Steven Curtis Chapman

I downloaded this CD recently. If you haven't gotten it...you need to. Powerful. These songs are all written after the tragic death of his daughter. I believe Steven must have a heart like David (who was a man after God's own heart). I've been studying the Psalms lately...and that's what I hear in these songs. Honest. Raw. Truth. Right where he is RIGHT now. Powerful. Here's a taste...

HEAVEN IS THE FACE
"Heaven is the face of a little girl with dark brown eyes that disappear when she smiles...God I know it's all of this and so much more, but God, you know that this is what I'm aching for. God, you know, I just can't see beyond the door.

BEAUTY WILL RISE
"Buried deep beneath all these broken dreams we have this hope...out of these ashes, beauty will rise and we will dance among the ruins we will see it with our own eyes. Out of these ashes, beauty will rise for we know joy is coming in the morning. In the morning, beauty will rise."

SEE
"Right now all I can taste are bitter tears. Right now all I can see are clouds of sorrow. But from the other side of all this pain, is that you I hear calling out to me? Saying...See. It's everything you said that it would be and even better than you would believe. And I'm counting down the days until you're here with me and finally you'll see.......and He's counting down the days until He says 'Come with Me'...He'll wipe every tear from our eyes and make everything new just like He promised...wait and See. Just wait and see. Wait and see.....I'm counting down the days until I see..."

JUST HAVE TO WAIT
"...I can wait to see your sisters play the way they do when all of you are playing all together. I can't wait to watch your brothers face when he can finally see with his own eyes...everything's ok. I just have to wait. I know that day is coming, I just have to wait."

FAITHFUL
"I am broken. I am bleeding. I am scared and I'm confused, but you are faithful, yes, You are faithful. I am weary, please help my unbelief, yes you are faithful.

I will proclaim it to the world, I will declare it to my heart.
I'll sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.
You are faithful. You are faithful. When you give and when you take away. Even then, still your name is faithful.
You are faithful. And with everything inside of me. I am choosing to believe you are faithful.

When I cannot have the answers that I'm wanting to demand. I'll remember you are God and everything is in your hands. With your hands you put the sun and moon and stars up in the sky. For the sake of love you hung your own son on the cross to die. And you are faithful, yes, you are faithful. When you give and when you take away. Even then...Great is your faithfulness. Great is your faithfulness..."

QUESTIONS
"Who are you God? Cause you are turning out to be so much different than I imagined?
And Where are you God? Cause I am finding life to be so much harder than I had planned... You know that I'm afraid to ask these questions, but you know they are there. And if you know my heart the way that I believe you do, you know that I believe in you. But still I have these questions...Is it true that for every tear I cry, you cry a thousand more as you weep with those who weep? And are you just holding yourself back from crushing all the pain and evil in this world for reasons we just can't understand for now, but isn't there a day of redemption coming? Redemption is coming."

OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL
"This is not how it should be.
This is not how it could be.
But this is how it is, and our God is in control.

This is not how it will be.
When we finally will see.
We'll see with our own eyes, He was always in control.

And we'll sing Holy, Holy, Holy is our God.
We will finally really understand what it means.
So we'll sing Holy, Holy, Holy is our God
We are waiting for that day...

This is not where we planned to be.
When we started this journey.
But this is where we are, and our God is in control.

Though this first taste is bitter.
There will be sweetness forever
when we finally taste and see that our God is in control
and we'll sing holy..."

FEBRUARY 20th, 2008
A song about his daughter accepting Christ...
"God only knows just how thankful I will always be...that He gave her mom and me...February 20th."

GOD IS IT TRUE (TRUST ME)
"God is it true that you're thinkin' of me at this moment?
God is it true that you hear every prayer that I pray?
God is it true every time my heart beats you know it?
Well if it's all true..then that must be you I hear saying, "Trust me.

Trust me. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Just trust me.

God is it true that your love for us is never-ending?
Could it really be true that you'd die before letting us go?
God is it true that not even death can separate us?
Well if it's all true, then what I can I do, but put all my hope and all my trust in you. Well, I KNOW it's true and I KNOW it's you I hear saying, 'Trust Me.'"

I WILL TRUST YOU
"I don't even want to breathe right now. All I want to do is close my eyes.
I don't want to open them again, until I'm standing on the other side.
I don't even want to be right now. I don't want to think another thought.
I don't want to feel this pain I feel, but right now pain is all I've got.
It feels like it's all I've got, but I know it's not. Oh, I know you're all I"ve got.
And I will trust you. I'll trust you. Trust you, God I will. Even when I don't understand even then I will say again. You are my God and I will trust you."

JESUS WILL MEET YOU THERE
"When you think you've hit the bottom and the bottom gives way and you fall into a darkness no words can explain. You don't know how you'll make it out alive, Jesus will meet you there...

He knows the way to wherever you are.
He knows the way to the depths of your heart.
He knows the way cause he's already been where you're going.
Jesus will meet you there.

When the jury says guilty and the prison doors close.
The one you love says nothing but just packs up and goes
Sunlight comes and your world's still dark.
Jesus will meet you there.

When you've failed again and all your second chances have been used
And the heavy weight of guilt and shame is crushing down on you.
And all you have is one last cry for help.
Jesus will meet you there..."

...whatever valley you must walk through,
Jesus will meet you there."

SPRING IS COMING
"We planted the seed while the tears of our grief sowed the ground.
The sky lost its sun and the world lost its green, til life was brown.
Now the chill in the wind has turned the earth hard as stone but silent the seed lies beneath the ice and snow and my hearts heavy now but I'm not letting go of this hope I have that tells me SPRING IS COMING. Spring is coming. And all we've been hoping and longing for soon will appear. Spring is coming. Spring is coming. It won't be long now...it's just about here...Hear the birds start to sing. Feel the life in the breeze. Watch the ice melt away. The kids are coming out to play. Feel the sun on your skin. Growing strong and warm again. Watch the ground, there's something moving. Something is breaking through. New life is breaking through! Spring is coming....(Out of these ashes beauty will rise)"

Okay. So it's more than a taste. Sorry, if I spoil it for you.

Can you relate? Maybe you've lost someone. Maybe your life didn't turn out to be what you planned. Maybe you've had sorrows no one knows about. I can testify, too, that Jesus will meet you there.

I have been so moved by this CD. In a country were it's no longer the majority of people who are christians, it is so wonderful to truly see someone living out the faith they say they have. The good, the bad, the ugly....in our eyes. Truly out of the ashes...beauty will rise and God will be glorified.