Pure And Simple 
"Simplicity reaches out after God; Purity discovers and enjoys Him." 

Thomas A. Kempis

We all knew that the new album was going to be called 'Pure and Simple' three months before we even started recording. However, there was no title song on the album by that same name, and I had no intentions of writing one or even ideas for one. We had temporarily moved to Abbotsford to record, then at Christmas we went north to Houston for two weeks of fun in the snow. Lucy's guitar was still in the closet where we had left it five months before.  I picked it up one night and started playing some muted bass notes and was delighted with the musical tones that were produced by it.  I found myself instinctively fitting a melody line to the four chord progression. When I actually let some words fall off my tongue, they were the words 'pure and simple.'  The song came to me very fast and it was fun to write. For all those people who have over-complicated the gospel of salvation and the experience of true worship, this song is a gentle reminder that God is not a God of confusion, but rather He has introduced us to Himself in a very pure and simple way. He wishes that we would respond to Him in this same way. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."    Matthew 5:8

Anytime, Anywhere
"Oh God, impress upon me the valued time and give regulation to all my thoughts and to all my movements." 

Chalmers

If ever there has been a song that I have written that expresses so clearly to God what I desire to be for Him, it is this one. How many people actually wake up in the morning and say, 'Lord today you are going to use me, because I am making myself available to you.'  How many of God's people, from their waking breath to their last yawn in the evening, have been conscious every minute of the day that they were acting as the Lord's instrument? My favorite line in the third verse says 'I become nothing to be made something.'  You know, even though I am still having to work on that principle, I have had the joy of seeing this concept of dying to self in order to really set things in motion. It allows God 

to take the driver's seat. Have you noticed how content those real true servants of God are?  I have.  Once we become comfortable with being available to the Lord, our lives will flood with peace and contentment, and we will hear ourselves saying, "Oh Lord, surely I am your servant..." Psalms 116:16b.

Oh Children
Who will have the greatest reward in heaven, Billy Graham or the custodian who kept the church clean for thirty years?  No one knows the answer to that.  However, we can safely say that the one who was faithful to the task that they were given, will be honoured by the God of heaven.  If we are God's children and we walk close to Him, it won't be difficult to hear what He wants us to do for Him. The question then becomes, what are we doing for Him?'

"...He's got work to do, we've got a lot of work to do!!!"

Daddy's Song
Jesus commanded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart."  Matthew 22:37

Jesus said, "...he who believes in me will never die."  John 11:25

This song was written for all those children who at an early age, have had to experience and cope with the death of a parent lost to a terminal illness, as well as for all those parents, who after having been told they have only a limited amount of time to live, pass on to meet the Lord. The father in this song knows that he is going to die, and has only one ever present thought in his mind.  He is comforted by the though that one day, yes, one day they will all be together again with the Lord.  A place where there is no sickness, and there is no death.So, they sing together... "If you love the Lord Jesus with all of your heart,  If you love the Lord Jesus, we'll never be apart.  Life is so short, time is forever.  Let's promise that we'll spend forever together with God."

You Are My Father
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."

When you think about the many thousands of orphanages around the world, it can easily break your heart spending time thinking about those children and the reasons they are there.  Loneliness and feeling unloved is common among these children. When a child is adopted from an orphanage, they can sense a love and acceptance because they have been especially chosen. 

"In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons..."  Ephesians 1:5

As I am not a Jewish descendant, I guess I am considered a gentile.  However, God sent His adoption plan out to all men and women who would willingly come into His family by His special invitation.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  John 14:8

Gladness Fills My Heart
"You have put gladness in my heart..."  Psalm 4:7

Standing in a noisy plywood plant in Salmon Arm twenty years ago, I wrote this song without a guitar and without paper and a pen.  There was this ever present drone of electric motors that would give off a particular musical wave.  I used the sounds available to me to write this song in my head, while my hands were busy feeding plywood veneer into the dryers. I remember that special year in my life.  I was just married and feeling very pleased that God had blessed me with a good wife and a good church family, as well as a good rental deal on a little apartment that we were busy making into a home. Yeah, I was pretty content.  So, as I recall those times, I find it easy to remember just how I felt, as I expressed my gratitude to God for what He'd given me.  That was the one day when the low drone of those electric motors was actually a pleasing sound to my ears!

"Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it."

