New book from Martin Smith
Last modified: 02 Feb 2011
AUTHOR // Martin Smith (and Craig Borlase)
TITLE // Delirious: My Journey with the Band, A Growing Family and an Army of History Makers
ISBN // 9781434702371
RRP // £9.99
RELEASED // February 2011
FORMAT // Paper-back
STYLE // Autobiography, worship
DISTRIBUTION // UK & Europe
PUBLISHER // David C. Cook
Martin Smith – one of the leading voices in the modern worship movement – shares his story, his insight and his challenge for each of us to change the world.
Having spent almost two decades leading one of the most innovative worship bands around, Martin Smith has now authored a new book that reveals the true story behind his remarkable journey.
In Delirious: My Journey with the Band, A Growing Family and an Army of History Makers Martin explains how his childhood brought up in a Brethren family shaped his faith, how academic failure molded his character and how a week spent engineering in a studio with Sir Paul McCartney offered an inspirational start to a career in the music business.
From the near-fatal car crash that preempted the birth of Delirious, to the early days of the band as they released overtly-worshipful songs into the mainstream charts, Martin is honest, frank and engaging. He describes the thrill of sharing a stage with the likes of Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, as well as seeing God perform incredible miracles during their concerts. And Martin is open about the mistakes he made along the way.
Writing in the foreword, Matt Redman comments:
'Over the years, Martin has been a mentor to many, near and far. And in this book he will likely do the same for you. The message here is loud and clear—just like the music always was. Martin points us to Jesus and reminds us that when we find ourselves jumping into His Story, it's just possible we might make some history together.'
Some of the most poignant passages appear as Martin describes the impact of engaging with extreme poverty first hand, particularly in Mumbai, India, visiting a project supported by Joyce Meyer. It was there he met Farin, a young girl who could easily have ended up following her own mother into prostitution. In time that one meeting led to the creation of CompassionArt - the charity established by Martin and his wife Anna to help encourage artists to use their creative talents to benefit the poor.
Closing with a series of insightful and timely reflections on the current state of play of the worship scene, Martin leaves readers intrigued and inspired.
Delirious: My Journey with the Band, A Growing Family and an Army of History Makers was written with Craig Borlase, a copywriter who worked with Martin and Delirious throughout their career, as well as with the team of musicians and songwriters behind The Art of Compassion (Hodder, 2008), the companion book to the CompassionArt album. The book's release is timed to coincide with the launch of Meet Mrs Smith by Anna Smith, also published by David C Cook.