How Ryan Ellis Found “The Heart of the Father”

July 25, 2022

BRIGHT-FM

If you’ve been tuning into BRIGHT-FM lately, you’ve probably heard a new song we’ve been playing by Ryan Ellis called “Heart of the Father.” Its lyrics proclaim:

Jesus, Your name is power
It’s breath and living water
And Your Spirit guides me
To the heart of the Father

This song is not only a beautiful opportunity to worship, but it is also a reminder of the Holy Spirit who lives in each one of us when we surrender our lives to Christ, and how the Spirit leads us closer to God.

Ryan Ellis has a heart for writing and singing songs that bring glory to God, but how did he personally come to the heart of the Father?

The singer/songwriter recently did an interview with YouVersion, the Bible app, about how he came to faith and the story is just as beautiful and life-giving as his new song.

Ryan opens the interview by describing how he faced a difficult childhood. He details how he felt hopeless… “It was just me. It was like I had to figure it all out.” At the time, his solution was to begin breaking into houses and stealing, but it just made him feel more empty.

“It felt like I was just a shell of a man…like nobody was coming to save me,” Ryan described to YouVersion.

That’s where Jesus stepped in. Ryan decided to join the Navy and his mom started sending him different Bible verses to encourage him while he was away. Little by little, message by message, his life began to change and he found hope through Scripture.

His questions were getting answered, hope was being found, and Ryan gave Jesus a try. As he spent more time in the Bible, he describes how he “could see the whole love letter” that Jesus has written to us, and he decided to give his life to Christ.

From there, the music came naturally…

When discussing his musical journey, Ryan quoted Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” and as his heart was full of God’s goodness, the music flowed from that same place.

His primary mission when he first started music is the same one that guides him today: wanting people to encounter the Holy Spirit.

This driving force of making Christ known is made clear through Ryan’s music, including his single “Heart of the Father.”

We can’t wait to hear more of Ryan’s music, but in the meantime, you can watch his full interview with YouVersion below and listen for him on BRIGHT-FM!