Dwayne Moore
Group, 2011, 127 pp., $9.99

I found Pure Praise for Youth thorough, challenging and helpful. However, I found it a little content heavy for personal study. For example, in the intro, the author refers to this work as a devotional, but it doesn’t seem very, well, devotional. (Elsewhere it’s called a Bible Study.) Reading through it felt similar to reading a sermon series, not that there’s anything wrong with that; but it may have been more effective as a regular book than as an interactive devotional. Given the book’s thoroughness and depth, I also was struck with the thought that it would take a very mature, very motivated, very spiritual young person to work through this in personal study. I’m sure that clientele is out there, but the audience for this book might be limited. Lastly, I felt the author’s distinction between praise and worship was a little contrived. If he’s going to make that distinction, I felt it needed to be supported more thoroughly from Scripture. Don’t get me wrong — there’s a wealth of valuable info here — but I’m much more likely to use it for my own preparation (talks, small group, etc.) than I am to put it in the hands of my teens.
–Jeff Crosby

I love how this study is put together. Dwayne Moore has developed a wonderful study on praise and what it means to worship God with your heart. He teamed up with Mark Hall of Casting Crowns to produce great videos to go with the study. It’s easy to use as a group study or idividually. I surely will be passing this one on to my youth.
–Jonathan Tripp

Author Dwayne Moore takes us into a study of what it means to worship God with everything we have. Dwayne does an excellent job at showing the heart of worship through daily devotionals for students, as well as small group discussion topics for your leaders. Through this book, your students will encounter different aspects of worship each week such as: worshipping God, praising God, knowing God, hearing God, worshipping with others and serving God. This would be a great book for your student small group to go through, as well as anyone interested in your worship ministry.
—Paul Grodell, Youth Pastor, Cleveland, Ohio

In his devotional book Pure Praise for Youth, Dwayne Moore sets out to lead youth in engaging the essence of worship in a 6-week Bible study on this subject. I believe the subject of worship is important for students to grasp, especially for new believers who did not grow up going to church. Moore breaks down the study of worship into the following categories: 1) Worshipping God; 2) Praising God; 3) Knowing God; 4) Hearing God; 5) Worshipping with Others; and 6) Serving God. This book seems solid to me, so I had one of my student-leaders take a look at it from a youth’s perspective. My student-leader said he enjoyed the study he worked through. He mentioned to me how Moore’s questions got him to look at worship in a new way and loved what he said to begin each study. He also said the questions challenged him without confusing him on where Moore was leading him in the study. In conclusion, with what I have read and my student-leader’s opinion of this study, I would recommend this as a solid, quick study on the subject of worship.
–Chris Ensley, Youth Pastor, Marion Christian Church, Marion, Kansas

In Pure Praise for Youth, Dwayne Moore introduces teenagers to a lifestyle of worship. Through six weeks of five sessions each, Moore helps students explore the amazing and underused story of Jehosaphat, the people of Israel and God’s defeat of Moab and Amnon. Moore begins the study by challenging youth to make worship their lifestyle by realizing, “Everything in our lives—doing schoolwork, going to practice, driving a car, even eating a cheeseburger—can be an act of worship.” He continues the study in week two by challenging youth to redefine praise as adoration toward God at all moments, not only in church. In week three, Moore encourages youth to get to know who God is. He’s very clear about the fact we do not really know God. Too often in our western application of faith, we have made God into a buddy and forgotten how dangerous He truly is. I was quickly reminded of Aslan from the Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis. Aslan was good, but dangerous. In week four, the reader is reminded that worship comes about through an active relationship with God, a relationship in which we hear Him and seek to understand His call upon our lives. In order to do this, we must become familiar with God’s voice, discovering the methods He has gifted us with so we can hear Him. In week five, the reader is informed that worship is done in community. We cannot worship in a vacuum. God has built His church so we mutually can support one another and spur one another on toward greater discipleship and worship. With this in mind, we have to realize all the various components that make up the community God has blessed us with, honoring one another’s tastes and expressions of worship. Finally, in week six each person who participates in the study discovers that as we worship we naturally become ministers to others. This study provides fantastic theology and makes it practical for the growing disciple. Following each week of study, Moore also provides a small group session with exciting games and amazing application. Youth ministries using this study will grow in their experience of God and practice of worship. I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to share the truths within this study with the youth in my group.
–Joel M. Jackson

I’m all about worship and helping students develop an authentic relationship with God through worship. I’m also all about this book by Dwayne Moore, Pure Praise for Youth. I love this resource! This book is great for small groups, leadership teams, worship teams and for individual study. Pure Praise in an in-depth look at worship and our role in living a life of worship for the glory of God. Each week, a new topic is introduced about worship, and then throughout the week, there are five studies that go deeper into that topic. This book may not be for every student in your ministry, but for those who want to go deeper and take their walk with Christ more seriously, this resource is perfect for them.
—Shawn Harrison, Student and Family Pastor at Wayne Street UMC, Saint Marys, Ohio.

Pure Praise for Youth challenges the reader to go in depth into the prescence of God and give birth to a more profound sense of worshipping a living God. Any youth leader with vision and passion to lead this generation would benefit from this 6-week Bible study. I even recommend having a worship retreat once the study is completed to put into practice what students have learned!
–Jocelyn Vargas

These are my thoughts: Pros: Great job in connecting small group study with five days of at-home, individual study; starting out by reminding readers “worship is a WAY of life,” not simply singing or music; bird icons are GREAT! Too often we fly (no pun intended) through Bible studies without stopping to ponder certain things for awhile. Cons: Leader notes are in the same book the participants have. Perhaps there could be separate books or simply give leader notes to download or add to the books.
–Kyle Hendrickson, First McKinney

Dwayne Moore’s study on worship called Pure Praise for Youth provides a biblically based worship and praise guide for youth to study that is contemporary and engaging. Dwayne asks pertinent questions that my youth group engaged in and were able to follow and apply directly to their lives. While I prefer to make my own lesson plans, I found Dwayne’s materials to be very plug-and-play (in a word, useful), and my teens came out on the other end appreciating worship in its sensitivity to God’s moving in community and substance in biblical truth.
—Matt Murphy

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