Testimonies

Iby Alan Boyce posted 4/25/07

In 2002, I awakened at 3:30 a.m. after dreaming that I performed a special song for the Kairos prison ministry. I don't usually
remember dreams, but this time I recalled every word of that song and wrote it down in 15 minutes.

I put the song to music, recorded it on my one and only CD (a fund-raiser for the Appalachia Service Project), posted it on Soundclick
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=88491&songID=596866
and waited to see what God would do next ....

Two years later I was on a Kairos men's team to Raleigh's Central Prison. Someone suggested we use this song, "The Only Ties
that Bind" but we found we could not because it was not on the "approved" list.

What now, God? I wondered.

Last year, a close friend who has been active in Kairos was chosen to lead the prison ministry to Women's Prison in Raleigh this
month. She had heard "The Only Ties that Bind" and remembered it. She decided it must be the theme song for this four-day Kairos
ministry and contacted me for permission.

I agreed, but could not be part of the team as it is women only. I was able to teach them the song during a couple of the training
sessions, then sat back to see what God would do next.

This Sunday, Hope, the Kairos leader, pulled strings so I could be a "food handler" for the final day of Kairos. Then she walked me
past the guards to the podium and explained that God had told her this song must be the theme for her Kairos weekend ... and that I
must perform it.

Then the 2002 vision was fulfilled, even better, because all 36 prison inmates had been taught this song and sang along! And my
wife, Cindy, on her own first Kairos, was front and center!!

Then woman after woman came up to tell me how the song had ministered to them. One woman said, "I know I will never leave this
prison. But now I know that I am free in Christ (she started crying and smiling at the same time) and it's OK!"

Hope made copies of the song lyrics for every inmate at the prison including the four on death row. They were given special
permission to hear the song from a CD player on death row. Even the guards were given a copy of the lyrics.

Every woman at this Kairos weekend accepted Jesus or renewed a commitment to Him. My wife said every guard who was there
who was not saved accepted Jesus as well.

Hope told me yesterday the song will now be added to the International Kairos Songbook and that up to 50,000 inmates worldwide
could be exposed to it every year.

I don't claim to be much of a songwriter. I've never made a dime from anything I've written

But I am totally blown away by what God did with this song HE wrote and just a little obedience from me.

If any of you are discouraged right now, wondering what God is going to do with your music, just be patient and trust Him.

God bless
Al

posted 4/26/07

Hello Mr.Paul,
             May the LORD bless you more and more as you read this letter of mine actually when i read your letter im so greatful to know
that you had a band for Christ. But i didnt know how to start this testimony of mine.
        Well actually im from the Philippines and working here in Hongkong as a domestic helper. I'm a single mother of
4-girls{19,17,14,11}yeah im old already 40 this coming Augost.
     I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour lasf January 28,1998 here in Hongkong and as born again Christian it change my
life a lot.From my point of view in life how to tackle the problems and all the trials on my daily life.I can smile and say God is with me
all the time as He promised that He didnt leave us or forsake us.That is my motto miracle happen last 2004 of Augost when i got
abused of a guy to bleed for almost 9hours non stop.I feel dying at that time my aunt was so scared when she see me pale in the
church.I cant say what happen because i feel so embarassed and afraid that nobody will believe or they will laugh at me if they know
the truth.
     So my Aunt bring me in the hospital and doctor said i need an operation because they need to stop the bleeding right at that
moment if not they sure im gonna die before the sun shine.But when they want to give me anaesthesia my whole body was trembling
i cant control even the nurses hold me they cant stop my body to move so fast.The doctor ask me to talk what happen and tell me that
she is Christian and its not a sin to confess the truth so she tell me about my family on how they can cope if i die and how my kids
when im gone.But the most amazing words she said to me is GOD was alive and He want to do something big in our life if we just
allow Him to do it.Then i cry a lot and pray till i didnt noticed that i didnt feel anything during the operation time until they finished im
awake, i cant sleep even when im in the ICU.
The good things on that tragedy in my life is i fogive that person and i say to myself im lucky i had a big big big GOD in my life.
I hope that my sharing have something in your life to share to others thanks a lot and regards,GOD BLESS you all, have a great day
                               love and pray
                               Fina

posted 4/26/07

Russ' Story
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When I was nine years old, I saw a movie about the life of Hank Williams Sr. and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to write
songs. It just seemed like such a great art form to me, and a great way to express myself.

In my late teens, I subscribed to a magazine called "Songwriter Magazine", I wrote dozens of songs, played in local night clubs, sent
songs to publishers and artists, hoping for a "break". During that time, I met a lot of other songwriters that were 40+ who had been
doing the same things for 20+ years and I began to realize that the music business was weird. Some of these people had awesome
talent and yet they were never heard, while the radio stations at the time were playing silly songs.

