Remembering Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins passed away 20 years ago today. In a world where far too many Christians have aligned themselves with the Pharisees, we need to hear his voice and his music more than ever. The world  needs Ragamuffins. Here's what I want you to remember about him...

In August of 1990, I got to spend a week with singer-songwriter Rich Mullins in NC. We were together at a Quaker youth conference, where strangely enough Rich was the speaker and I led music and worship. That week changed my life (you can read more by clicking here). The last night of the week Rich performed in front of the entire conference, both youth and adults.  We all assumed he would play songs off his newest project, or perhaps his biggest hit, Awesome God.  Instead, he sat at the piano and performed Sing Your Praise To the Lord, a song he had written but that Amy Grant had recorded, and Elijah, a song from one of  his first albums.  As always, Rich sang not to sell tapes, but to praise God.  The next morning, as we said farewell, we prayed together one last time, and then he said he had something for me.  I had told him about our TNT program at Springfield Friends Meeting and how we gave away door prizes, with the best prizes often being tapes or CDs.  He gave me a box of his CDs and tapes, and another box of T-shirts to use as giveaways. This was part of the way he made a living- and he just gave it away.  Another lesson learned in my life.

His influence would be felt in so many ways in my ministry in the days and years that would follow.  My students who had been at North Carolina Yearly Meeting came back fired up and ready to follow Jesus!  From that day forward I taught the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes at least once a year, and tried to find ways to get the youth really into learning them.  He inspired me to start taking groups of students to work in our local soup kitchen on a regular basis, and later would inspire mission trips.  Soon everyone at Springfield was listening to Rich's music and wearing one of his T-shirts.  The two shirts carried serious messages. One said "Live like you'll die tomorrow.  Die knowing you'll live forever!"  The other simply said "Alrightokuhhuhamen," the title of one of his songs (Another thing Rich taught me- AMEN means YES- not "the end.").  The song was all about saying YES to God.  I made banners to put up in youth room at Springfield and in "The Attic" in Kissimmee with just Alrightokuhhuhamen printed on them.  By Kissimmee, we were singing Awesome God and Sometimes By Step on a regular basis.  His impact on my ministry was tremendous.

So was his influence on my life.  Along with Mike Yaconelli, Rich was one of the two guys I was ever around who just oozed Jesus.  Listen to this quote from one of his final concerts: 

"Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken..."  

He moved out of the music scene in Nashville in 1991 to Wichita, Kansas, where he attended Friends University and received a B.A. in music education.  He and fellow Ragamuffin Mitch McVicker (the Ragamuffins were the band he had formed in 1993) moved to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico in 1995 to live among the Native Americans and teach music.  For Rich, "What Would Jesus Do?" was not a bracelet- it was the driving question of his life.  And because I knew that, his music was a moving force and a comfort in my own spiritual journey.  At times when I struggled with my faith his song Creed reminded me "I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am."  At the lowest points of my life, when I had let down everyone who loved me and everyone who believed in me, his words reminded me that "There's bound to come some trouble to your life, just reach out to Jesus and hold on tight..." As I lost so many of the things that had been important to me, I found myself praying his words daily:  "Hold me, Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf.  You have been King of my glory, won't you be my Prince of Peace?"  So many of his words showed me the light of Jesus in my darkest times.  No matter how bad it seemed, I knew I was still in"the reckless, raging fury that we call the love of God..."  Even his final project, The Jesus Record (see picture at top), promised me that "our Deliverer is coming..."

Rich was killed in a car accident on September 19, 1997.  I cried, but Rich himself had already written about going to be with Jesus in his early classic Elijah- "When I leave I want to go out like Elijah, with a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire.  And when I look back on the stars, it'll be like a candlelight in Central Park- and it won't break my heart to say goodbye..."  He left such a legacy in my life.  I am a Ragamuffin, a bum who is only important because of the love of Jesus.  And now, more than ever, I understand that my life belongs to God.  He still has a plan for me, and I will say YES when the time comes.  As the song says "You can argue with your maker but you know that you just can't win...so say it... Alrightokuhhuhamen!"  

Because of Jesus,

I'll Have What He's Having..."

One of the great stories told about the late Rich Mullins in the book An Arrow Pointing to Heaven concerns his time in the pubs of Ireland. Rich loved Ireland, and loved to spend his evenings mixing and mingling with the people at their local watering holes. Irish pubs are famous for their vitality and hospitality, but there was one odd thing about Rich enjoying them so much. He was a teetotaler- Rich did not drink alcohol at all! But still he would be in the pubs, telling stories and laughing with the people. And almost every night, according to author James Smith, Rich would be honored with the ultimate pub salute- patrons yelling out, pointing to him and saying, "I'll have a pint of what he's having!" They could see that Rich was overflowing- with the love of Jesus.

