SPIN LIKE THE WIND-the blog of Nigel James.

WHEN IN ROME...

I'm on the Third Day tour bus driving from Atlanta to Rome, Georgia for the first of the Christmas Tour concerts with Third Day and Jars of Clay.
I'll be updating Third Day fans on my Tour Pastor Blog with the latest devotional themes that I share with the band. Suffice to say it's been great to catch up with the guys and get a flavour of the process of recording their new album.

OUT AND ABOUT.

After a busy couple of weeks speaking, travelling and meetings, I'm gearing up to join up with Third Day for their Christmas tour- 12 cities in 4 concert blocks over the next 3 weekends. I'm aiming to focus my devotions on the Messianic prophecies in the book of Isaiah, which should be significant leading up to Christmas!
Here's some recent highlights-
* Lecturing to the Serious4Youth Ministry students, especially the 6 level 2 students who I also lectured last year.
* 2 hours with the level 2 students on Secondary Schools ministry- they seemed to be inspired.
* 8 Sessions with Masters students in Cardiff on 'The Kingdom of God and the Language of the Power Encounter' - 200 pages of notes!
* Launching Ignite in the Welsh town of Carmarthen, partnering with Mark Bennett who is the leader of Towy Community Church.
* Meeting with Peter Opolo from Nairobi, Kenya who heads up a youth ministry called Aflame. Ignite will be partnering with Aflame in the future, and helping them disciple student-age Christians in Kenya's capital city.
* 2 Sessions on 'Developing your Inner Walk with God' at the City Temple Kingdom Academy- Meditation, Prayer, Study, Fasting.
* A catch-up meeting with my old mate Carl Brettle- especially about the work our ministries are both involved with in India.
* Lunch with Lyndon Bowring in London, chatting over a few 'inner walk' areas of my own. He heads up CARE and is a wise friend.

GRAV.

I'm at home preparing for a day lecturing on Saturday, and I've just been completely overcome with emotion watching the funeral service of Ray Gravell-a Welsh legend-Llanelli hero and current Lllanelli Scarlets president, international rugby player, broadcaster, actor.
Ray died in his mid-fifties and the principality of Wales has been in mourning. I hadn't realised the funeral was today and switched the TV on briefly at lunchtime to see that the service was being covered by BBC 2 Wales and S4C the Welsh language channel. Gerald Davies, a Wales team mate of Grav, delivered in Welsh and English, one of the most eloquent, poignant and heartfelt tributes I have ever heard, and said this:

We tend to remember men for their deeds and accomplishments, and Grav had many, but what we should do is remember them for their spirit, and Grav's was immense. What was remarkable about him was his humanity.

I don't mind admitting that when the crowd at Stradey Park, the rugby ground that was so important to Grav, started singing the hymn Cwm Rhondda and the pall bearers, including current Welsh rugby players and the recent Welsh coach, collected the coffin, I shed a few tears.

TALK TALK.

Sunday nights after church are proving a good time to write a blog entry and to look back on a previous week and on towards the new week. I'm in the middle of one of the busiest periods of speaking I've had for a long while- all with the cough which has now been around for so long it feels like one of the family!

Last week's highlights-

*Commencing Level 2 lectures on Communication in a Youth Setting- 11 Students at the Elim College
*My Mum and Dad coming down to stay for a few days
* Kingdom Academy lecturing at City Temple on Developing the Inner Walk with God
*Ignite in Abergavenny-took Abi and Mark from Ignite with me, and we were all ready to build up young believers when most of the young people who turned up were unchurched. We swopped to an evangelistic approach and had a fun night!
*Watching our daughter Bethan take the female lead in her school musical SUMMER HOLIDAY-all those old Cliff Richard hits!
*Long chat on the phone with Andy Booth from Heartland Church Fort Wayne- I'll be catching up with Andy and his family (plus new daughter Rianna) in a few weeks
* Church fireworks and late night coffee with Richard Stanton (he's been to India with me each of the last 2 mission trips)
* Preaching this morning on KINGDOM PARABLES as part of the STORIES JESUS TOLD series. I preached on mustard seed, treasure in a field, and pearl of great price from Matthew 13
*Watching Cardiff Blues beat Bristol Rugby 34-18 in the European Cup. We were 3-13 down at one stage!

Next weeks highlights-

Another double shot of lecturing at the Elim College
Kingdom Academy part 2
Second visit to Abergavenny- this time with Lydia Lewis, daughter of our friends Debbie and Elliot
Ignite in Carmarthen- lunchtime school visit and evening youth meeting
All day Saturday lecturing on Together in Ministry, Missional Leadership course on KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE POWER ENCOUNTER. I have 200 pages of notes and 130 Powerpoint slides to review and condense and put into 8 45 minute lectures. I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this one!

COMMUNICATION IN A YOUTH SETTING.

Last Monday I commenced my lecturing for this academic year at Elim's National Training College. I deliver a module called 'Communication in a Youth Setting' on the Youth Ministry course and for the first time this year am also delivering a level 2 module on the same subject. The level 2 module starts tomorrow and the 6 topics I'll be covering over the next 3 weeks will be:

1. Metanarrative and Major Biblical Themes
2. Parables
3. Story Telling Skills
4. Learning Styles/Teaching Styles
5. School Lessons/Assemblies
6. Telling a Story-practical experience.

Most of these are natural progressions from the level 1 module, and the seven students on Level 2 have all taken the level 1 module with me last year. On level 1 this year are 18 students, and I really enjoy the opportunity to give them some input.
Metanarrative may be a new word for some of you. Simply put it means BIG STORY.
The Bible may appear to be just a collection of random stories. On a higher level, though, a unity appears. What is God trying to say through all the individual stories and events recorded? The metanarrative of the Bible is its story about God. The Bible contains many stories, all woven together by the one grand theme of God's self-revelation to the world. This Story of God does not come to us in the neat packaging of systematic theology. It comes to us in the stories of a chosen people who experienced God.

The challenge is to be able to tell both the small and big stories of the Bible in a way that will engage, challenge and transform today's generation. As if to practice what I preach, this next couple of weeks I'm doing a lot of speaking- to a youth group in Abergavenny on Wednesday, preaching a sermon on a parable at City Temple next Sunday, Kingdom Academy at church this Tuesday on 'Developing the inner walk with God', and launching Ignite in Carmarthen a week on Friday - all this with a still dodgy voice and a cough!