Notes From Our Friends We would like to share some of the notes and testimonials that we've received from our friends. If you would like to send us a comment, please click Here From Anonymous Dear Rick, We were introduced after the first (Thursday) Easter service of this year. This is the same service I attended last year. After the service I drove back to my home in Arizona to celebrate Easter with my family. I didn’t feel well but I had no idea how sick I was. The following Monday, I went to the airport to board a plane for Orange County – I didn’t make it! Airline personnel convinced me I was to sick to fly. I called my wife who picked me up and took me to a hospital emergency room where I was emergently admitted. This brought on the realization that this illness was not going to pass without intervention. One week later I had major chest surgery to restore function of my left lung so I could breath and remove the infection so I could live. This was followed by 6 weeks of recovery and rehabilitation so I could return to “normal” activities. Today I am alive and well. This story is being told to thank you for your song “trust God.” From the time I entered the hospital the words of “Trust God” were ringing through my mind. It was there during diagnosis, before and after surgery, and during recovery. I never considered the illness as just part of God’s plan for the future – my purpose in life. Thank you for your sustaining words, your inspiring worship and especially for “Trust God.” Clearly, it saved my life and my future. From Nathan Hunter Thank you for your web site! We just went through 40 days of Purpose and I am in research of new choruses and found your sight. Thanks for your shared ideas and desire to see excellence outside yourself in God's church! From James Sacco Hello Marianne and God Bless You, Thank you sooooo much for your help, you explained it very well on how to down load these trac's. I have them now have burned them onto a CD with the Windows Media I was able to convert the MP3 to audio.... We are just finishing the 40 Days of Purpose in our church and it has really been a blessing.... we have learn some life changing things... God be with you in all that you do. Jim From John & Rosemary McDougall Dear Becky: Thank you for your e-mail in reply to the one I sent thanking you for the music sent and asking you for prayer. I would also like to thank you again and Rick Muchow, for sending these great CD's. I already had one of the albums, so I was able to give one to a Christian friend I have not long met. The Lord is truly wonderful. I started work in a fairly large telephone call centre dealing with credit card enquiries. Just across the row from me was a young man who has not long moved into the area near where I live and he is a born again Christian. So he and his family are now enjoying Rick's music. My wife Rosemary also presents a Christian programme for Radio North Angus and we are just home, after having recorded her programme which is due to be broadcast on Thursday morning. Near the end, leading up to the prayer time she has, we play Rick leading Only The Lord of Love. That sweet melody, lifting up the sweetest name ear ever heard, brought real praise into that small studio. All we do in our programmes, is to tell people about Jesus and the music you sent is certainly helping us to do just that. There are so many people today, claiming to be Christian worship leaders, but who are no longer lifting up the name of Jesus. Yet how can we come to God any other way? I got an e-mail from somone who told me that we could pray directly to the Father and the Holy Spirit for "more directed intercession". How can we be any more direct that approaching the Father through the Son, as we are told to do in the Bible? The Cd's you sent speak of the Lord Jesus and I think that's great. I hope your church will continue to praise and lift up that beautiful name, bringing the news of salvation to the unsaved and blessing to those who own His lovely name. Again, thank you and may the Lord bless you all in everything you try to do for Him. John & Rosemary McDougall From Marilou Rock Praise God for working out the financial situation for me in order to go to this PDC Seminar in Lynchburg, VA. My savings for the Purpose Driven Conference were used up on unexpected expenses due to Isabel, but it all fell into place at the last minute. I came back with less than a dollar after the Seminar, so God provided me with exactly what I needed to get there. I don't know where to start. When I walked into the conference I was drawn right to the Praise Team. It was incredible and Rick Muchow the Music Ministry Leader touched my heart, BIG TIME! I had the opportunity to go to his seminar for leading worship and was really touched by his words. I have always been surrounded by musicians in my life but strayed away from that passion when I got out of school and "real life" set in. But I AM BACK thanks to my experience at the PDC and finishing Teamlife 301 class at our church. Rick Warren talked about the Purpose Driven Church and this time I really got it. I knew exactly where I was headed and how I, (Little old ME) can be apart of this great process of the direction our church is going. I see the vision our pastor has been trying to get me to understand as a member of JCCC. Now that I have been on staff with JCCC for over a year I have finally learned what it is all about and how simple it is. The secret is that "it is not about me, it is not about our Pastor, or the leaders of a ministry, it is about God" and how all of us can be used in different areas to help God with His mission, as usual I made it too complicated. After learning what my passion was through Teamlife 301 and getting connected into the right ministry for me, it is powerful. So look out, you will now find me behind the scenes of the worship service, in the Sound Room, helping the Drama Team get wired up, shepherding after the Praise Team to herd them back on stage, playing with the lighting and everything else that goes along with the production of the service in order to support our Pastor, Sam Goins with the JCCC mission to lead lives to Christ. I encourage everyone to go through the Teamlife classes and discover your God given talent and get plugged in. I wish everyone in our church could have gone to the PDC because it really was a life changing experience for me. I have dusted off my flute again and am allowing God to flow through me to touch someone else. Things are changing at our church and I am so excited to be a part of it! Thanks for touching my life! Marilou Rock James City Community Church Williamsburg, VA P.S.  