Over the years my youth groups were often accused of being the "life of the party." We were always very visible; we were often very loud. There was never any doubt that when we were together, we were having fun. Other youth groups were often jealous of the joy and freedom we shared. People we didn't know often weren't sure what to make of us- we never seemed "pious" enough to be a church group to them. We seldom had rules and regulations; we had a shared respect born from a love for one another. This often freaked parents out, but it made our ministry special and different. And people saw this difference in us. Every motel and every restaurant we ever booked invited us back and commented on how much they enjoyed having us- even the ones that were scared to death of teenagers! It's not that we were angels; I made bazillions of mistakes and we did not always represent Christ as we should have. When we did fail, we would address the mistakes, forgive each other, and move on. The band Stellar Kart once described grace with the words "There will always be a second chance and you will always be on your first try."  We tried to live out that kind of love. We were far from perfect, and we were sometimes obnoxious. It's just that we were Jesus Freaks, full of life, love and joy. We knew how to SHINE (Make 'em wonder what you've got, make them wish that they were not on the outside looking bored.  SHINE, let it shine before all men, let 'em see your works and then let them glorify the LORD- Newsboys)!

There are so many people who have a view of the church as boring and joyless. It is my prayer that from New Garden to Springfield, on to Kissimmee and Chicago, Tampa and Waycross, that people who encountered my groups in restaurants, malls and everywhere else found themselves wondering where our joy came from. The answer, of course, is Jesus. I hope that after they encountered me, surrounded by teenagers and singing Lean On Me in line at Disney World that people young and old looked at each other, smiled, and said, "I'll have a glass of what they're having!" - and that through our actions and silliness Jesus was glorified!

One last thought- if you think that following Jesus is boring, I suggest you try reading your New Testament one more time...

Because of Jesus,

As Useless As a Screen Door On a Submarine

"It's about a useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith without works, baby- it just ain't happening..."

One of my interviews trips during the great job search of 1999 took me to a UMC in Indiana. Strangely enough, it too was located in the suburbs of Cincinnati. Even more bizarre, because Indiana does not recognize daylight savings time, the little community where the church was located spent several months each year in a different time zone from the city to which it was most closely connected. I sure knew how to pick 'em, huh?

But that's not what I came to talk about today. On that same interview there was a great deal of discussion (disguised as an argument!) about the direction the adults involved thought the youth ministry needed to go. Some wanted more serious Bible study (I think one guy suggested all the students memorize Lamentations) while others thought that service to others should be the group's primary focus. A few wanted to play more 4-Square. When asked which of these I felt was more important, I presented them with my philosophy of youth ministry. Ministry should be "wholistic" (from J. David Stone) and purpose driven (from Doug Fields). When they said I had not fully answered their question, I went all Jesus on them and told them a parable. A parable I had learned from Rich Mullins.

A man was in a rowboat- the kind with two oars, one on each side. He decided to row only with his left arm so he could make it stronger, but soon found his boat went only in circles. He switched to his stronger arm, his right arm, and rowed- but found he had only reversed the circling. It was only when he rowed with evenly both arms that he traveled a straight path on the water. So it is with faith and works. Following Jesus requires both.

Rich was not trying to say that we can be "saved" by the things we do. We cannot earn salvation. If we have faith, salvation is a gift from God. But it is also true that if we are followers of Jesus we will be in service to others. If we truly believe, our hearts will be broken by the things that break the heart of Jesus. The hungry, the homeless, the sick, the weak- all of the "least of these (Matthew 25)" that Jesus demands we look after, we will want to love in the name of God! As the scriptures tell us, if we truly believe then our lives will show "fruit."

I don't think they liked my answer. They never offered me the job; I wouldn't have taken it anyway. I still believe Rich had it right. He put his thoughts into this amazing little song called Screen Door. Listen, watch and enjoy. But also take this chance to check your own life. If you call yourself a Christian, what do people see in your actions that would confirm that for them? Too many people base the evidence of their faith on the things they don't do. Jesus asks,"What did you do for the least of these brothers of mine?" Don't let your faith become useless...  

Alrightokuhhuhamen!

