Thank you to InterVarsity Press | IVP Formatio and to Net Galley for an ARC of this book.


I requested this book to learn more about Rich Mullins and his life. I know a lot of his music, and watched a documentary about him, but he was a complicated person (we all are though) so I always like to learn more about him.

This is an updated version of a book that was written in 2000 by his friend James Bryan Smith. This book was so in depth and interesting, definitely not something that you will read really fast. It was beautifully written and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is one that I am going to purchase.

Rich Mullins brought the gospel and Christianity down to the essentials. He had several albums and was a key part of contemporary Christian music in the 80's. I remember listening to his album with my dad in the car before I knew anything about Rich Mullins. Mullins was also known for his friendship with Brennan Manning (1937-2013), and was counseled by Manning the last few years of his life. Mullins adopted Brenann’s “Ragamuffin gospel” for the name of his band, and how he described himself – a ragamuffin. this biography is a uniquely written one, as it's a devotional first.

James Bryan Smith structured it in 10 devotional themes: family, creed, the love of God, trusting in Jesus, creation, struggle and pain, simplicity, sin and temptation, loving one another, and death and the life to come. The discussion for each theme combines, biographical information, interviews with people who knew Mullins, some of Mullins’ own writings, quotations, and the words of Mullins’ songs. With such disparate elements, the biography could have come across disjointed and cobbled together, but it doesn’t; it stays centered on Mullins and his faith.

I think the unique nature of the biography is why it has survived the times and is still relevant and loved years after it was originally published. Thank you NetGalley for the "advanced" copy to read.

This book felt just right. Readers learn more about Rich Mullins, but in the context of his passion for encountering God. The lyrics he wrote, the hymns he sang, the churches he attended, on down the list, were all meant to cement his place among orthodoxy.

Rich Mullins was one of my favorite Christian artists, and this book was an honest, sweet look at his life and legacy. The consumate Ragamuffing, Mullins lived life on the margins. And I cannot help but wonder how he'd handle the current deconstruction of the Evangelical Faith.

This is a wonderful book. Rich Mullins’ life is worth celebrating and studying. Thank you to James Bryan Smith for sharing this beautiful testimony of God’s work in the life of a man captured by Him.

The topic--Rich Mullins and his life (and his God)--was fantastic. The delivery format didn't always work for me, with extended quotations from various interviews; I would have preferred shorter direct quotations and more weaving the meat of the message/quote into the book itself. But, I still learned a ton about Mullins, and it's quite a resource. Thought-provoking for sure!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is not a book to be devoured immediately. There is so much truth, so much goodness, so much Life that it requires time to marinate in.

This is the second time I’ve read this book, and it’s certainly one to value. Despite the shortness of Rich’s life, his impact continues!

If you love Rich’s music, read the book. If you’ve never heard of Rich Mullins, but want to love Jesus and love people, read this book. It can change the way you see life, and give you a new passion to live it!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

A must read:
This is a newly released edition of a book that was previously released back in 2000 after the sudden passing of Rich Mullins back in 1997. As someone who grew up listening to music by Rich Mullins, I found it fascinating and encouraging to read more about his life.
I really appreciated that this is more than your average biographical account, but rather James Bryan Smith presents it in such a way that it all points back to Jesus. This not only makes the subtitle "An Arrow Pointing to Heaven" apt, but is totally something that I think Rich would have approved of as that appears to be how he tried to live his life. What an inspiration to us all!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Rich Mullins
An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan Smith
Pub Date 07 Feb 2023
InterVarsity Press, IVP
Biographies & Memoirs | Christian | Religion & Spirituality


I am reviewing a copy of Rich Mullins and InterVarsity Press, IVP and Netgalley:


In James Bryan Smith's books Rich Mullins, you will get to experience Rich Mullins's Legacy of Joy and Real Compassion. Rich Mullins, a beloved Christian musician lived his life with abandon for God. Leaving the music industry to teach music amongst the Navajo Community.


In 1997, an accident cut Rich Mullins life short. his songs and ragamuffin spirit continue to teach many. In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Rich's homegoing, this edition of Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven delivers an intimate look at the experiences that sparked praise hits and the values behind his Christ like candor.



James Bryan Smith captures just what Rich wished for when he said, "I hope I would leave a legacy of joy—a legacy of real compassion." You can see the layers of his story through reflections from friends and family, an afterword by Rich's brother David Mullins, and Smith's own bond with him. And in remembrance, be inspired to enjoy God's world as Rich did.


I give Rich Mullins five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This book is a collection of stories and recollections about the late Richard Wayne Mullins (1955-1997). For author James Bryan Smith, it is a "devotional biography." His aim in writing this book is to pay attention to the extraordinary life of Rich Mullins. Mullins had been a student, an example, a friend, a housemate, and a fellow pilgrim of the faith. Ten chapters highlight salient areas of Mullins's life. Smith writes about how family identity shapes Mullins's awareness of his uniqueness and how his roots impact his understanding of life. Mullins had wanted to be a basketball player, a mechanic, a good farmer, an athlete, etc, but often felt like a misfit. He found great solace and joy in one area: Music. Church offered him an avenue to channel that enthusiasm. He believed that there is no such thing as a one-shot faith, but an ever-ending learning journey. Against the tide of negative sayings about the Church, he continued to believe in the Church. His songs reflect his love for the church, songs like "Creed," "Liturgy," and hymns. Unlike many church-goers who choose their churches based on the quality of service or the dynamism of leaders, he believed that the key criteria ought to be the devotion of the people to the faith. He nearly converted to Roman Catholicism as he found difficulties accepting some of the teachings. His love for God grew when he experienced the deep grace and love of God. He often wrote songs reflecting his faith discoveries. Songs like "Boy Life Me/Man Like You" was about the incarnation of Christ, and "All the Way to Kingdom Come" was about the way God came searching for us. Mullins also had that St-Francis fascination over the naturally created order. Like the psalmist of old, he wrote songs of praise to reflect that admiration for God in his creation. The song "Calling Out Your Name" was one of the beautiful results of his spiritual discoveries. Mullins criticized the prosperity gospel movement frequently, primarily because they shunned the reality of human struggle. His song, "Bound to Come Some Trouble" not only taught the reality of human suffering, but it was also his unique way to comfort a hurting world.

