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The Reset: Returning to the Heart of Worship and a Life of Undivided Devotion
Even as the sound of modern worship has grown louder, the heartbeat of true worship has grown faint. This is a call for those whose hearts burn to see it revived— who burn with reformation’s fire. Who long to see the purity of worship restored and the Lord’s house of prayer once again reflect the fullness of His glory and the wonders of His heart. The Reset is not simply a book on worship, it’s an appeal to the broader worshiping community to once again re-order their lives and practices in accordance with the sacred and priestly calling they were given and zealously return to the heart of worship. About the Jeremy Riddle is a pastor, worship leader and songwriter. He carries a deep passion for God’s glory and His church. His heart burns to see purity restored. Beginning in ministry at Anaheim Vineyard, Jeremy and his family later moved to Redding, California, where they attended Bethel Church and became a part of the Bethel Music Collective. After nearly a decade, the Riddles moved back to Southern California, where they are currently on staff with Vineyard Anaheim as the Worship, Prayer and Creativity Pastors to partner in re-birthing a regional and global worship and prayer movement focused on wholehearted devotion to the Lord. Jeremy and his wife Katie have five amazing children who they consider to be their greatest ministry assignment and legacy.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2020
426 people are currently reading
1541 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
January 10, 2021
WOW.
If I could make a book mandatory for every worship person, this would be it.
It’s completely subversive.
Counter-cultural in every way.
Incredibly convicting.
Very much life changing, focus-shifting.
It’s important...these words are so very needed!
If I could make a book mandatory for every worship person, this would be it.
It’s completely subversive.
Counter-cultural in every way.
Incredibly convicting.
Very much life changing, focus-shifting.
It’s important...these words are so very needed!
December 2, 2022
This is one of the best books I read. So powerful❤️🔥 It moved me, spoke to my life, and so many times I just had to stop reading, and talk to God! Truly recommend it!
August 13, 2021
As I read this book I went back and forth on whether I loved it or really didn’t. I have come to the conclusion that I love its core message: As Christians we need to live fully surrendered to God in a wholehearted way. And by living with one foot on God’s path and one foot on the road to pursuing our own plans and desires (however “Christian” we make them) without being led there by God, we are missing out on truly living and advancing the kingdom. The book emphasized that we need to be reading our Bibles more and walking more in tune to the Spirit, allowing Him to lead. A message I wholeheartedly agree with!
But in the outworking of this “surrendered life” I feel Riddle was way more critical than I would be of today’s churches and worship music industry. Yes, I too see people in leadership positions who rarely crack open their Bible. I too am tired of “powerless performance” and when I worked in radio I met a lot of artists who were in “Christian music” for all the wrong reasons. But I don’t think pointing and yelling “they need to change or all is lost” is the answer.
I believe we should strive to live in the way that Riddle describes. I believe that is Biblical and it’s what will truly make us happy and can make churches come alive again. But in the mean time I don’t think we should underestimate what God can do through broken, imperfect attempts and ministries.
So…5 stars for the core message, 1 star for some of the things I really did not agree with (For instance: the Basilea Schlink quote about Jesus not wanting to enter into a love covenant with people who do not love Him back equally. No. Just…no.) Making it an average of 3 stars for me.
And yet, I think every worship leader and church leader should read this little book. Even if not all of it is solid (in my opinion) it is a book that will make you examine your motives and bring about a hunger for Jesus and a surrendered life. If you let it. If you desire revival in your church, start with revival in your own life. This book is very helpful in igniting that spark or fanning the flame or yanking your one stray leg back to God’s path.
But in the outworking of this “surrendered life” I feel Riddle was way more critical than I would be of today’s churches and worship music industry. Yes, I too see people in leadership positions who rarely crack open their Bible. I too am tired of “powerless performance” and when I worked in radio I met a lot of artists who were in “Christian music” for all the wrong reasons. But I don’t think pointing and yelling “they need to change or all is lost” is the answer.
