WHAT A DOUBLE TRAGEDY FOR THIS FAMILY THE 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND THE TEENAGE SON WHO RAN HER OVER.
Daughter of Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman killed, struck by car driven by brother
In this Wednesday, April 25, 2007 file photo, Steven Curtis Chapman performs at the Dove Awards, in Nashville, Tenn. The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman has been hit by a car in the driveway of the family's Williamson County home. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
05-21-2008 8:50 PM
By JOE EDWARDS, Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Associated Press) -- The 5-year-old daughter of Grammy-winning Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.
The girl, Maria, was hit in the driveway of the family's home Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The brother, whose name and exact age weren't available, apparently did not see the girl, McPherson said. No charges are expected.
"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.
Several family members witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville. The girl died later at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.
A publicist for Chapman's charity organization said the family was expected to release a statement later Wednesday night.
Chapman, who is originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria. They have three biological children.
The singer's Web site says the couple was persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.
The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.
"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing _ our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site.
"We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world.'"
The 45-year-old singer also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess." He has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.
(This version CORRECTS 2nd graf to 'spokeswoman')
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
STORY BEHIND CINDERELLA IT WAS FOR HIS TWO DAUGHTERS BUT MARIA WAS ONE OF THEM
HERE IS THE CINDERELLA SONG
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
PRAYER FOR STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
20 comments:
I was just reading about this a little bit ago. All I can do is pray for peace for this whole family and that poor boy driving the car... His heart, Oh his heart!
I can not even imagine how the boy must feel and the parents the loss of their daughter and knowing their son is going through this awful time in his life. The boy is going to need alot of prayer and support.
This just struck me so hard tonight I am just in tears. I do not know these people only by name, but my heart is breaking for this family right now.
It is a terrible tragedy. It's hard enough to lose a loved one, but under these circumstances... To want to selfishly grieve the loss of your daughter while having to selfLESSly comfort and console your son, who needs you so much... What a huge calling right now for that family.
I pray for God's perfect wisdom and peace over this situation and these people, for all their family and friends. ---I just can't imagine!
I will be praying for them, my mind can not comprehend how they all must be feeling, it is so awful but they are strong Christians. And I know they are leaning heavy on the LOrd right now.
I just cant stop thinking about the new song he just wrote dancing with cinderella. I might be wrong but I think it was written for this five year old. I will see if I can find it and post it on the thread.
Mary,
Your compassion and empathy are a beautiful gift that affords you much when consoling others, but be careful, dear one, to not let this get you too down. You already said earlier that you were feeling spent, so be careful, k?
This is one of those events that can really drag a person down if they're not cautious about where their mind wanders.
I have to scoot so Alex can use the computer. Her laptop's giving her fits.
Thank you for posting this and the video links. This song, Cinderella, has so much more meaning at this moment. God knew!
G'nite and sleep sweet, Mary.
Chapman Family,
Smitty wrote the lyrics to the song below for a friend who lost their child several days after his birth. I hope that you find encouragement in it, even a hint of joy through the tears as you consider our Lord's great and precious promises. He will never leave you nor forsake you - He loves you; you are His child, adopted into His love even while you hated and reviled Him. God's love is so great that it has reached down to those who did not love Him, and He saved them. Your beautiful daughter is now dancing before her Father, seeing clearly what we still see so dimly. At this young age she is understanding things we can only imagine - such as the perfect, unconditional love of God Himself. My heart pours out to Father on your behalf! May you find comfort in Father alone, in the remembrance of what was and what is to come. I pray for peace for your family and for your son - that his heart would be protected from Satan's darts of condemnation and fear. I pray that the press and reporters would not be opressive, that they would be kind and honest in their press releases, and that your family would be granted the needed grace to respond appropriately to their questions. And I ask God to give your family time to be together, with eachother in private and before God. I wish I could reach through my computer and hug you, not as a "fan" but as a fellow Christian and friend who is walking this road, facing different struggles, but looking to Father for His provision.
With Love in Christ Jesus,
TGG (Sarah M. Bosse, NC USA)
Hello, Goodbye
By Michael W. Smith
Where's the Navigator of your destiny?
Where is the Dealer of this hand?
Who can explain life and its brevity
'Cause there is nothing here that I can understand
You and I have barely met
And I just don't want to let go of you yet
Chorus:
Noah, hello, goodbye
I will see you on the other side
Noah, sweet child of mine
I will see you on the other side
And so I hold your tiny hand in mine
For the hardest thing I've ever had to face
Heaven calls for you before it calls for me
When you get there, save me a place
A place where I can share your smile
And I can hold you for more than just a while
Chorus
TGG (Sarah)
Thank you for sharing the beautiful song. and welcome to my blog. please join us again,
God bless this family.
