Scott Stapp knows something about making Fridays special for his faithful throngs of fans around the world. Some people say that good things come in threes, too, so Friday, May 31, was more than a rocking, red-letter day in the Scott Stapp stratosphere. The frontman and lyricist who has penned anthems of finding hope on the other side of struggle delighted waiting fans with “Face of the Sun” on Friday. Calling the song a pick-me-up after a rough week is my calling Muhammad Ali a good club fighter.

Scott Stapp summoned the name of “The Greatest” in the song “Hit Me More” from his second solo album, “Proof of Life” in 2013.

That blatantly candid song portrays Stapp as the fighter who can “lean forward” into whatever life brings, even borrowing Ali’s fighting strategy to his own arsenal.

The bottoms and the battles that Scott Stapp faced began at the height of his Creed reign when no radio playlist was without a block of the heavy metal band’s hope-infused hits. Many of the seeds for Scott Stapp's struggle with faith, fame, alcohol, and addiction were planted from his childhood. He has confronted that truth more personally than ever on his upcoming third solo album, “The Space Between the Shadows,” to be released July 19.

The collection is more than a retelling of his journey through addiction and depression and confronting the mental health issues that he tried to submerge in self-medication.

It is a proclamation of personal truth and triumphs with every new day. “Face of the Sun” is about much more than rising from the ashes-- it is a call to kick the “devils” plaguing every person these days in the gut, and to gut out the fights in life for the right reasons.

Being a father and being fully real

The first song from “The Space Between the Shadows” came in March with “Purpose For Pain.” The “visualize” video to accompany the song was very close to home for Scott Stapp.

The scenes portray a young boy who flees his father and finds refuge in a dilapidated shell of a home, surrounded by the few soft touches of childhood that he could scrounge and written dreams for the future.

With Arms Wide Open” was the pure ode of hope, love, and longing that Scott Stapp poured out for his firstborn son, yet to be born, during a rehearsal.

The ballad literally brought the world to Creed, appealing to fans who had never listened to a heavy metal band. Suddenly, the song was being played in every delivery room and nursery across America. The Scott Stapp With Arms Wide Open Foundation has focused its efforts on hope and support to children, families, and veterans, particularly those coping with PTSD trauma, mental illness, and addictions.

In April, Stapp and his band gave an acoustic preview of the second single from the album, “Name.” The result was an instantaneous groundswell of support for the song that made the pledge that “my son never know that pain” of having a father in name only. The songwriter had never probed so deeply to the roots of abandonment and abuse in his early years, and the wave of kinship and support is still flowing through social media.

Scott Stapp spoke openly about his availability for diaper duty for his youngest son, an 18-month-old, with his wife, Jaclyn. The parental support's equally adamant for their two older children, Milan, 12, and Daniel, 8, who just celebrated his baseball team’s season with mom and dad in tow.

Taking love to the people

Defying the “crash and burn” adage so prevalent in rock, “Face of the Sun” does a 180, turning that fate on its ear. “Fly like a flame through the face of the sun,” reminds the chorus, sharing that trial by fire ultimately yields lasting beauty. “Rise with the fire,” the verse continues, asserting the value of being “blind to what the world says can never be done.” The ultimate reward is to be victorious “in the name of love,” as an obsequious gentleman holds a sign urging “Love and Respect Everyone” in the video.

Rehearsals are shortly underway for the US tour that will take Scott Stapp from Wisconsin to his native Florida over nearly four months, not to mention nearly every point in between. The dates run June 20 through October 4.

Before the rush of tour plans, the Stapp's and the lead guitarist from the band made a trip to Ecuador in early May and brought “hands-on” expressions of love and care to many of the children and families, supported by ChildFund, an organization with which the couple has been involved since 2014.

During the visit, Scott offered an exclusive performance of another song from the new album, “Wake Up Call.” The emotion and joy translated for more deeply than the words.

In music and life, hope, love, and lots of hard work can accomplish impossible things, and Scott Stapp is living proof.