I believe we should strive to live in the way that Riddle describes. I believe that is Biblical and it’s what will truly make us happy and can make churches come alive again. But in the mean time I don’t think we should underestimate what God can do through broken, imperfect attempts and ministries.
So…5 stars for the core message, 1 star for some of the things I really did not agree with (For instance: the Basilea Schlink quote about Jesus not wanting to enter into a love covenant with people who do not love Him back equally. No. Just…no.) Making it an average of 3 stars for me.
And yet, I think every worship leader and church leader should read this little book. Even if not all of it is solid (in my opinion) it is a book that will make you examine your motives and bring about a hunger for Jesus and a surrendered life. If you let it. If you desire revival in your church, start with revival in your own life. This book is very helpful in igniting that spark or fanning the flame or yanking your one stray leg back to God’s path.
January 11, 2025
FROM THE INTRODUCTION: “My greatest desire for you as you read this book is that Jesus would become your one and all-consuming desire. I pray that if there’s anything competing or taking the edge off of your desire for Him or if there’s any place in your heart where other things are starting to seduce and “dazzle” you more, that reading this book would be a moment of divine reset in your heart. I pray this journey will be the beginning of a new chapter in your life marked by greater purity and power.”
MY THOUGHTS: I do not question Riddle’s desire for pure and undefiled worship and for members of the body of Christ to return to its first love, but I do question some of his theology and therefore his idea of true worship. Though he makes many statements that are true and convicting, he makes many more that are not rooted in Scripture but rather in the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which are influenced by New Age Practices and widely held and practiced by Bethel Church, where Riddle and his family attended from 2009-2019 and where he led or co-led worship.
Having personally been in a church that was influenced by NAR, I know firsthand the dangers of these teachings, and below are some statements from the book that deeply concern me:
🚩 (To worship leaders) “Your assignment is not as small as singing. Your assignment is to release the tangible reality of what you’re singing into the atmosphere, and to bring people into an encounter with the power and glory of God.”
🚩 “There is a spiritual authority waiting to be released on the earth, a pending glory and a holy fire. But it waits for the wholehearted ones to rise.”
🚩 “Jesus will not enter into a covenant of love with one whose love is divided, for a covenant of this nature requires a full, mutual love. How Jesus yearns for our love. But because our love is so precious to Him, He waits for our wholehearted commitment to undivided love.” – Basilea Schlink
🚩 “Without sacrifice there is no offering, nothing for fire to fall on.”
🚩 “The dreams God has placed inside of us operate like seeds of hope; when planted in the earth through wisdom, they grow and release His redemptive purposes. Manifested God-dreams are the salt and light of the earth, dispelling darkness and arresting corruption wherever they travel and in anyone they touch.”
🚩 “I often see so much confusion in believers over the dreams bound up in their hearts and how they’re to steward and manifest them.”
These statements are only a glimpse of what Riddle shares in his book, but I believe they are enough to warrant that this book be read with great caution and discernment, or to not be read at all.
MY THOUGHTS: I do not question Riddle’s desire for pure and undefiled worship and for members of the body of Christ to return to its first love, but I do question some of his theology and therefore his idea of true worship. Though he makes many statements that are true and convicting, he makes many more that are not rooted in Scripture but rather in the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which are influenced by New Age Practices and widely held and practiced by Bethel Church, where Riddle and his family attended from 2009-2019 and where he led or co-led worship.
Having personally been in a church that was influenced by NAR, I know firsthand the dangers of these teachings, and below are some statements from the book that deeply concern me:
🚩 (To worship leaders) “Your assignment is not as small as singing. Your assignment is to release the tangible reality of what you’re singing into the atmosphere, and to bring people into an encounter with the power and glory of God.”
🚩 “There is a spiritual authority waiting to be released on the earth, a pending glory and a holy fire. But it waits for the wholehearted ones to rise.”
