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I've always been a 'do it with everything you've got' kind of guy and that verse always helps keep my ministry focused. It reminds me that it's okay to give your all to something as long as your motive is right." So says Pamplin Music singer/songwriter/musician Charles Billingsley, a performer whose passionate faith leaves no doubt as to his purpose.
"I'm called to preach and music is the tool I use to minister." he states. And while his musical gifts are undeniable, this former athlete is in fact more jock than music junkie. His down time is far more likely to be spent working out, weightlifting or watching football than pursuing musical interests. But effectively incorporating faith into every aspect of life is precisely one way Charles wants to challenge others through his music. "In my concerts I try to get across the message that worship is not just a song, it's a lifestyle. If we wear the name of Jesus, our faith should be our life. I'm not always successful but I want my faith to play a role in my life whether I'm on stage or on the racquetball court."
Perhaps best-known for the national exposure he received during his two-year tenure spent front and center with NewSong, one of Christian music's most exciting bands, Charles' career in music actually began in college. During his freshman year as a religion major at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, Charles was asked to sing at a local church service. After the performance word of his exceptional talent and humble heart for ministry began to spread and he started accepting as many as four weekly invitations to perform. The day after graduation he began to wholeheartedly follow his calling, performing in incredible average of 240 concerts a year in churches across the country.
Compelled by a love for the church and a heart to minister that still beats as strong as ever, he continues to maintain the exhausting pace. "I just love the experience of church," he says with unabashed enthusiasm. "The Church, the pastors, and the youth pastors are very important to me. I'm basically an unknown singer who grew up in the church. But the church is very accepting regardless of how well-known you are. If you can get up and minister to folks they're all for you. The church has been so loyal to me and I am very dedicated to the church."
Equipped with a contagious boldness in his faith and a spiritual maturity that belies his 29 years, Charles Billingsley is an artist whose purpose is never in question and whose message is clear.
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