My next two travel excursions are Rich Mullins’ fault.
For that matter, so was last weekend’s day trip.
I drove to see a girl in Frozen Jr. who, in terms of acting and singing ability, aged about ten years in the couple of months since her last performance. I probably would never have met her and her dad if not for the movie Ragamuffin made about Rich’s life. Unbeknownst to us until two-and-a-half years later … her dad and I were in the same screening of the movie in a church basement in Columbus, Ohio on a random Monday morning in 2014. We think I was sitting directly behind him.
Let me fill in the details.
I never met Rich Mullins, but growing up playing piano and organ in church, I was aware of his music. Yes, that’s right kids, I am a trained church organist. Witness my coolness factor rise several notches and/or make your own joke. Anyway, if you ever set foot inside a church, especially in the 80s or 90s, you may have sung songs like Awesome God or Step by Step. After seeing the movie, I attended a Ragamuffin Retreat a few months later and, as they say, the rest is history.
Next week we start shooting the third movie in the series, this time about St. Francis of Assisi. Perhaps everyone’s favorite Catholic saint, but we like him because he was good at pointing people to Christ. Period.
How can you help? Pray for us. We are not okay. Although in many ways we have never been more okay. I’ve said that if you don’t have haters and trolls, you probably aren’t doing anything of importance. Likewise, the enemy likes to derail kingdom work … discouragement … distraction … logistical snafus … the aforementioned trolls who feel they have a scriptural and righteous obligation to jump down one’s throat over a difference in theology. Some discuss differences lovingly (or, shockingly, face to face or privately), some blessed souls do not.
We can use lots and lots of prayer.
You can also help financially. Our nonprofit is crowdfunding St. Frank, with any proceeds going toward mission work on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I sometimes say there is an emphasis on the non in nonprofit. Indie filmmaking in the faith-based space, although rewarding in its own way, is not as glamorous or lucrative as some might think. But we are, to invoke a giant Christianese cliché, stepping out on faith and starting this thing.
Want to be more involved? We don’t know for sure, but we think we’ll probably do a tour of churches like we did with Ragamuffin and Brennan. I say tour of churches meaning churches, colleges, bars, coffeeshops, prisons, and pretty much anyone who will have us. In the past we have sold low-cost tickets and offered discounted buyout deals to venues who preferred not to deal with ticketing. (We do pair those with a no-cost outreach opportunity when we can.) Stay tuned to the Ragamuffin TV Facebook page for announcements when we’re ready to book the tour, and drop us a line at info@colorgreenfilms.com if you know for sure you’re interested in hosting.
Want to hang with us in person? Come to Ragamuffin Camp! The writer/director of all three movies is one of the featured speakers. Register here and book your lodging here . (We’ll meet in the Wind River Lodge.) That’s how I got involved in this crazy ministry. I watched a movie and I went to a retreat.
Speaking of movies, Ragamuffin is free to stream for the next week, in honor of Rich Mullins’ homecoming twenty-two years ago today. Go watch it now. I need to get busy packing a suitcase.