Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Biographies and autobiographies by music stars are a mixed bag. Some are fascinating, some dreadfully dull and some written with an excess of sex and drugs content (thankfully rare with Christian musicians). Steven was asked to write his story on several occasions before he got together with Ken Abraham (who once helped actor Chuck Norris write his book) and the resulting volume has been a big surprise for me. Although I knew the basics of his story - a classic rags-to-riches showbiz tale where an ordinary kid from Paducah, Arkansas is catapulted to Christian music stardom plus the events which occurred in 2008, the awful tragedy of the driving accident loss of his five year old daughter Maria, I wasn't prepared for the honesty, emotional impact and spiritual insight that the articulate songsmith has been able to bring as he recalls incidents old and more recent. There are a few flaws in the book, some of the writing is a tad uneven and we could have done with a discography and index, but the core of the book, the lessons learned in the furnace heat of a ghastly tragedy are both moving and spirit-lifting.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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