Rating: 
Summary: 5th-Rate Writing About a 1st-Rate Man
Review: This is currently (12/19/2000) the only biography available of Rich Mullins. It is largely unsatisfactory, mainly because Smith does not know what his goal should be. He says he would like to avoid hagiography but also not to give a dry list of facts about Rich's life. So Smith settles upon "devotional biography" (his term), but the book turns out to be long on devotional and short on biography. In fact, the term biography ought not apply here. As a result of his scheme, Smith leaves large chunks of Mullins' life unaccounted for, and leaves it to the reader to cobble together some chronological account where the author has given us only topical musings.The weaknesses of this book are not inherent in Smith's subject but are the result, I think, of at least two factors. First, Smith was a good friend of Mullins and faces the resultant temptation to be rather vague about any problems in Mullins' life. (We are told many times about the great number of temptations and difficulties Rich encountered, but never given any idea what they might have been.) Second, one wonders if Smith only opted for the topical approach because he was perplexed how to weave themes into a chronological account, or because he felt a chronological account would not do justice to these themes. One wishes Smith had realized this is a false dilemma; read Peter Ackroyd's excellent __The Life of Thomas More__ to see the same difficulty adeptly handled. Themes in an individual's life are stronger when the reader can discern their genesis and development, and can see them in relation to contemporary events. The book is still interesting. I would recommend it cautiously (there are even some problems of grammar and word-choice), but only because no substitute is available. (One wonders why Brennan Manning, a much better writer who gives us the preface, could not have written the entire book.) Call it 5th-rate writing about a 1st-rate man. The lessons of Rich's life are important: emptiness of self, reliance upon God, commitment to spiritual progress. I just wish I had a true biography of this great man.
Rating: 
Summary: For anyone serious about Spiritual Formation
Review: This is far from traditional biography or hagiography. This book does what all great literature from Christian history has done- points people to God. Brennan Manning's foreword begins "Jesus of Nazareth ruined Rich Mullin's life. And out of the ruins he recreated a ragamuffin of startling originality; no human being even remotely resembles him." Manning ends- "This book deserves to be read and reread. It is a treasure."
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book
Review: This is one of the most challenging and rewarding books I have read in some time. It gives you an insight in the life of a man whose one desire in life was to reflect our Lord and who I believe accomplished it in a way I can only strive for. It's also one of the saddest and mostjoyful books I've read as you can't help but wonder what Rich might have accomplished if he had lived. And yet at the same time you're joyful, knowing he is now with our Lord and that you will see him again one day. James Bryan Smith is an insightful and deeply respectful writer. He really shows you what Rich was like and shows you how to move closer to our Lord. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing Read
Review: This is one of the most refreshing and inspiring books I've read in a long time. I was reminded about how much God is smitten with me, and how much He wants to love others through me. This book isn't about a Christian celebrity. It's about an ordinary man doing the best he can for God, and in the midst of his struggles and triumphs finds Freedom and Healing through the "reckless raging fury of God's love." It's both simple and very deep at the same time. You could read it all in one day or study it for months. Rich's candidness and bluntness captivated my attention. That was the refreshing part. The inspiring part was seeing how he overcame his struggles through simply recognizing God's love for him. And I was so inspired by the first chapter that I had to put the book down, pick the phone up, and put what I learned into practice. This book is about a real person who struggled with the same things I do. Each chapter has a theme that is based on one of Rich's songs which helped to illustrate it's meaning. I liked how it took scripture and made it easy to understand and how it is applicable to daily living. There is something hear that I think everyone, no matter if you are a Christian or not, can relate to. Not only that, but it used scripture to approach such emotional issues as self-esteem, depression, loneliness and bitterness. It was fun to read. I caught myself re-reading certain pages to remind myself about the insight I learned of God's healing power and just how much He loves me. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving Biography
