The Unquenchable Worshipper: Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

This is a phenominal book for worship leaders, or anyone who wants a closer worship relationship with God. There are so many areas that touched my heart and drew me closer to our Lord. I enjoy reading, but sometimes I will take a break from a book, and never pick it back up again. This was not one of those cases. I finished it in one setting. It is a short book, and would be appropriate for teens all the way up to the most seasoned Christian.I hope you enjoy it.

Matt Redman leads the worship band Soul Survivor and has written several popular worship songs, including "The Heart of Worship," "Better is One Day" and "Let Everything that Hath Breath." The Unquenchable Worshipper however is not a book about music or song writing. It is about worshipping God and the attitude and posture of worship. Worship music stands out as a key factor in church services today. When we discuss churches, we ask about the praise and worship music--the songs, the band and singers. We want to know how long praise and worship lasts, how loud it is, whether people dance, clap their hands or stand quietly. In this book, Redman takes the focus of worship off the external issues listed above and focuses on the heart of the worshipper. He guides the reader into the understanding that worship is not something Christians do only during a church service, but worship is what we do when we're alone, at work, or at play; worship is how we live our life before God. This all sounds obvious, and maybe it is, but the book helped me by reminding me of some principles of worship and teaching new perspectives on worship. Redman recites a story from his experience as a worship leader in his church. The pastor and leaders of the church agreed that the congregation was missing the purpose of the worship time; they were becoming distracted by the environment and were failing to enter into God's presence. The pastor decided to remove the music, the sound system, the band and worship leaders from the service for a season. Redman writes that after initially being discouraged by the awkwardness of the change, "we soon began to learn how to bring heart offerings to God without any of the external trappings we'd grown used to. By stripping everything away, we slowly started to rediscover the heart of worship." (103) From his reflection during that time, Redman wrote the song "Heart of Worship." The song indicates Redman's view that true worship pours from the worshipper's heart to the heart of Jesus. The Unquenchable Worshipper does not delve into complex issues but attempts to lead the reader into an honest examination of his or her relationship with God. I think it does this successfully by serving as a mirror to the reader's spiritual condition. Most Christians participate in some form of worship of God, usually in church but also in private-maybe even in the car (I've seen some of you driving, and I know your singing along to worship music), but probably few of us regularly consider that we are called to live a life of worship. This book teaches how to worship God more sincerely and passionately in everything we do. It is an easy read; it's a small book with short colorful chapters addressing different characteristics of the kind of worshippers God desires. I think it will challenge you to make adjustments in your life that will help you draw nearer to God and experience him more fully. It is definitely a worthwhile read.

This book will help any Christian to put the act of worship into a healthy perspective. So many times we lose focus in our worship experiences. Sometimes we foucus on our selves or others. We may see worship as a performance or entertainment. But worship is so much more than any of that.Matt Redman helps remind us to put the focus of our worship on the one worthy recipient... God himself!I loved this book and found it very practical for use as a worship leader and a lover of Jesus Christ my savior!If you want to worship God in a dynamic way and get closer to God this book can help!

This is a wonderful little book (only 126 small pages) that packs a punch beyond its size. Redman does not seek to give practical advice on leading worship ("If you are looking for tips on song selection, chord sequences or selecting and training a band, you will be disappointed," p. 13). Rather, he attempts to set out a whole philosophy of worship ministry, geared toward worship leaders--or, as he would say, "lead worshippers."Clearly, Redman has thought about worship a great deal. He is familiar with the most important Scriptures that deal with his topic, and has interesting insights into many of them. Some of these insights are based on the meanings of Greek and Hebrew words, which he gets correct every time. He also sprinkles in some pithy quotes from well known authors like C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton and Dietrich Bonhoeffer that address the subject at hand. The book is well-written and interesting to read.Some of the best material deals with a worship leader's temptations of pride and losing one's spiritual edge. He is open about his own failures, and yet shows again and again how God brought him back to a place of humble dependence on Him. Good stuff.The only theological concern that I had involved Redman's use of the word "revelation" (see in particular pages 25-27). He talks about how God reveals Himself in nature and in the history of His people and in the cross and in fellowship with others. He also includes God's Word in this, but I would have liked for him to emphasize it above the others. The way it is written now, it almost sounds like God's Word is one of any number of places where we can receive revelation about God, rather than the primary place with the others supplementing.He definitely holds that prophecy is for today. He speaks of receiving "pictures" from God about different things. I was not particularly troubled by this, but someone without a solid biblical background could go to town on such revelations while ignoring God's Word. I would stress to the worship leaders who read this that we must submit all subjective revelations we think we receive to the objective Revelation of God's Word, not the other way around.With that said, this is a wonderful little book that should be read by everyone who leads worship. It promises to produce much good fruit.

I've never read a book that took me to another level, besides the bible. If you're struggling in your life and you feel like nothings going right, read this book, and find out what worship is all about. It changed the way I look at my relationship with Christ.