Local singer/songwriter Ryan Ramsdale opens up about the struggles of his life, how he met God, and now writes songs to God with the talent bestowed upon him.

When Ryan Ramsdale first got into music, he was 15 years old and had his heart set on becoming like one of the greats in the music industry, like Elvis Presley. 

Throughout his years, Ramsdale went on a journey of self-discovery which ended up with him finding God and changing the reason he created music. Ramsdale says he's always had a knack for writing songs, but after years of technical training, he sees his music career more like a passion project.

Ramsdale writes Christian folk music, and when asked how he incorporates the two he says it's "like a fine line."

Check out the full interview with Ryan Ramsdale here:

Before the Winnipeg singer found Christ, he was in a folk band. Once his life took a complete 180, where he no longer cared for the typical celebrity lifestyle of fame, partying and getting into trouble, the band decided it was best if they go separate ways but the folk music always stuck with Ramsdale.

"The style, like Ryan Ramsdale's style, has been, I would say fairly consistent and then just the message has changed."

Fearing the truth

Ramsdale shares that it was his fear of the Lord that brought him to meet him.

"I think of Proverbs chapter one and it says 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,' and that's where it started. I was gripped by fear by the potential that God was real because I thought if He is real and He's to show up in some way, what am I going to say? What justification am I going to have for my behaviour, and my lifestyle? I was very, very aware that I could come up with nothing."

It also made an impact that his friends around him were getting saved by the grace of God. 

It wasn't until the summer of 2002 when Ramsdale was camping at Birds Hill Park by himself that he picked up his grandfather's bible from World War II and started reading.

"I just was reading it and I got to Luke chapter four and Jesus read from Isaiah in the temple and he just read it with authority and said today that scripture is fulfilled in me and it hit me like it just came alive. It was all God's work, you know, I didn't work for it and nobody really led me to that moment."

Ryan Ramsdale and the Old John Cotton Band perform at the Laudamus Auditorium at the Canadian Mennonite University campus at 7 p.m. on January 27. They will be showcasing his album A Poem Hidden in Weakness, which came out in July 2022.

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