#Rich Mullins

[to2llynottoby]

And if I sing let me sing for the joy That has born in me these songs And if I weep let it be as a man Who is longing for his home

Rich Mullins - If I Stand

[doppleganger-rental]

Maybe she could come to Wichita

And maybe we could borrow Beaker's bike

We'd let the rogue wind tie our hair in knots

Let the speed and the freedom untangle the lines

Maybe fear can vanish before love

Oh God, don't let this love be denied

The River / Rich Mullins

Mullins was a Christian musician (who may have been gay) who died tragically young. This song is beautiful. I grew up in the church and this kind of music was all around me. I was 21 when this came out. Even then I was having major conflicts with my beliefs. But there were artists like this who seemed to capture the inner conflicts of wrestling with religion and relationships. I ultimately walked away from this world but a lot of the music, in particular, has stayed with me.

[castaldoandmore]

Thank you for the reminder, Mitch McVicker! #CastaldoAndMore

[brucedinsman]

Music Mix: Third day and Brandon Heath - Creed

https://youtu.be/i3i-_VWxOAc Tribute to Rich Mullins  I like mixes like this running on my computer as I get things done. #PUSH Pray Until Something Happens #GIVETHANKS #Outreach: That the world may know #Prayer Focus: Pray for Our Prodigals #Praise the Lord Please follow my blog  Guam Christian Blog Please follow my blog Guam Views Blog Podcast: https://anchor.fm/bruce-dinsman Bruce’s Facebook…

[blondebeardtheparent]

Captain’s Log

Stardate 20240613

Day 89

Welcome to my new office. I hate it, but it works. Kinda. I was up at 5:30 again. I’m on duty today so I came to the hospital early. It’s 7:30 now and Simon is somehow still sleeping despite the full-volume conversation of our roommates. I’m guessing he didn’t sleep well last night.

I think our decision to not sleep at the hospital was a good one. It gives one of us a chance to recover just enough energy to come back and do it again the next day. Without that day/night off, the hospital is just a constant energy burn.

We received our first act of service in Shanghai last night. A brother who heard our story came and offered his son’s scooter and the use of his home while they are on vacation. He also brought some cereal and small snacks. He was so apologetic that there was not more, but the heart behind the gift really touched me.

The come and go of the day has started. I don’t think I’m going to get much more work done. I plugged in my ANC headphones to protect me from the hospital din already. I’ve got my BATTLE playlist going. I’ll include the list of titles for your edification. If any readers would like to bless us with the gift of music, I won’t complain. I use iTunes. Keep us in your prayers.

BATTLE Playlist

Warrior: Caedmon’s Call

Everlasting God: Maranatha! Music

Awesome God: Rich Mullins

My Deliverer: Chris Tomlin

No Longer Slaves: Kelly Parish

Just Be Held: Casting Crowns

Every Giant Will Fall: Rend Collective

Way Maker: Joshua Leland

God of This City: Chris Tomlin

[untouchable234]

Reblog if you agree!

Credits: TeePublic, Rich Mullins

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

#FirstWeekOfAdvent:

Songs of Advent That Aren't Technically Songs of Advent: #HopeToCarryOn #SeasonOfHope

[to2llynottoby]

There's rumors he even thinks himself a king Of a kingdom of paupers, simpletons and rogues The whores all seem to love him And the drunks propose a toast And they say "Surely, God is with us."

A Ragamuffin Band - Surely God Is With Us

[clangandclatter]

Rich Mullins – A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (October 26, 1993)

[leonbloder]

Rich Mullins' Life & Legacy

Rich Mullins was among the most influential Christian musical artists in the 80s and 90s.  His songs Awesome God and Step by Step were staples in the early 90s for worship bands in churches with "contemporary" worship services. 

His songs have been recorded by artists like Amy Grant, Caedmon's Call, Jars of Clay, and others.   

After spending years at the pinnacle of success as a popular Christian artist, Mullins became fed up with the Christian music industry and evangelical Christianity.  

He moved to a Navajo reservation to teach music to kids and to work on projects near and dear to his heart like his collaboration with like-minded artists in the Ragamuffin Band. 

Someone asked him if he moved to the reservation to proselytize the Navajo, and Mullins emphatically told them he wasn't.  In fact, he said that he was hoping to find Jesus there among them. 

Mullins was tragically killed in 1997 in a car accident on the way to a benefit concert with his friend and musical partner Mitch McVicker. Both were thrown from the vehicle, but only McVicker survived. 

Many years ago, my mother bought me a copy of a collection of Mullins' writings, The World As I Remember It: Through The Eyes of A Ragamuffin. 

Reading Mullin's thoughts on life and faith affected the trajectory of my spiritual journey.  It was one of the first books of many that would follow that caused me to want to dig deeper into what following Jesus ought to be about.  

I recently read a quote from Rich Mullins that made my heart sing.  It was something that he would say at every concert he played in the latter part of his career: 

"God notices you. The fact is he can't take his eyes off of you. However badly you think of yourself, God is crazy about you. God is in love with you. ... Some of us even fear that someday we'll do something so bad that he won't notice us anymore. Well, let me tell you, God loves you completely. And he knew us at our worst before he ever began to love us at all. And in the love of God there are no degrees, there is only love." 

Many of Mullins' closest friends believed that he was gay and that it wasn't until the end of his life that he really came to terms with his identity as a Christian and a member of the LGBTQ community.  

This explains why he left the Christian music scene and Evangelicalism when he did.  And while he never officially came out, it was evident to his closest friends that he had found peace.  

And it also makes his speech at the end of his concerts both poignant and powerful.  

In a time in Christian culture when the chance of his being accepted as he was and bearing the scars of the conflicts he'd faced in his own heart, Mullins believed that he was loved by God, and so was everybody else.   

May you and I find peace knowing that we are loved completely by a God who knows who we are and loves us anyway.  

May we discover that in the end, there is only love.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.  

[wokeupwiththissong]

Awesome God - Rich Mullins