Many of my readers will remember the tragic story of the
death of Steven Curtis Chapman’s adopted daughter, Maria. She was killed in the
driveway of their home in 2008 when she ran into the path of a car driven by
her brother, Will Franklin. The final third of the book takes the reader
through that gut-wrenching event, the grief that followed and continues to this
day, and the story of how God brought Steven and his music of hope back to the
stage. You will fall in love with this little girl adopted from China, and you
will be in wonder over how it seems God prepared her for what was to come.
After a flash forward to Steven’s debut at Carnegie Hall,
the story begins in the tiny town of Paducah, Kentucky, in the early 1960’s.
Steven’s brother, Herbie, was born in 1960, and Steven Curtis came along two
years later. The two boys were raised by a father who was as gifted in music as
he was possessed by an uncontrollable temper. Both boys lived in fear of
upsetting their father, and Steven recalls the time he was trying to help his
dad restore an old Army jeep. His dad asked for a nine-sixteenth wrench, and
Steven ran to the toolshed and searched for it until he had just the right
part. But when he got back his dad said, “Just lay it down, I don’t need it
anymore.” Steven’s face fell, and then his dad asked for a Phillips
screwdriver. Again he raced to the toolshed to find one, only to be told when
he returned that it wasn’t needed. Several years ago, Steven saw the Bruce
Willis movie, “The Kid” (incidentally, my wife’s favorite movie), and there’s a
scene where the young boy in the movie finds the missing screw his dad had been
looking for in his pocket, and his dad got angry at him. Steven said he cried
so uncontrollably during that scene that his oldest son, Caleb, reached over to
pat him on the back and console him.
The family dynamic changed completely when Steven’s father,
Herb Chapman, became a Christian. Instead of sending the boys off to church
with their mother every week, now Herb was leading his family. The family
started singing together at church, Herb was eventually asked to be the music
minister, and the seed of a songwriter was beginning to develop in Steven’s
heart. He is today the singer-songwriter who has won more awards in
contemporary Christian music than anyone in the industry, including 5 Grammys
and 58 Dove Awards. You will read about how God opened the door for Steven in a
music career, and how this man of faith has used his enormous talent to promote
the good news about Jesus. Since a mutual friend, Larry Warren, first
introduced me to his music in the early 90’s, I have been a fan.
I had a hard time getting through the chapter about Maria’s
death. The pain is as raw as it gets, and I felt the full gamut of emotions
Steven and his family went through in their loss. It is hard. But it is also a
story that, I believe, can bring help and healing to any of you who have lost a
child. I have never walked that road, but I know many of you have. You will be
able to identify with Steven and Mary Beth Chapman, and I trust, you will be
helped by their story.
Read this book. You will be glad you did.
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