We were so early no one was even checking tickets, so we walked into the 5,000-seater church to grab some seats for the show. Ten or 12 of us had piled into someone's Suburban and driven the three hours north to Kalispell from the University of Montana campus in Missoula.
There was a single grand piano on stage, a man with long hair bent over the keys, sound checking it we assumed. So we threw down our jackets and wandered back into the lobby to look around. Several minutes later, the long-haired man walked up behind us.
"Hi, where are you guys from?"
It was Rich Mullins! He had grown his hair out so no one had recognized him.
I'll never forget that moment. Not because I was star-struck, because I wasn't really. I didn't really know who he was, didn't know much about him, or that he was so "famous" in certain circles.
What struck me was that he approached us. This really, really well-known {FAMOUS} musician came down from stage to come say hi to us. Just like he knew us. Like an old friend.
He was SO nice. And normal. And human. Just a guy making conversation.
I remember standing there completely shocked that he was so... humble.
Wow, Christians are different.
Not long after that concert, Rich Mullins moved onto an Indian Reservation in the Southwest to share Christ with Native Americans through music.
He probably made millions in his career through record sales, but never knew how much he really made because he gave it all away and lived on a small fixed income from his music sales. He lived for a time in a one-room attic apartment with few material possessions. "Hold me Jesus" was filmed there.
What humility looks like.
Read snipits from the Biography of Rich Mullins.
1 comment:
I love Rich Mullins. His music always brings me a sense of peace. We especially love his 2 volume set "The World as Best as I remember It". I too saw him in concert the year before he died. I wasn't disappointed in the least. He was in jeans and t-shirt like you said and seemed so unassuming. No screaming crowd, no big lights, just Rich and a piano and a dulcimer. At the end he played hymns and everyone sang and at the last hymn he walked out in the middle of it so we had to finish singing by ourselves and then it seemed awkward to clap because our focus at that point was on God and not on him. I think a couple people started to clap but then stopped. It was such a cool experience. I was so sad the day God took him home but I am sure that Jesus delighted to have Rich where he really belonged.
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