For those of us who are Christ-followers we understand the architect of and our guide on the #NarrowRoad is Jesus. There is no one on earth, either in the past or present, who is like him. But for me, Rich Mullins came closest. I met Rich in 1990 at a youth conference in NC where he was the speaker and I led music. Yeah- I led music with Rich Mullins in the building. God does have a sense of humor! Rich's influence would be felt in so many ways in my ministry in the days and years that would follow that event. My students who had been there with me came back fired up and ready to follow Jesus!  Rich taught us all that if we wanted to be Christians, we needed to understand the basics. We studied the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes at his feet. From that day forward I taught the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes to all of my youth groups on a regular basis. He inspired me to start taking groups of students to work in our local soup kitchen and later would inspire mission trips. Soon everyone at Springfield Friends Meeting (and then later at other churches) was listening to Rich's music and wearing one of the dozens of T-shirts he gave me. The two shirts carried serious messages. One said "Live like you'll die tomorrow. Die knowing you'll live forever!" The other simply said "Alrightokuhhuhamen," the title of one of his songs (another thing Rich taught me- AMEN means YES- not "the end."). The song was all about saying YES to God, and how that can change the way we see the #NarrowRoad. I made banners to put up in the youth room at Springfield and in "The Attic" in Kissimmee with just Alrightokuhhuhamen printed on them. They were great discussion starters. By my Kissimmee years we were singing Awesome God and Sometimes By Step on a regular basis. His impact on my ministry was tremendous. His guidance for following Jesus was even better.

Along with Mike Yaconelli, Rich was one of the two guys I was ever around who just oozed Jesus. Listen to this quote from one of his final concerts: "Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken..."  Rich LIVED those words. He moved out of the music scene in Nashville in 1991 to Wichita, Kansas, where he attended Friends University and received a B.A. in music education.  He and fellow Ragamuffin Mitch McVicker (the Ragamuffins were the band he had formed in 1993) moved to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico in 1995 to live among the Native Americans and teach music. For Rich, "What Would Jesus Do?" was not a bracelet- it was the driving question of his life. And because I knew that, his music was a moving force and a comfort in my own spiritual journey. At times when I struggled with my faith his song Creed reminded me "I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am." At the lowest points of my life, when I had let down everyone who loved me and everyone who believed in me, his words reminded me that "There's bound to come some trouble to your life, just reach out to Jesus and hold on tight..." As I lost so many of the things that had been important to me, I found myself praying his words daily: "Hold me, Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf. You have been King of my glory, won't you be my Prince of Peace?" So many of his words showed me the light of Jesus in my darkest times. No matter how bad it seemed, I knew I was still in "the reckless, raging fury that we call the love of God..."  Even his final project, The Jesus Record (see picture at top), promised me that "our Deliverer is coming..." We all need people to inspire, to direct us, to comfort us and to mentor us on the #NarrowRoad. For me, both up close and from a distance, in his life and since his death, Rich Mullins was often that person.

Rich was killed in a car accident on September 19, 1997. I cried, but Rich himself had already written about going to be with Jesus in his early classic Elijah- "When I leave I want to go out like Elijah, with a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire.  And when I look back on the stars, it'll be like a candlelight in Central Park- and it won't break my heart to say goodbye..." He left such a legacy in my life. I am a Ragamuffin, a bum who is only important because of the love of Jesus. Rich (along with Brennan Manning and so many others) taught me the more we come like Ragamuffins the clearer we see the #NarrowRoad, and the clearer we see the purer our hearts become. "And the pure in heart shall see God." I know that God still has things for me- yes, even ME- to do, and if I follow the path of Jesus then I will say YES when the time comes. As the song says "You can argue with your maker but you know that you just can't win...so say it...Alrightokuhhuhamen!" 

Because of Jesus,

Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Do you ever feel like that seeking to be closer to Jesus is like being stuck on a performance treadmill? We think, "If I can only be good enough then God will love me." My friends, that is stinkin' thinkin'!!! Over and over again Christians confuse being on the #NarrowRoad to following Jesus with being perfect even as Jesus was perfect. We aren't- so we try to hide our faults and our sins. We bury our transgressions and try to make our lights look brighter by seeking to diminish the lights of others. Or perhaps you are like me and just allow perfectionism to become so discouraging that you give up trying to stay on the path and forge your own way. We will always fall short when we compare ourselves to the man who was both human and the Son of God. But what about when Jesus was a kid? Was he more like us? Maybe a few glimpses into his childhood would give us much more hope as we seek to be the people he calls us to be- people on the #NarrowRoad.