Hallelujah In The Heavens
Picture yourself walking down a jungle trail on the small island of Palawan in a village far removed from mainstream society. The trail sometimes narrowing down one to two feet wide, tall grass as high as you are, bamboo bushes and palm trees are your canopy. You stretch out one hand to sweep back a low palm branch, the other hand reaches forward to tip aside some leaning grass, and then you are standing in a small clearing.  A family lives here in a home made of thatched leaves and woven split bamboo.  You have no idea that just two days ago the local witch doctor had been here trying to heal the woman of the house who has been sick for seven days.  You meet the family and offer a Bible Study and they are all in agreement. Family members show up from everywhere.... the dogs, pigs and chickens also come.  You have been talking to the people for only five minutes and the lady who has been sick comes through the low doorway with one hand over her stomach and one across her chest, she is hunched over and taking small painful steps.  You feel deeply moved and you ask, "Lady, do you believe that God can heal you?"  The interpreter translates, she looks from him to you, holds your eyes for only a moment and then nods her head, yes!  You ask the two interpreters to stand with you beside the woman and lay on hands and you pray that God would reveal His power by healing her.  The woman is healed instantly, people are excited, one man is pulling your arm saying, "...come to 

my house and tell my family about Jesus...," while the other arm is being pulled by someone else.

The witch doctor hears the story about the healing and sends word that he wants to see you, but you don't want to see him because witch doctors and you don't really see eye to eye.. But because you are only presuming this you send word to him that you are busy but will try to come to his home later.  That night he comes to the crusade with his entire family and makes a commitment to Christ after watching the Jesus film which has been translated into the Tagalog language and is projected onto a bare white sheet strung up between two poles and powered by a 500kw generator. The following night he comes back and tells 500 of his people that he has no power but God in heaven has power. And a church is planted, and the following Sunday morning there are many baptisms. You're heading back to Canada, you get off the plane and realize that you are not the same person that boarded this plane three weeks ago, you definitely know that there is going to be some change made in your life.  You meet your family with tears, it is good to be home. That night you notice another member of your family who has been with you for 22 years. You go over and pick up your Yamaki guitar and with this old friend , begin to write the song that has been burning in your heart for several days. HALLELUJAH IN THE HEAVENS!!!

I returned to the Philippines eleven months later and made the journey back into this same village with my friend Aggapito who is now the Pastor of the new church. It was a strong work with one of the most active members being the witch doctor. It was nice to see the people again.

Love Is My Way
"Will there be anyone who will come to you in heaven and say, I love you because you had a part in my salvation?" Warren Shibley

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to walk and talk with Jesus and to hear Him say words that would cut through your heart?  It might have had a lot more impact on what you or I may have done with our lives than if a friend or pastor would have said the same words. Jesus gave His disciples a mandate; He gave them specific instructions on what they should do.  That very same mandate was given to you and to me; that is to win the 

world to Christ through LOVE. There are no "if's, and's, or but's."  We are to love unconditionally and we are to love our neighbors and friends into an everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ. 

"...because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He 

has given us."  Romans 5:5

Solid Rock
Many of us remember old standard hymns from church.  This old hymn stands as a classic from our youth. The words carry the same strength today as when we sang them as kids.  If our belief is based in perishable stuff, when those things perish, so does our reason to believe.  We like to include some of the old hymns in our concerts so the younger folks get a little bit of classic-hymn-culture.  "Old hymns never die, they get D.S.al Codafied."

Rabbits Hop
When people are real busy with their lives, they often forget that some of the things in this life that are free are probably the best things for us. Watching my daughter when she was three years old was enough to inspire this song.  Her love for birds, animals, insects and leaves falling in a strong wind etc. were moments when she would make me stop and I would hear her say, "Daddy, isn't that nice?!"  I realized she could never be more right.  It was nice.  I took her to the Philippines when she was twelve and I have a picture of her, not walking a dog but rather walking a scorpion with a two foot string around her finger and the other end around the scorpion's head.  Ah!  The simple things in life.

By His Birth  (Christmas Song) 
"We celebrate the One who is big enough to create the universe, but small enough to live within our hearts." 

Author Unknown

I remember the birth of my three children very well.  I especially recall my son Christopher's entrance into this world.  Even though great pain was a real part of the birth process, there was also tremendous joy for Lucy and I. There was also much pain for God the Father when He sent His Son into this world. He knew full well there would be tremendous suffering to come for Him, but also great joy, because Christ would be the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. It was special for me to sing this song at Christmas in the Community Hall in Houston. It was just one day before that my own son was born, and I was fresh with those fatherly kinds of emotions.  I was able to sing with a renewed awe and gratitude toward my God, for the generous love He showed by giving us His Son.

Hear Our Prayer
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."  2 Corinthians 3:7

Aron and I enjoy singing this song in a church service just before the message.  It seems to build an atmosphere of receptivity to what God may have to say to us through the servant sharing the Word. It is important that we gather together for no other purpose than to worship God from the very depths of our soul.  We must not have cluttered minds, as we spend these precious few moments together.  Rather, we must do as Isaiah said, and "seek the Lord while He may be found... call upon Him."  We must also be like the widow who persistently came before the judge in the book of Luke;  we must plead with God to hear our prayer and He will.

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go". 

Abraham Lincoln