Remembering Rich

Ten years ago today the Lord called Rich Mullins home. Rich was more than a Christian recording artist; he was a poet and a prophet. He was inspired by the example of Francis of Assisi and did his best to follow Christ with Francis as his rolemodel. During my sophomore year at Franciscan University our student activities committee scheduled a concert with Rich for the fall semester. It was an intimate evening with just Rich & Beaker in the campus chapel, more of a worship night than a concert. In the follwing spring our student activities committee got a call from Rich. He said he was going to be near the school while on tour & had an open night in his schedule. They told him that they already had their spring concert and had no money left in the budget. Rich told them he'd come for free along with the rest of his band just because he remembered how great that fall concert had been.

Rich didn't profit from his fame. He took a modest salary and donated the rest of his income to his church & helping the poor. The last few years of his life was spent living on an Indian reservation in the Southwest teaching music to children. One of his final projects was assisting some of his friends with a musical based on the life of St. Francis set in the American Old West called the Canticle of the Plains. They called themselves the Kid Brothers of St. Frank.

The video below is for one of my favorite songs by Rich, "Hold Me Jesus". Everytime I hear it it cuts to the heart almost as if my spirit is praying the lyrics through while I listen.