Seriously- do you ever wonder what Jesus was like as a kid? Those stories are conspicuously absent from the Gospels, except for him teaching in the temple at age 12 or so. We know that He lived without sin, but how close to the line did He walk? Was he a teacher's pet or a class clown? Did he flirt with the girls? He was tempted an as adult- how much greater was the temptation at age 9? I know none of this really matters historically, but for those of us who want to be Christ-followers a little more info could have been helpful. Today I share the words of one of my favorite songs, written by one of my favorite people- the late Rich Mullins (pictured at top). Rich was more like Jesus than any man I ever met, but he also understood that it was grace, not perfectionism, than keeps us on the #NarrowRoad. Think about Jesus, the man, and Jesus, the Son of God. And let the last line just wash over you and become your prayer- Jesus, let me be like you! We will never get there, but we can let the love of Jesus shine through us. If we ever really do grow up...

Boy Like Me, Man Like You

You was a baby like I was once, You was cryin' in the early mornin'

You was born in a stable Lord, Reid Memorial is where I was born

They wrapped You in swaddling clothes

Me they dressed in baby blue

But I was twelve years old in the meeting house

Listening to the old men pray

And I was tryin' hard to figure out

What it was that they was tryin' to say

There You were in the temple, they said You weren't old enough to
 know the things You knew

Well, did You grow up hungry? Did You grow up fast?

Did the little girls giggle when You walked past?

Did You wonder what it was that made them laugh?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old? Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold, stories like that make a man walk straight 

And You was a boy like I was once But was You a boy like me

Well, I grew up around Indiana, You grew up around Galilee

And if I ever really do grow up, Lord I want to grow up and be just like You

Well, did You wrestle with a dog and lick his nose?

Did You play beneath the spray of a water hose?

Did You ever make angels in the winter snow?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old? Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight

Did You ever get scared playing hide and seek?

Did You try not to cry when You scraped Your knee?

Did You ever skip a rock across a quiet creek?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old? Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight

And I really may just grow up and be like You... someday

I think Jesus the boy would have made one heck of a friend...but he makes an even better Savior!  And as for me ever really growing up...keep praying everyone!

Because of Jesus,

Only One More Sleep 'til Christmas

Me, Andrew & a photobomber!

Andrew Lewis was Organist and Interim Youth Minister when I was hired at First UMC-Kissimmee in 1994. He eventually became the Minister of Music and Worship there, and also became one of my best friends. Andrew had many gifts; a beautiful voice, a loving spirit and servant's heart. In all my years around churches he was the best worship designer I have ever been around, although in such a traditional church he got to use those skills on a very limited basis. One particular Advent season Andrew, Pastor John Willis and the rest of the worship team outdid ourselves. We took the One More Sleep 'Til Christmas theme from the movie The Muppet Christmas Carol and started our "sleep" countdown a month before Christmas Eve. Pastor John, his famous infamous puppet Hollywood (who has his own post here on this blog!) and I would weave the impending arrival of Santa Claus into the Children' Moment each week along with the excitement over the coming of the Christ child. By our Christmas Eve "family services" we had built to a fever pitch. Those kids and their parents had gotten the message- it was the night before JESUS! That night Andrew sang the Muppet song and had me sing the Rich Mullins classic You Gotta' Get Up (see the video at the bottom). Children performed a nativity play. Hollywood, John and myself then closed the series by reminding everyone that the coming of Jesus was an even more exciting event than the coming of Santa- although Santa rocks! It was an awesome service. Then everyone went outside to witness a Living Nativity performed by our youth. God even spoke to us through and angel on a ladder that night...

Every year Marilyn, Will and I attend a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Every year I am moved by the music, the lifting of candles as we sing Silent Night, and the Christmas story itself. And every year I think of Andrew, John, and Hollywood and all the time, effort and creativity that went into making that night in the late '90's one that will stay with me forever!

I hope that for each of you, tonight will be a Holy night.My family will attend the 6 PM service at Van Dyke, return home for real Carolina hot dogs and a viewing of Scrooged. Tradition will be broken, as we normally watch The Muppet Christmas Carol, but this year we are saving it until tomorrow so Michelle, who has never seen it, can watch with us. But Scrooged works nicely as a replacement, and so that is Christmas Eve at the Jones' house. Whatever your traditions may be, please don't forget the original Christmas tradition-  O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining; It is the night of our dear Saviors' birth...  Merry Christmas to all.  Today it is finally true again-there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas!  And that means that tomorrow you gotta' get up- it's Christmas morning. Hugs and blessings to you all!

