Between Heaven And The Real World: My Story written by Steven Curtis Chapman

       Does anyone know Steven Curtis Chapman? I sure do since he was my favorite Christian singer when I was a kid. He wrote songs such as Dive, Live Out Loud, and Cinderella.  Anyways, Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a book, Between Heaven and The Real World: My Story, is about Steven Curtis Chapman’s life growing up in Kentucky, getting into the music industry along with playing and writing music, dating/married life, adopting children from China, to dealing with a loss of one of his own children.

        Steven Curtis Chapman was born in Paducah, Kentucky, along his older brother Herb “Herbie” Chapman Jr. Steven mentions in his book that his family got into music because their father played guitar and owned a music store. When Herbie and Steven were younger, they both performed together at churches and at venues that would pay them, including at a theme park called Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. Herbie was the singer and Steven played guitar and was also a backup singer.  Later on, Steven and Herbie attended Anderson University. While studying and writing music at Anderson University, the Chapman brothers formed a band called Chapman Henderson, since they had another band member who was also attending Anderson University with the last name of Henderson. Not only did Steven Curtis Chapman play in a band, he also met his wife, Mary Beth Chapman, and began dating her! Quiescence? . . . I think NOT!

      On October 13, 1984, Steven and Mary Beth got married and had their first child, Emily, eight months later. Steven’s music career was starting to take off around that time, so he how difficult it was being a father while making/selling albums and going on tour. After their daughter, Emily, was born, Mary Beth and Steven had two more children: Caleb, and Will Franklin. Several years later, they adopted three baby girls from China. Their first adopted daughter was, Shaohannah “Shaoey”Chapman. The name Shaohannah is combined with the names, Shao and Hannah. Next, they adopted two more girls from China, Stevey Joy, and Maria. Over all, Mary Beth and Steven Chapman raised six beautiful children. While in the process of adopting Stevey Joy and Maria, Mary Beth and Steven worked with other families to help them adopt children, along with being missionaries in China. Sadly, their youngest Chinese daughter, Maria, passed away in 2008 due to getting hit by a car at the age of five years old! Steven Curtis Chapman described his experience of losing a child. Steven and the family also experienced God’s comfort and love while they grieved for Maria.

      Overall, I did enjoy reading Steven Curtis Chapman’s book, Between Heaven And The Real World: My Story, because I was once a Steven Curtis Chapman fan! So it was a great book for me to read about his life from childhood, adulthood, to parenthood. In other words, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loved or still loves Steven Curtis Chapman’s music and also his ministry work.

Trivia Questions: 

1) Why did Steven Curtis Chapman's parents decided to have a second child? Which just so happened to be the one and only Steven Curtis Chapman! 

2) Like I mentioned in this blog, Steven's daughter, Maria, did get run over by a car. 

Question: Who was driving the car?!? 

3) Why the word SEE a huge part in the Chapman Family?  

Chapman, Steven Curtis. Between Heaven And The Real World: My Story. Grand Rapids: Revell, 2017. Print.