Speechless: Living in Awe of God's Disruptive Grace

by Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman and his pastor Scotty Smith urge believers to reject the tidiness of legalism for the messiness of God's unsettling grace.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Faith, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian Living, Music

Unknown Binding

First published June 30, 1999

About the author

Steven Curtis Chapman is a devout Christian, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and a social activist regarding youth violence prevention and adoption.

He and his wife, Mary Beth Chapman, have six children, four grandchildren and live near Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Jill Nadel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This past weekend, I finished reading "Speechless: Living in Awe of God's Disruptive Grace" by Steven Curtis Chapman and Scotty Smith. This is my book review of the book...

I have loved Steven Curtis Chapman's music for years, have all of his CD's, and I have blogged about some of his songs before. His song, "I Will be Here" was the song Joshua sang at our wedding. I read the book, Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman (Steven's wife) about 2 years ago (read more about that book pub. Sept 2010 here). I really enjoyed that book, even if parts of it got me crying. Some of the stories from Mary Beth's book were included in Steven's book, which was published in 1999. Very many things have changed in the Chapman's lives since Speechless was written (including their adoption of three Chinese daughters and losing Maria in a car accident in May 2008).

I found this book at the Library book sale earlier this summer and immediately purchased it. It sat on my shelves for a few months, and I'm glad I finally pulled it out and read it. Steven Curtis Chapman and his pastor, Scotty Smith wrote this book about the wonder of God's grace, and how it can touch our lives. The more we see God's grace in our daily lives, the more we see our lives touched and how it can make us speechless. The book is interspersed with lyrics from Steven's Speechless CD, including the #1 hit, Dive. I enjoyed reading the stories of the inspiration for the songs in the CD, as well as some of his older songs.

My favorite portion of the book is near the end, when Scotty Smith is discussing heaven, and the end times. He writes about heaven, and how Christians can see it as a form of the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve walked with God, and worshipped Him. My favorite lines in this portion say, "Remember, the King loves us! The kingdom has come and the kingdom is coming! We are not home yet, but we will be some day!" What hope and gratefulness we can have in our hearts and lives as we look forward to being in heaven with Jesus, the Savior! God's grace can truly transform a life!

I encourage you that if you are interested in learning more about God's grace and also about Steven Curtis Chapman's life and music to pick up this book.

[Susan Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found reading Speechless : living in awe of God's disruptive grace by Steven Curtis Chapman and Scotty Smith, a slightly difficult read. First, because of the strong musical context this book was written in (which obviously came about because Steven is a professional musician) and second I had trouble relating to the strong male perspective coming from two male writers. However the biggest difficulty was the subject matter.

It is difficult writing about grace. (I know, I do it a lot!) It is something that as Christians we think we know all there is to know since we have heard about it all our spiritual lives. The inclination is to skip over further teaching on the subject. Yet often our understanding only scratches the surface. Steven and Scotty attempt to take people further in their understanding by relating stories from their lives and others which shows the "disruptive" nature of God's grace. Yet the stories are very personal, God treats us as individuals and sometimes what is very meaningful to one person can be lost on others

Yet, despite these difficulties, I found it was a worthwhile read. The book emphasises our need of grace and our tendency to fall back into legalism and other strategies to minimise our need of it. The authors were highly encouraging as they inspired, exhorted and urged their readers to discover the depths of God's grace for themselves.

A good read.

[Lance Lumley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had this book when it came out years ago, and recently decided to re-read it again. It wasn't memorable when I read it years ago, and I know why now. This is nothing against the writers, but most of the book is written by Scotty Smith, with Chapman writing just a few pages at the beginning of the chapters. I also have no idea what I read, even though the book is called "Speechless." This was a disappointing book to read.

[Sam Kang · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For me, music is more than a vocation or ministry. It's a means by which I come to a deeper understanding of the heart of God and the astonishing reality of his grace. The more clearly I see God's love for me in Christ, the more I am rendered speechless, silenced by the vastness of God's supply to meet my every need. Great songs help me access God's generosity."

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of my favorite books. I read this during a spiritual transition time and it really impacted my relationship with God and gave me a desire to want a closer relationship with Him. I'd recommend it to anyone desiring a closer walk with God.

[Nicholas Khoong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not just about the experience of 1 of the greatest Christian artist of all time, but how his faith and trust in God during the times trouble and as well how their put it in the title Living in awe of God's Disruptive Grace. Highly recommended it to all who is searching for an answer.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, grace-drenched book. I wish I would have read it in 1999 when it came out!

[John Scarbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple read but practical. Back in the 80's there was a Christian Club near Fort Worth Texas called Footloose. Steven would come from time to time and play on the weekends. In this time he was unknown, and would have a small crowd. During his break we would sit and drink coffee and visit, he was really down to earth. In this time all was unknown what his future would hold. Give it a read!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this at a used bookstore because Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my favorite Christian singers/songwriters. I was amazed (speechless?) at the depth of the book. Steven and his pastor, Scotty Smith, don't pull any punches about their spiritual struggles. I learned a lot and was challenged to be more authentic in my Christian walk. This is a book I'll use as a devotional now and then.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one that you need to read in small parts in order to chew on it and digest all of the great things they have written.
There are whole songs written out and great stories attached but some wonderful spiritual insight that can apply to us at different seasons of our life.
I really enjoyed it.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an awesome book about God's grace, and how it works in our everyday lives, especially in our struggles! While Steven is on the cover, and he gives many great insights, it's Scotty Smith who writes a bigger portion of the book. Scotty feels right at home sharing the gospel, and sharing personal experiences he had had with God's grace.