Pictures in the Sky

Have you ever just stared in awe at the sunset or sunrise, or a cloud formation that catches your attention? Sometimes I find myself distracted while driving by some scene played out above me. A lot of the time it comes at a time of stress and it helps to ease my mind. Other times it is just a nice quick reminder of how small I really am. One of my favorite songs of my favorite song writer is called "Pictures in the Sky." Rich Mullins wrote some of the most honest and impactful lyrics in contemporary Christian music. I had the privilege of meeting him when I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I talked with him a few times over the next several years. I remember one conversation in regards to the song "Pictures in the Sky." We were sitting on a picnic table at Rock Lake Christian Assembly one summer in the late 1980s. Here's my account to the best of my recollection. He had done a concert the night before and I asked him why he hadn't sang the song. And what he told me was really quite funny. He said, because I forgot how to play it. And he started laughing. I couldn't believe it. How do you forget to play a song you wrote? I was young and a bit naive. It is my favorite memory of Rich. See, I looked up to Rich and thought he was almost perfect. It was that conversation that made me realize he was just a normal man with an incredible gift. We all have incredible gifts. It is our job to find those gifts, foster them, make them grow, and use them for our Lord and Savior. I love just sitting and listening to Rich's music. Rich passed away in an automobile accident in 1997. But the legacy that he left in his music, his lyrics, and the other wonderful things that he had his hand in lives on. Another one of his songs talks about "Who God is Gonna Use" and it speaks to the fact that God can use anyone at anytime. I know God has a purpose for you, just as He does me. I just don't know that I really know what that purpose is sometimes though.

So back to the title of tonight's blog, here is a video of Rich's song "Pictures in the Sky"