President's Blog

I recently listened to a group of Ukrainian believers, refugees living in Poland, who sang a hymn in a worship service. I almost lost it. Tears came to my eyes. The melancholic sound of their singing reminded me of their recent pain and also their hope. It was very moving.

I find this melancholy in one of my favourite genres of music, the blues. I close my eyes and listen for the pain and hope open in equal measure.

I crossed one more thing off my “bucket list” several years ago with my daughter. We went to hear and experience B.B. King (and Lucille) live in concert. For someone who has loved blues music for decades, it was a treat to hear the “King of Blues”. Mr. King was 88 years old at the time, and passed away soon after. 

I imagine some of you have no appreciation for the blues, so you’re wondering why this music grabs me at the inner core of my being. The blues offers an expression of life. I sat in my church small group over twenty years ago and a police officer shared that life is tough. Life is often hard, frustrating, a struggle. I retorted that I thought he had it all wrong: life was easy and free. Twenty-five years on, I’ve concluded that he was right. I’m not suggesting that life isn’t filled with joy, amazingly fun, and full of incredible experiences—it is. But, overall, this old sinful world is not Heaven. It doesn’t feel like home, and I’m homesick. I long to go home where I know I’ll experience joy unspeakable.

Like other forms of folk music, blues and Gospel music come from the experiences of everyday life.

“The blues was born behind a mule,” said the great Mississippi Delta bluesman, Muddy Waters. Blues was born in the mud—the tough places of life. It was born initially in the nineteenth century during time of the Reconstruction Era and racial segregation laws. It was born out of struggle. The lyrics often speak of the struggles that life throws our way. We’ve all experienced curveballs in life.

And blues artists, like B.B. King, and Gospel singers, like Mahalia Jackson, sing songs that are real, raw, and relevant to the human condition.

I still have a smile on my face when I listen to B.B. King. His music resonates with my heart; it’s authentic.

In some ways, I hope our praise music does the same. While pointing God’s people to the Lord, we sing of the struggles of life and the hope only Jesus brings, while feeling a bit “homesick” for the glory that awaits each of us.

I guess that’s why blues and Gospel music are such close cousins in the musical library of American music.

Next time you hear the blues, I hope it reminds you of me…and I hope you’ll pray for me. Thanks.