My Heart's Desire

July 1, 2002
G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The world is not lacking in wonders, but in a sense of wonder." Especially in an age of cynicism, this sense of wonder, according to Jeremiah, is at the heart of true worship. They are both, he writes, "about coming to the end of our measurements." Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., and author of A Bend in the Road
and The Handwriting on the Wall, joins the throng of popular pastors (Jim Cymbala, Steve Fry, etc.) writing books about "practicing the presence of God." Worship, he maintains, involves one's whole self; it's about being passionate, obedient and trusting God. These aren't new insights, and they aren't particularly deep. But they are presented here in the endearing and practiced—if sometimes rambling—voice of an evangelical preacher. He moves easily from theme to theme, sprinkling the material with short stories (including many old chestnuts), Scripture (sometimes engaged superficially, sometimes with more depth) and not a few handy lists of practical tips. His treatment of serious worship themes is a bit shallow: he discusses sacrifice without mentioning the Lord's Supper, and he reviews a Psalm of lament (Ps. 137) while speaking of joyful worship. The worship leader on the front lines of America's "worship wars"—debating liturgical style and structure—will find little help here, other than the reminder that the details of our worship are less important than the spiritual dynamics that undergird them.