For more than 25 years Steven Curtis Chapman has been sharing songs and stories about God’s redemption, grace, love and faithfulness with audiences around the world.
As one of the most popular Christian musicians, Chapman has amassed an impressive catalog of achievements. He has garnered multiple honors, including 56 Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, five Grammy Awards and 46 No. 1 radio hits.
Despite the accolades and achievements, Chapman has remained dedicated to shining the spotlight on Christ.
“With all the songs that I’ve written through the years, my prayer has been, ‘Lord, I want to know You more. As You make Yourself known, I want to make You known to others through what I write, sing and the stories I tell.’”
In addition to his music, Chapman desires to create platforms that would reach out and help those in need.
As strong advocates for adoption and orphan-care, Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, have adopted three daughters from China. They have also established an orphan-care and adoption nonprofit ministry called Show Hope, which has given more than 2,600 financial grants to adoptive families and has impacted the lives of children from 45 countries.
In addition to financial aid, Show Hope empowers families, communities and churches with adoption and orphan-care resources to assist them in advocating and caring for the millions of orphans around the world. Show Hope also provides for orphans with special needs through special care centers in China.
Because of the immense impact that Steven and Mary Beth have made by encouraging Christians to recognize God’s call to provide care for orphans, the Christian Alliance for Orphans recently presented them with the Defender of the Fatherless Award. The Chapmans received the award at the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Summit VIII, which was held at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., with more than 2,000 advocates for orphan-care and adoption in attendance.
In 2008 the Chapman family was devastated by the tragic death of their adopted daughter, Maria Sue. However, in the midst of a journey filled with heartache and grief, the Chapmans found comfort and strength through God’s faithfulness and unfailing love.
Now with an even greater passion and purpose for sharing the gospel through songs, Chapman hopes his music will help provide comfort for people who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.
“After Maria went to heaven, I was crying out to God in the midst of grief, darkness and despair,” Chapman said. “I kept saying, ‘God, I trust you … even though I don’t understand.’ When I started doing concerts again, I found there was a new meaning, purpose and passion in the song lyrics. Just as my family had walked through more valleys than we ever had before, I was singing about trusting God, His sovereignty and faithfulness. I found myself singing many of the lyrics with a new understanding and new desperation for the truth of the gospel.
“After all these years and after everything that my family has been through, we can still declare that God is good and that He is faithful. I want to encourage others not to lose heart or grow weary, because for those who have a relationship with Christ, this journey will take us home. That is the greatest promise and where we find our hope.”
For more information about Show Hope, visit www.showhope.org.
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