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Eternity And Time Eternity And Time

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Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman Steven Curtis Chapman is an American Christian musician, singer, song writer, record producer, actor, author and social activist. He is the only artist in the history of music to have won 56 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and is also a proud receiver of 5 Grammy Awards. His music is known for being a unique cross between country music, soft rock and orchestrated pop, which made him a prominent artist in the contemporary Christian music circuit of the 1980s. Chapman grew up in a humble environment where he found his calling for music, owing to his father’s inclination towards country music. He learnt to play instruments like guitar and piano just by hanging around in his father’s music store, listening to him play along with his friends. He took up music seriously when he moved to Nashville and got recognized by Sparrow Records, a company he stayed with for a long period in his career. He has released 19 studio albums and has sold over 10 million albums until now. Chapman is a family oriented person just like his father and has a big family comprising of his wife Mary Beth and 3 biological and 2 adopted children. He is a vocal advocate for adoption and has worked socially to eradicate the problem of youth violence. Childhood & Early Life Steven Curtis Chapman was born on November 21, 1962 in Paducah, Kentucky, to Herb and Judy Chapman. His father was a country singer and songwriter, who turned down opportunities to become a successful singer to concentrate on his family. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. His father owned a music store, a business he managed from his basement and used to play music with his friends. Such creative environment at home influenced Chapman’s life from very early on and he bought his first guitar at 6. Chapman joined as a pre-med student at Georgetown College in Kentucky but after few semesters he moved to Anderson College, Indiana. But he ultimately dropped the idea of studying and went to Nashville to pursue his first love, music. During 1980s, he wrote a song ‘Built to Last’, which gained huge popularity after getting recorded by a gospel group ‘The Imperials’. The success of the song fetched Chapman a songwriting deal with Sparrow Records. Career Chapman’s first official album ‘First Hand’ was released in 1987. The album was an instant hit with singles like ‘Weak Days’ and topped at number 2 on the Contemporary Christian Music chart. The album had a mix of country music with soft rock and pop. In 1988, following the success of his first album, Chapman released ‘Real Life Conversations’. Its hit single ‘His Eyes’ received the ‘Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year’ award from the ‘Gospel Music Association’. He co-wrote it with James Isaac Elliot. After a few years, he made a swift turn to mainstream music with his album ‘The Great Adventure’ in 1992. It earned him two Grammy awards for the album and for the title song of the album. After gaining consistent success with albums like ‘Heaven in the Real World (1994), ‘Signs of Life (1996) and ‘Speechless (1999), Chapman’s next great album ‘Declaration’ came out in 2001, for which he toured 70 cities. In 2003, ‘All About Love’ was released and it ranked at Top 15 on the Christian Music charts. It was released under Sparrow Records and Chapman very humbly credited his wife Mary Beth for being the inspiration for his album. ‘All Things New’ was released in 2004 and the album added another Grammy to Chapman’s proud award collection. This time he received it in the category of Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. It was also nominated for the Dove Award. In 2005, ‘All I Really Want for Christmas’ was released, which was Chapman’s another successful Christmas album after ‘The Music of Christmas’. It had traditional holiday tunes and favorites like ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’ and Silver Bells’. Chapman took his music to greater levels by taking his concert to South Korea for the U.S. troops who were serving there in 2006. It was the first Christian concert that ever performed for the American army in that country. In 2007, he released ‘This Moment’ which included hit singles like ‘Cinderella’, for which he was chosen for WOW Hits 2009. He also went on his ‘Winter Jam’ tour and took his sons’, Caleb and Will’s band along. ‘Beauty Will Rise’, Chapman’s seventeenth album, was released in 2009. It is said that he wrote the songs of the album after getting inspired by his daughter Maria Sue’s sad and untimely demise. It included songs like ‘Meant to Be’ and ‘Re:creation’. In 2012, Chapman finally parted ways with Sparrow Records, the record company that he remained loyal to for so many years. He was signed on by Sony’s Provident Label Group and came out with a Christmas album called ‘JOY’. ‘The Glorious Unfolding’ was released in 2013 under Reunion Records and it peaked on number 27 on the Billboard 200 and was number 1 Top Christian Album. The album was produced by Chapman himself and Brent Milligan. Major Works Chapman’s ‘The Great Adventure’ in 1992 was a turning point in his musical career because until now he was making soft and contemporary country music but with ‘The Great Adventure’ he targeted the mainstream audience and tasted huge commercial success for the first time. Awards & Achievements Chapman is the winner of five Grammy awards for albums like ‘For the Sake of the Call’ ‘The Great Adventure’ ‘The Live Adventure’, ‘Speechless’ and ‘All Things New’. He has also received 56 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, more than any other artist. Personal Life & Legacy Chapman got married to Mary Beth in 1984 after they first met at Anderson University in Indiana. They have three biological children: Emily, Caleb and Will and three adopted children: Shaohannah, Stevey and Maria, together. In 2008, Chapman’s youngest son Will ran over his car by accident on his adopted daughter Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman. She was running towards him to meet him but he did not see her and she was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Trivia Chapman’s wife Mary Beth Chapman has written and released a book about losing her youngest daughter called ‘Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope’. Chapman and his wife have written three children's books with adoption themes: ‘Shaoey And Dot: Bug Meets Bundle’ (2004), ‘Shaoey and Dot: The Christmas Miracle’ (2005), and ‘Shaoey and Dot: A Thunder and Lightning Bug Story’ (2006). He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Anderson University.

