Rusty Ballinger
I believe that I am a living testimony for Proverbs 22:6:
"Train up a chld in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
I was raised in rural Kentucky, where my father was pastor of First Faith Independent Church until the Lord called him home. I was saved at an early age, but peer pressure lured me, and the talents that God had given me, into rock music. At the age of sixteen, I was singing in local bars. After high school, I served in the US Army for six years, and upon discharge, spent the next twelve years performing in the world of rock and roll bands.
"I now enjoy the peace that only comes from Christian service."
I believe that while I was straying, my parents were praying, and their prayers were answered when I returned to Christ in 1998. From that point on, I have used, and will continue to use, whatever talents the Lord provides me to serve Him and to sing gospel music.
Since that day, God has opened doors for me with the Forgiven Four Quartet, Mercy River Quartet, and, since 2002, the Gospel Harmony Boys. Having experienced the fleeting pleasures of a life of sin, I now enjoy the peace that only comes from Christian service. I know that whatever the world throws in my path, I will stand firm; I will still be believing.
