About Me
Not often do we encounter people who cause us to feel as if we know them I mean, really know them from the very first time we meet. Many times it's easier for us to keep people at arm's length, buffeted by the safe and comfortable distance. We can be polite, even hospitable, but it can be risky to venture beyond that with just anyone.So when a person shows a sincere interest in our lives and a willingness to honestly share his, you can't help but be drawn in. It's this kind of transparency that has come to consume Buddy Mullins' life. It doesn't allow for the convenient compartmentalizing of friends, activities, or behaviors. Rather the absence of disguise causes his life to have a rare consistency one where his spiritual journey is his life, and his life is his ministry; they're all one in the same.Many of us spend our entire lives trying to achieve this unique blending, and Buddy confesses it didn't come easily to him either. "Ministry used to be a catchphrase to me," Buddy admits candidly. "It was a performance, what I did on stage. But now I've come to learn that ministry is all about relationships first with Christ, and then with others."Though he didn't know it then, the learning curve for this lesson began at the age of 8 when Buddy hit the road with his family. His dad was a traveling evangelist and the rest of the family joined him on the road to sing gospel music. "Even then music was a powerful motivation in my life," Buddy says, quick to concede that at that age he enjoyed the attention he received from being a talented youngster.As he matured, so did his voice and his ability to perform. He was invited by Bill Gaither to join the Gaither Vocal Band in 1993 and traveled with them for two years. During the same time, Buddy continued to pursue a personal dream, one that had been in his heart for a long time he was working with his own band called Sunday Drive. The group, comprised of six men who were like brothers, achieved great things as they toured with Mark Lowry, Clay Crosse, and Jaci Velasquez.Buddy's climb up the ladder of success was going well according to his plans. But perhaps that was precisely the problem. In 1999, Buddy felt God strongly urging him to give it all up. He didn't understand why, but his decision was confirmed when all six members of Sunday Drive expressed they felt the same leading from God. Now, not knowing what was next and not having his band mates to rely on, Buddy found himself feeling lost and disheartened.Working in a way only God can, He used that same time to make things crystal clear for Buddy. "After some really difficult and painful months," Buddy conveys, "I realized that a lot of my relationship with Christ had been more of a staged performance than a real relationship. Oh, I'd been saved, but I hadn't been growing. I really think God was showing His jealous side, removing all the distractions from my life so my focus could be renewed."It's from that time of turmoil and searching that Buddy was able to write a lot of the lyrics he sings today. As evident in songs like, "Hold On Today," "Child of the Father," and "Comfort Me," Buddy deals with issues like starting over, healing, and restoration in his music. These are themes many people can relate to, and ones Buddy wants to use to connect people, reminding them that God is worth believing and trusting in. "He's worth the trials you've been through," Buddy says with conviction.It's this kind of authenticity, stripping away all the distractions and facades we hide behind that is so evident in the life and ministry of Buddy Mullins. "That's what God has called me to," Buddy says. "God has called me to be a voice to the Church a voice that says let's trust God, and trust in a way that seems outrageous to the world."Now, that's a message that cuts clear to any soul.