Review: This text not only opened up the world of Rich Mullins to me, but powerfully impacted my relationship with Christ and my life choices. After reading this book, I came to realize that Rich and I have a lot in common, and it was uplifiting and encouraging to know that he went through many of the same times of dark despair and spiritual agony that I have experienced. I recommend this book to everyone. You will come away from it knowing Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving Biography
Review: This text not only opened up the world of Rich Mullins to me, but powerfully impacted my relationship with Christ and my life choices. After reading this book, I came to realize that Rich and I have a lot in common, and it was uplifiting and encouraging to know that he went through many of the same times of dark despair and spiritual agony that I have experienced. I recommend this book to everyone. You will come away from it knowing Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: celebrating a life well lived
Review: Unlike many other biographies of public figures who died young, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing Towards Heaven by James Bryan Smith is a moving celebration of the man Rich Mullins. It also reflects the ideals he held dear. One such ideal is simplistic living. Mullins firmly believed that all he had belonged to God. So he lived with few material possessions and was happy to share what little he had. Despite his success, for the last several years of his life, he hired an accountant to give him a stipend... and gave away the rest of his earnings to deserving charities. Smith, a veteran writer, was also a close friend of Mullins for many years. When Mullins moved to Witchita, Kansas, in the early 1990s to earn a music education degree from Friends University, he lived in the attic apartment of Smith's house for three years. The Mullins family asked Smith to write the book, because he knew Mullins so well. Because of Smith's friendship with Mullins, readers will enjoy how he shares Mullins with the public. He relates not only the highlights of Mullins' life, but also the struggles. Even as a close friend, Smith did not rely on his experience alone to write this biography. He interviewed 40 of the people who knew Rich best-both friends and family. Their stories-as well as the words of Mullins himself that Smith culls from interviews, lyrics, and stage recordings-add to the breadth of the book. Reading Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing Towards Heaven gives you a greater knowledge of the life of one amazing man. It also encourages you to live a life abandoned to the "reckless raging fury that they call the love of God."
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Man, Amazing Biography
Review: Wayne "Rich" Mullins lived a radical, outspoken, imperfect, brutally honest, faith-filled life in which he marveled at the Creator's love, beheld nature's beauty down at Johnson's Creek, let everything that could be shaken be shaken, sang unmatched praise to an awesome God -- and touched hundreds of thousands of hearts with his musical and lyrical poignancy. When his life drew to a sudden, tragic close, Rich was beginning to grasp more deeply than ever what Manning calls "the relentless tenderness of Jesus," as expressed in Rich's posthumously released "The Jesus Record." Smith's biography captures the life behind the music, exploring in full, satisfying measure the paradoxical facets of Rich's character and personality: his childlike trust and his leaf-shaking frailty, his wildness and wonder, his quiet spiritual insights and not-so-quiet political barbs. This book is an absolute treasure and a fitting memorial. (Note: The CD included with the hardcover edition is an excellent introduction to Mullins' music for those who haven't yet had the pleasure of hearing him.)
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Man, Amazing Biography
Review: Wayne "Rich" Mullins lived a radical, outspoken, imperfect, brutally honest, faith-filled life in which he marveled at the Creator's love, beheld nature's beauty down at Johnson's Creek, let everything that could be shaken be shaken, sang unmatched praise to an awesome God -- and touched hundreds of thousands of hearts with his musical and lyrical poignancy. When his life drew to a sudden, tragic close, Rich was beginning to grasp more deeply than ever what Manning calls "the relentless tenderness of Jesus," as expressed in Rich's posthumously released "The Jesus Record." Smith's biography captures the life behind the music, exploring in full, satisfying measure the paradoxical facets of Rich's character and personality: his childlike trust and his leaf-shaking frailty, his wildness and wonder, his quiet spiritual insights and not-so-quiet political barbs. This book is an absolute treasure and a fitting memorial. (Note: The CD included with the hardcover edition is an excellent introduction to Mullins' music for those who haven't yet had the pleasure of hearing him.)
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