This diverse collection of letters by Ron Owens to the church and various individuals and leaders of worship is challenging, gut-honest, and inspiring. Owens takes an honest look at worship in the church of America today and is calling the church to a higher standard. He helps us look beneath the surface issues of worship styles and music programs to the heart of worship.

Owen's fundamental starting points are that God alone is worthy of our worship, and that we were created to worship God. Worship begins and ends with the sovereign Lord. We must learn to come to God on his terms and embody this worship in our everyday lives.

While the letters in part one of this book address the church and its worship, the letters in part two are addressed to worship leaders. These letters take on a more practical tone and offer great wisdom regarding worship issues ranging from how we should understand and practice baptism and communion to the appropriate place of applause in worship.

This book is a wonderful resource for worship leaders not only for personal and professional challenge, but for use with worship boards, teams, and choirs. These letters are thought-provoking and convicting and could inspire tremendous change in the hearts of readers willing to make changes in their worship of God.

In "Return to Worship" Owens writes thirty-seven "letters" to the church, worship leaders, pastors, and ministers of music. The letters express a deep love and passion for worship and addresses concerns facing the church today in relation to worship. Owens' letter-writing style creates a sense of personal identification. It is as if the author addressed these letters to me! Owens calls the church to focus upon God and forms of worship must not cloud that focus. In fact, Owens confronts the issue of music in worship and says, "to many, worship is music, and music is worship, and many worship music" (1999:6).

Broad ranges of issues are addressed including music, audiovisuals, sacraments, applause in worship and many others. In addition to raising these practical concerns for worship Owens concludes with four helpful appendixes (a choir covenant, a checklist for worship leaders, twenty-four questions to ask yourself in preparation for the Lord's Supper, and an article entitled "When Church Was Just Church: Worship Center or Theatre?").

"Return to Worship" is a wonderfully practical book; a must-read for pastors and those responsible for providing worship leadership in the local church.

Convicting and prophetic, Ron Owens challenges pastors, worship leaders, choirs and congregations to ask hard questions about their worship. Owens writes thirty-seven "letters" addressing key issues facing worshippers today. Return to Worship is unashamedly biblical. Owens calls the reader to keep God absolutely central in worship. Here are some of his more convicting concepts. One of the root problems in worship is: "We don't know our God" (1999:9). "The church today is being shaped more by our culture than by the cross" (1999:21). "...How we respond to what comes to us each day most clearly reveals whether we are worshippers at heart" (1999:42). "There is no redemption without an attitude of worship" (1999:47). "We cannot claim for ourselves the glory that belongs to God alone and expect our worship to be acceptable to Him" (1999:54). "Some pastors view their responsibility as: "to keep everybody happy rather than pointing the people to God and teaching them to be holy" (1999:58). "No revival in history has begun with a self-satisfied people" (1999:68). "He who will not serve does not worship" (1999:71). "Research has shown that much of the growth of our larger churches has been at the expense of smaller churches" (1999:79). "Often the only scripture read during the gathering is the few verses read by a pastor before he preaches" (1999:99). "Use the choruses but don't deny this generation the riches of its past" (1999:107). "We are not called to be entertainers of the people; we are called to be ministers of the gospel" (1999:137). Additionally, in Appendix 3, Owens includes a 19th century list of 24 questions to ask in preparation for the Lord's Supper. This book brims full of wisdom and insight. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book that will open your eyes and move you towards God. Not only will you be inspired to see all the beauty around you but your soul will transform and embrace the beauty within you. Two other spiritual books that will have the same effect on you are The Butterfly by Jay Singh and The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. Free your soul.

Having read several leadership books as an Air Force Officer and seminary student, I can honestly say that this is the best book on the subject I have ever read! Blackabay's fluent writing style is consistent with his other titles, notably "Experiencing God" and "The Power of the Call". At the very beginning Blackaby differentiates between worldly leadership and spiritual leadership.

Throughout the book Blackaby describes his own leadership experiences and includes interesting stories of famous leaders (Truman, Reagan, Churchill, Thatcher, Napoleon, and Iacocca). As a minister, Blackaby also draws upon several examples from the Bible (Moses, Abraham, Joshua, David, Paul, etc.) and how they prospered and struggled in their God-called responsibilities.

Particularly compelling were the descriptions of: the 3 types of worthy and misguided goals, how a leader influences, time wasters, pitfalls of leadership, having God's affirmation, God's ways are different from the world's ways, improving decision-making, taking time for rest, and relying on the Holy Spirit/prayer/God's Word/wise counsel to make and stick with hard decisions.

Whenever I read a book I like to list on the inside front covers the page number and synopsis of a particularly interesting point or thought for easy reference. When I finished reading this gem the entire inside front cover was chock full of notes! Needless to say, this text will be referred to several times in the future.

Everyone will greatly benefit from this book: the Christian believer will gain great encouragement to lead from a biblical viewpoint while the non-Christian will be encouraged to consider life from the Christian point-of-view. With the failures the world has recently seen in religious and secular leadership, Blackaby's text is a timely arrival. His book is a welcomed relief from the rah-rah-rah motivational hype of other "leadership" books.