So after seeing these folks (who had worked so hard and long with no results), I decided to do something else for a "living" and
make music something I did for fun. Let me clear that up a bit, I didn't feel any disrespect for these folks, to the contrary, I respected
them for following their dream, it just wasn't for me.

Jesus Music

At age 25, I gave my life to Christ and started writing songs about my experience and later got involved with a Christian band and then
contemporary worship. Occasionally, I hear a story about the royalties received on a song like "Majesty" or "Lord I lift Your Name on
High" and I think, "wouldn't that be nice". But the "Christian Music Business" works basically the same way the Secular one does.
Folks in high places are trying to build a "brand" that will make their product a household name. That doesn't bother me. The
apostle Paul said once that he realised that some people actually preached Christ out of impure motives, but he still rejoiced that
Christ was being preached and that's how I feel about the "biz".

Thus, FreePraiseAndWorship/ShareSong.org. To me, it's a great alternative...there is an opportunity now for the songs to get out to
the 200,000+ churches that have CCLI licenses without the need for them to pass through "the star makin' machinery" (borrowed
from Joni Mitchell).

So why share the songs?
In every church and worship team that I’ve had the privilege to minister with, I’ve seen gifted songwriters responding to the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. I believe that song writing is closely tied to the gift of prophecy spoken about in the bible. A few years ago, I began
to wonder if there might be a way to share some of the songs that God has given me with more people.

Traditionally, to do that, you have to make a serious commitment to travel and “promote” yourself and your music and I just didn’t feel
that God was calling me to do that. Like everyone else, I’ve observed over the last few years the potential that technology has to
enable communication and sharing and so I thought, why not? But I don’t want to just share my songs, I want to see ALL the songs
brought into the “storehouse”. So, I’ve invested a great deal of time into this effort and I’m so blessed by what we are seeing!

Over 100 authors have shared more than 700 songs, so far. Worship leaders are just beginning to find out that this storehouse is
open to them and they can choose from all of these songs instead having someone else choose for them.

One last note…

Some years ago, I wrote a song called "The devil is Defeated". To me, it was just a little ditty that gave me perspective when I was
feeling overwhelmed. We began to use it in church and it's become a regular song that we do from time to time. My mother (age 72)
recently went on a short missionary trip with our church to Argentina. After carrying her luggage and a 16 hour flight, she found
herself in Argentina with tremendous back pain and feared that she would not be able to participate in the outreach activities. She
asked the group to pray for her, but did not feel any better.

She went to bed, but woke up at 2 AM in pain and unable to get back to sleep. She told me that when she can't sleep, she often
sings through the alphabet, a hymn for each letter (Abide with me, Blessed Assurance, etc...) . She said that when she got to "T", she
sang "The devil Is Defeated" and as she did, her pain subsided and she fell asleep. She woke up the next day with no pain and she
told me that through the rest of the outreach, whenever the team encountered difficulty, she would say "we need to sing The devil is
Defeated". I relate this short story, just to say that "royalties" come in many forms.

Yours sincerely

Russ Reese

posted 4/22/08

Paul This is my testimony;I introduced to the Lord at the tender age of five, 46 years ago. Not unlike a lot of believers I lived a JC
Penny christian life style with revolving door effect.So many times I had came close to being reprobate, I was in the program Teen
challenge two times and Youth challenge once nothing worked. One particuliar staff member of Teen Challenge often thought of me
as uncouragable. I was doing life on the installment plan in prison, my druggie and drinking days have cause me to have Hepatitus
C and serosis. Sexual sin and garbage man that was in my life. I was a viloent angry lost confused man.In no way do I feel proud of
any of my past, I am so glad Jesus never disowned me.
God never left me nor never did He forsake me, when my dad passed away March 5th in 2007, things turned around lots for my wife
and I.We were just plugging along trying to hang in there with the Lord. Michele and I have been married for almost 11 years, how
were still together and best friends is a miracle that I could never even fathom. Infidelity way back and I was out to be self centered
feeling sorry for me, I placed no value in our relationship via marriage.
All this Praise God is so different today thank you Jesus. I always had a love for christian music in spite of my difficult times I was
able to finaly come to terms I belong in music ministry, and Paul you are involved in my testimony somewhat brother, any how life is
so different for Michele and I now that it isn't to say we don't have adversity in our lives because we do. Yet we are at a place where we
cry out more then we ever did to the one who with unfailing love (Jesus). AmenIn a nut shell all I can say is I am free from drugs and
alcohol, I am not in any sexual sin, God is using me and I am overjoyed that I am allowed to play guitar for Jesus on a awesomee
worship team who all loves Jesus.
Thanks Paul this was for Bandloot, and my testimony was something I thought perhaps folks could read and see God is a miracle
working God.
<><Paul Postovoit