The band is playing "All About Love" this Sunday and I was asked to play the flute.  I am so excited! From Kelly Culler Dear Cheryl and everyone at Encouraging Music, I wanted to take a moment and say thank you for your prompt service. Last week was extremely busy with the kick of our 40 days campaign. I appreciate you getting the music for All About You to me and letting me know when there was a problem with faxing. Thanks so much and may God richly bless your ministry. Kelly Culler Worship Arts Coordinator Timothy Lutheran Church Marion, OH From Larissa Paiva Rick, Thank you. You were very kind when I asked you to pray with me and after to sign my cds. I praise the Lord for your life. May He keep blessing you in your ministry. The things are changing in my life. I saw your son playing piano, and I was touched. I thank God for his life too. God used his life to change my life. Would you please say thank to him for me? I studied piano for a long time, but I stopped. My mother used to ask me to play, but I always say no. I think that I don't play for more than 2 years.... And yesterday I went to the living room, took the book from the PIB em São José dos Campos and played couple songs.... My mother listened that and became really happy. She called to my dad and he became touched too.... Before I just took piano classes because of my mother. Now I want to take classes again to worship God. I also received an e-mail from my friend from my "ex- church" saying good things to me.... She couldn't go to the conference, so we'll watch the videos (I bought all videos) and I'll share with her what you taught me... I think that is a good thing... Thank you again. I pray for you, for your ministry and for your father. I don't forget it. Please, would you keep praying for me? God Bless you and your family. Larissa Paiva From Denise Weeks-Bush I just wanted to thank all of you at Encouraging Music and Saddleback Ministries for the wonderful conference this month. Everyone that I met was so gracious and the conference was so spirit-filled AND well organized. It was wonderful to meet and talk with other Praise Band/Worship leaders from around the country. I work with a wonderful group in a church in Central New York State in a non-traditional Methodist Church. We are so grateful to all of the musicians who write the wonderful songs that we use in our worship. Rick's workshop that I attended was very helpful and it was great watching him lead his group and the choir on the last night. Tommy Walker, Brian Doerkson, Darlene Zschech, Eddie Espinosa, Rick Founds, Troy Kennedy, and of course Rick were very inspirational and all so genuine and spirit filled. It was wonderful and very gratifying to experience. I sang and played in Rock bands and secular music for many years and thankfully God has put me on a different path and exposed me to some wondeful people - both famous and not famous. I came home so inspired that I sat down and wrote down music and lyrics for 10 prayer and praise songs. I don't really feel like they are mine, but God's, and I appreciate that he sent them my way. Tommy Walker's suggestion to write what your own congregation needs was extremely helpful and I can see a need in our group for the type of songs that I was able to write. I got home on Saturday, wrote a song Sunday morning and my group learned it and played it for our congregation on Sunday night. We are starting the 40 days of Purpose - The purpose Driven Life in about 2 weeks and I believe that several of these songs will fit in with the important points of the 40 Days. So, once again thank you and your team. It was WONDERFUL!!! I hope to see you all next year. In God's Service, Denise Weeks-Bush Christ Community United Methodist Church and Grace Alone - Band From Brad Hansen Rick, Thanks very much to you and your talented and dedicated team for putting on such a wonderful Worship Conference last week.  I was blessed, and my music director was blown away.  (he's a secular artist who never knew "church" conference could be so cool)  anyway as always Rick you encourage everyone you touch making us all feel welcome at Saddleback.  Blessings... Brad Hansen From Robert Swartz Hello Rick, I trust all has gone well for you since you were with us in Maryland. I hope you enjoyed your time in Nashville and that it was a very productive time there. I would like to let our folks at Friendship church know about your new release. If you have any publicity, ie., posters, press releases, etc., send them my way and we will get the information out with our email and on our Sunday morning announcements. Let me say that we are still talking about the weekend that you spent with us. It was indeed a highlight for the life of our church. Thank you for giving of your time and your talent to give us a needed "boost" . If you recall, you asked me to give you some feedback on what the local "small to medium" music ministry may need to better facilitate the worship experience. I still feel that your accessibility through the website is one of the best out there. I am grateful for the ability to download most of the materials that I need. From my perspective the greatest help that you could provide would be an expansion of the products and materials you already have. I would greatly benefit from a folio of each album. The folio would have a piano/vocal score. The vocal score would include the harmonies that work in the music you do. To accompany that, continue to offer the lead sheets, and add to this band charts for the most common instruments. Especially flute, sax (alto, tenor, bass), and brass parts. This would help those musicians who are very uncomfortable with improvisation. Thank you for considering this in your plans as Encouraging Music continues to serve the local ministry. By His strength, Robert P.S. Please say hello to Jordan for me. From Dave E. Hi- Thanks for the credit on my card.  I am waiting to download the the tracks you offered me at No Charge.  I appreciate that.  I plan to order some lead sheets and midi today.  I hope I do it right this time.   I enjoy your site so much I visit it everyday new information or new music material that might be added.  Your outreach is beyond your imagination.  Continue in this good work that God has given you to do.   In His service Dave From Joanemar Paoli I´m glad your special atencion to us brazilian and others believers to speak portuguese. Your help is precious. I´ve been make all free download in portuguese. Thank you Joanemar