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I Still Believe




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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