Brooke Ligertwood has spent much of her career writing some of the most beloved worship songs of the modern church. But with her latest album, EAT, the Grammy-winning worship leader set aside traditional songwriting altogether and allowed Scripture itself to become the lyric sheet.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Air1's Lacy Abercrombie, Ligertwood shared the remarkable story behind the project, revealing how a season of prayer, Bible reading, and surrender led to one of the most personal and spiritually significant albums of her career. Along the way, she reflected on the growing hunger for God's Word among younger generations, the role of the Holy Spirit in creativity, and why she sees herself not as a creator but as a servant delivering something God has prepared.
For Ligertwood, EAT was never conceived as a clever artistic concept or a strategic career move. Instead, she describes the project as something that unfolded unexpectedly while she was simply spending time in Scripture.
"It wasn't like, 'I'm going to make a Scripture album,'" she explained. "Often what happens in my life is that the Lord starts doing something and I'm very slow to understand it. Eventually I realize He's inviting me into something."
The breakthrough came as she began hearing melodies emerge naturally while reading and listening to the Bible. One particularly formative moment occurred while driving and listening to a devotional app that was reading Jeremiah 17:7-8 aloud.
"As the Scripture was being read, I started hearing melodies on top of the words," Ligertwood recalled. "I wasn't trying to write songs. The melodies were simply arriving as I encountered the text."
What followed became an extraordinary creative journey. Instead of approaching songwriting through themes, hooks, or personal reflections, Ligertwood found herself responding directly to biblical texts. She would record melodic ideas into her phone, sit at the piano, and allow the Scriptures themselves to determine the shape of the songs.
Perhaps most strikingly, she made a conscious decision not to paraphrase or modernize the passages she was setting to music.
"I was really careful not to paraphrase, not to make anything more accessible, but to truly go word for word," she said. "This is God's Word."
That commitment created unique challenges. Scripture, she noted, was never written with modern musical structures in mind.
"The Word of God isn't in a regular musical time signature. It's not written in 4/4 or 6/8," she explained. "Instead of trying to force Scripture into familiar musical patterns, I felt the Word was inviting me into its world."
The result is an album that feels different from many contemporary worship releases. Rather than following predictable formulas, EAT moves through moments of grandeur, contemplation, tension, celebration, and silence. Ligertwood described the record as "vibrant and angular and alive," resisting the stereotype that Scripture-based music must be subdued or predictable.
The album title itself emerged from conversations with her husband Scott, who serves as one of her primary creative collaborators. Wanting a title that was simple, memorable, and slightly unexpected, they explored various possibilities before landing on a single word.
"When Scott suggested 'EAT,' I immediately thought it was strange," Ligertwood laughed. "Then I knew it had to be that."
Yet beneath its simplicity lies a profound theological vision. The title draws inspiration from passages such as Matthew 4:4, where Jesus declares that humanity does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. For Ligertwood, the entire project functions as an invitation to feast on divine truth.
"The whole point of this record is that this is the living Word we are given to feast on," she said. "It's an invitation. Come and eat."
One of the most memorable themes throughout the interview was Ligertwood's insistence that the album ultimately isn't about her creativity at all.
Repeatedly, she returned to the image of service.
"This album is called EAT, but I'm not the chef," she said. "I'm just the waiter. I'm here to serve it."
The statement reflects a broader philosophy that has shaped her ministry. Rather than seeing songwriting as self-expression, Ligertwood views it as stewardship. Any gifts she possesses are valuable only insofar as they point people toward Christ.
"My job is simply to do what Jesus said: put the towel around my waist, wash people's feet, and serve them," she explained. "That's what I'm called to do."
The album also features collaborations with an impressive roster of artists, including Lauren Daigle, Abbie Gamboa, Jason Ingram, and members of The New Respects. Yet even these collaborations became opportunities for deeper engagement with Scripture rather than mere musical partnerships.
Ligertwood shared that when Daigle arrived to record her contribution, she came having already completed an extensive personal Bible study on the passage she would be singing.
"Lauren had done a full Bible study on the text and was sharing what God had shown her," Ligertwood said. "It was incredible."
Beyond discussing the album itself, Ligertwood also addressed what she sees as one of the most encouraging spiritual developments occurring today: a renewed interest in Scripture among younger generations.
Referencing recent data, she noted that Bible sales experienced a significant increase during 2025, amounting to millions of additional copies purchased. More importantly, researchers observed that much of this growth was being driven not by older churchgoers maintaining previous habits but by younger adults exploring Scripture for the first time.
According to Ligertwood, many Gen Z and Millennial readers are searching for something solid amid an increasingly fragmented culture.
"This isn't older generations holding the line," she noted. "These are new people who are curious."
She believes that growing interest reflects a deeper cultural hunger for truth.
"Pilate asked Jesus, 'What is truth?' That's the question of our age," she said. "People are turning to Scripture because everywhere else there seems to be such a lack of truth and a lack of anything you can really stake your life on."
The conversation also touched on the essential role of the Holy Spirit in understanding Scripture. Quoting evangelist Dwight L. Moody, Ligertwood remarked that reading the Bible without the Holy Spirit is "like a sundial by moonlight." The words are present, but the illumination necessary to understand them is missing.
For Ligertwood, Scripture is not merely information to be studied but a living encounter with the voice of God.
"The Holy Spirit helps us hear the sound of His voice," she said. "And when you begin to hear that voice, it changes how you receive everything."
As the interview drew to a close, Ligertwood reflected on what she hopes listeners experience when they finish EAT. Surprisingly, she resisted offering a neat answer.
Rather than controlling how audiences respond, she prefers to leave room for God to work uniquely in every person's life.
"My job is to serve it," she said. "Their job is to ingest it and let it affect them however it affects them."
Still, one desire remained clear. She hopes the album sends people back to Scripture itself.
"I hope people don't finish this album thinking about me," Ligertwood said. "I hope they think, 'I've never seen that in this book before. What else could God have for me here? What else does He want to show me about who He is?'"
For an artist whose songs have helped shape worship around the world, that may be the most fitting goal of all. EAT is not ultimately about musical innovation or artistic achievement. It is about placing the Bible back at the center and inviting a generation once again to feast on the living Word of God.
