Is true worship about church attendance and observance or about a total lifestyle?
ReConnect Africa speaks to Ghanaian-born Douglas Doe, the writer of the recently published book 'Rebuilding the Broken Altars', about his influences and the key messages in his debut publication.

Douglas Doe: I got involved in the charismatic movement in Ghana in the 80's after accepting the Lordship of Jesus over my life. I developed a passion for music and worship when I joined the Christian fellowships in my Secondary school and University. It quickly became apparent that I had the "gift" to lead worship during fellowship meetings. By this, I mean leading a group of people in expressing gratitude to God with musical accompaniment.

After developing a closer walk with God over the years and studying the Bible consistently, I realised that true worship of God was more than just gathering together in a church building, singing songs, dancing and "having a good time". To engage in the expressive side of worship without a lifestyle consistent with biblical standards is just a waste of time which, sad to say, so many Christians today find themselves trapped in.

I began asking myself what I could do about this and that led me to put my experiences and knowledge into writing. I had actually put the material for the book together about 6 years ago but never felt the timing to publish it was right until May 2011 when my Pastor preached an inspirational message during a meeting for Christians aspiring to make a difference in their area of influence. I actually heard an inner voice say to me "It's time to publish this book". That's when I knew I had to put the pieces together.

Douglas Doe: The main challenge was making the time to research most of the topics and putting "flesh" to my thoughts. One of my primary aims was to make this book simple to read and to avoid the use of "biblical" or "Christian" jargon as much as possible, so everyone could understand and apply the principles to their lives. This meant spending extra time comparing various versions of the Bible and other online references to ensure that the language was a simple as possible.

Overall, I think that once completing this book became an "obsession", I was able to find a way to cut out other things to make time in spite of other web development projects I was also involved in. As my wife always likes to remind me…"where there's a will, there's always a way".

Douglas Doe: Worship leading has had a profound effect on my personal development. For one thing, it has made me pursue character development and personal integrity as a priority. One of the reasons why Jesus despised the religious leaders of his time was because they were hypocrites; they set a standard of living for the Jews at the time, but they had no plans to practice that themselves.

You cannot make any meaningful impact on the lives of others if you don't practice what you preach. It's not so much what we say that has an effect on people but what we do. To be an effective leader or mentor, I know my lifestyle must be a practical demonstration of the values I believe in.

Douglas Doe: Secular humanism is the biggest challenge in my opinion. By that, I mean the way societal values and norms have taken precedence over all the Godly principles that we used to hold dear.

Today, most of us, especially the youth, tend to emulate the lifestyles of celebrities without any restraint. But the question is; are those moral and ethical values we see portrayed right when measured against God's word? As far as I am aware, God's standards haven't changed and for those desiring to please God, it's still possible to live the worshipful lifestyle in the face of all these challenges. His grace and strength are available if we truly desire to obey him, the 'old-fashioned' way.

Douglas Doe: My hope is that people will pursue a personal and intimate relationship with God, which is what true worship is all about. Religion, which is essentially man-made rules and regulations as to how we ought to approach God, has never changed any life!

On the contrary, it has rather contributed in destroying lives, since most of the conflicts we have in the world today can be traced back to some form of religious differences. Events occurring in the world today are clear indications that Jesus is coming soon and hopefully this book will help prepare people for his coming.

Douglas Doe: My number one source of inspiration and optimism is the Bible. It's impossible to read and study the Bible on a consistent basis, observe how God turned around the lives of men and women who trusted in him and not be inspired. I also read about the plans and promises God has for me and as long as I live to please him and desire to obey him, I know things will eventually turn out right, no matter what's happening around me and in the world. With God, all things are possible.

I also read a lot of biographies about people who succeeded against all odds. As a technology professional, people like Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs and the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have also been a source of inspiration.

Douglas Doe: Readers can purchase their copies from the book's website at the following URL; http://www.brokenaltars.net . It's available in both paperback and eBook format.