[/media-credit]Jeremy Camp braves the heat at Heaven Fest 2011 in Loveland. The Christian artist is releasing a book — I Still Believe: Discovering Hope and Healing in the Midst of Life’s Deepest Valleys — in September. | Photo by Eliza Marie Somers
Trust. It’s the hardest thing to do in a relationship, especially if you have been betrayed. Now imagine if that betrayer is your god.
That’s how Christian singer/songwriter Jeremy Camp felt when his wife, Melissa, died of cancer at age 21, just four months after their marriage in 2000.
“I didn’t want to go on stage and praise the Lord,” said Camp, who is one of the headliners at Heaven Fest at The Ranch in Loveland on Saturday. “I was like, ‘Lord I don’t feel like telling about how good you are because right now I hurt. Lord you don’t understand, it hurts.’ ”
That was 11 years ago, a long arduous journey that has taken Camp full circle. He’s now married to Adrienne Liesching, with two little girls — Arie, 5, and Isabella, 7 — and a little boy on the way in August. His career is on the fast track, with four RIAA gold albums, 22 No. 1 radio hits, along with being named Billboard’s No. 3 Christian Artist of the Decade (2000s).
And his faith is restored but not without a lot pain, fears and tears.
It’s a journey he shares through his music and ministry, and now in a book, “I Still Believe: Discovering Hope and Healing in the Midst of Life’s Deepest Valleys.”
“It’s hard to see your wife deteriorate in front of your eyes. And it was hard reliving a lot of what happened,” said Camp, a multiple Dove Award winner and Grammy nominee. “There was a lot of grieving, some hard moments. A lot of tears were shed. Tears of joy as well.”
Pouring his heart out in a book turned out to be learning process and a salve for 33-year-old.
“It was a healing thing,” the contemporary Christian artist said. “I always wanted to write a book, but it just never seemed like the right time. I just wasn’t ready and I still had a lot to learn.
And what has he learned in the past decade?
“I realize now that God has been with me every step of my life — through the suffering. And I see the hope in heaven. Even though she is not here, I have been blessed immensely with a loving family.
“And I want to share that with people who are going through struggles. To see that God’s love is in their life — walking with them every step of the way. These are stories that have never been heard before. And to see what God has done in my life now 10 years later by trusting him with everything. To tell people to let go of this life and to put your fears and trust in the Lord, and you will start to heal.
“It was hard to trust everything to God, but I know if I did it by myself, I would mess it up. It has strengthen my faith, and you can see the progress by the songs I write. Each year I have grown and learned new things
“I want to share my journey because I think God wants us to share our stories with one another –to show others how what he has done in our lives. To help others who are going through the same thing. I think he gets joy in that.”
With the book to be released in September and a baby on the way in August, Camp is taking some time to “regroup.”
“It will be awhile before I put out another album,” he said. “I want 10, 11 songs that are life changing.”
Something he hopes to achieve with his new book.