This moment and eternity

Tonight is one of those nights that I think I will reflect on for quite a while. Zane and I, along with our friends Ryan and Jennifer Dean attended "An Evening with Steven Curtis Chapman" at First Baptist Euless. This event was a fundraiser for the Mid-Cities Pregnancy Center. For those of you who do not know, Steven Curtis Chapman and his family suffered the loss of their youngest adopted daughter and sibling, Maria Sue on May 21st.

Steven has only been back on the road in the last 10 days or so. Honestly while I have listened to some of SCC's music over the years and have enjoyed it, I probably would not have picked his concert as one that I must attend. But we had complimentary tickets (VIP at that) and the company of our good friends so we went. I did expect that it would be a rather poignant evening in light of his daughter's death. Poignant is an understatement.

He opened the evening by sharing that on May 21, when Maria Sue went home to be with Jesus, that the song he was about to sing, was barely a scream or cry to the Lord. He then sang "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord" by Matt Redmond. He expressed that he did not think he would ever do another concert without singing at least a portion of that song. Not sure if there was a dry eye in the place. He reflected quite a bit throughout the course of the evening on life, eternity, how much God loves us, the moments we are given, how everything is God's, hope and suffering. He shared how in the face of many unanswered questions and great loss, that he and his family are more sure of the Gospel than ever before. That they have a great hope which is no doubt the anchor for their souls.

I was struck by a couple of things. First of all, this man is the real deal. Not a fake bone in his body. What he believes about God, God's Word and God's love he believes in the core of his soul. He and his family are in the deep waters of loss and grieving and they are finding that what they have said they believed for years, is absolute truth. I think that his why his music ministry has had such longevity. I was also reminded of a message we recently heard by Louie Giglio in which he shared that our suffering is our megaphone to the world. The question for me, for us as believers is "what is going to come out of my/your megaphone?" Will the world hear a message of hope and trust in God who loves us more than we can ever imagine? In this world we will have trouble. Jesus said so. Are you and I walking so closely with God today that when those times come, our response is unlike anything the world has ever seen? We live in a world desperate for hope. I am grateful for people like SCC and his family whom God has entrusted with opportunities to show His light and life. Keep your ears and eyes open. We will hear more from this man and his family as they are upcoming guests on Larry King Live, Good Morning America and will be featured in the August 8 issue of People magazine. The Chapman's message in their megaphone is being heard around the world.