Beauty Will Rise

Highly Recommend
After hearing "Heaven is the Face" on the radio, I had to purchase this CD. I was blown away by it. The entire CD is wonderful. I do not find myself skipping songs. I listen to each and every one. I also recommend taking the time to read the insert in the CD cover. The emotions on this CD are raw. I just love it.

Beauty from Ashes
In one sense, I wish that Steven Curtis Chapman hadn't had to write and record a whole album wrestling with how a loving God could allow the accidental death of his beloved daughter. But in another sense, the fulcrum of the Gospel is how an all-loving and all-powerful Father could let his own Son die. There is perhaps no more honest place to experience the heart of God than on Easter Eve--before Beauty rose triumphantly. "Beauty Will Rise" wrestles with hope and loss and pain and promise more transparently than any recording I've heard in a long time. I wish everyone who has ever been encouraged and entertained by Steven Curtis Chapman's music could purchase this CD, turn off the cell phone, and listen to Steven pour his heart out to a heavenly Father who has not only shared his pain, but provided for it. Not only allowed it...but redeemed it. As such, "Beauty Will Rise" is a rare gift--born from a death no parent should have to endure. But our world is filled with loss. I've faced it in the past and will no doubt face it in the days to come. It is comforting to know I will be able to pull this CD from its case and be reminded that I am not alone. My favorite cut is "Jesus Will Meet You There." If I could have the whole world hear just one song, it would be this one. I may have it played at my funeral (which I don't expect to be anytime soon). Thank you, Steven. I believe you.

Profound
Once I was finally able to wipe away the tears and really listen to the lyrics, I was astonished at their quality. It is not enough to just repeat the same phrases over and over, or lean on all the religious cliches when writing and singing about something as devastating as the loss of a child. One must speak the truth, simply and directly. And I would not have been impressed with this if Stephen had insisted that she was in a better place and that he simply couldn't wait to see her again. Instead the words are a frank exploration of grief and faith and the questions we all face when we lose someone precious to us. I predict that this album will be a great comfort to parents of children who are waiting on the other side. As it was to me. Well said, Stephen. Well said.

Walking in the Valley ...
"Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil." John Calvin This quote seems so fitting considering what Chapman has had to walk through over the last year and a half. The emotional turmoil of pain of losing his little girl is the template of this album. The whole of album deals with the concept of pain,loss,disappointment with what one expects life to be ,doubt,fear and as on the song Questions , why? Chapman has always written from his heart and one of his strengths has been his ability to connect with his fans /friends as he likes to call them. But the raw emotion and personal glimpse into a very private moments like on songs SEE, Heaven is the Face and February 20th , shows a man in all the pangs of grief and pain. He holds nothing back . The whole album features a understated feel , just acoustic guitar,piano,bass,cello and some percussion but it fits this intimate setting. The production is clean but organic , not polished and with his passionate vocal work , it leads the listener into this bitter sweet journey. The theme of loss and grief is universal , so I'm sure this album will resonate with all who hear it . But it is far from depressing affair. For ultimately it is a album that shines forth the hope of the gospel of Christ. In the absolute trust in God in the midst of turmoil (Our God is in Control) and the fact regardless how we feel at the moment God is faithful(Faithful). With the title track Beauty Will Rise ,it is a declaration of triumph amid death and suffering . Echoing Chapter 21 of Revelation that one day a new day will come , when God will wipe away all tears and death will be no more . The closing song as well ,Spring is Coming looks to that day when Jesus returns to make all things new . I'm thankful Chapman opened up his heart and allowed us to enter into his journey of sorrow,confusion ,hope and joy. For we all will walk through the valley of the shadow of death but as Chapman has pointed to , our God is a great God and he will not fail us. Album of the year for me . Hands down.

"Out of these ashes, beauty will rise..."
After experiencing the heartbreak of losing his daughter Maria last year, Steven Curtis Chapman thought he would never record again. However, as these things usually go, God has it planned differently. And now, Chapman has channeled all his questions, pain, and sorrow, along with hope for the future, into his much-anticipated new album, "Beauty will Rise," a collection that he calls his personal psalms. And that statement is fitting, as the twelve songs on this album show him coming to terms with the loss, while knowing that God is in control, and that he and his family will one day see their beloved daughter once again, with the Most High in His Glorious Kingdom. The album is very simple, and lacks the polish of other recordings. But this is where the album has its charm in its stripped-down, bare-boned recordings. Highlights include "Heaven is the Face," the powerfully-moving title track, "Our God is in Control," "Spring is Coming," and my personal favorite on the album, "Faithful" a song that is, in my mind, his most powerfully-written song of praise to date. This is not only one of Mr. Chapman's greatest albums ever, but one of the greatest recordings yet produced, a modern-day Book of Psalms in music form. Even through all the darkness and heartbreak, the hope we have in Christ reigns supreme, as showcased in this touching, monumental recording. Highly recommended! Grade: A+