Dr. M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. 1936- 2015, honoring a beloved friend and teacher
Late last evening our beloved teacher and friend, Bob Mulholland, went to be with the Lord. We write this news with sadness — for his passing is a great loss to us — but also with gratitude for the significant friendship we shared with him in Christ.
We have been privileged to walk with Bob and Lynn during these past few years, staying in close contact with them each step of the way. Recently the chemo stopped being helpful and things began to look grim. By God’s grace, I was able to talk with both Bob and Lynn on Saturday and at that time, Bob sounded strong and present so it was a surprise that the end came so suddenly.
This morning Lynn wrote:
December 21, 2015
Dear Ones,
My precious husband and servant of our Lord went to be with Him last night about 11:00pm, December 20, appropriately on a Sunday. I had to take him to the ER last Thursday with a high fever where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. When the serious pneumonia in addition to the serious cancer and his lowered immune condition weakened him, the Lord intervened and took him home.
Again I thank you for your support and prayers.
We love you.
Lynn
We want to assure you that we are walking with Lynn during this time and I was able to talk with her immediately following Bob’s passing last night. As we know about the memorial services, we will pass that along to you.
May Jesus himself draw near to us as we mourn this loss and celebrate Bob’s life,
Ruth, for the Transforming Center team
P.S. The first of two memorial services will be at 11am on Tuesday, December 29th at Shirley Community Church, West Road, Shirley, ME. In lieu of flowers Lynn and the family have graciously decided to point people to the Transforming Center as one option for gifts and memorials. Please click here if you would like to honor Bob in this particular way.
If you would like to send condolences to Lynn and the family, you may mail cards to:
PO Box 622
Greenville, ME 04441
To read the full tribute click here.
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What a great loss of a New Testament scholar! Bob was my Greek lecturer at West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos.Nigeria. Bob’s simple way of teaching Greek endered me to the most ‘dreadful’ module in my New Testament studies. I communicated with Bob last in 2007 for his expert advice on the book I was working on for publication. Trust Bob, he did not disappoint. Adieu gentle, amiable and erudite Greek scholar. R.I.P till we meet again. Rev. John Taiwo
I have just learned of the passing of Dr. Robert Mulholland and I am deeply sorrowed. I pray for comfort for his family. As I have no affiliation with Ashbury Seminary, I only know of him as one of my favorite authors. Within this past year, I somehow was led to discover and read The Deeper Journey. I am sure the Holy Spirit had a role. This book has become an essential part of my devotional life and I have read it numerous times in the past few months and have read portions of it even this day-the day before Easter. I have gone on to read Invitation to a Journey and Shaped By The Word. Both are also excellent guides in a true spiritual walk and all three have had strong impacts on myself. I rank them with my readings by Merton and Rohr. I only learned of his passing in doing a web search with the hope that I might find if he was still teaching at Ashbury, which would have led to my attempting to meet him and express how much his writings have meant to me. Due to his references to Abbey of Gethsemani and of course, its link to Thomas Merton, I have arranged next month to fly from my home in Colorado for a 5 day retreat there in Kentucky. As Ashbury is not far away, well, I had hoped to tell him in person. I hope still to do so in eternity. Dr Mulholland captured well the struggle of the false self and finding our true selves in Christ. He is a significant author in the area of spiritual formation. I hope that many others discover his books as I have and that they have the same deep impact on them as they have myself. God has worked through him mightily! Robert Mainger, MDiv. Denver Seminary
Dr. Mulholland was one of my professor’s at Asbury Seminary. I took a Greek class and Revelation. In the last 3 years or so, I have looked him up again via Youtube. I have eagerly listened to his teaching on Cruciform Love…etc., that was recorded at Spring Arbor University. I have watched and listened to his short interviews with Haley Barton. We sort of new each other, but never hung out or anything. Still, he has been a mentor to me, and I miss his life here on earth. Now his journey is complete, “being fulfilled in New Jerusalem,” which was what he wrote on my copy of his book- Revelation. I am thankful for Robert Mulholland. He has touched and will keep touching my life.
Thank you all so much for joining me/us in grieving the loss of Bob in this life and celebrating how much he meant and continues to mean to all of us. Even though we can’t all gather for a memorial service, it has been strangely comforting to be together in this way–sharing our tributes and giving words to the love and gratitude we feel. It is a great honor that the Mulholland family chose to direct people to the Transforming Center as an option for gifts in lieu of flowers. As gifts come in, we will keep you posted on how we intend to use them in his honor. http://www.transformingcenter.org/give
I have benefitted so much from reading Dr MulHolland Invitation to A Journey. His book is also well received here in Singapore. It will be a classic book for those seeking spiritual formation.
