My Books

(September 2015, Crossway)
I wrote True Worshipers: Seeking What Matters to God as a follow up to my first book, Worship Matters:Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. My first book was aimed at leaders, but True Worshipers is intended to  help people in the congregation understand how to become the kind of worshiper God is seeking. In nine chapters, I cover what I think are some of the basic misunderstandings and challenges Christians face in this area, including: Is worship about giving or receiving? What is the essence of worshiping God? Why is it so important for Christians to gather? What’s the relationship between Sunday worship and everyday worship? How can I sing in a way that brings glory to God? What does God’s presence have to do with worship? A free study guide is available from Crossway.

(April 2008, Crossway)
I wrote Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God primarily for people involved in leading corporate worship, but I’ve been told that it’s helpful for anyone who wants to grow in their understanding and practice of biblical worship.

The book has four parts: The Leader, The Task, Healthy Tensions, and Right Relationships. In the first section I talk about what we love, what we believe, what we practice, and what we model. In part two I unpack my proposed definition of a worship leader: A faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit by skillfully combining God’s Word with music, thereby motivating the gathered church to proclaim the gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to live for God’s glory. In section three, I describe nine “healthy tensions” that are essential to God-honoring worship. In the last section, I talk about a worship leader’s relationship with his church, his team, and his pastor. The book ends with a chapter written to pastors. You can purchase it and read reviews at Amazon, or get it at our online store.

(October 2008, Crossway)
C.J. Mahaney edited Wordliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. Its six chapters address the topic of worldliness and how it plays out in the areas of media, stuff, music, and modesty. In the last chapter, Jeff Purswell talks about ways God wants us to love the world. I contributed the chapter, “God, My Heart, and Music.” My main point is that listening to music without discernment and godly intent reveals a heart willing to flirt with the world. I also talk about how to listen to music for God’s glory.

(September 2009, Crossway)
The Power of Words and the Wonder of God is a collection of the messages given at the 2008 Desiring God National Conference. It contains chapters by John Piper, Justin Taylor, Paul Tripp, Sinclair Ferguson, Mark Driscoll, Daniel Taylor, and yours truly. I tried to shed some light on “What Happens When We Sing?” The book also includes transcriptions of two panel discussions.