Book Review: Make Love, Make War: NOW is the Time to Worship by Brian Doerksen

This book is written by Brian Doerksen, the award-winning songwriter and worship leader.  If you listen to contemporary Christian music, you will right away recognize his music.  In Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship, Mr. Doerksen shares stories and inspirations of behind twelve of his songs.  Not only does he just tell how he came to write about the songs, at the end of each chapter he gives “Songwriting Tips”. I appreciated one of his tips to write

“. . . secret songs that are only for God’s ears.  A worship leader once told me, ‘I want to write a song that the church around the world will sing.’  Sounds grand and great!  But actually it sounds like pride.  My suggestion to emerging writers is simply this:  Instead of trying to write a song that the church will sing, start by writing a song that you want to sing in secret to God. Write the song that you have the guts to sing in secret when no one else but God will hear you!”

Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time to give Him praise
Come, bring Him your best and worship
Come, give Him your all in glorious praise
Come

I appreciated getting to know about his songs in Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship, and how they came into being.  One of my favorite songs, and probably his most popular song, is “Come Now is the Time to Worship” (chorus above).   He wrote it during one of the lowest times in his life and was feeling very broken.  He said in writing this song,

“I needed to know that I could come and worship God just the way I was and that He would receive me even though my life was not all together.  I needed to know that worship was about our heart, not our accomplishments . . . Would you like to know a songwriter secret?  We basically write the songs that we need to sing.  God by His mercy sometimes enables them to become songs for other people too, but we are writing the things that we really need to say to stay sane and alive!”

The songs with their meaning to the the author that are covered in this book are:

1. Come, Now is the Time to Worship
2. Holy God
3. Father, I Want You to Hold Me
4. Refiner’s Fire
5. Fortress 144
6. Today (As for Me and My House)
7. Psalm 13 (How Long O Lord)
8. Your Faithfulness
9. Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)
10. It’s Time For the Reign of God
11. With All My Affection
12. Song for the Bride (Isaiah 30:15)

I appreciated the author/songwriter’s heart towards spiritual warfare battles and using the songs gives us either personally or being ministered through by other’s music and claiming the songs to encourage us and take a stand. However, I found Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship a little hard to follow at times where thoughts were not completed, losing it’s focus. I did still enjoy reading the backgrounds of these songs and why he wrote them which will give a new meaning to me when I hear or sing them again.

Watch Brian Doerksen’s video “It’s Time”

This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc. and this review expresses my honest opinion.

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