I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp with David Thomas
Those who listen to Christian music on the radio will know
the name of Jeremy Camp, Christian singer and songwriter. His memoir, I Still Believe tells the story
of Jeremy’s ascendance to the stage of singing and songwriting but more
importantly, his struggle in dealing with his wife’s death from cancer. Camp writes with a sense of lingering pain
and deep struggle as he sought to come back from the devastation of Melissa’s
death. Pick up your guitar, a voice he
attributed as God telling him to get back into doing what you love was part of
what it took for Jeremy to regain his strength.
What I found compelling in the book was how Jeremy
continually used the story of Melissa, his love for her and her terrible death
to bring hope and healing to others.
Melissa’s battle with cancer gave Jeremy an opportunity to sink even
further into the pit of despair, but thankfully Jeremy was able to open his
eyes to the opportunity God was giving him to share his story with others. What might be even more courageous is his
present wife Adrienne’s insistence that he keep sharing his story of Melissa on
stage for the benefit of others. You can
imagine that this kind of thing would be tough for her. The story of Jeremy and Adrienne, how they
met on the road, and their kindred fervor for the Lord was also amazing
too.
This memoir provides a very personal and moving story of
Jeremy Camp, growing up with a mom and a dad who loved Jesus Christ with a
powerful devotion but who were not without struggle themselves. Camp tells the stories in his book about the
feelings of embarrassment over the cars they would be pick him up in and the
life they lived. Yet, the message
through all of this was their mountainous faith that God would provide for their
needs. Jeremy’s parents were part of the
support system that helped him through Melissa’s death and his marriage to
Adrienne later on.
I enjoyed this book as a window into the soul of someone who
has gone through hell and back with their faith in Christ. Rather than toss hope by the wayside, Jeremy
has come to grips with his suffering by holding out the hope of Christ for
others in similar life situations. I
hope this book gives a dose of encouragement and grace to others seeking to
find rest from the storms.
Thanks to Tyndale Publishers for the review copy of this
book in exchange for review.
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