SPIN LIKE THE WIND-the blog of Nigel James.

6 WAYS YOU MIGHT MISS OUT ON CHRISTMAS!

1. YOU ARE TOO BUSY WITH OTHER THINGS- read Luke 2.7- the first person to miss Christmas was the innkeeper who was too busy and preoccupied. Busyness can lead to excluding Jesus!

2. YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE  CLAIMS OF THE LORD ON YOUR LIFE-read Matthew 1.2- King Herod was afraid and jealous of another King. The arrival of Jesus stakes a true claim on your life.

3. YOU CAN'T BE BOTHERED-read Matthew 2.5- The priests and the scribes knew about Jesus but couldn't be  be bothered to visit him. Their self-righteousness fooled themselves into thinking they didn't need a Messiah. Apathy and complacency mean many people today miss out on the real meaning of Christmas.

4. YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE-read LUke 2.39-40- The people of Nazareth thought they knew all about Jesus and his family. Familiarity can strangle wonder, awe,  and faith. Hard-heartedness from thinking you know everything about Christmas is dangerous!

5. YOU ARE WORSHIPPING SOMETHING ELSE- the Romans loom large in the Christmas story but because they worshipped other gods and idols they missed the point! Whilst Christmas is a great season, the real King of Kings and Lord of Lords is surrounded by man-made idols. Make sure your worship is headed in the right direction.

6. YOU ARE TOO RELIGIOUS-read through Luke 2- the shepherds on the hills spotted the Saviour, but the vast majority of people in Jerusalem, not too far from Bethlehem, and the surrounding areas, missed out because they were too busy obeying the rules and regulations of their religion. Don't miss out on Christmas by being religious!

GREAT COMMUNICATION.

I've heard three people over the last few weeks who have been great communicators and top quality ambassadors for the Christian faith. One of them you will have heard of, one you might not have heard of, and one you definitely won't have heard of.

My friend Gary Smith co-ordinated a UK tour on behalf of Compassion to raise the profile of their child-sponsorship programme. Graham Kendrick was the musical guest and Tony Campolo the speaker. Singing some of Kendrick's old favourites was special, but I came away from the Cardiff night most especially recognising Tony Campolo, whom I have heard many times before, as a consummate and passionate preacher, even at the age of 75. He is someone who has a rich fund of personal and touching stories, and who is able to bring the Gospel to life and to connect with people in a way that brings laughter and tears to even the hardest heart.

 Joining some of the guys from Band of Brothers  I went to a dinner where the speaker was ex-Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga.  Henry is a rare breed- someone able to tell sporting anecdotes and life experiences in a humorous and engaging way, but also a very good evangelist. That combination is rare in a so-called celebrity ( Bobby Ball is someone else who has these gifts.) Henry's speaking would be equally at home in cricket club or church, after dinner or after worship. Speaking to a bunch of men, he gave a very clear presentation of his own testimony and of the good news of Jesus.

Then just last week, having been caught by a speed camera some weeks ago, I opted to attend a speed awareness course to avoid having penalty points on my driving licence. Registering with the course leader I had to give my licence and he spotted the 'Rev.' before my name and then proceeded to draw a fish symbol on his notepad-wanting me to know he too was a believer. For the next four hours, his enthusiasm, good nature, humour, and mastery of public speaking and group work shone through. For him this was not just a way to make money, nor were we just  bunch of law-breakers. His mission was clear- to make us better and safer drivers and to ensure the roads we travelled on were safer places. He wasn't exaggerating when he reminded us we were involved in a life or death issue. As a Christian, I was extremely proud of Ian Pomeroy - chances are you have never heard of him, but too often we assume the heroes of the Christian faith are the pastors and the missionaries when actually the real heroes are the men of women who engage with people in the real world everyday and take seriously their role as salt and light. Ian is a living embodiment of someone pursing excellence in their job and doing so to the glory of God: 'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men' Col. 3:23

Three very different men, all following the path God has laid out for them, and all gifted communicators.

A GUILTY PLEASURE?

I've had an interesting week since getting back from the Music Boat cruise with Third Day. It's been hard to justify that a Bahamas cruise could really be defined as work, and I've had loads of 'suffering for the gospel' jokes. Even accepting the cruise as a pleasant consequence of ministering with Third Day, I've felt a slight mix of guilt and embarrassment (only a slight!) telling people where I've been!

However, this has taken me back to my Sociology Degree ( I knew it would come in helpful eventually!), and specifically to a book by Peter Berger called  A Rumour of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural in which he identifies 5 signs of life that are hard to explain without the existence of God:

-Order: all societies have an instinct for it.

-Play: it suspends the serious.

-Hope: a universal part of our experience.

-Damnation: where did the idea of death come from?

-Humor: which helps to make life tolerable.

We shouldn't feel guilty about taking time out to play, to relax, to rest. One of the organisers of the cruise said to me that in the Contemporary Christian Music industry we do a lot of business together, share in a lot of ministry together, but that the cruise was a very rare opportunity to play together.

