A good friend gave me this book. I cannot think of any gift I have received (except for my salvation) that has been more meaningful. This is a wonderful book. This is a great book. I am grateful to James Bryan Smith for writing it, thankful that Rich Mullins lived it, and I stand in awe of the fact that God the Father truly authored it all long ago.
This book, like the life it describes, is an arrow pointing to heaven. This is not a simple biography. This is no attempt at making a saint out of Rich Mullins. This book is a good long reflection on how God has uniquely acted and spoken through the life of one man.
"An Arrow Pointing To Heaven" is divided up into ten chapters (plus a wonderful introduction by Brennan Manning and an afterword by Rich's brother David). Each chapter centers around a theme that Rich sang or talked about often. The book comes with a CD with ten songs on it. Each chapter is named for a song on the CD. The songs express the theme of the chapter. The songs and themes are:
First Family (about the legacies our families provide), Creed (about the Church), The Love of God (about...the love of God), Boy Like Me/Man Like You (about trusting Jesus), Calling Out Your Name (about God and the beauty of creation), Bound To Come Some Trouble (about the growth found in struggle and pain), My One Thing (about the freedom of the simple life), Growing Young (about sin and temptation), Brother's Keeper (about showing love through our actions), and That Where I Am There You May Also Be (about death).
Each of these chapters taught me some great lessons. This book is life changing. The last three chapters in particular were really moving and challenging to me.
There are wonderful quotes by Rich and Rich's friends (as well as various other famous Christians) throughout the book. Some are humorous, some challenging, some emotionally moving, but they are all woven masterfully into the whole by the author. Some of my favorite quotes by Rich are:
"I would rather live on the verge of falling and let my security be in the all sufficiency of the grace of God than in some kind of pietistic illusion of moral excellence-not that I don't want to be morally excellent, but my faith isn't in the idea that I'm more moral than anybody else. My faith is in the idea that God and His love are greater than whatever sins any of us commit." (Chapter 8)
"I think that part of being human is being alone, and being lonely. I think one of the stresses on a lot of our friendships is that we require the people we love to take away that loneliness. and they really can't. And so, when we still feel lonely, even in the company of people we love, we become angry with them because they don't do what we think they're supposed to. Which is really something that they can't do for us." (Chapter 6)
"a spiritual thing is folding your clothes at the end of the day. A spiritual thing is making your bed. A spiritual thing is taking cookies to your neighbor that is shut in or raking their front lawn because they are too old to do it. That's spirituality. Getting a warm, oozy feeling about God is an emotional thing-there is nothing wrong with it-I think there is nothing more practical than real spirituality." (Chapter 9)
"An Arrow Pointing To Heaven" is one of the ten best books I have ever read. This book speaks so much truth and love--the truth and love of Jesus Christ. I not only recommend this book...I urge you to buy it now. You will not regret it.
