I spent the day with Steven Curtis Chapman today….

Well, okay so I didn’t actually sit down with a man I have an ultimate respect for, but I sure feel like I did. One of the first things I did this morning was download his new CD called “Beauty Will Rise“. On that tragic day in May of 2008, all who are familiar with the Chapman family were stunned by the news. Our hearts broke with theirs and I don’t know that most of us can begin to imagine the pain. I would guess that many have watched from a distance wondering how such a Godly family would deal with such tragedy. We saw the interviews. We read the stories. But I don’t know that we could grasp their pain.

The CD “Beauty Will Rise” is one of the most powerful CD’s I have ever heard. I hate to compare it to reading the book of Job, but there are elements of it that feel that way. After listening to it today, I honestly feel like I have sat with Steven Curtis Chapman and just listened to him share his heart, his pain, his faith and his healing. Song after song, we are pulled into their story and draw hope from their strength. This is not a CD that will get you up and dancing, but in a way, it shouldn’t be. Each of us has dealt with loss, pain, fear, discouragement and questions we feel we cannot answer. Yet from our pain comes a trust in our creator and the maker of this universe.

You will want to download the entire CD. Each song tells a story. I honestly cannot highlight just one. All 12 are worthy of a post all their own. For example, the song “February 20th” tells the story of the day his daughter excepted Jesus into her heart. From the joy of knowing she is in heaven to the reality that she is there all too soon.

The point of this post is to HIGHLY recommend this CD. If you are hurting. If you know someone that is hurting. If you have lost someone or know those that have lost someone and are wrestling with understanding it all. “Beauty Will Rise” will bring a healing. It will give pause to openly state what our human side can only feel. It is a reminder to trust in God through all times and that through it all, beauty will rise.