🚩 “Jesus will not enter into a covenant of love with one whose love is divided, for a covenant of this nature requires a full, mutual love. How Jesus yearns for our love. But because our love is so precious to Him, He waits for our wholehearted commitment to undivided love.” – Basilea Schlink
🚩 “Without sacrifice there is no offering, nothing for fire to fall on.”
🚩 “The dreams God has placed inside of us operate like seeds of hope; when planted in the earth through wisdom, they grow and release His redemptive purposes. Manifested God-dreams are the salt and light of the earth, dispelling darkness and arresting corruption wherever they travel and in anyone they touch.”
🚩 “I often see so much confusion in believers over the dreams bound up in their hearts and how they’re to steward and manifest them.”
These statements are only a glimpse of what Riddle shares in his book, but I believe they are enough to warrant that this book be read with great caution and discernment, or to not be read at all.
November 21, 2024
Wow, just wow.
December 28, 2021
Every worship leader should read this book. Every worshipper should read this book. I’ve nodded hard in agreement and shouted aloud in relief, I’ve been challenged and wept in repentance, I’ve felt new fire burn within me to see people encounter the true Jesus and sit at his feet. Big appreciation to Jeremy for being brave and challenging the current state of worship in our churches.
June 4, 2021
As a member of my worship team at church, we were asked to read this by the worship pastor. I don’t necessarily have a problem with what is in this book as much as I have a problem with what is omitted. I don’t believe worship is strictly a musical endeavor. If worship is ascribing worth, value to God, than isn’t our every breath and every waking moment be considered opportunities to worship God?
What I believe we need a reset from is this thinking that worship is solely singing songs. It certainly is part of it, and I won’t devalue its importance, but I think if the church really wants to experience the presence of God and see powerful movements of His Spirit (not talking about gold dust and gems), than the worship of God needs to be manifest in every day life, in humility and sacrifice, in feeding and caring for the poor, in stewarding and nurturing creation and in being makers of peace in communities and societies in which we live.
I missed all of that in this book.
What I believe we need a reset from is this thinking that worship is solely singing songs. It certainly is part of it, and I won’t devalue its importance, but I think if the church really wants to experience the presence of God and see powerful movements of His Spirit (not talking about gold dust and gems), than the worship of God needs to be manifest in every day life, in humility and sacrifice, in feeding and caring for the poor, in stewarding and nurturing creation and in being makers of peace in communities and societies in which we live.
I missed all of that in this book.
March 11, 2021
This book was refreshing and genuinely healing for my soul. I went into reading it with a bit of a guard up, (because of Jeremy’s background with Bethel Music and concerns I have with some of their practices and theology), but it was written from a humble place of truly desiring the glory of God to be the motive of our worship and everything we do. Every person who serves in worship ministry in the church — musicians, tech and media, etc. — should read this.
September 7, 2023
A book most worship leaders of any size congregation could benefit from reading. We become good worship leaders by drawing close to Jesus off stage. By spending time with Jesus in secret. By keeping our hearts and motives pure. I don’t necessarily agree on every single point, but appreciate the way that Jeremy calls out the things that can distract, and points us back to Jesus. :) Always Jesus.
February 1, 2022
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone involved in ministry.
It had a really powerful, beautiful message
Really challenged me, and some stuff he said really had me stop and think, for sure felt convicted
5/5
It had a really powerful, beautiful message
Really challenged me, and some stuff he said really had me stop and think, for sure felt convicted
5/5
January 16, 2021
Definitely a must read for anyone involved in ministry, especially worship ministry at a church. The book is written for this moment in time but has a lot of wisdom that will extend beyond this season with the pandemic and how it’s effected church.
I also very much so appreciated the practical applications and examples he gave and his heart of humility throughout the whole thing.
Very good read, very helpful, challenging, and practical.
I also very much so appreciated the practical applications and examples he gave and his heart of humility throughout the whole thing.
