I can’t tell you how much the music of Rich Mullins has meant to me over the years. I’d even say that if I had to pick my top three favorite Christian artists who influenced who I am as a believer, those would be Keith Green, Mark Heard, and Rich Mullins. And I might even go so far as to make Rich Mullins the top artist.
It follows that when I discovered about The Bellsburg Sessions, I was overjoyed. These recordings are some of the stalwarts of Christian music such as Amy Grant, Kevin Max, Andrew Peterson, Carolyn Arends, and others who gathered at Rich’s old homestead in the unincorporated town of Bellsburg in Dickson County, Tennessee to record covers of some of Rich’s most revered songs.
I was not disappointed. Hearing these songs from different voices in different settings really brought out the beauty of the words. My two favorites have been Hold Me Jesus and We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are. There are even two Rich songs that I had never heard before that sound like he recorded them as demos on a tape recorder.
Rich Mullins had a unique confessional style of writing with an honesty and authenticity that is missing in a lot of what I hear on Christian radio. Sometimes, it felt like he was reading my diary when he wrote these songs because they often hit so close to home. But as the saying goes, when you are faithful to tell your story, other people will hear their stories as well, even though the specifics may not be the same.
I almost want to drive up to Bellsburg and see Rich’s old house, although I’m sure someone else lives there now and might not be so appreciative to see me showing up in their driveway. But at least I have the musical legacy of one Rich Mullins.
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