. I have been captivated by the wonderful songs and music, and I think I have found a couple of songs that we might be able to use instead of the one I am not able to find.

I'm not a fan of most contemporary music, preferring to wait until the good stuff establishes itself as future classics. I believe many of your pieces will survive this process and still be sung 50 or more years from now.
(Lars, from Pennsylvania)

"I have shared some of your music with our choir,
made up of mostly youth from our parish. Thank you.
Your music inspires and brings new hope to all of us..."
(Bertha, from Gambia)

I love your music. Simple, but you can tell what beauty is there,
(a) true sense of worship. The melodies are so memorable and stay with you.
(Angela, from New York)

Words just can’t express how I feel when I visit your site and
listen to the music. Last Sunday, when we met at the Church,
I was telling all my group members about the wonderful songs
that you provide on your site and asked them to visit to it.

In fact, last night my husband and I were listening to your music and were
trying to learn the tunes so that we could teach the others. I am sure this
Holy Week we will draw the entire congregation closer to our Lord...
What really excites me is that I have come to know about your web site during
this season of Lent, a time when we have to prepare a lot of singing for
the different services. (Pamela, from India)

After years of frustration trying to keep up with everybody's
likes and dislikes, I stumbled on to this website Sunday Morning...

I felt guilty using the computer knowing that I had to prepare my heart
for a worship service - but last night I cried out in desperation to God
asking Him to show me the path for our worship ministry.
My husband was over at the church... and I home with the children feeling
so dry and frustrated with pressure to "perform" for some people.

I began rejoicing immediately as the song ("Center Of My Soul") began to play
and I felt the anointing of God all over me guiding me into what I call "true worship".

The words and music are pure - from the throne of God and from a
heart & vessel that is humble and desires to please God.
(Linda, from New Hampshire)

I am very impressed with your lyrics. I find expressions of a person that has more than just a theory of religion......but has truths of God's word concerning salvation being vocalized.
I know you get a lot of e-mails concerning your music.....
but, in our day of so much "gospel", contemporary Christian, etc. music,
it is exceptional to hear music from the heart
motivated by knowledge of God's word ...
not because it sounds good and will bring popularity, income, etc.
Your music is real "soul" music!

(J. Owen)

"While browsing looking for midi files... I found the
song you wrote "How Awesome Is This Place".
What a BLESSING. I sat and worshipped the Lord for some time
just listening to your midi. It is a truly anointed song."
(Claudette, from Alabama)

My goal for our Christmas program was to demonstrate a variety of ways children could perform songs, and to introduce new songs for our Sunday School children.... Because our group was small, attendance was not regular at our practices, we used a lot of songs, and
I wanted the children to have lots of confidence so they would sing loudly,
I typed and enlarged the lyrics to most
of the songs (not "He Shall Be Called", they knew that one too well)...
I also sent your site to a friend who directs a children's choir in her church...
the children loved singing your music and their performance went well.

"I can't get that song ("Search Me Oh God") out of my head...
got it playing continually right now...
I woke up with it on my mind
I would like to show it to the song leader at church
to see if we could sing it..."
(email from Patti)

I am the choir leader of a senior and junior choir
at a small church in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town, South Africa.
I have used some of your songs (including "Search Me Oh God")
with the junior choir and they love it to bits to say the least.

"I was listening to 'Splendor and Majesty',
and it has awakened something deep and spiritual inside of me.
I am definitely going to get my junior choir to do it...
I'm excited to get started with a masterpiece such as (this)."

We have been singing your song (Center Of My Soul) for a couple of weeks...
the people really like it a lot... We have added 2 flute parts, and the piano is no
longer "basic".... I hope we have not gone too far with your creation!
We have taken a little liberty with some of your timing also,
our singers just "fell into" it and I can't seem to get them back to the original...
We recorded it last week ... It is on our favorites list now.

This song was on radio station WDAS in Philadelphia
When the choir sang the song for the first time at our
daytime rehearsal, everyone loved it!
The woman who first heard it on the radio has a severe case of cancer
and is undergoing extensive treatment now...
so one of the first copies we make will be for her to listen to...

UPDATE: Your song has touched all of us here in Browns Mills.
I told you about Evelina... she suffers from cancer and is fighting for her life.
Your song has been her inspiration.
We made a tape for her and she plays it whenever she is undergoing treatments,
or recuperating, plus in the car, and during moments of quiet.
If no one else ever benefits from it, you have success with Evelina.
It has given her strength to go on.

"I really enjoyed 'The God Of Jerusalem'...
I am looking for some up-beat praise and worship songs
for a recording I intend to do".
(Judith, from Kentucky)

I cannot thank you enough for sharing such beautiful songs with us.
My husband and I direct the cherub choir at our church (ages 4-7).
It is sometimes very difficult to find songs that are timely to our
worship services and also fun and easy for the kids to sing.
We have currently selected "Center of My Soul" ...
the children love it and truly appreciate its beauty.
I am sure that we will refer to this site often.
Thank you very much for sharing your gifts
with us and the whole world.
(Laura, from Pennsylvania)

The kids are currently doing Splendor and Majesty,
Center of My Soul, and Face To Face (by Elton Smith).
I will only be making use of your music for now,
because it is so right for young people and so full of anointing
that I find I cannot use some other music for the time being.
I am thinking of compiling a Cantata with your songs.

I am about to start a new position of Music Director...
your songs would be excellent for our congregation.
I'm going to start out with

"Bless the Lord (Calypso)", which is fun,
"Center Of My Soul", to which I am adding more rhythm to the standard arrangement;
"Holy, Holy, Holy", which I will play with lots of movement, like a dance.
I am playing, "How Precious is Your Love" in a more meditative vein--
I think it is QUITE beautiful; I really do. I cherish that one !

Thank you for being so generous in sharing your work. I look forward to
sharing it with my new and my old congregations, and I will keep you posted
on the results. I have no doubt they will relate well to your songs and
will enjoy them... the songs I have downloaded are easily singable.

(Karen, from Indiana)

We have been practicing "He Shall Be Called" for our upcoming Christmas program.
I found your music on the internet and I love it! Thank you for using and
sharing the gifts our Lord has blessed you with !!!

I have been sharing your music and website with others too. A young man
that just started college this year is planning on singing "The Baby Of Bethlehem" when he comes home at Christmas time also.

(Janet, from Ohio)

I am a young Sunday school teacher of 20 in India and I've been searching for two years
for a site that would offer me free songs in Real Audio and MIDIs with words.
I just prayed to God this Saturday, "Lord show me an unselfish site which would not
ask me any $$$$ for downloading music for their ministry, - AMEN ". Miracle, I got your site...
I got all the songs downloaded in my computer. Tears started flowing in my eyes when
I first saw your website and the background music "Center Of My Soul"...
Ralph's audio broke my heart. I praised God that there are still Christians like First Century Christians to share the Gospel and do ministry freely as how God gave us Salvation freely.

I can barely see through my tears of healing to type this note. I am
listening to the music from your site and "Peace I Give To You" is very
powerful just now. "...with open hands and grateful heart, I receive..."
Please pass along my thanks to the songwriter and to the artist and
let them know that they are being used by God.

I want to personally thank you for helping both Karen and I through the power and grace of your music. You were there for Karen during a critical period after the death of her husband.... Karen would send me e-mails and phone me, letting me know how her spirit was comforted by your music. Having listened to your songs over and over again, I can see why your God-breathed thoughts comforted her in her time of greatest need.

You have a special gifting of God to touch souls, who have become battle weary or just need a good shot of brotherly love.

Of all your songs, I confess that "Have You Ever Heard...?" is my favorite.
It breaks me out in uproarious laughter every time I hear it. :)

Another special song is "Come to Me". I envision myself resting in the security of God's arms of love. I see a thirsty baby coming to its mother's breasts for warmth and protection from the raging storms of life.

