Rick Stokes

Hi there friends,
It has been quite some time since I've made any contact.
I've been recording the odd song idea on my iPhone, and leading worship occasionally, but apart from thatI haven't been doing much in the studio lately. It didn't help that the rats invaded my little studio caravan last year and made it a not-so-pleasant place to be in...
I've written a book, Worship without Walls, about the decade we spent, meeting weekly in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, singing and praying for the city. A lot of supernatural things happened, and we had clear evidence that what we were doing was affecting the city positively. I'm working on a second book at the moment, so watch this space...

One of my favourite verses from the Bible is about some guys called the Sons of Issachar; they were commended because they "knew the times, and knew what Israel should do". Many of us are watching with great attention as we see the world systems going into meltdown around us. This shouldn't catch us by surprise, or make us fearful, because the Galactic Manager has told us in advance what the last days will be like.
I'm hoping you all know Who to call on, that's Jesus Christ, the One who created the Universe (" a single spoken sentence") and each one of us.

I trust you can find music that centres and steadies you to keep on walking.
Remember, the valleys of the shadow of death are to be walked through, not camped in.

Best regards,
Rick Stokes.

Hi everybody,
Just a quick note as I rush about here - I'm hoping you're all keeping your heads up, and holding tightly on to the Hope in these dark days. It is so hard to get an accurate idea of what is actually going on these days, so I encourage you to please seek an alternative source of information to the main stream media, as they have become totally owned and untrustworthy.

Apologies for the lack of contact over the past months - 2021 was a very strange year for us all. It didn't help with both my parents passing away that year either.
During the year I wrote and published a book, "Worship Without Walls, Battle for the Heart of a City." You should be able to find it on Amazon, here is a link to more info here on a NZ site:
(expired link)

I'm excited to report that in between clearing an 82 acre block of scrublands and turning it into an organic farm, I've managed to partially revive my studio-in-storage. I've squeezed into a small caravan most of what I need to record a very small number of musicians/singers, so I'm hoping I'll find time this winter (that's June, July, August here in New Zealand) to put some of my remaining hundred or so unrecorded songs into a semblance of order. Watch this space...

Best regards,
Rick Stokes.

Hi everybody,

I'm writing this, now that I've got some time on my hands - I recently got back from hospital after a fall down a bank, resulting in a bad knee injury - now I'm forced to stop the urgent scurrying around on the wild block of land we are trying to tame. Quite a challenge for me to remember that this is somehow working out for good... (Rom 8:28)
To those who have left encouraging notes for me here about my songs, thank you so much - you help keep me motivated to continue making and recording music. We are currently living in portacoms and caravans in a fairly primitive situation, planning (by faith) to be building a house to live in, so my recording studio is packed up in a 20 foot container until i can find somewhere to set it up again.
My family and I believe in miracles. A few years ago we experienced one - My Swiss wife, Sue and I had made a point to visit her family in Switzerland every couple of years after getting married - but things changed once children began to come along. After our 3rd child we were financially unable to afford it, so we gave up the idea of ever returning there. 13 years after our last visit, and with 7 children, we were in the middle of the lowest financial ebb of my home business, also we had a $26,000 dental bill to pay, and we were living off my visa card as we struggled to pay the rent each week.
One morning I had been praying in our room while the family was having breakfast, and the thought hit me that a small miracle and a big one were both just as easy for God. As I approached the breakfast table I said something I'd been afraid to say for 13 years - "Wouldn't it be great to all go back to Switzerland again?" Sue looked up at me as if I'd lost my mind, but later when we worked out the cost of the airfares, rent, etc, we decided that 50 thousand dollars would cover it. Now that sort of figure at that time was way out in the "impossible, unlikely, outrageous" space. Yet after I'd explained some of the previous miracles I'd experienced, the kids were all on-board for beginning to pray for this one.
Every day, for 6 months, we prayed for this as a family. It seemed that the youngest ones had the most faith - this "fifty grand piece" couldn't have been much bigger than a fifty cent piece, in their imaginations - but eventually I got frustrated at the apparent lack of answers. I remember praying, "If You fed Elijah with unclean birds (Ravens) then I'll accept provision from left field" - somewhere I wouldn't normally appreciate help from. Not long after that, we got a call from Swiss TV, who wanted to fly us all over to Switzerland, to surprise Sue's sister live on the Happy Day show. If you've heard my TV Land song, you'll get the raven connection. Anyway, they flew all 9 of us to Switzerland, staying several nights in 5-star hotels, and we were able to stay a month there, making up for lost time with Sue's family. During our last trip there, I was invited to sing and speak at a church near Thun, and people gave me 100 franc notes for most of the CDs in the box my Father-in-Law had thought to bring along. The box was empty in a few minutes, and still orders were coming in.
When we got back, I was able to settle all our debts, and we were left with a level account. The next morning, as we sat around the breakfast table again, we thanked the Lord for His answer. Afterwards, I asked the family, "Well, let's not stop there. What thall we ask for next?" The answer came unanimously and instantly - "Land!"
A year later, after loans and finances from various sources, we were able to purchase the block of land we are now on. There are still plenty of challenges, but we are able to remember God's faithfulness in the past, and believe He's still very able to care for us today and in the future.
Now I'm not exactly sure why I felt to share all this - but maybe there are a few of you that are wondering how to get through the next day / week / month with all the crazy things going on around us. I'd like to point you to a verse that has been so tangible and real to me, many times. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) I reckon God's "care" here is an action. As in the practical care I'm currently experiencing from my very patient wife and family, being unable to do much at all. Perhaps this verse is saying that we all need to cast our cares / worries / needs / burdens onto His BIG shoulders, to enable Him to begin practically CARING for us.

