All I Can Say...

...is wow. Tonight Brian took me to see Steven Curtis Chapman in concert at First Baptist Euless. He knew how much I wanted to go, and am so thankful that it worked out in our schedules to be there. Those of you who know me well know I'm a fan, and have been for as long as I can remember. Not too long ago I posted the story about Steven and his family losing the youngest member of their family, Maria, in a tragic accident.

The Chapman family has been on my mind and in my heart for these past couple months since Maria left here to be with Jesus. I know it has to be God putting them there, prompting me to pray for them...it's not as if I know them personally...but maybe I feel as if I do after following his music for so many years. Not too long ago I began to feel that maybe God was calling our family to adopt a baby girl from China (the Chapman's have adopted 3 little girls, one of whom was Maria, and have started a ministry to help others financially who want to adopt)...my family hasn't jumped on board yet, but I'm trusting that if this is what we are supposed to do, they will. :) Maybe that's where the connection comes from...I don't know.

Anyway, back to the concert. I think this was only his third time to perform since Maria's death, and the first time for him to go solo. It was just him and his guitar, and I loved it. After he was introduced he walked out, sat down at a keyboard, and started talking. He talked about how he doesn't usually play the keyboard, but thought he would be more comfortable having something to hide behind, and how he felt both terrified and excited to be there, as this was his first time to be without his band. Somehow with over 2,000 people there, it still felt like an intimate concert between friends. I didn't really know what to expect...I knew it would probably be emotional, and it was. I wondered if it would be like his other concerts, and it wasn't exactly. And that was okay, of course. I didn't know how in the world he was able to get up there and sing at all. It was a different Steven Curtis Chapman in some ways...still the incredibly talented singer and songwriter, still funny, still all about giving glory to his God...but changed. I both admired and appreciated his transparency, his ability to talk about the valley he and his family have walked through while dealing with their loss. He was honest about his confusion over why it had to happen, talked about how every song he has written has now taken on new meaning. He started with "Blessed Be Your Name" after explaining how that was the song that came to his head, the words he screamed the night of her death. He said now he will never be able to have a concert without singing that song. Once I realized what he was singing, it was all over for me. There were very few dry eyes in the place. He sang some of my favorites, and a new one that I have already grown to love, called "Yours" that included a new final verse that has been recently added b/c of their experience. It was incredible.

I walked away tonight with so many thoughts in my head, so many "take-aways" as my pastor often says. One, none of us are exempt from tragedy ("In this world you will have trouble...John 16:33). Two, God is God, and his plan is perfect, even when we don't get it. And three, make the most of every moment, because no one knows how much time we have to be here on this earth, or how long our loved ones will be here. I left tonight feeling a renewal in my walk with God, thankful for a man named Steven Curtis Chapman, a man who, in the midst of dealing with a broken heart, is a man who is earnestly seeking to love and give glory to his Lord, continuing in the ministry God has called him to. Amazing. Pray on for this man and his family...they will be doing some interviews over the next few weeks on Good Morning America, Larry King, and will be in the August 4 (I think) edition of People magazine. To God be the Glory.