what if my singleness never ends

It happened suddenly this past May, the moment I’d prayed for and sought after for quite some time: the moment I became okay with lifelong singleness. Something inside me relaxed as I sat at a coffee shop, my mind not even on relationships but preoccupied with a menu over dinner with friends. And then suddenly, I felt content to be single — not only for another few months, or even years, but even until the day I die, if God chooses that for me. “I don’t want to skip what God chooses to give me during singleness.” More than ever before, the years stretching out before me don’t seem like a romance-less, spouse-less, and (okay, let’s face it) sex-less gray void. It was a beautiful moment that could come only from God, a moment of triumph over an idol that has long battled for the throne of my heart. Whether it’s for a season or a lifetime, I’ve found that I don’t want to skip what God chooses to give me during singleness. Already Loved The more weddings I attend (which is several a year at this stage of life), the more the feeling sinks in that I may never be a bride. But the feeling isn’t altogether sad. Because I’m already dressed in white, you see. My friends’ immaculate dresses and the wedding day itself symbolize something mysterious and beautiful: the “robe of righteousness” God’s people already wear (Isaiah 61:10) and the “fine linen, bright and pure” we will put on at the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:8). I’m already pursued by someone who wove the very sinews of my being together. I’m already loved with a love that will outlast every other. I’m already known more intimately than I can fathom. It’s so easy to read that last paragraph and think “so clichĂ©,” especially since this is yet  another  Christian article about singleness. Just be still. Do you realize what that paragraph means? You’re known just as you are (1 Corinthians 13:12). Even the inmost places of your heart — the darkest, the brightest, the most wounded, the most joyful, the most romantic — God knows and comprehends them to their depths. He cares for your unspoken and most intimate needs. There isn’t a thought you can speak before God knows it’s there (Psalm 139:4). Dwell on that. Do God’s presence and promises carry so little preciousness that we can scoff and declare them “clichĂ©â€? Faulty Assumptions So often, we spout inane phrases to single people like “God will bring you the right guy.” They reveal the heart so completely: I have to have a romantic relationship in my life at some point to be whole. We might subtly think,  I don’t have to have it now, God. Or even next month. But at some point, God, you’ve gotta bring someone for me to marry. But he doesn’t. God does not have to bring us someone to marry. He simply is not obligated to do anything for us that is not for his glory and for our joy in him. And since we’re not all-knowing, we cannot claim to know what will give us the most long-term joy. We can make guesses, certainly. But the ultimate decision is up to our God, who has never ceased to provide exactly what his people need — from the garments of skin worn by Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) to our own daily bread (Matthew 6:11). “I am already loved with a love that will outlast every other.” I’m  not  saying you won’t have difficult days where you yearn to be a husband or wife (I have those days too!), but I am saying that Jesus will meet you in those difficult times. He is gloriously gracious like that. The Spirit is willing and able to teach your heart many things, including contentment in singleness as long as God sees fit — and even if it’s lifelong. Don’t get me wrong: seeking marriage is great. If you’re interested in a godly someone, use wisdom and discernment and be intentional about it. But don’t fret. You may marry that person, and you may not. Whatever happens, don’t let it overshadow what God has already done for you and the glorious place you are headed. Three Suggestions “That’s great,” you may say as you read this. “But how can I do that?” I don’t pretend to know the complete answer to that question, but here are three suggestions that have helped me. 1. Recognize that you can’t be content on your own. Contentment is a work of God (Philippians 4:11–13). Pray to him for it. Lay your will and your heart down completely, and not in a way where you’re trying to be holy and spiritual so that you can get the “true prize” in your eyes. God can change your heart from that too; just ask. He is a Father who listens to his children. 2. Second, don’t surround yourself with romance. I’m not saying avoid all your friends’ weddings — each is a time for rejoicing and celebrating God’s work in their lives! But don’t inundate yourself with romantic comedies and TV shows and books and other media that are constantly focused on romance. Doing this can easily irritate wounds and give a foothold for envy and comparison to wreak havoc on your emotions. 3. And third, enjoy singleness. Seriously. If you’re not content in singleness, then you won’t be content in marriage. Spouses and significant others are not contentment charms; wedding vows are not magic incantations that produce lifelong fulfillment. “If you’re not content in singleness, then you won’t be content in marriage.” Give your time to ministering to friends and your community. Pursue your interests intently. Learn to manage your money. These activities do not have to be less fulfilling just because you are spouse-less! Believe it or not, if you do marry, there will be times when you yearn for singleness, and it isn’t likely to come again (at least not in the same way). A Better Goal So I come alongside you as a fellow single, encouraging you to join me in laying down the idol of romance. Let’s prepare now to better serve a future spouse or, if we never marry, to enjoy Jesus no matter married or not. Marriage is great, but it isn’t ultimate. The honor of “ultimate” remains with our true romance: the God who creates, sustains, intervenes in, and pursues the hearts of his people from eternity to eternity (Psalm 90:1–2). Amen.

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