Each song contains within it golden nuggets of meaning that I savor like when I eat the chocolate with the cherry center in it. Your music was never intended to be devoured, but rather enjoyed like a fine wine...

Your music has that special quality that takes it out of the realm of ordinary to God-soaked. It is evident it is bathed with prayer, and God's spirit working within you.

I would encourage you to continue sharing your gift with others. Being a writer myself, I can appreciate how lonely it can be. Sometimes, you can feel isolated or like you are in a barren wasteland of nothingness, just trying to find your way home again.

Your music can bring a person home again to the person God intended when the individual was created. That is a rare gift.

The "Hospital Choir" of the Greater Grace Church
in the yard of the war veteran's home (Helsinki, Finland)

Greetings from Helsinki. Marja and I have translated two more of your songs to Finnish.
We added a couple of verses to the song... "In Every Single Situation"...
words like wisdom, whispering His advice, mercy and sufficient grace.   But I think
this song is lovely and full of comfort even though it is a fast song.

We also added a second verse to "You Are My Shepherd" saying... "He is your Shepherd"...   We go to hospitals and old people´s homes to sing there and we think it is good to direct the song also to the listeners so the words come more personal to them.

We have been singing "To The Rock" many times, once in the church meeting and many times in the hospitals. This song is one of our favorites... it has a sweet anointing as we sing it. We made a live recording with three microphones in the meeting... the quality is not very good, but if you like, we'll send you a CD soon...

"The other night I couldn't sleep and the song ( "When I Am Afraid" ) was in my mind... I went to your web site to listen to the MP3...

I was amazed to find all the stuff from South Africa. I listened to the choir and kids singing your music, and tears came to my eyes - they're coming again now!

You have a mighty ministry, brother, and you know that God is in it by the way He's taking it to the oddest corners of the earth to bless fellow believers who we will never meet this side of heaven. There is no way that anyone could make that happen, no matter how hard you tried, it's got to be the Lord"

My dear brother Ralph...Isn't our Father wonderful! Your music is a source of great strength to me and those of like spirit. I post the link continually to your songs....they speak of our Father with great depth. I trust the anointing which breaks every fetter will continue to well up within you and those whose lives you touch. Our Father bathes Himself in the chords of heaven. As His Presence radiates into our lives, He strikes chords that compliment what He is saying and doing. His richest blessing be upon you and yours, In His glorious love and grace

I preached on Sunday past at my Salvation Army Corps.
The corps officers were on furlough so the congregation managed the service.

Kevin (wonderful tenor voice) sang "I Will Walk" as
special music, accompanied by a pianist. ... one of the worship team
said that your beautiful song will be heard often in our corps...
Your music blessed the congregation and God was exalted.

Kevin asked the congregation to sing the last verse with him
as a group testimony to God and they did, in very humbled and moved voices.
Your song settled my nerves and re-focused me upon our Master in the
moments before I stood to preach His Word.

When (I get) married, in the Lord's time, "I Will Walk"
will probably be our recessional song. I have taken it as my motto...

The Easter service was really great;
we sang "Hallelujah, Jesus is Lord", "Center Of My Soul"
and "How Awesome Is This Place"...

I have been telling everybody about how I happened to find your site and the
lovely music one can find there for all situations in life. We were also in charge of setting up the Altar of Repose and it was beautiful...
while in prayer, "Search Me O God" was sung.

Your songs have helped us to be united with the Lord in a very special way.

(Pamela, from India)

Ralph, the Lord has given you great talent
and the opportunity to use that talent for Him.
I pray He will guide and bless in all aspects of your ministry as you proceed.

Last Sunday I taught "Bless the Lord (Calypso)"... to our youth fellowship and they broke into to laughter the way it is sung. It was real fun in the Lord.