My Deliverer is Coming,

That Where I Am There You May Also Be

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  -John 14:1-3

This past Wednesday we buried my father-n-law. Needless to say there was much sadness and grief as he was laid to rest. It is natural to miss loved ones when they are gone. We all wish that we could remain with those we love for more years than we are given here on earth. And yet, when we say farewell to friends who have lived their lives trusting in the saving grace Jesus, we KNOW that such passings are actually a cause for celebration. My senior pastor at Springfield Friends Meeting, the late Max Rees, once told me that it is expected that we will miss those who go before us. But for believers, mourning them is a selfish act. Would we really want them to come back from walking hand in hand with their Savior? Would we want them to continue to feel pain instead of experiencing the ultimate healing? Of course not. We grieve for our own loss. And it does hurt.

Rich Mullins talked a lot about death. When I met him in 1990, the song that he had written of which he was the proudest was Elijah, which deals with death. At Springfield Friends in the early 90's many of the youth wore t-shirts that came from Rich which said, "Live like you will die tomorrow; Die knowing you will live forever." Rich believed that dying meant seeing Jesus in person. He was not afraid of it. He believed the scripture from John that you can read at the top of this page, the same scripture preached at Posey's funeral. Like Rich, he knew that one day he would be with God. That day arrived last Saturday .

One of Rich's final songs was based on that scripture. That Where I Am You May Also Be appeared on the Jesus record, which was recorded and released by the Ragamuffin Band after his death. If you purchase the CD you get two disks. One is a demo. Rich is in an old church recording some songs on a hand-held tape recorder. The other is the finished product of the Ragamuffins recording those songs, featuring many guest artists as well. The finished version of That Where I Am You May Also Be (you can listen at bottom) mixes both. Rich is singing as it opens; it is raw and unpolished. It then swells to a glorious chorus (featuring the voices of Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant) that seeks to remind us that if we trust Jesus, we will be together again in our Father's house. Rich sings the words of Christ to us when he says, "in this world you may find trouble, but I leave you my peace, that where I am you may also be." Death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). We can die knowing we will live forever!

Until that day, I take comfort in these words Rich once wrote about himself:

"Someday I shall be a great saint- like those on the windows of magnificent cathedrals. I know this, not because of any evidence I have produced myself, but because of the witness of His Scriptures, because of the evidence of His grace, and because of the testimony of this sky that washes over me at dusk."

May God's promises contained in this joyous song give us all the hope to carry on. 

Because of Jesus,

We're Already Enough

We all have (or at least I have) books, movies and songs that seldom come to mind, but when they do we think to ourselves, "OH YEAH! I love that one!!!"  Over the past couple of months I have had that moment with three different movies. The first was Being There,  the 1979 classic starring Peter Sellers. It's the story of a simpleton gardener who finds himself alone in the world after his millionaire boss dies and the estate where they both lived is sold. Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, this plain man who speaks only in gardening terms and with lines he learned from TV shows becomes a consultant to the wealthy and powerful who find him to be incredibly wise. Even his name gets transformed- he tells people he is Chance, the gardener and before he knows it he is Chauncey Gardner. He does absolutely nothing to try be someone he is not or change who he is, but people see the best in him. They crave his simple words of wisdom. They want him to run for President. In the end he is "exposed," and the last we see of him he is walking on water- because he doesn't know he can't. Chance never does one single thing to better himself or to impress people. It just happens.

The second movie hit me yesterday, when it occurred to me that Chariots of Fire may be the least shown movie that ever won the Oscar for best picture in the history of cable TV. I suspect people are more familiar with the theme song from the film than the actual movie itself. But I love it and always have. It is a great story of faith, but it is also a story of trying to find happiness (and perhaps even salvation?) through accomplishments. The British sprinter Harold Abrahams reaches the Olympics and wins a gold medal, but freely acknowledges that he is still chasing something- and he has no idea what. His success does nothing to help him feel whole, while his rival Eric Liddell runs for the glory of God and feels victorious before even taking the track. The contrast is stark, and makes for a very compelling movie.

The final film that I thought of was Cool Runnings. It was the Olympics that brought this film to mind and reminded me how much I love it. So much, in fact, that I was tempted to watch it on VHS- the only version in which we own it! As great as the story of the bobsled team is, equally intriguing to me is the story of their coach, played by the late John Candy. He had once cheated to try and win a gold medal and was caught. Now, as his team seeks to do something no Jamaican had ever done before, he has to remind them that winning does not make or break who you are in life. His famous line- "A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without the medal, you'll never be enough with it" - speaks to me very clearly about some of my own goals. We all know people who spend their lives chasing a goal, only to achieve their dream and discover they had missed too many of life's great joys in order to get there. The question becomes this- which is more important to us, the journey or the destination?