Best regards,
Rick Stokes.

A quick hello, during a very busy and challenging time in my family's life.

We've been looking for some land to call our own for the last 21 years, and finally, TODAY, we were able to purchase a neglected piece of bare land, about 45 minutes drive from Nelson, New Zealand.
Several crazy things happened that defy explanation: through a series of miscommunications we lost a significant amount in the currency conversion of a family loan from overseas, then we missed out on a $20,000 government first-home buyer's grant by 10 minutes this morning. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. All I could say was, "God, what are You doing??!!"

Just this evening, when reading the younger children a bedtime story, I noticed something: God was telling Gideon he still had too many men in his army. So He got rid of a whole chunk of them - sent them home. Next, God said, you've still got too many men. He eventually whittled the army of 22,000 men down to only 300 !! However, He still won a mighty victory with these 300 men.

I don't know how it applies exactly in our case, but if you know how to pray, We'd really appreciate it. We need a miracle.

Thank you so much.

Here's a song for you to download and enjoy, from my newest album, Hidden Treasures Volume 2:

(expired link)

Best regards,

Rick Stokes.

Several thousand hours of work have finally been completed (for the production side of things, anyway) and the songs are trickling out into the mouths and hearts of kids of all ages around the planet.

Hidden Treasure Volumes 1 and 2 span a couple of decades of my life, 33 songs that are mainly Bible verses set to music, written to help my children (and me) remember them. There's something about rhythm and melody that glues a Bible verse into our long-term memory.

Thanks so much for all the messages of encouragement coming in.

You can find the free downloads of the words/chords, also powerpoint slides for each song, and more info on my website: (expired link)

Warm regards,

Rick Stokes.

Hi again,
I've just uploaded one of the tracks from Hidden Treasure Vol1 - look in my profile for "This is My Commandment"
I'll find a couple of other tracks from the 2 new albums and upload them as well.
: )

Hi there friends,

I was excited to see a couple of boxes from the USA had cleared customs and arrived at my door.
Volume 2 is just on its way across the Pacific Ocean.

I've been putting these 33 songs together for a couple of decades, and I'm quite excited at how they are sounding.

Quite a vast range of styles, so there's probably something there for most people, taste-wise.

Most of the songs are Bible verses put to music, to help my kids (and me) learn them, quickly getting them onto my "heart drive" / long-term memory. I'm pretty sure there is at least a handful of verses that will speak powerfully into the lives of any open-hearted listener.

Listen to samples of Vol 1 here: (expired link)

Vol 2 is about to go live in a day, so look out for it here:
(expired link)

Best regards, and have a wonderful day,

Rick.