Yesterday I found one beautiful song "Rest in Me" by Ms. Julie. It was sung just for me... I was in total distress denying the peace of God for the past week due to heavy pressure in the education field... " Rest in Me" was a straight conversation between God and me. It was like God speaking to me face to face, telling me that His plans for me are holy and just... that he still loves me despite my shortcoming. I downloaded the MP3, and I am going to share this song with my fellow youths. I am back to God again....

I have made up a cassette of all the songs that are available in New Hope Music and a New Hope Music Song Book for my Youth Fellowship, which I will be distributing with weeks time.

(Daniel, from India)

Thank you for the use of your music for personal music ministry.

We were able to persuade a very talented guitar player to help us out
and record a background track for us and I sang as part of a set I did for
a bandstand church service in the summer of 2003. It went over very well and it was an awesome worship time for me as well.

God bless you and your ministry! (Michelle)

Your songs are very praiseful and touch my heart.
When I heard "Center of my Soul" it really touched me.
Thanks that I found your web so I can download songs
that can be use in our prayer meeting....and thank you
for all the freebies that are ready for duplication
so I can share it with my friends to sing. Mabuhay!!!

(Jennifer, from the Philippines)

I am overwhelmed by your music and would like
to share them with my family and choir.
The Hymn "Search Me O God" has really touched my heart.

Its been one week now since I found your site
and visit it at least thrice a day.
(Pamela, from India)

WOW!!! Just stumbled across your beautiful website whilst looking for
Easter music on 'Google' and needless to say I didn't get any further!

I've been sitting here for the last 3hrs checking out all the wonderful music,
it's awesome and truly inspiring. I've had a wonderfully uplifting Easter weekend... and this has just topped it off nicely.

Thank you so much to all concerned. Keep up the good work,
and may GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
(Diane, from England)

I've been blessed to do the worship for our lady's
Bible Study... In August, a young lady's retreat is being planned
in which I would like to use the song "By the Mercies of God"
because the theme verse is Romans 12:1,2.

The Lord had led me to your site and I was able to use
"Center of My Soul" and "You Are Awesome God!!".
It was fun and a blessing to me and the women at the study.
(Barbara, from New York)

I have been edified and blessed by your collection of songs and hymns.
They have tremendously helped me... to walk confidently and boldly
in my journey of faith in OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
I was actually led to this website by Divine aid; it was about 2 months
after I was saved and being one that loved to sing (I was in the choir in
my early years - 36 years ago), I found myself frustrated because
I did not know most of the songs ... So one Saturday, I decided to
surf the web for gospel songs...then I found you."

(Nonso, from Canada)

Hi, I just want to let you know that I just LOVE your site.
I recently started playing guitar & singing for nursing homes & senior centers in my area & am always looking for a new song or two to bring to the folks.

I REALLY like the "Center of My Soul" song & was wondering by any chance if you knew guitar chords for that one. I have a long way to go as far as learning to play guitar, but I'm getting there!

Thanks for any info you can give & for such a beautiful worthwhile site!

(Linda, in an email)

... thank you all very much for your hard work!!! I have introduced one of your songs ("Center of My Soul") to our Church... I want to introduce 2 more as well. It is so difficult to find songs today with peaceful melodies... Please keep up the good work for our Lord Jesus Christ. (email from Glenn)

I visited about three years ago, after my husband died. The music
here was one of the few things that helped me to remember
that God is present no matter what it looks like.

The songs have helped me to worship during long stretches when
I was unable to worship in a local congregation, both then and now.
The songs keep me rooted solidly in what I know to be true about God but sometimes is hard to remember. (When you're up to your rear in alligators...!)

Thank you so much for the music. It makes such a difference in my life;
it's fuel for the race. I'm back for a fill-up. May God richly bless you
for being so faithful to Him.

(Karen, from Canada)

Thanks to all who have written...
Your words will be an encouragement to visitors.
We look forward to hearing from others !!!