Two words came to my mind when I considered teaching this Lenten-based Sunday School lesson for Salem Presbyterian Church in March. A name that I remember from middle and high school, a voice and a poet who guided me through my wonky cassette player in my small, red Honda Civic.
Rich Mullins.
I never had the chance to see Rich Mullins play live and I never met him in person, although I feel that I have learned so much from his songs and his life story. I am currently rereading a devotional biography written by James Bryan Smith based on interviews with Mullins, stories about his life and excerpts from his journals. I am rediscovering his music, which turned out to be small gifts to my future self - hidden among my cd collection.
Rich Mullins: A Devotional Biography: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven starts out stating that Rich would never have allowed any hero worship or adoration be placed upon him or his life. He just simply wanted to point to the glory of God. He wanted to encourage people to be more like Christ. He often chastised people for knowing his songs by heart, yet not knowing their bible. James Bryan Smith was a friend of Rich Mullins for many years, even sharing his home with him for many years. That's how you get to know that people are human, I'd say.
Rich wrote so many tremendous songs, songs which have led me into bible study on days where I would simply not have done so. His songs showed me how wonder can be expressed through art. His songs reached deeply into the human condition, yet also pointed to the amazing evidence that points to a loving Creator. Rich's music encouraged me to find my own gifts, through story-telling or teaching. He painted pictures with his words and songs.
I remember watching a late-night tv show as a kid, called Light Music. The host Tom Green introduced me to The innocence Mission, Peter Himmelman, Mark Heard, Randy Stonehill and Rich Mullins. On this particular night the song, "The Other Side of the World," from Rich's cd Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth, tugged at my heart. It is a simple call to remember that compassion, love and understanding for others is essential to the life of a Christian. To be able to see people who are different in appearance or to spend time with people who have a different faith and custom, that was living like Christ would have lived.
Rich was an outstanding spokesman for Compassion International, an organization that encourages people to reach out to those in need. Out of sight = out of mind. Rich brought their faces to the forefront.
Searching for simplicity has certainly not been an easy commitment for me personally. I have dredged my mind through the sludge on the rocky-bottomed sea that is my heart to prepare the stories I have shared and the ones that I am trying to put into words for upcoming blogs. I have been staying up way past my bedtime, drinking too much decaf., and reading late into the night.
Just now, watching the first video and comparing Rich's visage there to the baby-faced image that you see in the music video for "The Other Side of the World" is so telling. Dropping all, following Jesus, learning to be more like him was Rich's goal. But it cost him. The search for simplicity is not as easy as dropping your burdens and cutting troubles out of your life. Rich found that seeking simplicity, trying to be more like Christ, was a tremendous challenge.
He gave most of his earnings from his work to his church. He gave away most of his earthly possessions. He left the comfort of his home and taught music on an Indian reservation which baked his skin. He took very little rest and preferred to travel by car to perform at concerts. These late nights took much of his vitality. In the end, it took his life.
Rich died September 19th, 1997, while travelling from Illinois to Kansas, when his jeep rolled over.
Rich tried to live the gospel. Over the next few days, I'd like to present some of his stories and apply them to the scriptures here on the blog. **Please note, I am not trying to present one man as the trust-all answer to life's problems. God is there for that. Trust in Him. These words that I write are just ramblings. Believe me, you can find enough people my small world that could tell you a story or two about me that would make me seem like a hypocrite. I am not perfect. Just ask my wife, my in-laws, my parents, anyone who knew me in high school, my dog and my children.
But, I'm going to keep trying.
Link for the day...
Compassion International http://www.compassion.com/
For Valentine's Day, my sweet, adorable parents (who have been reading my blogs :) Thanks, Mom and Dad!) baked me an amazing brownie cupcake. Wrapped into the cupcake package, they placed a sweet note that warmed my heart and justified for me the reasoning for posting today's blog.
Quote of the day...
"The true way to gain much is never to desire to gain too much. He is not rich that possesses much but he that covets no more; and he is not poor that enjoys little but he that wants too much." Francis Beaumont
Bible verse of the day...
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1
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