Saturday, November 21, 2009

Greg Laurie And Steven Curtis Chapman On Grief

Hello All,

In my last post, I wrote about the grieving process that is still fresh in my heart and mind. I wrote that last post just a day before my wife had the surprise opportunity to go see Steven Curtis Chapman at Harvest Christian Fellowship. "Stevie C" has been one of her favorites for years. This particular service was going to be a special service on the subject of grief, something that both Chapman and Pastor Greg Laurie know well. Pastor Greg's son Christopher died just weeks before the 2008 Harvest Crusades and Steve's adopted daughter from China had been tragically killed around the same time. Their shared grief became the occasion for what was a wonderful evening of ministry entitled "An Evening Of Hope." Here is an excerpt from that evening.





The entire service can be viewed in the archives at www.harvest.org.

When Lela returned home (I stayed home with sick children) she was really touched. Of course,
she lost her brother Aaron a few years ago and is well acquainted with fraternal grief. She brought home Steven Curtis Chapman's latest CD, a gift from the friend that invited her, (Thank you Ella!) and a musical documentation of the grieving process that he went through after his daughter's death. (You can check out this piece written about it here.) The album is called "Beauty Will Rise" and I wholeheartedly recommend it to those who have dealt with the crushing blows of death. It has ministered to me greatly this last week.

I cannot think of a more refreshingly honest look into the heart of Christian grief than this album. It's tone is reverent and the message of each song, simply powerful. For someone who has gone through it, the articulation of emotions is exact. More than anything, it's a beautiful statement of faith from an honest and authentic Christian musician.

If you are going through grief or know someone who is, this would be an excellent purchase.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

2 comments:

SoSo said...

Thank you for posting this Franck.

SoSo said...

I mean... Frank! :P