The Way I Was Made - Chris Tomlin

 'Dance like there’s no one watching,' goes a line in Chris Tomlin's song by the same book's title.

The Bible clearly shows that we have been uniquely created for a purposeful life, but it’s not meant to be about us, or our career, or our fame. It’s all about God, and His glory. That’s the purpose of Chris Tomlin’s first book—to get you to think of yourself as one of God’s fame builders. You and I are formed from the dust of His creation and given breath for this reason: to spread His renown to everyone we meet by what we say and do.

It’s the way we were made.

I bought this little book on a whim during my last trip to Koorong. I was looking for some insight into what the Bible says about praise and worship music in church, and since I was running out of time in the store, I saw this book had "Chris Tomlin" on the front of it so I snatched it off the shelf at the last minute. It did have a lot of insight into the world of music, yes. But wow, was I surprised by all the other gems this small book had to share!

Chris Tomlin shares his God-journey in such a candid, thoughtful way. He covers so many different areas of Christian living such as ways to worship, ways to think when all things seem lost, reminders of God's provision and plan for us, thoughts to build your faith, many inspiring and funny anecdotes from his childhood, and words of wisdom to encourage you on your journey. He tells a lot of the background stories to some of the songs he has written, and the way God shaped each song. If anyone is a fan of Chris Tomlin's music, I would suggest this book to you for this point alone, as it gives his music a much greater depth and feel.

The chapters on worship leading and music in the church I found very insightful. I was impressed by the fact Chris used so much Biblical evidence for his stance, and he explained it in a well studied and yet concise manner that made it a joy to read. Anyone with any interest in church music and/or worship leading would get a lot out of reading even just these chapters.

But the biggest thing that sold me out on this book? Though it is only small, it points to God in the greatest way. It seemed all the way through this tiny little book I was peeking through the smallest window and catching a real glimpse of our biggest, awesomest God. Reading this book so encouraged me to see how awesome our God is, and that He has amazing plans in store for me even though I can't yet see. Chris' purpose for writing this book certainly says it all:

I want to encourage you along your journey. I want to help you discover more about what God has uniquely made you to do and enjoy. And I've got a story or two that I hope will throw some light on the road you're travelling...

 This book has definitely made it to the top of my list of Christian living handbooks. In a few words, uplifting, inspiring, encouraging, and motivating. You won't be disappointed if you pick this book up. I give it a hearty five stars out of five!