Rich Mullins (1955-1997)
By 1992, Rich Mullins had stood in the limelight as a Christian songwriter and singer for over a decade. Others had recorded his songs. Most notably, Amy Grant (Sing Your Praise to the Lord and Doubly Good to You). His best-remembered song is Awesome God, which CCM Magazine placed at the top of the list in its book, 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music. Twenty-five years ago, Christians were discovering Sometimes by Step.
Good choices
The song Sometimes by Step crawled before it could walk. It became Rich’s most successful song from the album The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume Two. But it began in embryonic form the year before. For the 1991 album The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One, a child started the simple chorus titled Step By Step as both the opening and closing tracks.
Rich’s friend Beaker wrote the original chorus. Rich later tweaked it and expanded it to create the full song. (Compare the lyrics for Step by Step and for Sometimes by Step)
He explained the song in an interview for CCM Magazine. Rich said that life’s biggest problem is that it’s so “daily! But every day we have the chance to make the right choices, one at a time, step by step.”
From baby steps to giant steps
Life sometimes seems to move slowly. It can feel monotonous, predictable, non-productive. But on those same-as-the-day-before days, we make choices that matter. In Sometimes by Step Rich connects our spiritual walk with Abraham. The patriarch took millions of steps during the years he waited for the son God promised. He kept walking and trusting.
Abraham was patient. We also know him as a man of prayer. The first chorus of the song says, “I will seek You in the morning.” The second chorus adds, “And step by step You’ll lead me.” Abraham walked that kind of faith. Rich Mullins admitted to walking it. Every Christian needs that level of prayer and patience.
The first and the final chorus share the phrase, “And I will follow You all of my days.” That statement of faith becomes the key phrase, repeated over and over in the final chorus. Rich understood that it must daily be the renewed resolve of every Christian’s heart. One we constantly confess to God while taking the giant step in a life of baby steps.
Since 1992
Rich lead as he followed God. He wrote and sang meaningful, straight-forward lyrics about Christianity, which he believed and lived. His honesty touched those who heard his songs. His lyrics and life influenced his peers.
In 1995, Rich moved to Arizona to teach music to children living on a Navajo reservation. That seemed to fit his sense of humble service to God.
His voice and pen have been silent for the past 20 years. Rich died in a car accident on September 19, 1997. The impact of Rich’s steps, following God, lives on.
The Road Ahead:
- Are you facing the frustration of one more same-as-the-day-before day? Don’t despair. Each day you mark off on your calendar gets you one-day closer to the change you need. Focus on the best choices you can make this day. One at a time. Restate your faith to God: “I will follow You all of my days.”
- No matter where the path leads, God is using it to get you to where you need to be. He’s always working behind the scenes in ways we can’t see right now. To fully prepare for whatever this day holds (clear path or muddy) start the day by seeking God. Then, end the day by thanking Him.
Further Fuel: Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 16:24.
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