Here are seven great books to get you started. But what are the next lot? What have we missed? What books have changed the way you live and lead?
The Unquenchable Worshipper, Matt Redman
Matt says: "The revelation of God is the fuel for the fire of our worship. And there is always more fuel for the fire. When we open the eyes of our heart, God's revelation comes flying at us from so many different angles." Read this book and feel the heat turned up.
The Worship God is Seeking, David Ruis
More than our songs, more than our shows, worship was designed for something bigger. David Ruis argues that the worship God is seeking must involve not only our actions but our desire for real, radical personal transformation.
The Art of Compassion, CompassionArt writers
What do you get when twelve worship leaders gather to talk about poverty? No, it’s not a joke: it’s what happened in 2008. Those twelve (Smith, Kendrick, Redman, Tomlin, Hughes, Smith, Zschech, Houghton, Baloche, Garrard, Park and Curtis Chapman) talk honestly about how they see worship and compassion collide.
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen
OK, so it might not be about worship exactly, but Nouwen was an amazingly gifted thinker, feeler and writer. Part testimony, part art book, part Biblical-exegesis, once you have finished ‘Return...’ you’ll never look at the parable in quite the same way.
And finally: three from the past...
The Pursuit of God
Man: The Dwelling Place of God
The Knowledge of the Holy
all by A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) was a pastor, teacher and author, and he used whatever platforms were open to him to call the church back to worship. Not only did he lay the foundations for the modern worship movement, but his words continue to inspire worship leaders and writers today.