I recommend anyone in a leadership role (and everyone is a leader in some way) to buy the book, get a pen/pencil to take notes with, and learn how to become a better leader!!!!!

This work by Richard and Henry Blackaby is the absolute best book on leadership I have read. Having recently graduated with a doctorate in evangelism and church growth, and possessing a passion for reading pastoral material, I have read numerous books on leadership. All of them pale in comparison to this volume.

The authors focus upon a leader's relationship with God as the key to effective leadership. From this relationship flow a leader's vision, goals, influence, and decision-making. All of the basic leadership principles are covered in this book, but they are addressed from the perspective of one's relationship with God. This perspective is what makes this work so unique and so valuable.

I strongly recommend this book to all pastors, church leaders and even to Christian leaders in secular organizations as a "must read." Before reading the volumes of material available from Maxwell, Schaller and other noted leadership authors, try this one! It will transform the way you view leadership as a Christian.

I highly recommend this daily devotional for every Christian, new or old in the faith. I have bought this every year for the past 4 years. It is a wonderful way to keep a diary and helpful for looking back on to see your growth in our Lord. Each day you start with a passage from the Scriptures and a commentay about it. I do not always agree with the commentaries, but they do make me think about what the Lord is telling me through His Word. I can, also, look back and see how the Lord has helped me through bad times and also, more importantly, see how he has blessed me through them and also through my good times. I have found this a very helpful tool in my Christian growth.

I am very impressed with this combination of Devotional and Journal. Not many devotional journals have brought me to a point where i immediately see what God is teaching me for the time I'm digging deeper. A wonderful combination of daily insight backed by scripture. A must read book if you are searching for a stronger commitment to God, daily. Very blunt or frank. The author's get right to the heart. The journal portion is made available by wide margins for your thoughts to be written down.

Excellent to use as a daily devotional guide. Can start anytime during year. Has "user-friendly" indexes in back that are subject and text indexed.

We all need food for physical life and spiritual food for a vigorous spritual life. A daily portion of "Experencing God Day-By-Day" will help feed that soul-life as few devotional books can. The Blackaby father-and-son team know the scriptures well and give great insight and illumination of them to those who delve into this volume. The applications for life made on each page will compel you to ponder the truths from the Bible. I have been blessed in reading it, I pray you will be, too.

Truely God-inspired writings. The book begins each day with a quote from the Bible, explains the quote, then shows how each of us can apply this to our everyday lives. The practical material is most touching and insightful.

My church family read My Utmost for His Hightest corporately for 1999. I decided for 2000 to buy everyone another devotional that we could read corporately. I chose Experiencing God Day-by-Day. It was a major blessing. Personally and corporately we are experiencing God day-by-day. As I journal I write love letters to God. I feel I have drawn a little closer to God before I close that book. This devotional causes you to look within and come clean with God.

This is a simple Bible. Because of this, I bring it to church. It lacks the study Bible attributes I enjoy in other editions, but, in church, I am not likely to spend the time required to utilize those features.

What I have it a sturdy paperback with a few footnotes to indicates translations variants, or to define an odd term or two. It is flexible, and can withstand (as mine has) being tossed into a briefcase or handbag without worry.

The margins are about the size of any novel, and so notes are difficult to write, but this its best use is as a second or third Bible, not for primary study. Its strength is its clean presentation and portability.

A basic, 62-page concordance is in the back, listing a few citations for key terms for easy lookup during Sunday school.

A section called "Biblical Backgrounds" surveys in a few paragraphs the function and history of all 66 books. This brief introduction says who is believed to have written, for example, I and II Chronicles (Ezra) and how it relates to other books (Samuel and Kings). Short and sweet, the reader will be able to get a quick look in the middle of a sermon and track better the context of the references.

The words of Jesus are in red. Others might find this distracting, but when I am ooking something up, knowing Jesus said something, but unable to remember the verse number, this helps.

The paper is of a decent width without making this book 100 pounds. Set in a Times New Roman or similar typeface, at what appears to be a 10 pt font, I find it easily readable.

It is a paragraphed Bible, meaning that contiguous ideas are connected using paragraphs, much in the same way we do in modern English, complete with indentation. This makes the reading more natural.

There are a few short introductions explaining the principles of translation (how Hebrew tenses were considered, for example), and an "Explanation of General Format," which succinctly presents the ways the publishers of this version managed Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic translation difficulties and what modern punctuation was employed that was unknown during the time of the Bible's writing.

A note on the translation:
The New American Standard translation claims to "adhere as closely as possible to the original languages of the Holy Scriptures, and to make the translation in a fluent and readable style accordingly to current English usage." There are paraphrased editions, like the New International Version (NIV) or New Living Translation that are both more reader friendly. In buying any translation, I suggest looking over samples of each to see which best fits your purposes. Ask your pastor which your church uses if reading along during the service is your goal.

A good way to make comparisons is to read the first few chapters of John from several translations. The differences will be obvious.

I fully recommend "Holy Bible New American Standard: Red Letter Edition, Paragraphed."

