More God-Less Me

Thanks to a friend who really “gets it” when it comes to what I call “God First Priority”,I have come to appreciate the music and ministry of the late Rich Mullins. Francis Chan, in his book “Crazy Love” writes a small segment that explains how Rich Mullins did ministry. I quote it here:

“Despite his success in the music industry, Rich often ruffled the feathers of Christian music culture. He didn’t consider music to be his primary purpose in life; to him, it simply enabled him to pursue the higher calling of loving people. Children, his neighbors, enemies and non Christians. Sometimes he showed up at his concerts unshaven and barefoot. To keep others from putting him on a pedestal, he often confessed his sins and failures in public.

In 1995, Rich moved to a Navajo reservation in Arizona to teach music to the children who lived there. Rich never knew how successfully his albums sold because the profits from his concerts and albums went directly to his church. They paid him a small salary and gave the rest of the money away.”

Although he died in an auto accident on 1997 on his way to a benefit concert in Kansas, his music lives on and is listened to and sung in churches like ours. His life is a reminder to me that I need more God and less me.

“Awesome God” by Rich Mullins

Oh when He rolls up his sleeves He ain't just puttin' on the ritz,
Our God is an awesome God
There is thunder in his footsteps and lightning in his fists
Our God is an awesome God

And the Lord wasn't joking when He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason that He shed his blood
His return is very soon and so you'd better be believin' that
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, pow'r and love
Our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless in the void of the night
Our God is an awesome God
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
Our God is an awesome God

And judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God