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Chapman was, to some extent, making up the show as he went along. He spoke as much as he sang, if not more. Other old songs took on new meaning, like "Not Home Yet"—"From one who's cried like you/ Wanting so much just to lay down and die/ I offer this, we must remember this/We are not home yet." Also "God Is God"—"And the pain falls like a curtain on the things I once called certain/And I have to say the words I fear the most: 'I just don't know.'" And yes, he also performed "Cinderella," the highlight of the evening, sung as a promise that all who follow Christ will one day get to meet Maria Sue, and that father and daughter will dance again in heaven. The promise was punctuated with a newly written final line: "All too soon, the clock will strike midnight, and the dance will go on."

This was far and away the most funereal-like concert I've ever attended, but it was all remarkably appropriate—for the man, the family, and the audience. Chapman looked older, downright professorial in a goatee and wire-framed glasses, the need for which he explained, "I've been under a lot of stress lately." He was deeply personal throughout, whether singing "I Will Be Here" to Mary Beth (again, with deep new meaning), holding up a picture of him with Maria he had tucked in his Bible, or describing his gradual journey back to the stage. He also performed the new final verse to "Yours" with piercing intensity:  "I've walked the valley of death's shadow/So deep and dark that I could barely breathe."

Chapman's vocals and guitar playing were only sometimes imperfect, if only because there was no band offering support. But every ragged chord or strained high note was a reminder of the gift he was offering us simply by performing at all. The concert closed with another vocal testimony, "My Redeemer Is Faithful and True," a corporate chorus of "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," and a closing dose of frivolity through his signature hit "Dive," suggesting the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

A very different show was planned before that night, but the storm changed all that. As in the lives of the Chapmans, God had something different in mind, just to remind us all of his steadfast love. When the storm had passed, when Chapman had courageously started performing—sharing and grieving with all of us—God painted behind him one of the most beautiful sunsets Atlanta has ever seen. Some questions will never be answered this side of heaven, but God is God, and the show goes on.

You can read more about Steven Curtis Chapman's loss through this news summary. Another fan wrote about her similar response to Chapman's Chicago concert for Today's Christian. You can keep up with the latest news about the Chapman family through the blog of Jim Houser, Steven's manager.  Click here to visit Chapman's artist page at Christian Music Today.

Copyright © Mark Geil subject to licensing agreement with Christian Music Today. Click for reprint information.

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