I have no words...
I saw this on aol news today..very sad--such a tragic accident.
I had a little sadness today.
There has been a duck that laid eggs in the front of my house near my entrance in some bushes. I was surprised at this because to get to the lake the duck has to go all the way to the back of my house.
Well, the duck has been sitting on these eggs about 3 weeks. In the early morning I see her on the eggs, then she leaves I guess for a dip in the lake and to eat early in the evening- and then at dusk comes back to lay on the eggs. I thinks he is only gone from her nest about an hour all day. I have been fascinated by ducks since living here. Last year another duck (maybe the same one) laid eggs near a tree in my backyard and a snapping turtle confiscated the nest and some of the eggs. I don't know if the duck moved them , but it seems we saw the same duck soon after with her ducklings (well, they really do like alike so it would be hard for sure to know).
Anyway, today as I was at my computer looking out the window to the front of my house (I have a portico near where she sits) the duck was kind of looking at the house and every time I came back into the room I saw she was not on the eggs but standing in the same place. Well, I went outside and 2 of her eggs were cracked and empty with blood on them, and they were kind of scattered rather than in the bunch they would usually be. I looked at her back and it was obvious she was attacked as a whole section of her skin was showing and red and a bunch of feathers near her nest. Seems maybe a stray cat or even possom (we have them here-they eat the mangos off the trees before they even ripen), or maybe a rat attacked her. So I called the animal wildlife rescue and a woman came and took her in a cage and took the eggs in another carrier. I asked what they were going to do with the eggs and she told me they would freeze them and then throw them out!. She had 16 eggs before the 2 that were destroyed..so she took about 13-14 eggs. I asked her to look at the wound and maybe decide if she was OK to leave there and asked how badly it would stress the duck if her eggs were gone-it was bad enough that she was seperated from her eggs--she put up quite a fight being "caught" in the net and transfered to a cage..anyway, the lady then said "Well, I am going to let her sit on her eggs" as if she was goign to do somethign she hadn't planned on doing..I have to believe she was telling me the truth. Why save a mom duck yet destroy little ducklings??
Anyway, for the last 2 hours since the woman left with the duck and her eggs, I thought hard about whether I made the right decision. I took a mom away from her surroundings, the lake she knows (possible friends) and now when she is well, she will be placed in a strange area. And who knows what will happen to her babies.
Well...I just think maybe I made the wrong decision. The only consolation I had is that the woman says that whatever attacked her may come back for her. Maybe thats why mom took the cracked shells, and walked far away to dispose of them.(no odor for predators)
My husband said I should have left nature alone..so much for cheering me up..
Chosen
Chosen
You made a hard choice. I think I would of done the same thing you did. it is hard to know, but maybe you saved the mother duck from more harm or even death if the attacker came back.
pamperingbeki
Thank you for coming by and there are no words really one can say, the pain this family must be feeling.
Mry,
When I called the Wildlife care,to see if I can find out any info on the duck,it was found out that they actually called a local Humane Society and probably put the duck to sleep..they tried to cover it up--after all, how many people check up when they make these calls.
So I am considering contacting the local newpapers to investigate this non-profit place.(wildlife care) The human society does nothing to help birds. They could have at least told me what they were doing, and I could have made the decision to take the duck to the vet. I had no idea the truck that came was not who I called. I can't imagine how many other times they do this..
Sorry to change the subject here, but you know, the mom duck couldn't defend her eggs, and I couldn't defend her.
I'm having a bad day..thanks for the support
Chosen
We are praying for the family...
I just listened to the song...how prophetic...
Mary,
Seeing Okies last post really made me even more embarassed to be writing about a duck when a mans daughter has died.
I am sorry for that.
C
Chosen
You write anytime about anything you want no one has to stay on one subject, please do not feel bad. I am so sorry about what happen to the duck that makes me so mad.
Okie
Im sure when he wrote it he never thought it would be this soon that his baby girl would be dead. It is fairly new song.
There are lessons for all of us in the Steven Curtis Chapman double tragedy where the youngest son accidentally kills the youngest daughter. How do you deal with such grief? With faith, hope and love. That explains my essay, which if you wish, you can read here: ‘Good Grief! Steven Curtis Chapman, please don’t be Sue-sad’ (http://frankahilario.blogspot.com/).
Post a Comment