Awaken My Heart
I wrote this song when I was a student at Vancouver Bible College. I was a resident in the Ellis House.  I had a small room up stairs and shared the house with 7 or 8 other guys. Several guys played guitar and when ever someone would make a new piece of music we would all gather around and listen. I will never forget playing this song to some of the guys that one night. When the song was finished it was quiet for a moment and then someone said, "...so what are you doing in college anyway -- you should be singing your songs".  Well singing songs and going to college do not bring in a steady income, however the comment was not totally lost on me.

Faith, Family & Friends 
A convention and retreat speaker told us a story of a man who on his death bed shared with him what the most important things in his life were. This dying man had been a believer in Christ most of his life and so it would seem a good question to ask him.  His reply was that he could remember clearly the day he put his trust in Jesus as  Saviour.... faith. Next he recalled meeting a beautiful woman who became his wife. In the following years they had several children.... family. This man had also said that at the time he became a believer he was embraced by a large body of people that became his best companions in the journey of life.... friends.  Faith, Family & Friends!!! 

We heard this story on the first of the two weekends that we attended a convention and we both knew it should become a song. So it did. We liked the whole concept so much we used it to title our newsletter and our latest album. Thanks Tom!

Morning Dew  (instrumental by Aron Loewen)
This instrumental was written during practice sessions over a period of about three weeks. I was developing some guitar technics that I had heard from players that I really admire. Eventually technics turned into a song.  As soon as it was finished, I started playing it where ever I could.  At a youth retreat I asked if anyone would have an idea for a name because calling it 'Generic Tune #7,' was a bit weak. Some girls came to me and suggested 'Morning Dew'  ...I liked that!

Beauty can be appreciated by anyone and yet so few know the truest and deepest meaning and source of all things beautiful. If you know the source of this beauty, please consider the agnostic, atheist or non-theist for just a moment.  Who or what do they thank when they recognize beauty in any form?  Thank God for the beauty that you contemplate through your day. Then pray for at least one person who doesn't personally know Who to thank.

Heart To Heart
Even tho' I may spend only one Sunday out of each month in church with my family, I have enjoyed very much being at Northview Community Church and listening to Gods' servant Vern Heidlebrecht share from the Word. It was on September 14, 1997, that I heard one of the best messages ever: "How to Live From Your Heart." (Acts 13:22)  He 

used an illustration of how a flock of birds can be so in tune with each other that hundreds of birds will sweep and dive instantaneously without any known signal. I sat there and said to myself, I want to be that close to God; I want to be Heart to Heart with God.

Deny Myself
I may have just had one of those moments when the light went on in my materialistic mind and I was reminding myself how far away from God's will a person can get when we chase after all those temporary things of life. Seems to be a tendency to always want something more than what we've already got. Just gotta keep dealing with it.

Trust And Obey
If we haven't already done so we must concede that humanity makes no sense outside of God. In scripture we are instructed to trust entirely on God our maker and not to lean on our own mortal reasoning. When our lives are completed and we get a chance to reflect, there's no doubt that we will remember times when we felt forsaken or 

confused. Perhaps we will finally understand that especially in those times, He was really closest to us. If we could just learn that earlier in life so we would truly understand what it means to fully trust Him. We are also instructed to do those things that He has required and not to try to please Him with hollow and ineffectual sacrifices. To trust God for everything and to obey Him always in all things does not just happen instantaneously. Neither does it take place without our consent or on its' own; trusting and obeying is a life-long commitment that's initiated by us at the point of believing yet it will be life-changing from that time forward.

These words, "Trust and Obey," should hang as a banner over our entire lives as believers.  This hymn has been a long-standing favorite for both of us.

Heart, Soul, Mind, And Strength
This song came from a desire to involve our audience. We were looking for a new song that we could include in our concerts that would have biblical substance and that would be fun and memorable. The choruses are directly from scripture and the verses of the song are examples of three individuals who demonstrated their love for God. Some songs nearly write themselves.

The Moon Kept His Smile
In a world of great change it's comforting to know that some things don't ever change. In God's creation, He gave us the moon and the stars. We noticed the moon on one of the first walks with my wife when we were just getting to know each other. It was one of those nights when the smile on the moon's face was very distinguishable. The normal struggles of life experienced with the family throughout the years have made me often wonder if things could have or should have been different. The smile in the moon carries a strong message. God's love is never changing, and thru all adversity, He continues to love. People get married, then they have a family, then pressures come. And from those passionate moments of falling in love to that moment when you wonder why you're married, you can always find a smiling moon and a loving and forgiving heavenly Father. Put the trouble behind you and get on with it!

The Maker Of Life  
Even tho' this song was written about a good friend who left us, it's message was clearly for those of us left behind.  What are we saying to each other thru a time of great loss? What are we saying to God about the loss of our friend?  He has ultimate control over the universe. He does all things for His glory. He gives strength when the heart cries for Him. He is the Maker of Life. We need to say, "...into Your arms, into Your care..."  not only for the departed but for us who experience the grief.

Loyal To The Lord
Loyal to the Lord is probably the most political of all the songs we do. In a day and age when loyalty seems to be an out of place characteristic, there is a deep and growing sense in the heart of many people to take up anew the banner of loyalty and let it become a response of dedication and commitment that is much needed towards God and our fellow man. We need to decide and choose what is right and honorable and then pledge allegiance to those in authority, to those who are dear to us and to God our Father and His Holy Word.  'Oh Canada' and the Lord's Prayer combined together allows this song the space that is needed to convey it's message.

The Bugler's Cry (Version 1-For Poland)
The Bugler's Cry (Version 2)
Aron and I sang at a missions conference in February 1998. Larry Boss, a missionary to Poland was a guest speaker. He told the story of a bugler who warned the people that the enemy was approaching.  In Krakow, Poland, 1241 AD, a bugler was hit by an arrow and killed. Today the same song is played at noon and stops on the last note that was heard before he died. People stop in their tracks and listen to the 'bugler's cry', the warning that saved their city. It is one of Polands' most famous stories: a true story that impacted me so much I wrote a song about it right away.

Tearin' Down
Although this song was written some twenty two years ago, it's finally come out of the woodwork as a kind of blues / back-porch-foot-stomper. The musical expression in this song is somewhat multiform. Often we want to hang on to junk that we think enhances our relationship to Christ and others. I know this doesn't feel good to realize this but most of us by nature are procrastinators and are unwilling to cast off sins that we enjoy. It's when we consider the cost from a human perspective that we justify feeling 'blue.'  But, we need to take drastic steps and the process of "tearin' down" and unburdening ourselves of stuff must come by first making a decision to be rid of it.  Then we need to call on Him, and in Jesus' name thoroughly clear the riffraff and stake that territory as His... for all time. Celebration follows!!