I grew up Lutheran, and although my parents and I have always been
active in our church, my exposure to artists who fall within the scope
of Contemporary Christian Music has been rather limited. My musical
upbringing consisted mostly of 60s and 70s folk-rock: John Denver, Simon and Garfunkel, Jim Croce, the Irish Rovers, Gordon Lightfoot, Peter Paul and Mary, Dan Fogelberg, Michael Martin Murphey…
The list goes on. I’ve never found their music, at least most of it,
inconsistent with Christianity, and some of their songs quite frankly
feel like hymns, so I guess I never felt the need to gravitate away from
that genre. But I have found myself drawn to some artists in the
specifically Christian scene whose lyrical excellence and careful
craftsmanship is matched only by their devotion to the God of whom they
sing.
One of those singer-songwriters is Rich Mullins, a man of
extraordinary depth and talent who tragically died in a car accident in
1997. Best known for praise standards like Awesome God and Step By Step, he wrote in a manner that always felt deeply personal but widely applicable. In Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth,
released in 1988, one gets a good sense of his style and an
introduction to two of his most well-known songs. Additionally, Michael
W. Smith, a prominent Contemporary Christian artist in his own right,
plays the piano here, so he has a major hand in my favorite of Mullins’
songs. While I would probably direct a first-time listener to one of his
later albums, this still isn’t a bad place to start.
The Other Side of the World
- A peppy guitar-driven song to start off the album. It begins with a
chorus of children chanting in what sounds like an African language and
incorporates percussion and synthesizers evoking that continent. It’s a
song acknowledging that “it’s a small world, after all,” but still a big
job to bridge those gaps. A rallying cry to share both faith and food
with those in distant lands. “The other side of the world is not so far
away, and the distance just dissolves into the love…”
With the Wonder
- This one starts out hushed and reverent, and the quiet celebration of
nature’s beauty reminds me of the weekends I spend with my family at
Little Pine Valley in Central Pennsylvania. After the first verse, the
percussion kicks in and the tempo picks up, and it becomes another track
with a tone of exultation. It’s a song of thanks to God for the wonders
of creation, which are reflected in the flurry of words he chooses to
describe them. His poetic flourish is evident here, as is a sense that
he feels even the most expansive lexicon would be insufficient to
capture the majesty of what he sees. “It flutters and floats, it falls
and it climbs, it spins and sputters and spurts, and You filled this
world with wonders ‘round every turn…”
Awesome God - If
you spent much time in a church in the late 1980s or 1990s, chances are
that you heard this song. And once you’ve heard it, you’re unlikely to
forget it; this one has a way of drilling down into your brain and never
leaving. The chorus is repeated enough times that just one listen would
probably do it, but this was a staple at my church for many years. We’d
play the recording, and even more often, we’d only sing the chorus,
complete with motions. For several years, it seemed that this was the
hottest song in all of Christendom, and boy, did it catch fire! It
really is a great tune, with its Gospel-flavored piano and earnest
verses but mostly that chorus. Oh, that chorus. I’m an 80s child, and
thanks in part to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, “awesome” is a word I
always think of in association with that decade. It was a fun word, a
laid-back word, a cool word. A word I might use to describe anything
ranging from a Christmas present to a slice of pizza. Finding this word
in a hymn was a little funny to me, but there was something encouraging
about God being described in such hip, youthful language. Of course, it
also served as a reminder that God is immeasurably more worthy of awe
than the fast food I ate while watching TV after school. This song
introduced me to Rich Mullins, and I’m very glad it did. “Our God is an
awesome God. He reigns from Heaven above with wisdom, power and love.
Our God is an awesome God!”
If I Stand - While Awesome God
was the first of his songs I encountered, I didn’t become familiar with
the man behind the song until a while later. When I did, this mellow
masterpiece was the one that most captured my imagination, and though he
has others that come close, it remains my favorite of his songs. Like With the Wonder,
this is filled with expressions of the sense of wonder that nature
inspires, along with the happiness to be found in human relationships.
Coupled with the brilliantly melodic piano backing, the verses are
breathtakingly beautiful. But it’s the chorus, with its palpable sense
of yearning, that cements the song as my favorite, calling to mind the
C. S. Lewis quote, "If I discover within myself a desire which no
experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is
that I was made for another world." This is the song I most associate
with Rich Mullins, in part because, like Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle,
it feels so much more poignant in light of his early death. “If I
stand, let me stand on the promise that You will pull me through, and if
I can’t, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You. And if I
sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs, and if I
weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home.”
Home
- This keyboard-driven song has a definite 80s feel to it. Musically,
this song doesn’t grab me as much as many of the others, but the lyrics
are a stirring testimonial of the trials of life, the challenges of
faith and the glory of finishing the race. “What I’d have settled for,
You’ve blown so far away. What You brought me to, I thought I could not
reach. And I came so close to giving up, but You never did give up on
me.”
Such a Thing As Glory - An upbeat song that points to there being something greater than what we see and experience every day. Like If I Stand,
it makes me think of Plato and his cave, and the idea that we’re only
catching glimpses of a grander reality. Some neat instrumentation adds
to the impression of mystery, while the background vocals increase the
sense of jubilation. “There is such a thing as glory, and there are
hints of it everywhere. And the hints are overwhelming, and its scent is
in the air.”
…And I Love You - Another uptempo song with
a bit of a rock feel to it. This one is a celebration of the sacraments
of baptism and communion and the feeling of closeness with God that
results. “There’s a different kind of tear now in my eye, a response to a
freer wind that’s blowing in a bigger sky.”
Ready For the Storm - I seem to be drawn to songs about navigating stormy weather, whether it’s figurative (Bridge Over Troubled Water), literal (Heartland) or both (Candle on the Water).
This song - the only one on the album that Mullins didn’t have a hand
in writing - fits in nicely with this tradition of songs, with a guitar
and fiddle base that gives it a bit of the flavor of a Celtic sea
shanty. A stirring track that speaks of a willingness to face life’s
storms, knowing that God is in control. “The waves crash in the tide
rolls out. It's an angry sea but there is no doubt that the lighthouse
will keep shining out to warn a lonely sailor…”
One True Love
- Another percussion-heavy song that feels pretty 80s to me. Mullins
talks of no other love satisfying like God’s will and wanting to share
that love with everybody. A little hard-rockin’ for me, but it’s got
some great lines. “And I heard the words of a wise man. He said,
‘There’s only two ways you can go. One way can save your riches, and the
other will save your soul.’”
How Can I Keep Myself From Singing - The title of this one calls to mind the old hymn How Can I Keep From Singing?,
while the percussion gives a world music vibe to it, making the album
come full circle. The song mostly consists of repetitions of
“Hallelujah,” with the aid of several vocalists, giving the sense that
this is a song sung by many people of faith throughout the world. “I
feel my heart; my heart is beating. It has a rhythm strong and sure, and
in the name that brought me healing, I pray for a healing of this
world.”
A few of these songs feel a bit dated now, but on the
whole, the album holds up very well, and I’d eagerly recommend it to
anyone looking for well-crafted music that glorifies God. When I’m in
the mood for music that offers insightful explorations of the Bible, I
think first of Michael Card,
but for delving into the daily struggles and rewards of faith, Mullins
is the artist that springs to mind right away. What a shame he left us
so soon; what a joy he left us such a legacy.
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