GIVEAWAY!! Ragamuffin: Based on the Life of Rich Mullins (dvd) *winner announced!*

 

**And the winner is: Stacey Zink!!  Congrats, Stacey, and I hope you enjoy your dvd!!  Stay tuned...I will soon be having a giveaway for Kelly Minter's newest book!**

•About the Film:

RAGAMUFFIN is based on the life of Rich Mullins, a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation. An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood. A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love. As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

•About Rich Mullins:

Singer and songwriter Richard Wayne “Rich” Mullins was best known for his worship song “Awesome God” which has been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon’s Call, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, John Tesh, and Hillsong United. Mullins’ musical career formally began with Zion Ministries in the late 1970s, where he wrote music and performed with a band called Zion.  Mullins first solo hit, “Awesome God,” appeared on his third album and brought his music to a wider audience. Rich Mullins was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) on April 29, 2014.

•Film Testimonials:

“Rich was a gifted songwriter with an amazing heart for people. This film reminded me that what really made Rich special was how undistracted he was with the things of this world. His was a heart yearning for God.” Michael W. Smith Singer, Songwriter

“This film captures the life of one of the most important people in the history of modern evangelicalism, a ragamuffin that our children and our grandchildren need to know about.” Shane Claiborne Author, Activist

*My thoughts:

I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to review this movie, not only because I enjoy Christian films, but for many years now I've been impacted by the music of Rich Mullins. I was first introduced to his album, Songs, when I was in college on a summer long mission trip, and I spent countless hours in worship and Bible study with this music in the background. It impacted me then, and continues to do so now.

This movie realistically portrays Mullins' struggles with his father, faith, and alcohol. I appreciated that the film didn't gloss over these struggles, but showed the ugly side of how they influenced his life. At times the movie was heartwrenching as Rich was rejected and alone, but also as he inflicted pain on those he loved. The thread that ran through all of this heartbreak, however, was the love of Christ and the power that He has over our lives. I was moved to watch how God continually wooed Mullins back to Himself, opening his eyes to who He is. It encouraged me in my own walk with Christ.

As I mentioned, this movie does show the struggle Mullins had with alcohol, so you see beer and alcohol being consumed and displayed, as well as drunkenness. There are also some uses of the profanities h--- and d--- in the movie, which may limit the viewing audience to more mature viewers as opposed to children. I felt both of these aspects of the story, again, helped it show authenticity and wasn't overly done.

There are some Christian films in which the acting is not up to par. Sometimes it just comes across too forced or a little cheesy. This movie was not one of them. I honestly felt like I was looking at real life taking place. The movie had a relaxed feel, but the acting was well done. The lead actor even sang all the songs in the movie.

Giveaway!

Whether you are a Rich Mullins fan or not, this is movie anyone can enjoy, and would be an especially good tool to present the Gospel and Christian faith. In light of that...I am giving away a free copy of Ragamuffin!! Please leave a comment on this post, or if you have trouble commenting here, you can post on the facebook link, telling us what your favorite Rich Mullins song is. If you've never heard of Rich Mullins, then any comment will do ;-). I'll draw a winner next Monday, July 14th, a week from today.

If you don't happen to win the drawing, but would love to have a copy for you or someone in your life that needs to hear the truth of Jesus, stop by this site, http://ragamuffinthemovie.com/buy/, to pick one up!

More info...

•Church Screening Tour:

Thanks to a nationwide church-screening tour from January through May 2014, RAGAMUFFIN traveled to 200 screens where it was seen by over 25,000 people at churches, college campuses and even jails.

Release Date: 7/8/14

Run-Time: 137 minutes

Writer/ Director: David Schultz

Dove Seal: Faith-Based with Caution

Suggested Retail Price: $19.99

Distributor: Capitol Christian Distribution

Learn more and engage:

http://RagamuffinTheMovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/richmullinsfilm

https://twitter.com/RichMullinsFilm

**Soundtrack also available July 22nd featuring Jars Of Clay, Derek Webb, Sidewalk Prophets, Audrey Assad, Leigh Nash and more! Plus 2 NEW, original, never-before heard songs from Rich Mullins recorded in the early 70’s!**

And last, but not least, I must close with a song....

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”