So I mentioned on Wednesday that I would do a post to recap my thoughts from the Next Level worship conference this past week. Overally, I had a really good time. The teaching was challenging, the worship was refreshing and inspiring and spending time with old friends and making new friends is always a hilight for me.

Jody Cross is the worship pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Barrie (and used to be on staff here a bunch of years ago) and pulled off a great event with his team. The staff and team at Muskoka Baptist Conference in Huntsville were great, as always. I really do hope this conference happens again next year and for years to come.

I said I had a few specific thoughts on some things and would post more, so here you go.

• Brenton Brown has chronic fatigue syndrome

Brenton and his band were the “feature” worship leaders for the conference. They did the Sunday night, Monday morning and Monday evening sessions. They are all talented musicians and seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing. I’m pretty sure the bass player used to be in Lifehouse but I’m not 100% on that. He mentioned Sunday night that this was a struggle for him and then expanded on it some more on Monday during a Q&A time. Basically there are times in his life where he’s been so physically drained that he had to leave his calling as a pastor, wasn’t able to attend church and from the sounds of it both he and his wife have had to make some major adjustments to their lifestyle because of what they’re dealing with.

I think the easy reaction would be “Oh the guy is just tired – he needs some sleep and then he’ll be fine!” but I really got the sense from him that this is something that has had a major impact on his life and his ministry and he really sees it as something that God has placed in his life to keep him humble.

• More learning can happen with the right people over lunch than in a whole bunch of workshops

On Tuesday I had lunch with some friends from The Meeting House in Oakville and we had a great conversation. Apparently we talked a little too long because before we knew it we were being shooed away from our table and I was late for the afternoon session. Whoops!

During our conversation we talked about things like designing environments for worship, engaging males and females in their church experience, Fight Club, spending millions of dollars to cater to peoples’ expectations of what worship should be like and many other fascinating subjects.

I’m looking forward to spending some more time with those folks in a couple weeks but I’m pretty sure that that was a significant learning time for all of us around that table. We laughed, we raised our voices, we told stories, we asked questions – and through it all we learned together. Doesn’t mean we left with perfect worldviews or understandings of how we should be doing things but we learned.

• Transitions in worship sets are really, really important

One of the discussions we had around the table was the issue that lots of men have with singing songs of intimacy about Jesus. Songs that talk about our love for Jesus as though it borders on some sort of sexual interest. Don’t be shocked at this – if you haven’t thought about how men in your congregation react and respond to the songs you’re singing, you need to ask them. We sing lots of songs that guys would be red-faced to sing to their wives. I’m not saying we shouldn’t sing songs like that but a big part of it is in how they’re presented and how the congregation is prepared.

Here is my example – during the Monday evening session, the speaker had us physically bow on our knees or at the waist as a sign of adoration and respect for who God is. We have lost this in our modern worship expression and it was incredibly moving to respond physically to who God is. Brenton and his team then led “Adoration” (which I can’t find on iTunes or on any of his records but you’ve probably heard the bridge in a Paul Baloche song that goes “Hallelujah/We want to lift you higher!”). The song was just one of awe and honour to God and the chorus basically said that we were bringing Christ our adoration by bowing before Him. Of course when the bridge hit many of us stood and lifted our hands up to God in a sign of praise.

As a whole, the experience was very natural, unforced and filled with worship.

When the first song closed, Brenton moved in to “You Are My King” and as soon as we hit the chorus, I just shut down. The verses were great – talking about honouring and bowing before God. And then the chorus hit – “I love You/I love You/I love You, Jesus”. I literally stopped singing. The moment was gone. We had been in this place of awe, wonder, adoration and all of a sudden I’m expected to sing about how I love Jesus.

Now hear me – I’m not saying there is anything wrong with proclaiming our love for Jesus. I think that’s a good thing. But to go so quickly from bowing on my face before God the Creator to singing about “I love You, I love You” was jarring. The whole thing was a good reminder of how we need to take people on a journey when we’re leading worship and not just move from song to song but give people some direction – point out the signposts along the way.