Each of these great films, while very different in tone and content, speak to that question for me. I believe in praying big prayers and dreaming big dreams. I believe in having goals. But I also believe that those goals should be part of finding God's will for our lives. These movies remind us that if we base our lives around looking, feeling and being important, then we are likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if we be who we are- who God created us to be- and follow Jesus on the wild ride of discipleship- life can be full of unexpected joy. Life is not about power, prestige, money or possessions. It's not about awards, medals or grand successes. God created to us to live with joy if we live in love. Jesus came so that we might live an abundant (full) life, which is not the same as a life of abundance. I want to be like Chance the Gardener, being myself no matter what that might bring me. I want to be like Eric Liddell, living life for the glory of God instead of chasing after some dream or goal that I think will complete me. And most importantly I want to understand that there is really nothing more I need in life to feel like I'm enough. I am not defined by what I do, what I have or what I accomplish. As the late Rich Mullins wrote, "I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am. I did not make it, no it is making me- it is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man." I believe God created me. Jesus forgives me. My friends and family love me. No matter what else happens in my life, I'm already enough.

Because of Jesus,

Sunday Morning With Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins, the great singer-songwriter and man of faith who passed away in 1997,  spent the last 5 years of his life sharing God's love. He lived among people who had nothing, and he shared God's mercy and justice with them. He reached out to those that many in the church find to be unlovable, and he showed them the love and grace of Jesus Christ. His concert tours had but one theme: The Love of God. He once shared these words with an audience:

"Some of us are so afraid that God's not going to look at us, so we're out there doing all sorts of things to get God to take notice. But folks, 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 us completely. And He knew us at our worst before He ever began to love us at all. In the love of God there are no degrees- there in only love."

Rich wrote a song called The Love of God (see video at bottom for full lyrics) that contains the phrase, "the reckless raging fury that they call the love of God." He found God's love to be so overwhelming, so compelling and so powerful that is was almost overwhelming. It is a love we can never fully understand, but we can embrace. C.S. Lewis once wrote about the Christ-figure Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia that "He is not safe, but He is good." God's love is like that- wonderfully dangerous. I believe it is only when you reach a point in life when you can't imagine why God loves you that you fully understand what Rich was saying. I know that was true for me. We must reach a place where we follow Jesus not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to us or because we have taken enough theology courses, but because we understand that God loves us and always has- and always will. So much so that He sent us Jesus! I have written it often on these pages because I have found it to be powerful and true: There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make Him loves us less. Our task is to take that love and share it. Unconditional love. Reckless love. Overwhelming love. Scripture tells us, "Beloved, let us love another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. If you don't love you don't know God, for God is love."  -1 John 4:7-8 

Experience this wonderfully dangerous love. Join with me today and be "glad to have been caught... in the reckless raging fury that they call the love of God."

30/30: My Favorite Scripture

Welcome to week 4 of the 30/30 Vision Blog Challenge. Today's prompt is a tough one for me- one verse or passage of scripture that I would call my favorite. Just one? Who makes these things up? Oh wait... Anyway, I'm gonna' give it a go!

As I began to form this post, so many verses came came rushing to my mind. From going to Quaker Lake Camp back in middle school in I still remember 1 John 4:7-8: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." That same summer I learned Ephesians 4:32, and it's never left my heart: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." I made up a song for VBS one summer using the words from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. Everything old has passed away, see everything has become new." The Psalms have always been very meaningful to me, especially numbers 23, 51. 100, 119 and 139. Micah 6:8- "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God"- is what I see every time I turn my phone on. I love the first verses of the Gospel of John, where we learn that "the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it." The words of Jesus in John 3:16-17 and John 10:10 are words that I use almost daily. Matthew 25 and the parable of the sheep and the goats has long been a favorite, in part because so much of the modern church likes to pretend that Jesus didn't really mean it. It's that radical. My life verse for ministry was always 1 Thessalonians 2:8: "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." That, to me, is the very definition of what ministry should be. And Acts 2:42-47 is the definition of what the church was meant to look like: "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." I believe everyone in the Body of Christ needs to be accountable to the question, "Do we do Acts 2:42?" But none of those scriptures get the nod as my favorite. In fact, the decision was fairly easy for me. And here's the winner: 

Matthew 5:3-12

That's right...The Beatitudes! Ever since memorizing the passage after the late Rich Mullins told me back in 1990 that this scripture was the condensed version of EVERYTHING Jesus taught, it has been at the core of my faith. These verses speak simply yet powerfully to the calling we have to be different from the world we live in. They remind us that Christianity is not about some set of religious guidelines or following some leader...it's about grace, peace and mercy and about following THE leader! I would go through them one-by-one and offer commentary, but this paraphrase from Eugene Peterson's The Message does a wonderful job of that. Here we go:

