Lins Honeyman talked to South African born worship leader BRENTON BROWN

If you are not familiar with the name Brenton Brown, you are almost guaranteed to be aware of his work. His portfolio of songs include "Lord Reign In Me" and "Your Love Is Amazing" and are amongst some of the most used material in churches worldwide today. You may also be aware of his involvement in the worship ministry and album output of Vineyard UK - 'Come Now Is The Time' and 'Hungry' to name but a few. But having recently settled in Malibu, California to battle chronic fatigue syndrome Brenton decided to release a solo album. 'Everlasting God' has evidently not been an easy album to make due to the onset of his condition. But, together with the expert production of Nathan Nockels, a wealth of talented musicians and some welcome guest artists, the outcome has proven to be a resounding success. Brenton kindly took time out to answer some questions on his stunning new album and life in general.

Lins: How did 'Everlasting God' come about and how is this album different from the other ones you've been involved in?

Brenton: Jude and I fell ill with chronic fatigue syndrome about three years ago. Up until that point I'd been working as a worship pastor at the Oxford Vineyard church and had been involved in producing and making worship albums with Vineyard Music UK part time. After falling ill, I was no longer able to pastor but to our enormous relief we found that I could still write and make music without it affecting my health too much. At that point I considered the idea of doing a solo worship project since it was pretty much one of the only jobs I could still do! Initially it was simply going to be a compilation of congregational songs I'd already written but the songs kept coming and so did the encouragement from people like Brian Doerksen and the people at Survivor Records. Instead of this being a mini 'best of', it really has turned out to be a whole new batch of songs.

Lins: What are your favourite tracks on the album?

Brenton: "Everlasting God" has pretty much been a life line during the last few years. It's a prayer based on Isaiah 40. One of the most intrusive symptoms of our condition is fatigue and we're just tired a lot which can really affect our outlook on life. When I rediscovered this chapter in Isaiah, it was like we knew for sure God understood our circumstances - "even young men grow weary but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength". For us, this renewing process is a daily exercise and not just a metaphor. God is faithful to his promises and he does not disappoint us. The words of this chapter keep drawing me into his presence and fill me with hope again.
"Like The Angels" is another favourite and was written at one of my lowest points shortly after discovering the seriousness of our condition. We had just moved back to South Africa to try and rest and it felt like our entire lives were completely outside of our own control. This song helped me remember who God is and what it is like when he is near us. When God is around, we can be lifted from our lowest, most desperate point in an instant and drawn into his presence.

The most fun song to write on the album was probably "Hosanna". Paul Baloche and I are old friends and this song started life just after a great dinner with us all sitting around with guitars in our hands. We loved the idea of drawing from one of the few instances of worship in the New Testament that takes place outside of the book of Revelation. The word "hosanna" initially meant "save us God" but by the time we hit the New Testament it had also come to mean "praise you God" which I think is a neat description of our relationship with him.

Lins: What were the high points in recording the new album?

Brenton: For me the high point of any project is listening to songs move from idea to sound. And it's especially fun when the people who play the songs are really good musicians. Every one of the musicians on this project was exceptional and it was amazing to be able to listen to them play their parts. Some high points for me are the strings played on "Everlasting God" and "Well With My Soul" which were recorded in Prague. Another is the way Hanif Williams pushed me when recording my vocals in Brixton. He really did an amazing job to get a vocal out of a sick and tired boy. Another high point was watching the musicians in Nashville track their parts - incredible to see how they could learn a song after one listen and then play with incredible passion and record it in a take.

Lins: Another high point must have been recording with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on "We Will Worship Him"!

Brenton: Another out of body experience! When we first started looking at material for the project, the song "We Will Worship Him" was somewhere on the list. I wrote this song a good 12 years ago during the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. It was such an incredible time to be a South African, watching years of systematic racism collapse almost overnight. There was so much of God on display during that time that it was hard not to see him and his Kingdom at work. The song is really just a celebration of the unity, colour and peace that comes under God's leadership. I remember thinking wouldn't it be amazing if we could get Ladysmith Black Mambazo to sing the refrain "Jesus inkosi" (Jesus is Lord) on the song. I had pretty much given up on the idea as we'd already started recording but one Saturday morning, exhausted by a week of work and recording, I was in bed reading Conversations With Bono. I was blown away by the book and struck by how fearless Bono is, especially when it comes to getting in touch with leaders on behalf of the poor. He really does seem to be fearless. Suddenly I thought if Bono can do it for a good cause so can I and I leapt out of bed, waking Jude up in the process. She remembers falling back to sleep and then hearing me talking to Joseph Tshabalala (the leader of LBM) in the background. He was delighted to hear that the song was a worship song - he's an elder at his church - and said if they could they'd love to. They were so gentle and friendly and full of the Lord. It really was a special day, made all the more special considering that just 20 years earlier doing something like this would have probably warranted unwelcome government attention.

Lins: Now that you're based in Malibu, what are you involved in from a music and worship ministry aspect?

Brenton: Our primary mission in Malibu is rest. We're doing everything we can to beat this condition and rest is one of the key elements. But I'm also busy working with Worship Together in their worship leader training sessions. I'm making small steps back into leading worship and teaching and so far so good. At the moment though, my main work is writing songs.

Lins: Many of your songs have become regular features in church worship. Was there a conscious decision to write them specifically for wider church use?

Brenton: Sure. It's almost a subconscious tendency that I have now to steer the creative moment into something that can be sung by more than one person - and hopefully even by people who aren't really into music. But it's taken me a few years to work out how a melody or lyric might be accessible to more than just me! To be honest, I'm still working on it and don't always get it right. After writing "Lord Reign In Me" I was pretty sure that it was going to be one for Brenton and his quiet times and no one else. But as it turned out, it's probably been the most congregationally accessible song I've done. So I try to get it right but not always successfully.

It completely blows me away to hear songs I wrote in my front room being sung by churches. I never really get over the surprise! What really boosts me is to hear young and new musicians leading a song I wrote. If a new musician can play a congregational song of mine, enjoy it and meet God then I've hit one of my most important targets.

Lins: How did you originally get involved in music?

Brenton: Music was a big part of our lives in our household. There was always a record on and loads of instruments lying around the place. Picking up an instrument and playing along to something was just a natural part of growing up - like learning to swim or riding a bike.

Lins: Who have influenced you most in music and in life in general?

Brenton: Gosh, that's an enormous question! Musically, it would probably be my parents, my friends and my music teachers - of which there were many! I was kind of addicted to the guitar in high school and went to three different guitar teachers a week. Aside from music, my biggest influences again are my parents, my teachers and my friends. But without doubt the biggest influencer in my life right now is Jude, my wife.

Lins: How do you keep your walk with God fresh?

Brenton: Well, life is fresh isn't it?! I mean, it never stops. I guess the truth is there has been so much change in our lives over the last little while - getting married, a chronic illness, moving countries and continents - that keeping it fresh hasn't been the challenge so much as just keeping up. God really is in the midst of this amazingly abundant life. Staying awake - or, as Eugene Peterson might put it, alert - to the life and Kingdom of God all around us does it for me. Oh, and risk - taking the gifts God has given us and risking on them. We must invest in them so that they grow and this really keeps things fresh and generates a trust in God that moves with every new obstacle and opportunity.