Steven Curtis Chapman was born on November 21, 1962 in
Paducah, Kentucky. He has won 5 Grammy
awards and 58 Dove awards. His hit songs
have included: ‘Weak Days’, ‘His Eyes’, ‘The Great Adventure’, ‘Let Us Pray’,
and ‘His Strength is Perfect’. Artists who
have recorded his songs include: Sandi Patty, Glen Campbell, and the Cathedral
Quartet. In 2007 Chapman released his 14th
non-holiday album, THIS MOMENT (Sparrow).
On April 20, 2008 he received a star on Nashville’s ‘Walk of Fame’. Just over a month later, on May 21, 2008, his
family would go through a very dark and difficult ordeal. Steven’s son Will Franklin accidentally ran
over and killed one of the family’s three adopted children from China, Maria
Sue Chunxi Chapman in the family driveway.
As had been planned before Maria’s death, Steven’s record label released
THIS MOMENT: CINDERELLA VERSION a few days later on May 27, 2008. It includes four bonus tracks and is the
version I’ll be reviewing here. It was
produced by Matt Bronleewe and Steven Curtis Chapman.
‘Miracle of the Moment’ was a Top Ten hit for Steven. He co-wrote it with Matt Bronleewe. This adult pop song gives us a proper
perspective when it comes to time: “There’s only One who knows/What’s really
out there waiting/In all the moments yet to be/And all we need to know is He’s
out there waiting/To Him the future’s history/And He has given us a treasure
called right now/And this is the only moment that we can do anything
about”. ‘Broken’ is a great rock song of
confession: “We’re all broken (2X)/And we all need a Savior/Broken, we’re all
broken/And we all need a Savior/’Cause we’re all broken/This is a fool’s
parade/The way we masquerade/Trying to make everybody think it’s all okay/When
the truth is we’re all living a story”.
Steven wrote the beautiful and moving ‘Cinderella’. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Christian
Songs chart and was nominated for two Dove Awards. It was inspired by his daughters: “So I will
dance with Cinderella/While she is here in my arms/’Cause I know something the
prince never knew/Oh, I will dance with Cinderella/I don’t want to miss even
one song/’Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight/And she’ll be
gone...” Steven co-wrote the #1 hit
‘Yours’ with Jonas Myrin. It is an adult
contemporary anthem that reminds us Who holds the world in His loving, more
than capable hands: “I walk the dirt roads of Uganda/I see the scars that war
has left behind/Hope like the sun is fading/And they’re waiting for a cure no
one can find/And I hear children’s voices singing/Of a God who heals and
rescues and restores/And I’m reminded that every child in Africa is Yours/And
it’s all Yours God, Yours God/Everything is Yours/From the stars in the sky to
the depths of the ocean floor”. A later
2008 radio version of the song included a fourth verse written after Maria’s
death.
‘Something Crazy’ is a catchy Christian pop song that
includes these words about a street preacher: “He’s got a Bible and a
megaphone/Standing on the corner/And everybody’s saying he’s crazy.../He’s not
screaming at anybody/In fact, he says it’s a love story that he’s trying to
tell them/And he knows he may look a little strange/But he just smiles and says
that’s okay/’Cause you know sometimes love makes you act that way”. ‘Children of God’ features Steven’s son Caleb
Chapman and is an energetic pop/rock self-esteem booster: “We are the children
of God (2X)/We are the sons and the daughters/Almighty God is our Father/We are
the children of God (2X)/How can we keep from singing?/We are the children of God.../How
great the love the Father has shown us/That He would call us His own”.
‘One Heartbeat at a Time’ is a lovely adult contemporary
song of encouragement for young mothers: “You’re up all night with a screaming
baby/You run all day at the speed of life/And every day you feel a little bit
less like the beautiful woman you are.../You, you are changing the world/One
little heartbeat at a time/Making history with every touch and every smile/Oh,
you, you may not see it now/But I believe that time will tell/How you, you are
changing the world/One little heartbeat at a time”. ‘My Surrender’ is a song of humility: “And
what song can I sing/But the songs that You give/I have nothing to bring that
did not come from Your hand/So here I am with all I have/And I’m giving it all
back to You/All back to You/I surrender”.
‘You are Being Loved’ is a fast-paced pop/rock number that
reminds us just how God feels towards us: “You ought to see the smile you’re
bringing to your Father’s face/You ought to hear Him sing His version of
‘Amazing Grace’/’Cause that’s the song being sung over you/By the God who
breathes life into you/You are being loved (2X)/Right now at this very
moment/You are being loved (2X)/Right now you are being loved, loved,
loved”. ‘Definition of Me’ is a bouncy
pop song that debunks works righteousness: “It is Your love that defines me/And
Your love that reminds me/It’s not what I do/This life I live You have
given/And in You I am hidden/This is what I know is true/That the definition of
me is You”.
Steven co-wrote ‘With One Voice’ with Matt Redman. These words rejoice in the brotherhood and
sisterhood of believers: “With one voice we will sing/Every tribe and every
tongue brings a harmony/With one voice we will bring/Heaven’s beautiful melody
down to this earth/As we sing to our King with one voice/Oceans divide us, but
we sing together/Now what defines us is our love of You/From every nation and
across all borders/Gathered to bring the song to the world/For Your glory”. This CINDERELLA EDITION of THIS MOMENT
includes four bonus songs, starting with a nice acoustic rendition of
‘Cinderella’. ‘Proud’ is a tender song
many parents will relate to: “Proud, I’m
just so proud/I don’t know how to say it any better/Proud, you made me
proud/Win or lose, well it doesn’t really matter/’Cause you step up to the
plate swinging for the fence/And you’re going to change the world around you,
I’m convinced/Just look how you’re changing me”.
‘What I’m Fighting For’ is a heart-tugger told from the
perspective of a soldier: “There’s a little girl in Georgia lying in her bed
tonight/While her mother holds her close and whispers/’It’s gonna be
alright’/And they’ll pray themselves to sleep/And dream about the day when I’ll
come walking back through the door/’Cause this is what I’m fighting for”. Steven co-wrote the closer, ‘Beautiful
Scars’, with his good friend Geoff Moore.
It includes these poetic thoughts: “I love who you are and your
beautiful scars, your beautiful scars/Reminders of the wounded love that has
carried us this far/Beautiful scars/Turning the marks of our pain into
beautiful scars”.
THIS MOMENT: CINDERELLA EDITION is a perfect album. It clearly stresses God’s unconditional love
for us. I actually listened to it for
the first time after coming home from a church I was checking out, where the
sermon had left me depressed. The pastor
said things like: “God only uses clean people”, “What would Jesus think of what
you’re watching on television?”, and “If you’re really a believer, you’ll be
witnessing”. The sermon only re-enforced
my dislike for works righteousness. So,
listening to this Steven Curtis Chapman album was a real uplifting treat for
me. It encouraged my spirit and re-enforced
my belief that God loves us, period. We
can’t earn or lose His love. I’m rating
this great pop/rock album 100%. For more
info visit: www.stevencurtischapman.com.