SPIN LIKE THE WIND-the blog of Nigel James.

FINAL TOTAL FOR GATEWAY SCHOOL PAINTINGS.

Thanks to the generosity of Third Day's VIP fans we have raised well over $15,000 from the silent auction of children's paintings. This is a fantastic result and the money will go towards the upkeep of the Gateway Children's Home. Children will be living in the home from Christmas Day onwards.

PRAY FOR LIBERIA.

Having just spent a few days back in Cardiff I am now back on the road for the last 6 shows of the Third Day tour. When I was home I received the following email after a conversation with Emmanuel Jonah -Ignite's man in Liberia:

I write to request your prayers for Liberia. It is unfortunate that after 14 years of destruction, some Liberians are doing everything to remind us of our ugly past as a nation. We have been experiencing election violence which has resulted into the destruction of lives and properties. It is saddened to note that ELWA radio station, a station earmarked to have Ignite Liberia radio program air was burned down with no clear information as to how the station got destroyed. Liberia needs the touch of Jesus to experience true transformation. Pray that God will continue to use Ignite Liberia to reach the lost for Christ. Liberia needs the touch of Jesus.

GET A LOAD OF THAT HAIRSTYLE!

Third Day's keyboard player, Scotty 'Catfish' Wilbanks has a new app on his i-Phone called Old Photo and apparently because I'm bald I am the best ever person to use the app on. He's sent me countless images which have caused him, and most of the people he has shown them to, much merriment.

Here's one-which makes me look like I'm tour pastor for Billy Ray Cyrus!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK.

Being home for 5 days before I return to the USA for the final 2 weekends of Third Day’s current ‘Make Your Move’ tour, gives me an opportunity to reflect on the most recent couple of weekends of the tour which took us to the North-East of America. Hitting some of the big cities, we played in New York, Baltimore, just outside Boston, Augusta in Maine, and Rochester in upstate New York. The difference between these and our more regular venues in the Southern ‘Bible Belt’ is fascinating. Most of the shows in the North-East were sold out, were in atmospheric theatre venues, and with audiences that seemed hungry and thirsty for an authentic encounter with the Lord. Christian faith in this region is less cultural and more authentic than the South, with church attendance considerably lower. There was a genuine gratitude that the tour had come to their city, and a real generosity with regard to sponsoring World Vision children and towards the paintings we are auctioning for the Gateway School in India. 2 weekends ago we were astounded by a $900 bid for a painting, but that paled into comparison with a bid last weekend of $5,000!!!

An interesting footnote to our time in New York (along with some of the crew I stayed 3 nights in Secaucus, New Jersey, and was able to spend some time in Manhattan)- After our concert in a downtown New York club, which was attended by 900 people (a good number for the club but probably the smallest crowd on our tour), I joined most of the guys in Third Day, Trevor Morgan, and Lott Shudde our road manager, and caught the end of a concert by the band Blackberry Smoke, in the basement of a barbecue restaurant. We watched the band’s performance at a festival on TV recently and became instant fans, so it was great to see them live. We were reminded what a fortunate position Third Day have in Christian music- Blackberry Smoke have a current single on country radio, a good selling album, are tipped to be the next big thing, yet had only around 100 people watching them in this little venue in New York. They would have been amazed to discover that this other band from Atlanta, who they hadn’t heard of, had just played to 9 times the size of their own audience!

Here's a picture of me on the ferry from Manhattan to New Jersey, taken by Brendan McCarthy, our World Vision rep on this tour-he has become a good friend.