Anthony Trendl

I have used and looked at many, many versions of the Bible, but this one is the only one I like anymore. First, this is the version that the scholars say is the most accurate (Greek and Hebrew experts and scholars). Second, I find it to be the most readable one there is. I don't like the updated version--just the New American Standard. This one keeps the flavor of the King James with out the unreadability and is accurate to boot. It's readable, understandable and beautiful all at the same time. I don't like the way that people can change the words and meaning in the Bible (including the people who wrote it all through history, even for the King James version). I feel much more comfortable using a version that scholars in the ancient languages have arrived at as the most accurate, since I am unable to make that determination. I can're recommend this version highly enough!...

Even my 17 year old son likes this one. I have one for my own use and he picked it up and after reading for awhile said to me "If I had a bible like this one I'd even read it". So I'm here looking for a new one just like it.

This Bible is the best I have ever owned. There is a section called Prepare to Meet God at the beginning of most chapters, with ideas about things to look for while reading. There are thought-provoking questions with verse references at the end of the chapters. The biographical sketches are awesome. There are wide margins, with room to take notes. The New King James translation is extremely close to the intended meaning; when I look up a word in the original Greek or Hebrew, invariably it's the same word that is in this version, or a very close synonym. If you're only going to have one Bible, this is the one to get!

This is likely one of the best study bibles out there for personal devotions and small study groups. Henry Blackaby and Claude King open up and make alive the Scriptures - where real application to everyday life can be understood and made by the bible student!

When using this bible, the student quickly understands and sees that God continues to talk to us today. The study tools incorporated into the tome are thought provoking and simple to apply. One of the best features is the "Prepare to Meet God" and the "Did You Notice?" segments sprinkled throughout the scriptural text. These tools help the student to understand that the spiritual life is real and doable. These segments combine doctrine, history, and application with ease and they spark the faith of those who read them.

As well, at the back of the book there is a 'God Focus' section that defines the Doctrines of the faith - giving a definition, 'contents and context,' 'experiencing God,' 'a Fresh Encounter, and scriptural references to the particular doctrine highlighted and discussed.

This particular study bible is a must-have for those who want to gain a deeper understanding, have a better hold on, and a fresh encounter with the Lord, in His love, grace, wisdom, et al.

The bonus of this particular version is the New King James Version text... all the poetics of the Old King James updated and far more readable. This one's a gem.

I highly recommend it to one an all.

This is an excellent study bible. It turned me to the word of god. Before I just read the bible, now I understand it.

This is book along with the correlating Bible texts can change your life. The insightfulness of this book is precise and on the mark. I am living proof to what Blackaby writes, because my life was spared by God from a plane crash, now I serve Him as a pastor.

I have heard God's voice calling me. It is through this that I was very intrigued by the first sentence on the back of this book; "Anyone who has ever been called by the voice of God or touched by His hand is eager to know and understand His will for their life." That was, and is me.

If you are looking for a very practical book to build and strengthen your daily walk with Jesus, this is an excellent book. Having gone through all the things that the author writes, about I can testify that this book is exactly how God uses a person whom He has called.

If you are honestly seeking to be used by God, you will be richly blessed by read this book.

If you are at all familiar with Blackaby's work, you will want to read this book.

I have used the earlier workbook version of this book with two different study groups. The first group was college and military men. The second was with high school students. The book adapted well to both groups even though it is targeted to an older audience.

Blackaby hits key men's topic issues in a thought provoking way. He forces the reader to encounter key issues of integrity and character and challenges you to address those issues in your own life.

This book is critical reading for any man seeking to follow God's will in his life.

The new book by both Blackaby's (Father and Son) is one of the best instructional texts for authentic manhood. This text takes a man from his initial walk with HIM to a far greater and meaningful experience. Blackaby also has a leaders set that I'm currently using with a group of more than 60 men starting next week. (Our first group to use the material was 6.)

I encourage all Christian men to spend seven weeks with the Word and guidance from Blackaby. Of course this is a must for all of us Men's Ministry Leaders. God Bless All

The Writers of this book have helped me to know how important it is to have an eternal perspective on life. This is a very good book. Backed with Scripture this book shows one God's Ways

I have read "The Ways of God" by Henry Blackaby. I loved this book, it showed me that God's ways are not always my ways, but they should be. I have begun to pray now, God show me your way! It has made a real difference in my life. It has given me peace like never before, and only God can do that. Thank you Mr. Blackaby for your book, it has changed my life immensely!

Este es el libro inmortal, que no requiere más presentaciones. Contiene la palabra de Dios, y su origen es muy singular. La Biblia fue escrita en diferentes idiomas (Arameo, Hebreo, Griego), por diferentes hombres, en diferentes épocas, en lugares distintos. Ha sobrevivido a la más despiadada persecución y crítica. Definitivamente, no es obra de los hombres, sino de Dios.

This book was the match God used to re-ignite my passion for Him. This book is used by Him to refocus us - off of our "self" and onto His purpose. Always, eternity is in the balance! It is not about us, But His purpose, His Mission....Blackaby & Skinner straighten your thinkin'. The question is NOT "Am I able Lord?" but rather "Am I AVAILABLE for the Lord?"