I searched the web to say thank you to him but noted this new year 2016, he is no longer around. He is such a wonderful blessing to me. And I am truly grateful for who he wrote that I am able to be gradually transformed. His work is truly visionary and will be a blessing for many generations to come.
Dr. Mulholland taught me how to live for the sake of others in the face of adversity and terminal illness, which I am facing. I was so blessed and encouraged by his life and teaching. My prayers are with his family and the Transforming Center.
My prayers and condolences to Dr. Mulholland’s family and especially Lynn, and to the staff of TC with whom he clearly had such a special kinship. It was an incredible privilege to hear him teach in person during our community this past year and to meet Lynn. His writings have done so much to give shape and language to the desire of my heart to live a life in Christ that manifests from the inside out. I’m so thankful for his surrender to the call of God and willingness to follow His lead down less traveled paths that are so vitally needed in our age to help believers find whole life in Christ. I’m privileged to be teaching his books to two groups of women right now and to watch the ripple effect of his faithfulness is inspiring and an encouragement to apply the same standard of faithfulness to my own life. Though his death leaves a spacious vacuum, it is clear he was used – and will continue to be used – in mighty ways to bring forth the invisible Kingdom as a living and present reality…a reality which he now has the blessing of seeing clearly. Prayers for God’s comfort to all who will both grieve and celebrate his life and passing.
Dr. Mulholland was a great teacher, an inspiration…and most importantly a fellow soul on the incredible journey to Christlikeness.
We can feel our own sadness rising up each time we think of him, and of course, Lynn. We do pray for everyone who loved and will miss him and am glad that the season of being with family is when the Lord chose to call him home. We are so grateful to you Ruth and to him for the recordings you made. We will hold them with extra reverence, for they are sacred and holy to us.
We lift up the Transforming Community for peace and comfort.
What a beautiful gift we received when we were privileged to hear the heart of God through his humble servant Robert Mulholland. I remember being at the Transforming Center listening to God’s words through Bob, and was especially touched by the words “In the world for God or in God for the world” These simple yet profound words continue to challenge me and help me to remember that my calling is not a self-centered act of obligation rather a humble and selfless act of obedience to God for all humanity. While our journey continues, I am grateful for sharing a part of my journey with Bob and look forward to our final resting place together as a people of God. I continue to pray for Bob’s family as they walk through the grieving process and pray that the memories of Bob will remain with them until they are reunited with him in heaven. “Well done good and faithful servant!”
I am deeply moved by Robert’s passing. I have shed many tears today. I celebrate that Robert has loosed his moorings, but I am saddened that his pen is now still and that people, that I, can no longer witness the incarnation of his own teaching. Robert taught and manifested cruciform love. I feel such a profound sense of privilege for having sat at his feet, shared a meal with him, and listened to his own remarkable story. To Lynn, you supported his work in every way. Bless you. Robert’s legacy will not be fully known until the Lord returns and the fruit of his words, both insightful and accessible, is fully known.
Dear Ruth and TC Team,
I am deeply saddened at the passing of Dr. Robert Mulholland, my teacher through his books, audio tapes, DVDs and personal interactions.
On the very day he passed on (Sunday, Dec. 20), our small group was just finishing up a 6-week study of your interview Robert on DVD: Spiritual Transformation for the Sake of Others. In the last session he discusses his acceptance of stage-4 cancer. Truly, he was a gentle spiritual giant in our midst.
Back in 2012 when I was driving back and forth between Chicago and Huntsville to visit my failing mom, I took the opportunity to listen to many hours of Robert’s seminary course (free download titled NT666). “Together” we worked through the entire book of Revelation. In person we discussed specific passages from this remarkable Scripture which have deeply touched me.
We have all suffered a great loss, but the work of the ministry will go on. The equipping of the saints is building us up into a holy priesthood of believers. But right now it is our privilege as Christian priests to lament, weep and mourn.
May God continue to bless your (wisely slow) growing ministry. And may our Lord support Robert’s wife, Lynn, as she is surrounded by the community of faith and God’s ever Presence.
Thanks for sharing. If others are interested, this DVD is available here:
http://resources.transformingcenter.org/collections/frontpage/products/spiritual-transformation-for-the-sake-of-others-interview-with-dr-m-robert-mulholland-jr-dvd
What a privilege to think we could sit under Bob’s teaching this past year, he gave what was entrusted to him to the very end. Certainly he would have been received with, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”
You are in my prayers today as you mourn the passing of someone so close and dearly loved by you.
Ruth,
Thank you for letting us know.
Bob was scheduled to speak to our Intermissions Community in Guatemala in February 2017. He graciously agreed to come even in the midst of his uncertain health. We will miss having him!
What a gracious gentleman who exemplified Christ in such an humble manner.
God bless you for standing with Lynn during this time…our love and prayers to her and their family.
Kendon