Our lives and our spending shouldn't be dominated by a search for pleasure and play, and we should always look at ways of impacting the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves, but we needn't feel guilty at occasionally having fun and enjoying ourselves in the company of family and friends.

BETHAN AND THE PRESIDENT.

On the way to Miami to meet up with Third Day for the Music Boat Cruise, Bethan and I stopped off overnight in Washington DC. Despite President Obama being in India at the time, we managed to bump into him at Union Station.

GRADUATION DAY.

NEW THIRD DAY WEBSITE.

With the release of the 'MOVE' album, Third Day have updated their website and consequently my road pastor blog can now be found at Lessons from the Road on the new site.

JASON GRAY....

Is the name of the singer-songwriter who has been opening up each night on the Make a Difference tour.We had quite a few good chats together, and when doing a quick video interview with me Jason commented:

"Nigel, I like you for two reasons- one for the good spiritual conversations we have had, and two because you sound like and look like you could be a villain in a James Bond film."

-That has to be one of the quirkiest things ever said to me, and it made me laugh out loud.

Jason is an honest, vulnerable, brave and passionate singer-songwriter. You can check his music and his life out at JasonGrayMusic. 

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOUR.

Pretty soon, Third Day's updated website goes live and you can catch my tour pastor's blog there at http://www.thirdday.com/. 

As I sit in a Starbuck's in the outskirts of Atlanta, here are some more personal highlights from the last 2 weeks:

*Sleeping on the drive from Cardiff to Heathrow- I took the bus for a change.

*Reading England cricketer Marcus Trescothick's autobiography on the plane over. He's suffered from depression and the book is a fascinating read-giving me a little insight into how and why I feel so anxious and near to panic at the start of a trip away from home.

*Enjoying Scotty Wilbanks hamburger grilling at his daughter's 2nd birthday party. No party-bag for me though!

*Being given an Enterprise putter by friend Harold Stone. Yes! It's shaped like the USS Enterprise from Star Trek. Harold generously provided one for Toby Mac and Tai Anderson as well.

*Sharing in the leading of 2 Sunday worship and communion services with Max Lucado- and being asked by Max to speak at each of them about Acts 2 and the Holy Spirit. After the second service Max and I prayed for each other and he thanked God for all that I had taught him!!  Looks like my Master's degree wasn't a waste of time after all!

*Going with Mark Lee and Mac Powell to watch the Atlanta Braves crucial play-off game with San Francisco Giants. Baseball with Mark and Mac is certainly an experience and they live every little nuance and play of the game. Sadly the Braves lost the must-win game and their season is over. It was the last ever game for long-serving coach Bobby Cox and he was given a great send-off by the adoring Braves fans.

* The poignant 'Welcome Home a Hero' slot at the ball game when an injured army veteran just returned from Afghanistan was introduced to the crowd and got a rousing reception.

*Listening to Third Day play some of the songs from their new album MOVE live- personal favourite right now? A song called 'Gone' or as Mac calls it.... 'GAAWN'

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN.

Sitting in a hotel room in Pittsburgh about to join Third Day for the first time in six months. The last week or so before going on the road is always hectic-however much I try to avoid it! This time was no exception, with last weekend including a leaving meal for Chris Cartwright as he progresses to a regional role with the Elim movement, the African night of prayer, the all-day open-house for my 50th birthday and our 21st wedding anniversary, Chris's last service and Steve Ball's induction, and me preaching the first of our new Life Choices for Sunday Night Church. Then on Monday, I rushed up to the Elim College in Malvern to complete the lecturing for the module 'Communication in a Youth Setting' for the Serious 4 Youth Ministry course. Tuesday was spent scrambling around with last-minute meetings and packing ready to get the bus to Heathrow on Wednesday.

THE GREAT NEWS---- Our open house raised the incredible figure of over £2,500 towards the final construction of a children's home on the Come Together compound in India, and as an added bonus towards another classroom at the Gateway School. Gill and I were overwhelmed at the generosity of our friends!

JOIN THE ADVENTURE.

With 2 mission team heading out from City Temple this Autumn, to India and to Israel, I was able to profile the importance of mission in last sunday's evening service.

Here are some of my key points:

*GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SENDING GOD...

-He sent His Son to live on earth

-He sent His Spirit to live in the church

-He sends His church out into the world

*IT'S OUR PRIVILEGE TO BE INVITED INTO GOD'S GREAT ADVENTURE OF REDEEMING THE WORLD...

-We've been commanded by Jesus to go (Mark 16.15),

 -More and more Christians are being prompted by the Holy Spirit to realise that there is an urgent need to join the final missionary push before the end of the age (Matthew 24.14).

*NOTHING ELSE IS AS IMPORTANT AS JOINING THE ADVENTURE AND PLAYING OUR PART!

-We've all got to PRAY for the success of mission

-We've all got to GIVE to help mission happen

-We've all got to GO on mission, whether that means five miles away of five thousand miles away.

-We've all got to LIVE with a missional outlook