Rich Mullins and A Ragamuffin Band - GIVEAWAY

Read more, below, to enter the giveaway for one DVD copy of "Ragamuffin"!

Singer and songwriter, Rich Mullins

New DVD: "Ragamuffin" (based on the life of Christian music artist, Rich Mullins)

    I don't know if you enjoy listening to modern Christian music, the type of foot-stomping, soul-driven music that reaches deep into the heart.

    I began listening to Christian music like this in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it was a new thing. 

    At some point in the 1980s, I began to hear songs on the radio which were written by Rich Mullins.  I also enjoyed listening to other songs that I didn't know were written by Rich Mullins, like Sing Your Praise to the Lord, recorded by Amy Grant.  Eventually, his group was named Rich Mullins and A Ragamuffin Band, and their biggest hit was the famous song, Awesome God.  Rich Mullins was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) on April 29, 2014.

    Maybe you remember this song?  Rich Mullins didn't think it was the best song he had written, but Christians loved it:

    Videos and giveaway forms may not show up in email or RSS feeds, and the columns and photos/text may seem "off" a bit. If something seems to be missing in your reader or email, please click over to read the rest on my blog page.

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)
And the Lord wasn't joking
When He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
And so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God

CHORUS:
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night
(Our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light
(Our God is an awesome God)
Judgement and wrath He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not
Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God

    Several months before my oldest daughter was born in 1997, Rich Mullins suddenly passed away.  We were shocked; we had worshiped with his music for many years at this point in time.  We'd even seen him in concert and appreciated his deep love for Jesus Christ.  He was the kind of man who wasn't an "entertainer" on stage; he felt it was important to talk to the audience and share the love of Christ in each concert.  He was a man of meaningful quotes.  Here's one of them:

    I recently had the opportunity to view the new DVD movie about Rich Mullins' life:  Ragamuffin.  Rich's brother, Dave Mullins, felt it was important for people to understand Rich's life and ministry.

    I can honestly say that this is one of the best movies I've seen in a l-o-n-g time.  Truly, Ragamuffin gave us all a lot to think about when it finished.  This is not an "everything turns out fine in the end" type of movie.

    Rich Mullins was a man whose life was filled with torment, much of it stemming from his childhood with a father who was too stern and couldn't figure out how to say "I love you" to his son, Rich. 

    Over and over again, I wanted to shake Rich's father by the shoulders and say, "Don't you know what you are doing to your son by acting like this?"

    Rich struggled his entire life with trying to comprehend God's love as a heavenly Father toward himself.  Toward the end of his life, he begins to figure this out and make peace with his father, but I don't want to spoil all of the movie for you.

---

    If you've been wary of a lot of Christian movies and DVDs because of the lack of professionalism in so many of them, Ragamuffin is different.  Very different.  The acting, cinematography, music - everything is done incredibly well.  We will be watching this movie again...and there are quite a few Christian DVDs that I'll only watch once because the acting is poor, or the music is quite pitiful, or the cinematography just isn't right. 

    Ragamuffin has it right.

    ***I would caution families that this movie (rated PG-13) does contain several swear words as well as many scenes of people smoking and drinking.  However, this content is not just thrown into the film to glorify this behavior. It is merely showing the type of life that Rich Mullins experienced.

• Available on Blu-Ray, DVD or as a digital download
• Starring Michael Koch as Rich Mullins
• Rated PG-13 - (alcohol, smoking, depression)
• Single Disc - 137 Minutes
• Visit the Movie Website for more information
• Like the Rich Mullins Film Facebook Page; Follow @RichMullinsFilm on Twitter 
• Watch trailers on the YouTube Channel
• Find a Store to buy your own copy
  

    The new DVD, Ragamuffin, has just been released, and the soundtrack will be in stores on July 22nd.  Fans of Christian music will want to own this one because it features Jars Of Clay, Derek Webb, Sidewalk Prophets, Audrey Assad, Leigh Nash, and more! As a bonus, the CD will include two NEW, original, never-before heard songs from Rich Mullins that were recorded in the early 1970's.

    Ragamuffin is officially available in stores at WalMart on Blu-Ray and DVD, and online here at Walmart.com. Pick up a copy or buy a few copies to give to the ragamuffins in your life or those who need to be reminded of the love of God. You can also get the movie digitally on iTunes and Amazon.

Ragamuffin DVD Giveaway:

Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. and Canadian residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.

I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).

I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid.  In the past several months, multiple winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription.  An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive.  That will validate your entry.  Thank you!   :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

    This post was originally published on http://www.JoyInOurJourney.com. If you see this posted elsewhere, it has been illegally scraped, and I'd love it if you would let me know. Thanks!

    I received one copy of the "Ragamuffin" DVD for review, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are those of Joy In Our Journey.com and are based solely on experiences while viewing this movie.

---