Richer

It wasn't until I was commenting on Scott Freeman's blog yesterday that I realized it was the 9th anniversary of Rich Mullins' death. I went back and dug through my archives to find a piece I wrote for a local Christian publication called Christian Activities right after I heard about his death...

I heard about Rich's death Sunday night; I immediately thought about all the memories that I have with his music. The first memory is hearing Winds of Heaven...Stuff of Earth at a church youth retreat in Florida. I loved so many songs from it. "Wonder of This World," his celebration of nature was beautiful, but even more so was "If I Stand." It is a classic that still moves me and began my love for Rich's music. I only met Rich twice; once was with that same youth group and he came in and played some songs from his upcoming CD, which was Never Picture Perfect. But the most vivid memory was a snowy night at the old Koinonia bookstore. It had just begun to snow, and Rich and Michael W. Smith were doing a very small show. I watched in admiration as Rich hammered on his dulcimer. Every time I heard his music it touched me in a very special way.

For awhile I didn't listen very much of his stuff until The World as Best I Remember It, Volumes I and II came out. I fell in love again. "Boy Like Me/Man Like you" was again a breath of fresh air, and my wife and I used "Sometimes Step by Step" as our recessional in our wedding. However, my love grew stronger with A Liturgy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band. I believe this is the best CD Rich ever released. It is so strong lyrically with "Hold Me Jesus," "I'll Carry On," and "Land of My Sojourn," which now holds so much meaning in his death. It describes a life on the road and being alive in America.

Rich's culmination musically came in Songs, and I feel the cover speaks so strongly of his personality, his hands over his face, almost too shy to be the man who speaks so powerfully through his music. His own recording of "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" and the additions to it are amazing. However, the song that Rich wanted to be remembered by was "Elijah," and it is true: the Jordan was waiting, but Rich isn't anymore. As sad as I am and his friends are, he lived a full life. He showed a simple life and a full one. I loved his music, and in loving his music, I loved him and grew to love God as well.

I'll be honest, my respect for Rich has grown as I've found out more about how he lived his life. The sacrifices he made financially when he could have lived much more extravagantly, his faith amid the doubts of life, his struggles with temptation. Rich was not a saint from the generally perceived perspective, but he was a saint of God.

For a great read, I heartily recommend Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven by James Bryan Smith, a posthumous biography of Rich that really does a great job of capturing a piece of who he was.