Tony Cummings reports on the latest CD/DVD and book project by DARLENE ZSCHECH

Darlene Zschech

Seldom has a singer/songwriter been so continuously associated with one song as Australia's Darlene Zschech. Maybe that's inevitable due to the fact that her worship classic "Shout To The Lord" is sung by an estimated 30 million churchgoers every week. But Darlene is, of course, much more than the composer of a Hillsong classic. She is a wife, mother, new grandmother and partner in ministry with her pastor husband Mark while her books have been translated into 19 languages. Now with her new album and book 'Revealing Jesus' Darlene seems certain to expand even further her worldwide influence. The album was produced by Grammy-winning Israel Houghton and features guest vocals from Kari Jobe and Michael W Smith. The CD/DVD package was recorded live at the end of September 2012 at the Church Of The Highlands at the Alabama School Of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama. Critics are agreed that the album is Darlene's finest since her years with the Hillsong Church in Sydney.

In January 2011, Mark and Darlene and their family launched out on a new adventure as senior pastors of Hope Unlimited Church in New South Wales on Australia's beautiful Central Coast to, as Darlene says, "pour ourselves into these incredible people. to serve them and lead them to Jesus. When we arrived, I was reminded of how critical worship is to our lives as human beings; it's all about worship and community. There are literally thousands of musicians here - this is the Nashville of Australia - and as a leader and a mama, my heart feels so drawn to gather, encourage and release. I feel that part of what I was born to do is to raise up and cheer on others as they step into what God has called them to be, opening the door for them to be confident in the worship of God."

Add to this pastoral adventure, Darlene's personal devotion to explore the promises of God and the finished work of Jesus, and you have a whole new season of ministry. "Both Mark and I lost our Dads to cancer over the past few years," said Darlene. "And we've seen our friends suffering due to the various complexities of life. . . and through all this, my hunger for understanding is fueling my quest for what God's Word promises us in regards to seeing breakthrough and victory when it comes to things like sickness and disease. The Word of God says, 'take heart, Jesus has overcome the world.' When crazy things happen to us in life, you can either get angry, or you can get on your knees. So I've been searching for revelation, just excited to discover more about the finished work of Christ and all that it means for our lives today."

The 'Revealing Jesus' album is packed with epic and atmospheric musical experiences. There is a 10-minute track "In Jesus Name" on which Darlene breaks into a message about healing and calling on people to pray while elsewhere "God Is Here" is a full tilt rocker driven by urgent guitar riffs, "Yours Forever" is a re-recorded track from Zschech's 'You Are Love' deluxe album on which the veteran worship hitmaker shares the microphone with Kari Jobe, and "Victor's Crown" written by Zschech, Houghton and Jobe, is destined to become a new Easter season classic, a perennial go-to anthem for churches around the globe.

Darlene's devotional Revealing Jesus book was actually begun before recording the CD/DVD. Much of the book is culled from the singer/songwriter's personal journals and is full of meditations and Scriptures revealing the heart of Christ. Said Darlene, "The songs on this project are filled with declaration of Scripture to ensure that it is truly woven within the fabric of your heart, and this devotional was written to give you food for thought each day about how Jesus is revealed in our every day lives. So I pray you are fueled for service as you read, and that your heart yearns for more of Jesus as you worship him with every fiber of your being. There's a new settling in my spirit, no sense of clamoring for anything, nothing to hide. It's the story of the journey, the valleys and the mountains. You can't put it on a chart and sing it; you have to live it to sing it out like this. You can't declare what you haven't embraced and have it ring true. And that's what I love about the worship of God. . . it expresses the inexpressible. In the middle of this ocean, it's quite beautiful, if you have eyes to see."