Very good read, very helpful, challenging, and practical.
May 8, 2024
Excellent book. Cuts right to the heart and convicts of the idol we have made of contemporary worship. Short read but very well done. Written for church staff and congregants alike.
January 14, 2021
This is a very timely release with a powerful message: we in the church need to get back to seeking first the Kingdom of God, fixing our eyes on Jesus and let go of the world's ways that for too long have influenced our thinking, processes and structures.
Riddle writes passionately. He speaks with first hand knowledge of having been there, done that, in the worship world. He's a recovering prodigal and so we can read his words with confidence that it is trustworthy and reliable. He's also a man who knows Jesus and is a passionate lover of the Word. But he writes considering himself as one of the cohort he is appealing too. There's no arrogance in thinking he has nailed it and knows all the answers.
It's a short read but is so challenging that it requires time to stew and meditate with God. Riddle proposes solutions but acknowledges he doesn't have the answers but invites readers, the worship community and church leadership to join him in discovering the next iteration of worship which is led by a wholehearted desire to follow Jesus and not the ways of the world.
Buy a few copies and provide them to friends. It's an important and very timely message.
Riddle writes passionately. He speaks with first hand knowledge of having been there, done that, in the worship world. He's a recovering prodigal and so we can read his words with confidence that it is trustworthy and reliable. He's also a man who knows Jesus and is a passionate lover of the Word. But he writes considering himself as one of the cohort he is appealing too. There's no arrogance in thinking he has nailed it and knows all the answers.
It's a short read but is so challenging that it requires time to stew and meditate with God. Riddle proposes solutions but acknowledges he doesn't have the answers but invites readers, the worship community and church leadership to join him in discovering the next iteration of worship which is led by a wholehearted desire to follow Jesus and not the ways of the world.
Buy a few copies and provide them to friends. It's an important and very timely message.
December 9, 2023
marked me forever.
December 3, 2021
Fantastic!! I couldn’t agree more. Every worship leader, in fact anyone who calls themselves a worshipper, should read this and allow their spirits to be challenged. Our motives, our systems, our services…they are impaired. A reset is much needed and long overdue.
April 25, 2024
“LET THE FIRE OF LOVE BE THE MOST VISIBLE THING ON YOUR LIFE”
- if you don’t intentionally burn with zeal for the Lord, you will begin to burn with zeal for something else.
- Allow the weight and mystery of God’s indwelling presence to once again create a fresh tremble in your spirit and inspire a deeper journey of wholehearted consecration.
- If the call doesn’t require you to lay your life down, it’s less than the call of Jesus. if the call doesn’t cost you everything you have to obtain it, it’s less than the call of the Gospel.
- No glory on Earth can remotely touch the glory of heaven and the feeling of God’s delight as it washes over you.
- So many people have encountered the Holy Spirit, but too few have learned to walk with Him.
- He is present, He is waiting, He is ready to act. But are we ready to yield?
- We have learned so much about how to love ourselves and so little about how to love the Lord
- We need new wineskins that will cherish His presence over profit, His glory over our own, and obedience to Him above all
- Just like fasting reveals the power of food over your life, so does distancing yourself from social media show your addiction to it
- Protect your heart, your purity, and your spiritual authority. Create distance and put up guardrails. Block its influence on you. You will feel something beginning to reset inside when you do.
Let pure, true, Spirit-filled wholehearted worshipers rise!!!!
- if you don’t intentionally burn with zeal for the Lord, you will begin to burn with zeal for something else.
- Allow the weight and mystery of God’s indwelling presence to once again create a fresh tremble in your spirit and inspire a deeper journey of wholehearted consecration.
- If the call doesn’t require you to lay your life down, it’s less than the call of Jesus. if the call doesn’t cost you everything you have to obtain it, it’s less than the call of the Gospel.
- No glory on Earth can remotely touch the glory of heaven and the feeling of God’s delight as it washes over you.