3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, Ido! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

I mean how good is that? And how clear is it the Beatitudes call us to something different than "doing church?" I remember someone saying to Rich all those years ago that they didn't like this scripture, because all of the things Jesus says will make us happy actually make us look weak. Being poor in spirit, being meek, being merciful and being peaceful seemed to this guy to be good ways to get run all over by our world. Rich responded that the man was right. By the world's (and often the church's) standards they do make us appear weak. Those same attributes made Jesus seem weak as well. He was weak to the point that he allowed people to push him around and eventually kill him. But that "weak" man would defeat death, conquer sin and save every one who believes in him. Rich finished by saying that if being weak means being like Jesus and being able to generate that kind of love, then he wanted in. And I do too.

One last editorial thought: I am so tired of Christians whining about how they're persecuted by society (see Duck Dynasty). First, most of us aren't. And secondly, if we are? Celebrate! Confused? Go back and check out verses 10-12 one more time...

Thanks for stopping by. Join me next Friday when we change gears and deal with the prompt, Junk Foods You Can't Refuse! Have a blessed weekend!

Because of Jesus,

"I'll Have What He's Having!" (A Vintage Post)

(Originally posted 02/28/2010) - and Happy Birthday Lisa Jewett!

One of the great stories told about the late Rich Mullins in the book  An Arrow Pointing to Heaven concerns his time in the pubs of Ireland. Rich loved Ireland, and loved to spend his evenings mixing and mingling with the people at their local watering holes. Irish pubs are famous for their vitality and hospitality, but there was one odd thing about Rich enjoying them so much. He was a teetotaler- Rich did not drink alcohol at all! But still he would be in the pubs, telling stories and laughing with the people. And almost every night, according to author James Smith, Rich would be honored with the ultimate pub salute- patrons yelling out, pointing to him and saying, "I'll have a pint of what he's having!" They could see that Rich was overflowing- with the love of Jesus.

Over the years my youth groups were often accused of being the "life of the party." We were always very visible; we were often very loud. There was never any doubt that when we were together, we were having fun. Other youth groups were often jealous of the joy and freedom we shared. People we didn't know often weren't sure what to make of us- we never seemed "pious" enough to be a church group to them. We seldom had rules and regulations; we had a shared respect born from a love for one another. This often freaked parents out, but it made our ministry special and different. And people saw this difference in us. Every motel and every restaurant we ever booked invited us back and commented on how much they enjoyed having us- even the ones that were scared to death of teenagers! It's not that we were angels; I made bazillions of mistakes and we did not always represent Christ as we should have. When we did fail, we would address the mistakes, forgive each other, and move on. The band Stellar Kart once described grace with the words,"There will always be second chances and you'll always be on your first try." We tried to live out that kind of love. We were far from perfect, and we were sometimes obnoxious. It's just that we were Jesus Freaks, full of life, love and joy. We knew how to SHINE (Make 'em wonder what you've got, make them wish that they were not on the outside looking bored. SHINE, let it shine before all men, let 'em see your works and then let them glorify the LORD- Newsboys)!


There are so many people who have a view of the church as boring and joyless. It is my prayer that from New Garden to Springfield, on to Kissimmee and Chicago, Tampa and Waycross, that people who encountered my groups in restaurants, malls and everywhere else found themselves wondering where our joy came from. The answer, of course, is Jesus.  I hope that after they encountered me, surrounded by teenagers and singing Lean On Me in line at Disney World that people young and old looked at each other, smiled, and said, "I'll have a glass of what they're having!" - and that through our actions. silliness and love for one another Jesus was glorified! "They will know we are Christians by our love..."

One last thought- if you think that following Jesus is boring, I suggest you try reading your New Testament one more time...

Because of Jesus,

The One Thing

The Beatitudes (a section of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5:3-10) offer us an amazing insight into the heart of God. The late Rich Mullins once told me that this scripture is the condensed version of everything Jesus taught. Yet most of its concepts are so foreign to us today, even in the church.  Our culture is not fond of the meek, the merciful or the peacemakers. We in USAmerica certainly don't understand being persecuted for Jesus' sake. But perhaps nothing is a foreign to us as the concept of being "pure in heart."

I used to think that being "pure in heart" meant moving beyond sin; that my heart would be pure when I was free of sin and fully in the arms of God. I know now even being in the arms of God, even walking with Christ everyday and living my life under guidance of the Holy Spirit, will NEVER keep me free from sin. I am human, therefore I will sin. That is the Biblical truth. I think being "pure in heart" means something altogether different. In the movie City Slickers, Curly (played by Jack Palance) is asked what the meaning of life is by Billy Crystal's character, and he responds by holding up a finger and saying, "One thing."  When asked what the one thing is, he tells Crystal that he has to figure that out for himself. Rich addressed this in song, pointing out that when Jesus becomes our "one thing" then we begin to become one of the "pure in heart."  We do not become sin free, but we do understand what it means to repent and know the grace of God. We focus our lives on the things of God and the teachings of Jesus. We begin to understand that while there may be more in our life than our relationship with Christ, there is actually nothing else we need. Rich wrote, "Everybody I know says they need just one thing, but what they really mean is they need just one thing more...You're my one thing, and the pure in heart shall see God." 

The truth is we are not likely attain this pureness either, at least not on this side of Heaven, because we are so easily distracted. But we can strive for it. We can seek to make Jesus our one thing. Notice I didn't say strive to make church our one thing, because the church so often distorts what Jesus taught with its own history and bias. If you make Jesus your one thing, you will lose some friends ("What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus Freak...). Your world view will change, and the only citizenship that will matter to you is the one you hold in the Kingdom of God. You will understand that politics have absolutely nothing to do with following the Christ. You will know that "the least of these" people in our society are of great value to Jesus (See Matthew 25). You will treat people differently, ceasing to judge and offering love to even those who despise you. And the more you make Jesus your one thing, the closer you get to a clear picture of the heart of God.  That is an amazing promise. And the best part is you don't actually have to do anything. You just have to surrender your heart, and be willing to live without the "one thing more."  Let Jesus take over, and you will discover that you can be meek, and merciful, and a peacemaker. You will "hunger and thirst for righteousness." And you may just see God in a whole new way. You will have what my friend Sabrina calls "I spy God" moments that you never expect and can barely imagine. You will know the presence of God in your life.

I know this is a rambling post, but God is putting it more and more on my heart to remind my readers that Radical Christianity is all about following Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. Anything (including organized religion) that draws us away from that one thing is a distraction we cannot tolerate if we seek to be "pure in heart." My prayer is that I (and you!) may take another step towards that purity every day.

Because of Jesus,

Who's That Man?

Ever wonder what it was like to be with Jesus that last week in Jerusalem?  Before the dinner in Bethany, before the foot-washing, before the Last Supper and before the arrest?  Read the words below. They are lyrics from a song on Rich Mullin's incredible project, The Jesus Record.  They capture many of the emotions that must have been present that week with both the followers and the enemies of Jesus.  At what moment would we have realized that God had come to earth to dwell among us? Or would we, like so many others, have missed the message and turned against him?

Surely God Is With Us   by Beaker and Mark Robertson

Well, who's that man who thinks He's a prophet? 
Well, I wonder if He's got something up His sleeve 
Where's He from? Who is His daddy? 
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. 
Well, surely God is with us." 
They say, "Surely God is with us today!" 

Who's that man who says He's a preacher? 
Well, He must be, He's disturbing all our peace 
Where's He get off, and what is He hiding 
And every word He says those fools believe 
Who could move a mountain? 
Who would love their enemy? 
Who could rejoice in pain? 
And turn the other cheek? 
And still say, "Surely God is with us, 
Well, surely God is with us," 
Who'll say, "Surely God is with us today, today!" 

They say, "Surely God is with us 
Well, surely God is with us" 
They say, "Surely God is with us" 

Blessed are the poor in spirit 
Heaven belongs to them 
Blessed are those who make peace 
They are God's children 
I Am the Bread of Life, and the Way" 
You hear that Man, believe what He says! 

Tell me, who's that Man, they made Him a prisoner 
They tortured Him and nailed Him to a tree 
Well if He's so bad, who did He threaten? 
Did He deserve to die between two thieves? 
See the scars and touch His wounds 
He's risen flesh and bone 
Now the sinners have become the saints 
And the lost have all come home 

And they say, "Surely God is with us (Surely God is with us) 
Well, surely God is with us," 
They say, "Surely God is with us today!" (Today!) 
They say, "Surely God is with us 
Well, surely God is with us" 
They say, "Surely God is with us today"

Sometimes we try so hard to make Jesus seem safe, normal and predictable that we lose the radical nature of the man and the prophet. When we do that, we cheat the world of the most amazing life ever lived- one that was fully human and fully divine. So many missed out on knowing Jesus all those years ago when he walked the Earth.  Let's not miss him again.  Surely God is with us...and his name shall be called Jesus.

Because of Jesus,