Truth

One of the biggest challenges I have felt growing up in Christian circles is this sense that Christians are perfect or at least on their way to being perfect. I don't know that I've ever actually heard anyone say it out loud, but I have felt it and struggled with it. Because the truth is...I'm not perfect, and far from it. But I believe in the One True God and in His Son Jesus Christ. I believe that I was born a sinner and the only hope I have is in Christ and His blood covering. I believe I am going to heaven because I have claimed Jesus as my Savior, my representative for judgment day. I have confronted this thought where I have felt it unspoken and encouraged true study of our relationship with God.

This week, I came across this movie, "Ragamuffin", based on the life of Rich Mullins (songwriter of "Awesome God"). He was a sinner, imperfect and struggling to find his way in this journey we call life. Yet, God used these challenges to draw Rich (and others) to Himself. Towards the end of the movie, Rich is on a retreat with a pastor friend who challenges him to write a letter from his earthly father to himself (for those familiar with allying, this is what it can look like) and what comes out is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

I knew only basic pieces of his life, but have been deeply touched by his music, as it reaches beyond the feel-good to the real truth. We are broken...He is the healer.

So hold me Jesus 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
Now I'm falling down I'm falling on my knees

~ Hold Me Jesus by Rich Mullins

The movie was directed and produced by David Leo Schultz, using some of Rich Mullin's family and friends. He was interviewed for the release of the movie, I love what he said here:

"...a testimony shouldn’t make yourself the hero; it should make God the hero. If you are the centerpiece of your story, then it’s a biography. So, from the beginning I knew that in terms of doing a bio-picture, I wanted to flip the model on it’s head, and make God the hero of story.

Rich had a fascinating and recklessly ambitious life pursuing Christ, but I also wanted to explore how God was pursuing Rich...If God is after us, he will do whatever it takes to get a hold of and transform our hearts.

Rich was a follower of Jesus, yet he was also a prodigal in many ways, and we wanted to show the story of a God, filled with compassion, pursuing Rich. And for us through the research, once we discovered that it seemed God was chasing Rich through father figures to ultimately point to Himself..."

God is the hero of my story, He is the center of everything, and when I keep Him there, my life becomes a beautiful mess of a testimony.

Wherever you are in your journey in life, I highly recommend watching the movie. For more information on the life of Rich Mullins and Ragamuffin the movie, check out this site.

For the rest of the interview with David Leo Schultz, you can read it here.