Rating: 
Summary: I cried my way through this book...
Review: The stories about Rich in his day-to-day life moved me beyond what i can express. This is the only book besides Brutchko that i've ever read in one evening. It is that inspiring and life giving.Without giving away too much, some of the personal stories that moved me were: His pulling over the van at 11:11 p.m. to pray for his friends; his always helping with the set-up at his concerts; the writing of a song about a little girl who wasn't supposed to live; his literal giving of the shirt off his back to Mr. Foster; and his giving of all the profits from one of his tours to a church in Bogota. I simply don't love Jesus the way Rich did. He struggled, wrestled, gave, and prayed like no one else I've ever met. Thank God for his life. Thank God the Mullin's family let Smith write this book. Life is hard, but God is good. Rich embraced that contradiction and mystery with reckless abandon. "From the place where morning gathers you look sometimes forever 'til you see what time may never know, what time may never know..." I long to see the sunrise and see beyond time to the pulsing love of God like Rich did. May God increase the wideness in all of our heart's to behold Him as clearly as Rich Mullin's did.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiring Look at an Amazing Man
Review: There is no book that I can think of that strikes me harder than An Arrow Pointing to Heaven. I do not read through this book; I cry through it. Granted not every chapter struck me terribly hard, but the majority did. I long to live life with the same passion and intensity as this man. I long to be free to love as he did and experience "the reckless raging fury they call the love of God" as he did. Smith accurately calls it a devotional biography. It is indeed an explanation of Rich Mullins' life, but it seems almost as if it were written not quite for that purpose primarily. Instead, Smith takes 10 aspects of Rich's life and music that were impacting and powerful and made Rich who he was and displays how those points of truth, beauty, and love played out in the man's life, calling each reader to live with the same vibrancy and desire for God and others. Don't misunderstand; you'll still find a good overview of Rich's life as well as a number of beautiful details, but that almost feels secondary to the drive to urge us to make Rich's life our own. Which is exactly what Rich would have wanted, I imagine. He wanted people to know the love of God as he had and even more. He was, by his own admission, a ragamuffin, and his desire was to point to his savior, not himself. And that just made his soul that much more beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiring Look at an Amazing Man
Review: There is no book that I can think of that strikes me harder than An Arrow Pointing to Heaven. I do not read through this book; I cry through it. Granted not every chapter struck me terribly hard, but the majority did. I long to live life with the same passion and intensity as this man. I long to be free to love as he did and experience "the reckless raging fury they call the love of God" as he did. Smith accurately calls it a devotional biography. It is indeed an explanation of Rich Mullins' life, but it seems almost as if it were written not quite for that purpose primarily. Instead, Smith takes 10 aspects of Rich's life and music that were impacting and powerful and made Rich who he was and displays how those points of truth, beauty, and love played out in the man's life, calling each reader to live with the same vibrancy and desire for God and others. Don't misunderstand; you'll still find a good overview of Rich's life as well as a number of beautiful details, but that almost feels secondary to the drive to urge us to make Rich's life our own. Which is exactly what Rich would have wanted, I imagine. He wanted people to know the love of God as he had and even more. He was, by his own admission, a ragamuffin, and his desire was to point to his savior, not himself. And that just made his soul that much more beautiful.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but incomplete
Review: This book has a lot of good qualities. It's an easy read, very inspiring, and gives a lot of inside information about the life of Rich Mullins, one of my favorite musicians. I particularly appreciated the anecdotes, like the Amsterdam train story, that show that this talented and holy man was a human being like the rest of us. Unfortunately, the book stops short in telling the story of Rich's spiritual journey during his final years on earth. Of course, only Rich and his Lord know the full details, but those who followed his career are aware that he was studying the Catholic faith seriously during those years. (The priest he was studying with says that he did finally decide to join the Catholic Church, but died before he had the chance.) In interviews, Rich often spoke of his interest in the faith, and his respect for the Pope. There are distinctively Catholic themes throughout the lyrics and music of his later songs, and in the CD artwork: pictures of crucifixes, nuns, statues of Mary, etc. Of course, _An Arrow Pointing to Heaven_ isn't meant to be an exhaustive biography; in fact, it's fairly short and simple. But, since Rich's attraction to Catholicism had such an obvious influence on his musical and spiritual journey, it's surprising that the author left out any mention of it. I hope he didn't let his personal feelings get in the way of an accurate portrayal. Surely the fans of Rich Mullins -- a man who always "told it straight" -- can deal with hearing the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Life Changing Book
Review: This book has changed my life more than any book I have ever read except the Bible itself. Rich's life inspires me to have a closer relationship to God more than anything I have ever read written by human authors. Never before did I have a strong desire to serve as I do now. Also this book has made me reflect on things such as the humanity of Jesus,the importance of family and heritage, the importance of the universal and local Church, a stronger desire to worship God unrestrained not to mention how it has helped me understand Rich 's life. If you can PLEASE read this book. WARNING THOUGH: YOUR LIFE MAY NEVER BE THE SAME.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing Rich
Review: This book is a great look at a man who was a thoughtful servant of God. I would recommend it even for people who aren't familiar with Rich's music. What a humble man he was! This book makes Rich's music come alive and give us a look at the real man behind the tune. One point I found especially interesting was that Rich didn't understand how people could learn every word of his songs, but weren't familiar with the Bible, or have a personal relationship with God. Rich didn't want to be worshipped as a great musician. He truly want all the glory to be God's. Rich was an inspiration, and though I never knew him, I miss him as someone who must have been a great teacher.
Rating:
Summary: so much more
Review: This book is a must-read for not only fans of Rich Mullins, but for anyone who wants to know God better. Each chapter challenges the reader to reveiw his or her own beliefs and struggles about issues such as sin, suffering, heaven, and God's love. Readers who already know Rich's work will find a lot of the familiar beauty of his words quoted throughout the book; they will be pleasantly suprised by the gentle strength and beauty of Smith's language, as well. This book is not a celeb bio to be read once and tossed aside; it is a treasure to be kept and read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent biography
Review: This book really captured Rich Mullins. There is so much to learn from the example of Rich's life. I am thankful for having the oppurtunity to be blessed by Rich Mullins works.
Rating:
Summary: Missing Rich
Review: This is a great book about a talented, loving child of God!!! Although I never knew Rich personally, James Smith does an excellent job of presenting the person, Rich Mullins, in a very open and candid way ... sharing a few of the moments, beliefs, and insights of Rich's mortal life on Earth. I really enjoy Rich's music and I would have loved to have met and got to know him, but James Smith, Rich's family, and all the others who contributed to this book did allow me to ... Thank you ! I highly recommend this book to all - believers in Jesus and those who do not. Peace, grace, and love to all!!!
Rating:
Summary: Let Love grow in each and every one of us.
Review: This is a great book about a talented, loving child of God!!! Although I never knew Rich personally, James Smith does an excellent job of presenting the person, Rich Mullins, in a very open and candid way ... sharing a few of the moments, beliefs, and insights of Rich's mortal life on Earth. I really enjoy Rich's music and I would have loved to have met and got to know him, but James Smith, Rich's family, and all the others who contributed to this book did allow me to ... Thank you ! I highly recommend this book to all - believers in Jesus and those who do not. Peace, grace, and love to all!!!
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