Besides songwriting, Mullins was also known for his spiritual writings. His focus on simplicity is a case in point. As many Americans accumulate stuff, Mullins focuses on simplicity as a way of life. His non-materialistic lifestyle was inherited from his family upbringing. Unlike society's common pursuit of material things, he finds little pleasure in things and possessions. Even fame is temporal and fleeting. Even though he was involved in one of the largest Christian musical tours with Amy Grant, he remained pretty much down to earth. There are several pieces of spiritual writings at the end of the book to give readers a glimpse at Mullins's spiritual insights.

My Thoughts
==============
In 1997, Rich died in a tragic road accident, and the Christian world lost a cherished songwriter, worshiper, and spiritual teacher. I do not know of Mullins as much as I would have liked, but I have heard many of my peers singing praises about his life and faith. His life and music have touched many lives. I believe his work, his life, and this book can be used to touch more lives today and tomorrow. If I can summarize Mullins's life, I would do so in three ways. First, he is a gifted songwriter. With faith as a guide, through the songs, he is able to tell the story of the Christian life based on his theology and experience. Thanks to the Internet, many of his songs are easily available to the masses. More significantly, the words to these songs pack a powerful punch of faith. If Mullins is alive today, I believe he would have won many awards.

Second, Mullins will also be remembered as someone who frequently mulls (pardon the pun) over God's creation. I remember Eugene Peterson once taught that, spirituality is the art of noticing ordinary things. Mullins is especially gifted in doing that. I think his life of simplicity and the refusal to be entangled with the worldly pursuit of money and possessions play a huge part in his spirituality. I am cautious about dividing life up dualistically into material things bad and spiritual things good. God has created this world and declared it good. So, how on earth can we condemn the material things as bad? The problem is simply about our pursuit and capacity to worship idols. Material things can be used for the glory of God. They are not supposed to be objects of our worship. The Bible also teaches us that the love of money is the root of evil. So the same applies to material things. For Mullins, his pursuit of God overwhelms any pursuit of material wealth. Upbringing is key. I think the lesson for modern parents is that children pick up what they see from their parents. If parents are materialistic, children will be materialistic. If parents are spiritual and less concerned about material wealth, the children will probably inherit the same behaviour.

Finally, Mullins's life reminds us of making our life count. There is a popular saying that we should not be too concerned about adding years to our lives. Instead, we need to learn to add life to our years. Mullins died too young, some might say. However, the same also goes for Jesus who died at the age of 33! May we all learn to live well for God with whatever years we now have. This book is neither biographical nor fully hagiographical (to turn him into a saint) of the late Rich Mullins. It is basically a story of an individual poured out to God and desiring to point others to God. We can learn from Mullins. May our lives also be pointers to God. Author James Bryan Smith has given us a wonderful spiritual resource that generations can appreciate.

James Bryan Smith is the author of The Good and Beautiful Series. He is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where he also directs the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation. Smith is a founding member of Renovaré and an ordained United Methodist Church minister.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Before reading this, I didn’t know much about the singer/songwriter, but now I realize that some of his songs (“Awesome God,” “Step by Step”) were staples in church when I was growing up. Rich Mullins influenced so many people not just because of his music, but because of how he lived before his death in a car accident in ‘97.

This book is best described as a devotional biography, because while it does share about Rich’s life, it more so points to the God who shaped it. Reading it inspires us to draw closer to the Father to experience more of him.

“He actually felt God’s love. I think because he was a stranger everywhere he went, he leaned into God and drew close to Him. He was not a saint, but it was his sense of being loved by God that made him different.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Intervarsity Press for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

Beautifully written. A book written with with honesty and openness. I loved hearing the stories of Rich Mullins. His life, his honesty and his failings. I have always loved his music and this book give me a deeper understanding of where the words came from.

Rich Mullins
by James Bryan Smith
Pub. Date: Feb.7, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Rich Mullins was very influential in my life! I was eager to read his story.
Experience Rich Mullins's Legacy of Joy and Real Compassion Beloved contemporary Christian musician Rich Mullins lived his life with abandon for God, leaving the spotlight to teach music among a Navajo community. An accident cut his life short in 1997, but his songs and ragamuffin spirit continue to teach many. In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Rich's homegoing, this edition of Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven delivers an intimate look at the experiences that sparked praise hits and the values behind his Christ-like candor. James Bryan Smith captures just what Rich wished for when he said, "I hope I would leave a legacy of joy—a legacy of real compassion." See the layers of his story through reflections from friends and family, an afterword by Rich's brother David Mullins, and Smith's own bond with him. And in remembrance, be inspired to enjoy God's world as Rich did. Some of my favorite songs were: Awesome God * Creed * Eli's Song * Hold Me Jesus * Heaven in His Eyes * Hope to Carry On * I See You * If I Stand * Screen Door *

I know exactly where I was when I heard that Rich Mullins had been killed in a car accident. He was the voice of my teenage years and I loved reading this intimate, detailed, and engrossing look into his life. For anyone who loved his music and message.