- So many people have encountered the Holy Spirit, but too few have learned to walk with Him.
- He is present, He is waiting, He is ready to act. But are we ready to yield?
- We have learned so much about how to love ourselves and so little about how to love the Lord
- We need new wineskins that will cherish His presence over profit, His glory over our own, and obedience to Him above all
- Just like fasting reveals the power of food over your life, so does distancing yourself from social media show your addiction to it
- Protect your heart, your purity, and your spiritual authority. Create distance and put up guardrails. Block its influence on you. You will feel something beginning to reset inside when you do.
Let pure, true, Spirit-filled wholehearted worshipers rise!!!!
May 25, 2021
I opened this book already expecting it to be full of revelation and passion. Exceeded my expectations!
Jeremy writes with genuine humility and authority; bold in a way that sort of commands you to lean in and listen. No doubt it’s written from a place of experience and anointing from God.
Even the chapters that feel like they may have been written with someone else in mind will speak truth to your soul.
Written with conviction and urgency, this book felt like a modern day Tozer, stirring the heart to once again passionately pursue after Jesus above all else. Challenging yet empowering, this book calls Christians (specifically worship leaders) to reset and focus one again on the main thing - a singular focus, pursuit and loving devotion to Jesus.
—————————————————-
"Wherever God is worshiped in spirit and in truth, His kingdom is established, His freedom reigns, and the works of the devil are destroyed. Pure praise has always been a weapon of mass destruction to the kingdom of darkness."
Jeremy writes with genuine humility and authority; bold in a way that sort of commands you to lean in and listen. No doubt it’s written from a place of experience and anointing from God.
Even the chapters that feel like they may have been written with someone else in mind will speak truth to your soul.
Written with conviction and urgency, this book felt like a modern day Tozer, stirring the heart to once again passionately pursue after Jesus above all else. Challenging yet empowering, this book calls Christians (specifically worship leaders) to reset and focus one again on the main thing - a singular focus, pursuit and loving devotion to Jesus.
—————————————————-
"Wherever God is worshiped in spirit and in truth, His kingdom is established, His freedom reigns, and the works of the devil are destroyed. Pure praise has always been a weapon of mass destruction to the kingdom of darkness."
June 14, 2023
I was surprised I liked Jeremy Riddle’s “Re-Set” as much as I did. As one concerned by Bethel and its theological moorings, I didn’t expect the book to be as solid as it was.
Riddle wants the American church to reclaim the heart of worship: a focus on the pure glory of God. Riddle is concerned about the commercialization and self-focus of the American worship industry. I appreciate these concerns and share them.
do have a couple of concerns with Riddle’s book. In chapter 6: “Born of the Spirit” has some (unsurprisingly) wonky pneumatology, especially concerning the Spirit’s supposed shimmery presence. There are a couple of other minor theological missteps including a misunderstanding of what God’s glory does to us, but nothing serious.
I really appreciate how he weds together worship, prayer, and mission. While I would direct a reader to Bob Kauflin or Matt Redman’s books on worship first, Riddle’s book is a helpful aid, assuming you can weed out the theological issues.
For more reviews see thebeehive.live.
Riddle wants the American church to reclaim the heart of worship: a focus on the pure glory of God. Riddle is concerned about the commercialization and self-focus of the American worship industry. I appreciate these concerns and share them.
do have a couple of concerns with Riddle’s book. In chapter 6: “Born of the Spirit” has some (unsurprisingly) wonky pneumatology, especially concerning the Spirit’s supposed shimmery presence. There are a couple of other minor theological missteps including a misunderstanding of what God’s glory does to us, but nothing serious.
I really appreciate how he weds together worship, prayer, and mission. While I would direct a reader to Bob Kauflin or Matt Redman’s books on worship first, Riddle’s book is a helpful aid, assuming you can weed out the theological issues.
For more reviews see thebeehive.live.
