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Men of Integrity, Sep/Oct 2001
Fame, Fortune, and Rich Mullins
Theme for the Week: Beyond the American Dream
Thursday September 27
Key Bible Verse: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7).
Bonus Reading: Philippians 3:4b-11
Toward the end of Rich Mullins's career he made a lot of money, but you'd never know it by looking at how he lived. Though he made hundreds of thousands of dollars, he chose to live on $24,000 a year—the average working man's wage. He told his accountant not to tell him how much money he had. It was easier to give it away if he didn't know how much he had, he said with a smile.
Rich's sister, Debbie, recalls a time when she saw how little he cared for fame and its trappings: "I went with a friend to see him when he was playing with Amy Grant at Radio City Music Hall. After the concert we were standing outside, and this white limousine someone had provided for him pulled up to take him back to the hotel. He told the driver to go on because he wanted to ride with the guys in the equipment van. We said good-bye, and he left in the van.
"My friend said, 'Do you ever get tired of people treating your brother like he's different from you or anyone else?'
"When I said no, she asked why. I said, 'Because he is different. I would have gotten into the limo.'"
—James Bryan Smith in HomeLife
My Response:
Here's how I'm learning to bypass the world's measures of status and success:
Thought to Apply:
Don't forget it: he has much who needs least. Don't create necessities for yourself.
—José Escriva (founder of Opus Dei, 20th century)
Adapted from: HomeLife (8/00)
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
September/October 2001, Vol. 4, No. 5
Men of Integrity
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