Recent Reads - Worship Changes Everything

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Worship Changes Everything: Experiencing God's Presence in Every Moment of Life by Darlene Zschech - When I received this book I was eager to find out what this popular and respected songwriter and worship leader could teach me about experiencing God's presence, as the subtitle says. Even though I knew the book was about living every moment as a worshiper, rather than just "doing worship" during church services, I admit there was a part of me was hoping it would somehow make me into a better musician and song leader, as that's part of my role in our church. No, there's not a "how to have the best worship team practice" chapter, but it's clear that learning how to worship through everything we do will also apply to how we worship corporately, whether we're leading or standing in the congregation. Darlene's conversational tone gave the book the feel of a small group of friends encouraging and challenging one another to strive to do everything to bring glory to God. She uses examples from her own life and from people she knows as well to illustrate her points; and although she often quotes well-known authors, she relies on Scripture to guide the teaching. In fact, every chapter is full of Scripture both quoted and referenced, so that I knew everything was solidly based on God's Word. (The only thing I didn't like was that very many of the quotes were from "The Message" which is a paraphrase rather than a translation. She used much more reliable translations for many of the Scripture references, but I'd say about half are from "The Message".)

Since I learned from this book, and I hope I will apply what I've learned to become a more passionate worshiper in all areas of my life, I am sharing it as a #collaboreads style review as well.

Riveting. {What part of the book could you NOT get enough of?} Darlene's passion for the Lord and dedication to teaching others what she has learned about worship comes through on every page. Her joy and peace are obvious. Even in writing, she did what a good worship leader should - point to Christ. 

Elements. {How did you relate to/care for the characters?} I have long admired Darlene Zschech as a gifted songwriter and worship leader, but in this book I got to know more about her as a person. She shared a little about her childhood and teen years, about her life as a wife and mother and in a ministry position, and about her recent battle with cancer. As she provided Biblical examples of worshipers, those characters were presented as very real and human as well. They were shown as people we can relate to, and learn from.

Associate. {What other books are like this one? Does it remind you of a TV show or movie with its themes and characters? Did it serendipitously line up with things going on in your life or in the news right now?} As one of the worship leaders in my church, of course I was interested in how it would line up with what we experience in the life of the church. The book is not a "how to" on putting together a good worship band or choosing and leading music on a Sunday morning, as a couple of people I've talked to have speculated. But it certainly has reinforced my own belief that those of us that stand on the platform at church each Sunday to lead the singing must be able to lead in more than just the music - we need to live our lives in such an attitude of worship that it shows through when we sing together. All of us who love the Lord need to lead lives of worship, all the time.

Design. {You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel?} I love the cover. I don't know what else to say about it except how is she old enough to have grown children? 

Stars. {How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend?} I think it's a five-star book that I'd recommend to any Christian who wants to better understand how worship is so much more than just what happens in the church service on Sunday morning.

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From the publisher:

An invitation to Praise and Honor God in Every Area of Life

It can be easy to have a heart filled with worship on a Sunday morning as the church band is playing your favorite song. But then comes Monday morning's commute and Tuesday afternoon's pile of laundry. How do we maintain a heart of worship in the daily grind?

Darlene Zschech has spent her life thinking and teaching about worship. With wisdom and contagious joy, she shares her thoughts on what worship truly is and how it should invade every facet of our being. Everything we do can be an act of worship to the Lord, transforming our work, our friendships, our churches, our families. It's all about living in His presence-- being aware of the Lord by our side and at work in our lives.

Learn to live a life of worship. You will be amazed by the purpose and freedom it will bring.

Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.

This review is linked at Rachel A. Dawson for #collaboreads (January's theme was "A Book for a Better You!" - Any book that helps you learn something new or grow as a human or exercise your creative muscles or open your heart more or anything like that . . . read it and review it and link up with us!)

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