Goodbye. And Thank You.

Friends and family, it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve weighed and prayed, tried and tried, and marketed my butt off. I’ve reached out and invited people to be part of this musical journey, and genuinely thought I had received God’s calling on my life to return to music.

I see now that I was wrong.

Doors continued to shut, opportunities were not available, “no” was the most prevalent response, and of late, my wife and I have been undergoing a trial of fairly enormous spiritual and social scale, brought on by those who name the name of Christ. Unfortunately, some churches are notorious for shooting their own wounded, and I’m sorry to say one church in particular is doing that. It’s sad, and our hearts tremble, but “God is greater than our hearts.” (1 John 3:20). The most prudent thing I can do now is to provide for my family, and to “make it my ambition to lead a quiet life, mind my own business and work with my hands, so that my daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that I will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thess 4:11-14).

For thirty years (with various breaks in between), it has been my utmost fulfillment to write and share music. I’ve been SO privileged to be invited to share it in various forms, and to get out there and present what God has put on my heart, sharing of this journey of redemption. “Human” is my swan song, my oeuvre, my curtain call; and I couldn’t be happier, because I’m so grateful for how it turned out. After all, as The Human League sang, “I’m only human; flesh and blood: a man.” Beyond words, I’m SO grateful. It represents the best of my lyrical work, and best of my musical partnerships. And Legacy, its predecessor, represents SO much powerful writing and music spanning these three decades. I’m very proud of how both turned out, though at the moment I’m admittedly heartbroken.

Thank you to all who supported me over the years…from the bottom of my heart. I remember my very first performance of Season In Season Out at the high school ministry at my old church. It just snowballed from there. I learned a lot in music ministry, and I’m grateful for all of it. To hold a mic and know that you’ve been afforded an immeasurable trust and responsibility: I don’t take it lightly. I’m very grateful to have been able to do so on so many occasions, but it’s time to put the mic back on its stand, and focus on the future.

Thank you again…everyone…thank you. I realize that for some of you, this is the first time you’ve received my blog. You know why I’m writing this, and I want to thank you for your support and friendship too.

With enormous love and gratitude,

Ryan Graves

PS, if you want to see any of our final concert moments, this is the “Human” CD Release concert we just held on 10.20.23. Hope you enjoy them.