Unbreakable Joy: Rich Mullins

Friday, January 11, 2008

Rich Mullins

My favorite musician of all time is without a doubt Rich Mullins. Although he passed away just over 10 years ago his music still ministers to me and to countless others.

For those who do not know much about Rich, he was a passionate and extraordinarily gifted musician who radically loved Jesus. Rich could have been very wealthy because of his music, but he was not by choice. He chose rather to take the average salary of an American (I think about $26,000 at the time) and he assigned a board to oversee the rest of his money which was used to support many worthwhile causes. He lived on an Indian reservation in New Mexico and spent lots of his time teaching music to and serving the native Americans.

I thought I'd do my best to highlight his musical gifting for your enjoyment - just in case you're not familiar with him. Here are some of my favorite albums of his. You can click on the links to listen to song samples from amazon.com:

A liturgy a legacy & a ragamuffin band

Songs

Songs 2

The world as best as I can remember it Vol. 1

The world as best as I can remember it Vol. 2

The Jesus Record
- This was Rich's last recording. This album consists of 2 CDs; 1 of Rich (rough & awesome audio - not recorded in studio) and 1 of his group and other recording artist friends of his playing his songs from this album. Rich died in a car accident (1997) only a few days after recording these songs.

It is an amazing thing to me that one can love someone so much that they have never even met. I'm astounded at the impact that this man whom I never met has had on me. I was about 14 years old when I first I began listening to Rich. 15 years later his music is still ministering to me, and no doubt many others as well. I have often thought that Rich will be one of the first people I want to meet when I get to heaven. I look forward to singing worship songs with him.

Thank you Lord for the gift of Rich Mullins.

A Rich quote:
"We walk by faith and not by sight - not because we are blind, but because faith gives us the courage to face our fears and puts those fears in a context that makes them less frightful. We walk by faith and not by sight because there are places to go that cannot be seen and the scope of our vision is too small for our strides. Faith is not a denial of facts - it is a broadening of focus."

It is my sincere hope that you may enjoy the music ministry of Rich Mullins as much as I have.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

mwh said...: I've been meaning for some time to pick up a couple of his CDs. Thanks for the reminder.

Is Rich the one who sings the "geneology" song? I heard that on the radio the other--got to love it!; January 14, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Unbreakable Joy said...: No I think that was Andrew Peterson (who is also a big Rich fan). That song can be found on Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God" album - awesome!; January 14, 2008 at 12:08 PM

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Noteworthy Quotes

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly so worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.
- George Mueller

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
- C.S. Lewis

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, a spiritual man is hard on himself and easy on others.
- A. W. Tozer

Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Thee.
- Augustine

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.
- Blaise Pascal

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
- Jim Elliot

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
- C. S. Lewis

He loves Thee too little, who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.
- Augustine

The men of this world are children. Offer a child an apple or a bank note, and he will doubtless choose the apple.
- John Newton

In the end the heart longs not for any of God's good gifts, but for God Himself. To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul's final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience.
- John Piper

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Him, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
- C.S. Lewis

It is well that we accept the hard truth now: The man who would know God must give time to Him. He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the Godly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train.
- A.W. Tozer

If God contains the fullness of all good things in Himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.
- John Calvin

God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him.
- John Piper

God glorifies Himself toward the creature in two ways; by appearing to their understanding, and in communicating Himself to thief hearts and their rejoicing in and delighting in Him, and enjoying manifestations He makes of Himself. God is Glorified not only by His glories being seen, but by it’s being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate and the creature receive His glory, and that it might be received both by the mind and the heart. He that testifies His idea of God’s glory doesn’t glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.
- Jonathan Edwards