It may come as the good news you've been waiting for, an unhappy e-mail from a friend, a near miss on the freeway, special recognition you weren't expecting, or a scary diagnosis from the doctor. No matter the circumstance -- in every surprise of life -- a celebration can happen. An uplifting, meaningful, life-changing celebration of worship. Building on an amazing Introduction by Beth Moore, her co-laborer and worship leader for Living Proof Live!, Travis Cottrell shows you how to fully experience God's presence at surprising times and places. By joining Travis in this exploration of biblical and modern-day examples of people who were surprised by worship during life's travails and triumphs, you'll discover greater meaning in your own circumstances. God's voice can be heard, His hand can be felt, and His heart can be seen. Especially when you least expect it. Open yourself to Him...and get ready to be surprised.
Travis Cottrell [Surprised By Worship]| Posted December 06, 2010
Dove Award-winning artist Travis Cottrell has been the worship leader for Beth Moore and her hugely successful Living Proof Live! Conferences for 12 years. Building on a great introduction by Beth Moore, her co-laborer and worship leader for Living Proof Live!, Travis Cottrell shows you how to fully experience God's presence at surprising times and places in his book "Surprised By Worship." The beginning of every chapter starts by Cottrell defining a term, such as "surprise," or "joy," etc. Organized around some of Cottrell's personal and family journeys responding to God, the reader is guided through different situations where believers often neglect to seek the presence of God.
I love worship music and like Travis, I am very moved by the experience of worship through music. What this book taught me most is in my favorite chapter, called “The Wide, Wide World of Worship.” I credit the biblical messages of Christian music leading me to my salvation. Similar to Travis, I’ve thought “Music must be God’s favorite art. Why else would He apparently designate it as the one through which we worship?” (from chapter 5). My paradigm of worship being music has also shifted as I’ve thought about how we can worship God with any talent or gift He has given us, such as making art, writing, dancing, acting, or our daily work. God is our ultimate Creator and He loves when we are creative in our worship. I got chills when I read this chapter and others like when Travis shared about being wounded by words and I found his suggestions of different ways to worship to be very biblically sound and profound.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The book is only 158 pages, and I finished it in just a couple of days. This is a book that is also the outpouring of the heart of a worshiper. Travis opens his heart and shares his own story of how God led him in his journey of worship, personally and with his family. I also loved reading his story of how God brought him to Englewood Baptist Church. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for personal stories sharing how to open your hearts fully to God and be “surprised by worship.”