April 13, 2023
“Charging for a night of worship just feels like a holy violation. The higher the ticket prices go- the weirder this thing gets. How is this not the very thing my Father rebuked when he said “do not make my house a house of trade.” “
*this is why I never pay to go to a “worship night”🫣🫠*
Wow. Every pastor, worship leader, tech director needs to read this book. The direction the western church is heading with the obsession with influential worship leaders is troubling. This book touched on some pretty heavy and convicting topics. Pastors of todays churches also aren’t off the hook. Wanting more production and “experience” than people actually knowing Jesus and authentically worshipping him- again very troubling.
10/10 recommend. Especially if you’re in ministry!
*this is why I never pay to go to a “worship night”🫣🫠*
Wow. Every pastor, worship leader, tech director needs to read this book. The direction the western church is heading with the obsession with influential worship leaders is troubling. This book touched on some pretty heavy and convicting topics. Pastors of todays churches also aren’t off the hook. Wanting more production and “experience” than people actually knowing Jesus and authentically worshipping him- again very troubling.
10/10 recommend. Especially if you’re in ministry!
February 5, 2021
Worship is best when completely devoted to the Lord. Unhindered by anything and everything that takes away from pleasing the Lord. Riddle calls for a reset and return to worships most pure form. That doesn’t mean that we abandon everything other than choirs, but it calls for a ministry-wide heart check for anyone remotely involved with worship or worship production.
Worship isn’t about anything other than pleasing the Lord through devotion in whatever form it takes. Riddle’s simple way of presenting this across 120 pages is an encouragement to let go of anything and everything, but the devotion to pleasing the Lord.
Worship isn’t about anything other than pleasing the Lord through devotion in whatever form it takes. Riddle’s simple way of presenting this across 120 pages is an encouragement to let go of anything and everything, but the devotion to pleasing the Lord.
July 5, 2023
myslím, že je to must-read, core message je úplne jasný, radikálny, Jeremy naozaj vraví zo srdca s dobrým úmyslom.
3⭐️ dávam, vlastne neviem začo, kniha je naozaj dobrá, možno sa mi trochu nepáčilo akým štýlom bola písaná, a myslím, že cielene sa ma dotkla iba niekoľko párkrát, no stále si myslím, že je hodná prečítania!
returning to the undivided devotion… sväté úmysly!
3⭐️ dávam, vlastne neviem začo, kniha je naozaj dobrá, možno sa mi trochu nepáčilo akým štýlom bola písaná, a myslím, že cielene sa ma dotkla iba niekoľko párkrát, no stále si myslím, že je hodná prečítania!
returning to the undivided devotion… sväté úmysly!
May 31, 2021
I have read so many great books on worship - but none have challenged me like this one. For anyone that leads worship in any kind of capacity, Riddle will burn down the superfluos and redirect you back to biblical cores of worship.
August 27, 2021
This book has some excellent and important points that we need to hear loud and clear. It wasn't particularly well written and has a very narrow view of worship (focused only on music), but it carries a passionate, prophetic call that shows Riddle is willing to follow the voice of God wherever it leads. That's something our view of worship desperately needs.
April 6, 2022
An incredibly honest and brave account of the current state of worship in our churches. As a former worship band member there were parts of this that reminded me why I stepped down and why it was the right decision.
June 17, 2025
This was a nice little look at the world of worship leading in large churches and the reset of the heart that needs to take place. I found it to be compelling and had little bits of wisdom that are applicable to anybody in a worship space, I’d recommend this book!
February 18, 2023
This book was challenging and made you think for sure. If your a worship leader or worshiper in the church you should definitely read this one
April 3, 2024
Very thought provoking take on worship culture in the church. Also really relevant to general modern church culture and my own heart.
April 7, 2025
Loved the core message! It was a great reminder of what worship truly is and how to live a worshipful life, fully surrendered.
April 17, 2023
best book I've read about worship so far
May 12, 2024
AMAZING BOOK.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews