SPIN LIKE THE WIND-the blog of Nigel James.

NEW ORLEANS.

Whilst in New Orleans for a concert, Mark, Mac and I took the opportunity of touring the areas of New Orleans that had been hit by Hurricane Katrina. Our guide was a Christian man who had made a decision to move into the area worst hit, in order to be part of the rebuilding process. We were shocked to see whole areas of housing still damaged and derelict, with seemingly no plan to demolish or rebuild.My overwhelming thought was very similar to when I visited Ground Zero in New York. The United States is the most powerful country in the world, but even the most powerful are vulnerable to evil and no-one is more powerful than the forces of nature-other than the Lord Almighty Himself. There is much rebuilding still to be done in New Orleans, and Christian churches are in the midst of the rebuilding and restoration process.
We found this board outside a damaged church building in the 9th Ward, one of the poorest areas and most severely devastated. In the middle of our tour we stopped off in the French quarter and in a famous restaurant 'Mother's' for a Cajun lunch- I had chicken and sausage gumbo.

BOOKS CHRISTIAN DO GREAT DEAL ON 'LESSONS FROM THE ROAD'.

Just spent a good few hours signing 500 autograph plates to go inside my new book for a special deal from BooksChristian.com. If you'd like an autographed copy at a great discount price then check it out here if you are from the UK or here if you are from the USA.

24 HOURS IN INDY.

On the way back to Atlanta I've stopped off in Indianapolis to see my friend Russ Pawlowski, his wife Lara and their boys Noah and Gabe. I first met them in Fort Wayne at Heartland Church and now they go to Every Nation Church in Indianapolis. The church started as a Bible study for players from the Indianapolis Colts, and amongst the congregration and leaders today you can still find current and ex-professional players. One of them, Hunter Smith, I met at a Third Day show a few years ago and I introduced him to my friend Andy Booth from Fort Wayne. A while afterwards, Hunter took his
worship band, Connersvine, to do a concert in Fort Wayne. I love it when a bit of networking comes off in the Kingdom! Tonight we've been playing target golf on Nintendo Wii. After a shaky 9 holes with Brad on a real course last Monday, my game sure needed some work on it- even more so after the shock of Rusty, Noah and Gabe taking great delight in creating a new player who was an old, bald, fat man with a grey beard. Me, I'm afraid!

YOU HEAR THESE IN ATLANTA BUT NOT IN CARDIFF..

Staying at the home of Mark and Stephanie Lee, on a few days off between concerts, gives me a chance to reflect upon sentences I hear in Atlanta that I'd never hear in Cardiff. This was sparked by Mark actually saying the first sentence last night:

*We've been having a Coyote problem recently.
*Think I'll change the radio to one of the other Country music channels.
*Do y'all have Thanksgiving in Wales?
*Which part of Australia do you come from?
*Gonna set me a raccoon trap.
*Do you wanna drink Mountain Dew or Sweet Tea?
*Just heard Third Day on the local Christian station.
*The public schools around here are real bad.
*Go Braves/Falcons/Thrashers (delete as per your preference).
*I can't decide whether to eat at Chick Filet or Taco Bell.
*Wales is a place in England right?

HANNAH MAI

Here's a couple of pictures of Hannah. She was 9lbs when born: Rachel and baby are doing well. Gill is loving being a Grandma and Bethan is absolutely thrilled about being an Aunty! As for me- I'm a bit dazed by the whole thing- excited but still trying to work out what I'm going to be called. The guys in Third Day have plenty of ideas.

I'M A GRANDFATHER!

Hannah Mai was born in the early hours of Saturday the 8th March, at home in Cardiff. Our daughter Rachel persuaded the midwife to let her give birth at home rather than going into hospital! It feels strange sitting on the Third Day tour bus and finding out I'm a Grandad! I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see my Grandaughter, but all the family are delighted. Rachel and Chris will make great parents, and I'm sure Gill and I will pick the Grandparents thing up pretty quickly.

MEET N' GREET.

The great thing about walking into Third Day after-show meet and greets is you never know who you'll meet!
Tonight, in Charleston, South Carolina, I bumped into legendary worship leader/songwriter/producer Andy Piercy. Andy was lead singer in After the Fire -the band that helped me connect Christian faith and contemporary music back in the late 1970's. He was very complimentary to the guys in Third Day, and they were genuinely pleased to meet the man who had produced all the early Delirious music and a stack of Matt Redman stuff as well.
We're all sad about Brad not being here, but the show genuinely feels strong and fresh and there is an excitement and expectation about the next few weeks. I'll be sharing band devotions on my road pastor's blog but I'll be posting the passage we study on this site in the God's Word list.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN.

Just arrived in the USA for nearly 3 weeks of travel with Third Day. The Lord must have something significant up his sleeve for me on this trip because I'm missing my daughter Bethan's birthday, my wife's birthday and the birth of my daughter Rachel's first child!
It's a difficult time for Third Day at the moment, given that Brad is no longer a part of the band, so I'm really trusting God to use our devotional time powerfully to minister into the current situation.
This morning, just outside Washington Dulles Airport, I met Chaplain Peter Fischer for breakfast. The last times we ate together were in a military dining facility in Iraq, and a luxury hotel in Kuwait. This morning we ate pancakes in Cracker Barrel. Peter is moving from the Pentagon in June and taking over as senior Chaplain at the Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs- a plum appointment, and one at which he will excel.

HOPE FOR BRIDGEND.

The town and county of Bridgend in South Wales has hit the news around the world recently with a series of teenage suicides. This morning, the leaders from City Temple spent some time with Darren Mallett who is pastor of the The Well Christian Centre, our Elim church in Bridgend. Darren has been there for 5 years and is now beginning to see the fruit of his labours.
During the prayer time with Darren we got a strong sense that there is hope for Bridgend, and hope for a young generation-many of whom experience only hopelessness and despair. Christian leaders and churches from all over the UK have been praying for Bridgend, and we hope to arrange an Ignite youth prayer event in Bridgend soon to mobilise young Christians to intercede on behalf of their generation. God led to some verses from Psalm 90 which I prayed prophetically over Darren, the church and the area.

THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT.

Well the good news is I don't have to undergo a skin graft, but the bad news is that I may still need another nasty operation. After tests done on the skin that was removed, the specialist let me know that they had found the early stages of a disease which he hopes they have eradicated. If it rears its ugly head again then I'll have to have more skin removed. What operation did I have? I'm too discreet to say, but the verse in God's Words should help you realise what I've been through!
My senior pastor Chris Cartwright, and pastor Samuel Paul visiting from Bangalore, India, both prophesied over me in the last week or so, and both said much the same- The operation was symbolic of God operating on my heart, that this was a time of preparation, of going deeper with God, of God wanting to do a heart work within me in order for me to move to a more intense intimacy with Him and to a greater fruitfulness in ministry.
As for me, I have always been open in admitting that I am too often led by the flesh and not the Spirit, and so I'm viewing this painful and fragile physical time as a learning experience from the Lord, and as a time to renew my covenant relationship with Him and to jettison much of the fleshly desires that hold me back.

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5.24-25