Chad and I have a running list of famous people that we are convinced we should befriend and hang out with all the time. They are people that just seem so genuine and real and generally point us straight to Christ while acknowledging their own sinful humanity. People that follow Christ so hard that it makes you want to be a better follower as well. Steven Curtis Chapman and his family are right at the top of the list.
This SCC admiration is not a new thing, as both Chad and I grew up listening to his music. We also know the Chapmans as adoption advocates and founders of Show Hope, an organization that helps Christian families reduce the financial barriers to adoption. They brought three sweet girls from China into their family and have worked tirelessly to promote orphan care. More recently, through the tragic loss of one of their daughters, my admiration of and respect for the Chapman family has grown. I remember the day I heard on the radio of their loss, in the car traveling for work, and have followed their story of grief closely. Mary Beth Chapman published a beautifully written book, Choosing to See, that gives her personal story from childhood all the way through her journey of mourning and grieving for the daughter she lost. She is refreshingly honest and hides no detail of her own struggles through her life. I would highly recommend her book (as long as you have kleenex close by). God most definitely used her book to speak directly to me about His will for our family and adoption.
Chad and I were able to attend SCC's Songs & Stories tour with Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson here in Jackson a few weeks ago. It was AWESOME! Now, we were positive we would LOVE the concert before we ever went, but it was one of those experiences that you didn't want to end. Not only were the three artists featured incredibly talented, it was so neat to hear the stories behind the songs they had passionately written throughout different times in their lives.
A portion of the concert was devoted to sharing about Show Hope and its mission. SCC shared the song "When Love Takes You In." It is a song he wrote after their first adoption journey during the formative time of establishing Show Hope. While he sang the song, the screens showed clips of families (including his) meeting their adoptive children for the first time and welcoming them into their families. Talk about emotional for the two of us! It was so beautiful and made me even more excited about the time coming when we will hold Lottie in our arms for the first time! Although that exact video is not available for me to share with you, I am including the music video of his song as well as the lyrics so beautifully written.
I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
If I haven't said enough about SCC and his family, check out the comments written by Andrew Peterson who has been on tour with SCC these past few months. He says it much better than I can.
A portion of the concert was devoted to sharing about Show Hope and its mission. SCC shared the song "When Love Takes You In." It is a song he wrote after their first adoption journey during the formative time of establishing Show Hope. While he sang the song, the screens showed clips of families (including his) meeting their adoptive children for the first time and welcoming them into their families. Talk about emotional for the two of us! It was so beautiful and made me even more excited about the time coming when we will hold Lottie in our arms for the first time! Although that exact video is not available for me to share with you, I am including the music video of his song as well as the lyrics so beautifully written. 
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