Build Your Kingdom

This was not even going to be on the CD but I needed a upbeat song and looked thru my songs and threw this one in. It turned into the first song and then the title of the CD!

On the way to Chicago with Lee Kendrick ,a friend, I came up with the main riff and said to Lee "come up with some words!", and he did. Its the only song that I didn't write both words and music. Albert came up with the sitar sound, it changed the whole feel. Chuck's soprano sax is super!

Sweet Love Of A Woman

I wrote this to my Son's widow, Elvia. My Son Jaime died in June of 2000. Right after his death Elvia and I spent 2 weeks together in Washington D.C. where they lived. We grieved together over our common loss.

I wanted to help her and started writing the words to this song. I kept showing them to her to ask for her input. she kept smiling and nodding yes. God used her to help my son get ready to meet the lord. Her love in his life changed his heart.

When I got back to St. Paul, where I live I put it to music. I didn't like the music at first. To boring. But as it went along it got better. I had trouble singing this one for about a year. My son was hearing impaired and Elvia is deaf. She has never heard the song. She is a very special lady.

Bad Road

I'm a missionary to Native peoples in Northern Ontario, Canada and as you go north from the USA border the roads >get worse, and worse, and worse!! I've traveled them many times and on one road I said: I should write a song about this one.

Here It Is

It starts in Fort Francis Ontario, and goes to Pickle Lake. And yes, I've been in a snowbank, and I've been in a ditch. Everything is true in this song. If the song's too long for you, sorry. It's a bad road!I wanted it that way. I'm the producer you know.

I will Be Found

This starts with Jeremiah 29:11 and then the rest is scripture from other places I cannot find without some digging, but its all scripture. Cary sings great on this one.

A Song To Jaime

I wrote this for my son about 15 years ago to encourage him that God was for him and he will make it. The words started from Isaiah 54:17. For me the feel of this one is like I'm in Wyoming or Montana driving down the road. Thats Richard Stagg on the harmonica. Enjoy yourself.

Get Ready

Albert helped write the music to this one. Without his input it wouldn't have gotten done. He didn't want his name on the credits for the writing. Whats with that!! His steel guitar is the lead instrument. It sounds quite unique. We let Paul the drummer go crazy on this track, so, he did. Are you ready?

Comfort My Heart

My favorite song on the CD. I think its the best one. When I get finished listening to it I kind of say to myself "what did I just listen to?". Trust me, the more you listen to this one the more it will sink in.` Well than don't trust me, just listen.

The words don't rhyme, yet to me they still fit. I didn't know they didn't rhyme until after it was written. I was just expressing my heart to God in a time of need, and asking for help. I wanted people to raise their hands to God for help as I sing the song, but I don't know of anybody that has done that yet! Maybe you will. There's a scripture that says that God is the lifter of our heads. When we are á down He is IT!! I had been praying this for people at the time I wrote the song so I stuck it in there.

A Fool In The Eyes Of The World

This is written from the perspective of a eye witness watching Jesus as He is doing what He is doing and not understanding because he has not been enlightened in his Spirit. He sees only with his natural mind and does not understand or recognize the truth, yet there is a thread of conviction that God is revealing to him. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our understanding to see who Jesus really is.  

A Friday Night In Taxco

Don't ever go to Taxco!! Never, ever, never, not now, not in the future, no way, stay away, drive around it, or something, that is, if you are like I was on this certain Friday night!! I was not having a good day, or night, but it turned into a good song, I hope!

Taxco, Mexico Friday, December 29th 2000. I was visiting my son's widow, Elvia and her family as they vacationed in Ixtapa, a spot on the Western coast of Mexico, north of Acapulco.

We started driving about 7:00 a.m. 14 hours later, at 9:00p.m.   we are finally in Taxco. I'm hoping for a hotel room and finally, take a dump!!. Well, no hotels available and I cant find a place to do the other thing. I find a bar, no toilet seat!! So I wait. Everybody in my group of 7 are deaf, except me, and as you probably know, in Mexico they speak Spanish. I speak English. My friends are all having a great time in a restaurant, I'm, not. I'm happy to be alive after my adventures on the treacherous roads, but would be happier if I could take a , well you know. So I'm alone sitting in the center of this town and watching all the stuff going on around me. Its in the song.

Taxco is a town in the mountains that the Spanish mined silver from years ago and not has become some sort of a tourist, party town. Its packed with people and don't drive your 1970s Thunderbird around there because you probably wont make the corners, the parking spots or get by anybody . Anyway, I've never heard of the town before and here I am alone, tired, my son had recently died, and I have to take a ,,,,!!. Then here's this big church that was built by the Spanish, I think, and it ain't involved as the sin of the city is in full swing. At least that is what I was seeing that night.

So when I got home to Minnesota I wrote down the things that impressed me and came up with this diddy. By the way, we drove out of ther e at 12:00 a.m. an went 3 more hours to Elvia's family home and finally I, well I, I was relieved! 

Only You

I wrote this in about 20 minutes. I wanted to write a easy worship song. Here it is. Alot of people think this is my best song. I disagree. See #7. Many thanks to Chet Priewe and Albert Svenddal. Nothing would have happened without these two friends.