His funeral was open to the public and had a massive gathering. He is buried in the Harrison Township Cemetery in Hollansburg, Ohio, alongside his baby brother who died as an infant and his father.[
Between 1974-78, Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. [7] From 1975 -1978 he was also the Music Director and Youth Director at Erlanger United Methodist Church in nearby Erlanger, Kentucky. [8]
In the mid-1980s he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin his professional recording career.
Mullins is best known for his worship songs "Step by Step" (later incorporated into his hit single "Sometimes by Step") and "Awesome God", both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Some of his albums are also considered among Christian music's best, including Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (1993). His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, Chris Rice and Third Day.[1]
In 1988, Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas where, in 1991, he enrolled as a student at Friends University and lived with his best friend, David Strasser (a.k.a. Beaker). He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education on May 14, 1995 [12]. After graduation, he and musician Mitch McVicker moved to a Navajo reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.
Rich Mullins is also remembered for his devotion to the Christian faith, which was often an inspiration to others. He was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In 1997, he composed a musical called Canticle of the Plains, a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the Old West. [2]
His biggest hits were the praise choruses Awesome God and Step by Step. Three of his albums are considered among Christian music's best: Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 1 (1991) and A Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band (1993). The posthumous The Jesus Record include one disc of demos he had recorded shortly before his death, and a second disc of recordings of the songs completed by The Ragamuffin Band, several with guest vocalists.
Mullins often called St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) his hero. He modeled his life after St. Francis by showing great compassion towards the poor and adhering to a vow of poverty. In 1997, he composed a musical about the life of St. Francis set in the Old West titled Canticle of the Plains.
Mullins was seen as an enigma to the Christian music industry. Often barefoot, unshaven, and badly in need of a haircut, Mullins did not look like the average American Gospel music writer. He was very much at home among the non-Christians, and unafraid to name his own sin and inadequacies in public. This baffled some in the American Christian culture where he seemed an odd member. His lifestyle was unquestionably marked by devotion and discipline, yet his simultaneous refusal to subscribe to contemporary Christian "niceties" made him a bit of an uncomfortable presence in the Christian music culture. Although he achieved a significant amount of success on Christian radio, he never received a Dove Award until after his death.
Unlike most artists in Contemporary Christian music, Mullins did not consider his music his primary ministry, but rather a means to pay his bills. Instead, his ministry was the way he treated his neighbors, family, enemies, and those outside the church. Taking a vow of poverty, he accepted a small church salary and spent the last years of his life on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.
Be With You
Rich Mullins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're gonna die eventually
It's no more or less our faults
Than it is our destiny
So now Lord I come to you
Asking only for Your grace
You know what I've put myself through
All those empty dreams I chased
And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?
And when You start this world over
Again from scratch
Will You make me anew
Out of the stuff that lasts?
Stuff that's purer than gold is
And clearer than glass could ever be
Can I be with You?
Can I be with You?
And everybody all and each
From the day that we are born
We have to learn to walk beneath
Those mercies by which we're drawn
And now we wrestle in the dark
With these angels that we can't see
We will move on although with scars
Oh Lord, move inside of me
And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly runied me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?
And when You blast this cosmos
To kingdom come
When those jagged-edged mountains
I love are gone
When the sky is crossed with the tears
Of a thousand falling suns
As they crash into the sea
Can I be with you?
Can I be with you?
The lyrics of Rich Mullins’ song "Be With You" are an honest reflection on the inevitability of death and one's own personal struggles. The lyrics tackle the fear of death and the hope for spiritual renewal by asking the Lord for grace and salvation. Mullins speaks of his own journey, asking for God to forgive him for his past mistakes and to allow him to be a part of the new creation that God will bring forth. He recognizes that it is the Lord who can take the “pieces” of his broken life and make them pure and free.
Mullins speaks to the struggles of life, acknowledging that from the day of our birth, we all must learn to walk under the mercy of God. He describes himself, and all of us, as wrestling with unseen angels in the darkness, carrying the scars of the battles we have faced. Yet, we still move on, because the Lord moves inside of us, giving us hope and strength.
The song speaks to a deep desire, a longing to be with God, to be part of the new creation. It acknowledges that this desire is not something that can be achieved through personal effort, but only by the grace of God. Mullins’ lyrics are heartfelt and resonate with anyone who has ever faced fear, failure, or doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody each and all
Every person, without exception
We're gonna die eventually
Death is inevitable for all
It's no more or less our faults
No one is to blame for their own death
Than it is our destiny
Death is a part of our fate
So now Lord I come to you
A plea to God for help
Asking only for Your grace
A request for forgiveness and compassion
You know what I've put myself through
God understands the singer's struggles
All those empty dreams I chased
Pursuits that ultimately led to emptiness and disappointment
And when my body lies in the ruins
After the artist's death
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
The falsehoods that almost destroyed the artist
Will You pick up the pieces
God's capable of mending the brokenness
That were pure and true
Reclaiming what was once good
And breathe Your life into them
Reviving them with God's spirit
And set them free?
Allowing them to move beyond past hurt
And when You start this world over
After the end of times
Again from scratch
Starting anew
Will You make me anew
A desire to be remade by God
Out of the stuff that lasts?
Using materials that endure
Stuff that's purer than gold is
Referring to the virtues of heaven
And clearer than glass could ever be
An analogy for the clarity of truth
Can I be with You?
A longing for God's company
From the day that we are born
From the beginning of life
We have to learn to walk beneath
Learning to submit to God's grace
Those mercies by which we're drawn
The kindness and compassion that attracts us to God
And now we wrestle in the dark
Struggling to find meaning and hope
With these angels that we can't see
Battling unseen forces
We will move on although with scars
Despite being wounded
Oh Lord, move inside of me
Asking for God's presence
When You blast this cosmos
At the end of the world
To kingdom come
To utter destruction
When those jagged-edged mountains
Awe-inspiring natural features
I love are gone
Expressions of cherished things disappearing
When the sky is crossed with the tears
A poetic image of sorrow and grief
Of a thousand falling suns
A metaphor for a dying universe
As they crash into the sea
An apocalyptic scene
Can I be with you?
A final plea for God's presence
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: BENJAMIN JUSTIN PETERS, RICHARD MULLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind