Surprised by Worship by Travis Cottrell

Reading worship books written by worship leaders is like getting inside the mind of a brain surgeon. They have the “simple” task of leading God’s people to perfect communion with Him…no pressure. Reading, “Surprised by Worship,” by Travis Cottrell (worship leader for Living Proof Ministries) seemed like a backstage pass into his soul.


The beginning of every chapter starts by Cottrell defining a term, such as “surprise,” or “joy,” etc. It only seems fitting that “surprise” is the word defined in chapter one. Cottrell ends chapter one by saying, “Sometimes the most breathtaking surprises are mysteriously sublime, like the beauty of worship in the most unexpected of places.” That sentence seems to set the tone for the remainder of the book.

Throughout the book the reader is reminded of Cottrell’s respect of worship. Some chapters you can hear his voice saying the words and you might even hear a crack in his voice because, by his own admission, he cries a lot. The reader will sense his emotions about the words he defines in each chapter. His emotions ring clear in this book and crystal clear in his last chapter. He ends the book perfectly by defining, “surrender,” and saying, “When we surrender, we might just find ourselves surprised that our offering has brought us where we belonged all along…worshiping at the feet of Jesus.”

Thank you Zondervan publishing for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.