SPIN LIKE THE WIND-the blog of Nigel James.

A RESILIENT LIFE.

Just been re-reading this book by Gordon MacDonald. I'm more and more aware of the challenge of having a robust and enduring faith that runs the race and crosses the finishing line. MacDonald summarises thus:

Resilient People are-

*Committed to finishing strong- quitting, or even walking, is not an option.
*Inspired by a big picture view of life-sense of direction and big issues in life are inspired by the call of God.
*Free from the weight of the past-experienced healing and practicing repentance.
*Train to go the distance-keeping fit in body, mind and spirit.
*Run in the company of a happy few-knowing the value of friendship and the danger of solitary living.

HEALTH UPDATE.

After my doctors appointment yesterday there is good news and bad news. The good news? Half of the affected area is healing well. The bad news? The other half doesn't look to be healing well. I have to got back to the specialist in 2 weeks time, and if there are no signs of improvement then a skin graft is likely. I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! So please pray with me for complete healing.

R&R.

I'm at home for the time being, going through rest and recuperation after an operation last week. Suffice to say that the operation, on what I shall call out of politeness a 'part of my lower abdomen', has been much more painful and tiring to recover from than I'd expected. In my mind, I was going to use this time to read and write but I've done little of each, rather I've been sleeping a lot, gingerly treating my wounds, and walking around like an old man. Local sales of painkillers, gauze, and medical gel have risen significantly.
At least I was only in the plastic surgery unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea overnight, the guys in the bed next to me and opposite me had been in for 4 months and 5 months respectively for some major reconstructive plastic surgery. My op was one that could have been done by the regular surgeon, but with much delicacy needed it was decided the plastic surgeon was the best option. Just before the operation I was warned that the need for a skin graft from behind my ears was a serious option, which would have been very painful and even longer to recover from. I prayed and prayed that it wouldn't be needed, and regained consciousness to find it hadn't been- although it still might be, as I have an outpatients appointment early next week. There are plenty of jokes I could crack at this point, but it's all a bit too close for comfort, let alone laughter!

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

I've posted a photo album with a selection of pictures from my experience in Kuwait and Iraq. To read some of our tour devotions visit my band pastor's blog at 'Lessons from the Road'.

"FOR GOD AND COUNTRY" TOUR.

I've been in Kuwait and Iraq with Third Day, playing for US troops and we've had an incredible time. I'll post some details in a few days, but suffice to say that we were overawed by the amount of Christian men and women we met in the military, by the faithful ministry of the military chaplains, and by the intensity of the worship we experienced in the concerts. Here's a photo of me with three military chaplains, including the one who dreamt the whole project up- needless to say, he's become a good friend. I've often preached about the characteristics of a soldier in relation to living as a disciple of Jesus, and this has been massively reinforced over the last few days- discipline, faithfulness, sacrifice, obedience, fellowship, conquering fear, vision, purpose- the military understand all these. If you know how to live as a soldier you'll know how to live as a Christian.

THIRD DAY TOURING.

As part of my increased commitment to Third Day in the next two years, I am about to leave with the band for one of the most intense tours we have ever undertaken. For security reasons I am not able to disclose the countries we are visiting until we return, but I can say that there will be 8 concerts squeezed into a 4-day period whilst we are visiting areas of conflict in the Persian Gulf.
Your prayers over the next week will be very welcomed!

SUMMIT SUMMARY

So tonight we rounded off the Leadership Summit and managed to pack into the evening:
*A final IGNITE teaching session on Exploring God's will for my life.
*120 students committing outloud to the IGNITE declaration.
*Students sharing how God had spoken to them this week- worth the flight over on its own.
*A talent contest including someone imitating me- well they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
*A late-nite soak in an open air hot tub under a clear starry sky and surrounded by more than 6 inches deep of snow!
Earlier in the week, my old friends The Sonflowerz came along and performed a concert and really connected well with the students. Life for The Sonflowerz is going well-with a new Nashville recorded album called All Around The World due to be released soon.
I love going to this Summit and especially to work with some top quality people- WALMART's Senior Vice President for International Development was here, for example, and the team who lead the Summit are great guys. Mike Winegeart and Tim Johnson have become good friends of mine, and Mike has a real passion to support our work in India. Each student at the Summit has taken away two MAD tins (Make a Difference) with a challenge to raise funds for our India School Project.
I look forward to hearing what the Lord has in store for these young men and women of God, and I'm pleased to have played a small part in their journey. (The Leadership Team: Top picture-Tim, Me, Rick and Jennifer. Bottom picture- Mike, Me , Duane)

ATTITUDE AFFECTS YOUR ALTITUDE.. OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?

Frontier Ranch is 9,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains, about a 2 hour drive from Colorado Springs, and I'm here speaking at Abilene Christian University's business school Leadership Summit. The setting here is literally breathtaking- being so high the effects of altitude sickness easily take hold of you unless you drink plenty of water and conserve energy. A combination of altitude sickness, jet-lag and a sleepless night meant that I've been a bit under the weather (no pun intended) but I've really been enjoying leading devotions on the IGNITE theme. I've got a room in a really cool lodge and renewing acquaintances with old friends Mike, Tim and Duane. The opportunity to sow into the lives of 120 Christians students with business careers ahead of them is an incredible privilege really.

AFLAME.

The current situation in Kenya- where scores of people were burned to death inside an Assemblies of God church because of election unrest- is very disturbing, and is more pertinent for me in that over the last couple of months on behalf of Ignite I've been cultivating a relationship with a ministry called AFLAME that works with young Christians in the capital city of Nairobi. Could you please pray for AFLAME and for Peter Opolo who leads the ministry. When we talk about the fire of God we don't mean churches literally set on fire- the image is too shocking even to fully comprehend. BUT we do want to see nations on fire with a passion to worship and serve the living God.
This is one of those occasions when ministry names such as Ignite and Aflame seem a little bit hollow.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

We're in that zone between Christmas and the New Year, and tonight we are entertaining friends- Gary and Lesley, Steve and Myra. As usual, Gill has been working hard cooking and getting ready... and I've been marking research papers for the Serious4Youth Ministry course. There have been a good bunch of essays, especially those on "Explain what you consider to be three key communication principles from the preaching and teaching of Jesus and offer reasons why. Explain how you would use them in youth ministry." Most students identified three that I had covered in the lectures, but one or two chose imaginative principles, backed up by scripture, that challenged and excited me as I read through their papers. When the students have their papers back perhaps I'll highlight some of the innovative thinking in a blog.