Renewing Faith and Purpose with Steven Curtis Chapman’s re:creation

Since I was a teenager I have been a fan of the award-winning Christian artist, Steven Curtis Chapman. I have seen him perform live in concerts, conferences and music festivals in Iowa, Virginia and last year in Florida. He and his amazing wife, Mary Beth Chapman, (along with some of their children) were part of the musical acts and speakers at the Women of Faith “Over The Top” tour.

Seeing Steven and his family perform live on stage at Women of Faith brought everyone to tears and gave way to thunderous applause because their appearance was another testament to God’s faithfulness.  A few years ago, the Chapmans suffered the unthinkable and devastating loss of one of their beautiful young daughters to a tragic accident.  The global Christian community and fans worldwide (including myself) were heartbroken to hear about the tragedy.  To see him (and his wife) giving their testimony about how God brought them those dark times and Steven’s renewed purpose in his calling to share music and Christianity with the world was really awe-inspiring.

Steven Curtis Chapman returns again to the musical scene with his new album called re:creation.  The new album features 5 new songs from Steven including the first single Do Everything, and all-new recordings of his 8 biggest hits. The title speaks to the actual re:creation of these songs, which are re-imagined and re-recorded in a new musical space. More and most importantly though, the word re:creation speaks to the new life God is re-creating for Steven and his family as they walk forward in their lives.

Among the new album re:creation are some of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman songs, including For The Sake Of The Call and Dive (Deeper). These upbeat classic songs are have been ‘recreated’ beautifully to allow the listener to focus on the powerful lyrics and message of each song.  A song that I could really relate to as a wife, mom and business owner was Do Everything, the first single on re:creation. 

The songs speaks directly to the mom, the dad, the business professional, the blue collar worker–basically anyone.  During the daily mundane tasks of life, one can question one’s self-worth, the impact (or perhaps perceived non-impact) of one’s life and if anything being done really even matters.  Do Everything , is a reminder that all is being done for a greater purpose and for the glory of God. 

As women and mothers, its very easy to get caught up in taking care of everyone else around us and forget about taking care of ourselves.  By God’s design we tend to have loving and nurturing hearts. We desire for those around us to be fulfilled yet we often forget about our own wants and needs.  Even though being a wife a mother can be among the greatest purposes in a woman’s life, it is not the only thing we are called to do. We are still are own person; the smart, beautiful, funny, faithful and awesome woman that the Lord intended us to be. Not perfect–wonderfully imperfect through His grace and mercy. 

As a fan I would always recommend Steven Curtis Chapman’s music to anyone and re:creation is another recommendation.  The new album, re:creation, is a tool and vessel for anyone who needs a fresh renewal and purpose in their life.  The encouraging themes throughout the album is a great reminder in my life that everything we do matters.  Everything is a learning experience–nor matter how big or small–and its all important to God.

Find out more about Steven Curtis Chapman at http://stevencurtischapman.com/ 
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