It happened over egg rolls and fried wontons.

I got a rare opportunity to sit down with Grammy nominees and see their life when the lights turn off and the amps cool down, and the unexpected happened. Sitting at the end of the table surrounded by members of the AS Chapel Board and Leeland (the band), my persona of Christian music artists was utterly destroyed.

Yet, there it was over oodles of Thai food on Rosecrans: five guys who could believe the hype of their own popularity but instead preached the blessings of Jesus like the man who humbly pounds his chest in the temple.

As I drove Jack Mooring (keyboardist and backup vocals) to the airport, I quizzed his brain over the pressures of stardom that being a Christian music artist can often bring. His answers were what I was longing for but least expected.

“We could believe (the hype) and believe what people say, but it isn’t true,” he said in just about every facet possible.

Constantly focusing on Kingdom building. Constantly focusing on the Gospel. Constantly focusing on God. Then it happened again, this time over weak coffee and eggs that were slightly more bearable then the Café.

Thursday morning I sat in the Anaheim Convention center green room, hanging out with Chris Tomlin. The newly engaged artist also focused on anything but himself. Chris even admitted he hates being in front of thousands of people – that every time he hears his songs being sung around the world, it blows his mind.

Popularity? Stardom? Money? Praise?

He could engulf us in stories about himself and how he did this or that, but he doesn’t. Instead, he told a story of a time when he was helping an AIDS orphanage in Africa, and although none of the children under the age of 10 knew who he was, they warmed up by singing “How Great is Our God.” He wept, because yes, our God is great.

So then when we came back to campus, I wondered where my negative connotation of worship leaders comes from. Surely, there is the “cheese” factor of worship these days (for examples, YouTube “Sunday’s Coming” and “What if Starbucks Marketed like a Church”). Then there are the people we attend school with.

After I sat down with Chris Tomlin and Leeland, I was left wondering where the humility of worship has gone from both our churches and our campus. Too often I see Biola students concerned with their outward appearance, look, sound, and PowerPoint font instead of questioning if their hearts are aligned with what God desires from worship that day.

If we want an authentic movement of the Holy Spirit, we need genuine authentic worship leaders. Enough worrying about the guitar tones, volume, and breaks in the bridge. Enough with the emphasis on the flannel trendy shirts and how our jeans fit and where we bought them. If we took half as much time pouring into the hearts of those around us as we do checking out our hair in the mirror, maybe our worship experience would change.

God will work through all situations – that much I know…but last time I checked, Peter didn’t ask for a mirror to check his teeth and fix his scruff when he was crucified upside down. He wouldn’t even be murdered in the same light as Christ. Nothing is good enough for our King. That’s when worship can strikingly be the most authentic – when we bring the reality of our depraved lives back to Him.

Just a few weeks ago, a friend of mine led a worship service I attended – his engagement had just been cut off, and I could hear the realities of his life truly being sung out in worship to our King. Sadly, it doesn’t happen enough.

Sometimes I feel as if God chose to send His son in our modern day, our campus would be full of mostly Pharisees. We’re too busy washing the outside of our cups instead of the prideful scum that is growing on our hearts and minds (Luke 11).

Yet it goes both ways too. A worship pastor once told me he wished that his church had built the stage so that no one could see the band – so no one could complain when they saw a young drummer, or an electric guitar. So what if the worship set is folk, country, gospel, hip-hop, or contemporary. It’s all for the King…not for you.

“The music doesn’t connect with me.” – I hear that one all the time.

Maybe you’re just not connecting with Jesus because you’re too busy critiquing the worship leaders lack of Toms Shoes. How about we worship Jesus next time?

Now there’s a good idea.