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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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It was September 1996 when I first discovered the music of Rich Mullins. My daughter and I were in the process of selling our house when a CD arrived in the mail from the record club because I was preoccupied with the move and failed to return the response card on time. The CD: Songs by Rich Mullins. After scanning the list of songs included on the album and discovering I was familiar with some from singing them at church, I decided to give the CD a spin. I remember reading the lyrics in the CD liner while listening to Mullins sing and being mesmerized by them because I could see Jesus and Scripture throughout every song in a way I'd never heard before. Within three months, I owned every album Mullins had released at that point in time with the exception of Zion. During March 1997, Mark Robertson (This Train / A Ragamuffin Band) and I began corresponding. Shortly thereafter, the members of This Train (Robertson, Jordan Richter and Cobra Joe) left for Wichita, Kansas, to meet Mullins and several of the other Kid Brothers (Mitch McVicker, Eric Hauck, and Michael Aukofer) to head out to Mullins and McVicker's home on the reservation in New Mexico to begin rehearsing for what would be Mullins's final tour. Mullins had invited This Train to open at all concerts, for which they were very grateful. I remember Robertson mentioning that Mullins led a Bible study each morning prior to rehearsal and seem to recall they were studying Romans Chapter 12. Being the teacher he was, most of the men Mullins took on tour with him that summer were rather young and inexperienced, and he was teaching them the ropes of touring. The tour proved to be trying at times, and about five or six weeks after they had finished and returned to Chicago to work on McVicker's solo album at Roswell East Studio, Mullins died in a tragic automobile accident on September 19, 1997, on his way to a fund raiser in Wichita. As a result, I never got to meet Mullins in person or see him live in concert. That is one of the things that makes owning a copy of the Rich Mullins LIVE video so special. It was recorded on July 19, 1997, at Carpenter's Way Christian Church in Lufkin, Texas, just two months prior to Mullins's death. What viewers will find on this video is the "rough around the edges" Mullins, not the picture perfect version shown in record label promotional pictures or the Pursuit of a Legacy video. Viewers will see a down to earth, honest, passionate man--a ragamuffin--who is dressed in a tee shirt and jean shorts, barefooted and unshaven with skin that is bronzed from the sun. And to top things off, he's chewing gum. Mullins is without a doubt the leader of the group. He moves from one song to the next without missing a beat. He's a professional and appears at home on the stage. His bandmates look to him for direction. It is very interesting to see the variety of instruments used during the concert, including dulcimer, lap dulcimer, acoustic guitar, electronic keyboard, electric guitar, cello, mandolin, drums, electric and acoustic bass, marimba, triangle, and many other percussion instruments. Several of the songs performed cannot be found on any of Mullins's studio recordings, including "Madeline's Song." Viewers will also see the Cup Song performed, the official song title being "Screen Door" (see complete set list below). Mullins was known for speaking from his heart during his concerts. He could be on a very serious topic and end it on a humorous note. Viewers will also see how Mullins always pointed others toward the Savior and away from himself. He got the audience involved in singing rounds of hymns, which he loved. It is beautiful, and viewers of the video will probably find themselves singing along. The concert ends with Mullins starting everyone off singing the Doxology, and then he leaves the stage followed by fellow band members one by one as the audience continues to sing to the Lord. A true worship experience. Following is a sampling of some of my favorite quotes made by Mullins during this concert: "Romance is about as scary a thing as there is, I guess." "I think if we were given the Scriptures, it was not so that we could prove that we were right about everything. If we were given the Scriptures, it was to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing." "I've been in Christian music for I don't know how long. I grew up in the church, you know. It's hard to be in the church and not be involved in Christian music. In fact, I think the best Christian music is the music of the church. I think that's what Christian music is really about. ...It's so funny being a Christian musician. It always scares me when I talk to you guys and you think so highly of Christian music, contemporary Christian music especially. Because I kinda go, I know a lot of us, and we don't know jack about anything. Not that I don't want you to buy our records and come to our concerts. I sure do. But you should come for entertainment. If you really want spiritual nourishment, you should go to church. Those people care about you, and you don't have to buy a ticket. If you really want spiritual nourishment, you should read the Scriptures. It'll confuse you to death practically, but you're gonna die anyway, so why not go out doing something good?" "...I'm all the time being asked by people, "How do you feel closer to God?" And I kinda always want to say, "I don't know." When I read the lives of most of the great saints, they didn't necessarily feel very close to God. When I read the Psalms, I get the feeling like David and the other psalmists felt very far from God most of the time. Closeness to God is not about feelings. Closeness to God is about obedience. It's just as simple as that." "Bear in mind, children, that they (parents) listen to you because you are kids not because you are right. That's how our Father listens to us." "...Those of you that are young enough to go to camp and rededicate your life every year, you keep doing it 'cause about the time you get to college you're gonna learn that you have to rededicate your life about every six months. And then you'll graduate from college and it will become a quarterly thing. By the time you're in your 40's and 50's you'll do it about four times a day." "I had a prof one time - my favorite prof in the whole world. This is one of my favorite Bible college stories. He said, 'Class, you will forget almost everything I will teach you in here, so please remember this: that God spoke to Balaam through his ass, and He has been speaking through asses ever since.' " "We are not saved because we're good. We're good because we're saved." "So go out and live real good, and I promise you'll be beat up real bad. But a little while after you're dead, you'll be rotted away anyway. It's not gonna matter if you had a few scars. It will matter if you didn't live. And when you wash up on that other shore, even though you've been disfigured beyond any recognition, the angels are gonna see you there, and they'll go, 'What is this? We're not even sure if it's human.' But Jesus will say, 'No, that's human. I know that one.' They'll say, 'Jesus, how do you know that one?" He'll say, "Well, you see that sweater he's got on?' " *** Rich Mullins LIVE is a must have for those who never had the opportunity to see Mullins in concert or for those who have seen him numerous times. It is a video that will touch your heart time and time again, and, more importantly, point you toward the Savior. To order a copy, visit The
Legacy of a Kid Brother of St. Frank's
website for details. (It is also available
Rich Mullins LIVE Set List:
Nothing but the Blood
To Rich: Although we
never met in person here on earth, I'm looking forward to meeting
you on the other side one day.
Trish Patterson 7/18/00
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