
Make Me Your Own is the third release from the New Jersey-based husband-wife duo, Arrow & Ember. The duo pushed themselves outside of the typical singer-songwriter genre with this release, incorporating elements from pop and indie-rock styles. Their skill at conveying emotion through lyrical depth and sonic intimacy can be heard on the title track - a modern hymn expressing the spiritual truths of Psalm 23 and the parable of the prodigal. Also on this release, two classic hymns - How Great Thou Art and Near The Cross - show the duo’s affection for the musical history of the church.
Deriving from musical families themselves, the duo enjoys a collaborative relationship with friends and family. On the significance of music in their lives, Ben comments,
“Music has always been a buoy for us in the midst of life’s occasional turbulence. It has a way of lifting us up, dusting us off, and setting us back down with a clear head and heart, ready to make the next move. Music draws us together even when we’re upset or don’t want to talk things through. A melody, a lyric, a rhythm is sometimes all it takes to connect us. We’ve been playing and singing together for so long, there are many of those connections we’ve made over and over again.”
Good Shepherd I have wandered / Far away unaware / That the goodness
I see now / Has always followed me everywhere.
Some years ago, the challenge of facing two concurrent events - financial difficulty due to a career crossroads and a crisis of relapse - ushered into their lives a whirlwind of shame, loneliness, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. But God showed up in the darkness and displayed, through sometimes unlikely means, that nothing can separate us from His love. Seeing God follow them into their experiences of loss and betrayal has left an indelible mark on their souls. Though the pain of those events and the subsequent fallout linger, Ben and Marla testify that God’s joy and healing are real. “Make Me Your Own is a monument to God’s faithful pursuit. We offer these songs to you in hope that you can experience God’s joy and healing as well. Because God chases us with His goodness, we continue to hope.”
Ben and Marla reside in a small town in South Jersey with their 4 children. Recently, they became part of the MAP CurePack Program, in which performers help spread the word about MAP’s medicine to the audience.
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