NEXT

First off, let me get the readers/fellow bloggers to weigh in on a substantive debate that has been going on down here in New Orleans for a couple of years now.

Remember the Joshua Harris/Eric Simmons dance off?  Who won?  I would wager that for many veteran Nexters this would have to be included in the ultimate “Nextattitude” highlight reel (preferably with some slow mo effects).  I’d like to see an up close replay because it looked like both Josh and Eric might have snuck a bottom-lip-bite somewhere in there, which would be a two point deduct.  Anyway, for my part, Josh’s spin move was unexpected and his footwork was good.  Eric was more agile than I would’ve imagined.  I kept waiting for him to pull out the old MC Hammer “typewriter”.  Had he done that he might have sealed a win in my book.

Mere opinions, these.

On this point, however, I’m think I’m on firmer ground.  This conference would not be the same without Joshua Harris.  There has never been a time he has spoken where I haven’t come away grateful to God for the discernment He gives to Josh in planning and leading this conference.  Clearly the conference themes weren’t all pre-set 10 years ago.  Josh seems to approach Next with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.  He characteristically brings God’s Word to where people are.  Biblically rigorous and culturally attuned, Josh helps people put handles on truth and I think he does this with unsurpassed effectiveness.

I’m thinking of epic conference messages like “Holiness is a Harvest” and “Blind Bartimaeus (... and the Savior Who Stops For One)” - messages that help us see God’s glory and the relevance of biblical truth for our everyday lives.

This could be a very long post, so I’ll just say one more thing.  One of the things I would miss the most were Josh to duck out of Next (say, to become a professional dancer ... or maybe not), would be the way he closes each meeting - identifying one or two points from the message and helping us think towards application.  Even if Josh never spoke for a main session - which is unthinkable - his pastoral sensitivity and the way he reminds us of grace and helps us to take new steps toward growth has had a transforming effect on my life and many others.  The conference doesn’t feel like a series of sermons, albeit biblical and stirring ones.  Josh does a wonderful job of balancing the celebration and gladness and laughter that are part of the Christian experience along with reminding us that these are not just “meetings”.  They are holy moments in which God through His Word addresses us, reminds us of His promises in the gospel, and equips us for a life of worship and mission.