Pastor Nigel

BUS TIME!

We're on the tour bus at Creation Fest after a 12 hour drive from Atlanta overnight. The guys have been showing me some of the bonus video footage for Chronology Vol. 2, and the documentary about the band's career so far is outstanding! Some of the haircuts and stage clothes need to be seen to be believed, but my my overall impression was to be thankful to God for bringing the guys on such a memorable and significant journey- that's their career journey, not Atlanta to Creation!
Here's another sneak peak from the book project. Tai and I have a meeting with publishers on Monday so keep on praying. Here Brad talks about maintaining his spiritual life on the road:

Many of our fans ask how we keep focused on God out on the road. I think there is an assumption that our time is consumed with media, retail, fans, and sound checks. What most people don’t know is that our lives on the road are very structured. They have to be. We actually have tremendous amounts of downtime that require activities and hobbies to help endure. Schedules and consistency are important in all daily routines to help maintain balance and sanity. With this in mind, it is almost easier for us to keep our focus and attention on God on the road, than it would be at home. Home life tends to have more distractions and surprises that take away from a consistent routine and time in devotion. With wives, kids, friends, e-mail trails, and honey do’s, time alone to press in can be hard pressed to find.
We know that we have a tremendous responsibility to God and His calling in our lives. We also know that we are accountable to each other, families, friends, and fans to always pursue a growing and mature relationship with the Creator. “To whom much is given, much is required.” We honor that calling and want to continue to hear what God would have for our lives, ministry, and career.

STORNOWAY

Sitting at the computer of my hosts after an incredible weekend of ministry on the small island of Stornoway. One of the things that has sturck me most is how young people in this still very traditional and quite legalistic Christian community are having the Holy Spirit breathed into them by contemporary Christian music. There are plenty of fans of Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Newsboys, David Crowder and Casting Crowns. Sunday here is still very much the Sabbath, with every shop shut and cars only travelling to church. I've been ministering alongside leaders who desperately want to see God move as He did in a great revival here in the 1950's. I met some Third Day fans who travelled 2 days to see the band in Glasgow on the recent UK tour, a local band at a worship event on Saturday night played a cover of Come on Back to Me, and the worship leader for the weekend had asked permisison from Mark Lee to translate one of Mark's songs into the local Gaelic language for his school class to sing.

After speaking in 8 different occasions over the weekend I'm absolutely shattered, but pleasantly so. I'm heading off tomorrow night to Atlanta to meet the guys, and it looks like Tai and I have a meeting next week with a publishing house about the book project. They are very excited about it-Praise the Lord!

CATCH UP!

Next week I fly into Atlanta to catch up with the guys in the band for the first time since the UK tour back in May. I'll be jumping on the tour bus almost as soon as I get off the plane, and joining the band for concerts at Creation East and Roach, Missouri ( on an Indian reservation!). Hopefully, we'll get some time to share in devotions, to talk about the new book, and to discuss future plans together. Before then I'm off to the Island of Lewis off the coast of Scotland. It has a population of just 20,000 and I'm leading a youth revival weekend in the capital Stornoway. Lewis has a strong heritage of Christian worship and witness, and I'm excited to be going there- 8 talks over the weekend, and 2 flights each way from my home in Cardiff. I'll post an update next week, and let you all know how the time with the band goes as well.

SNEAK PEAK 2.

Here's another excerpt from the book. This one is from a chapter entitled 'Come Together' and focuses on the early thinking about the 'Wire' album.

It’s Oklahoma City and we’re on the Come Together and Worship Tour. For a long while over recent weeks the band has been discussing future vision and direction. Now we have found time to sit out in a park and spend all afternoon talking, dreaming, praying and seeking God for wisdom about the next step for Third Day. The conversations and direction of that afternoon led to the Wire album, and we spent much time considering how the band could reach a wider audience and especially get their music heard outside the walls of the Christian community. Many Christian bands have attempted to ‘go mainstream’ and have done so with different motive. Often they have been misunderstood- ‘selling out’, ‘going secular’, ‘losing their passion for Jesus’ and other such phrases being levelled at them. I’m not in a position to comment on other bands, but I can very clearly remember the conversations that Third Day and I had sitting on the grass that afternoon in Oklahoma City. We very definitely saw reaching outside the church and into mainstream as a mission opportunity, it wasn’t just about selling more albums or playing bigger concerts- in fact successful Christian bands who move out of the Christian Music genre often end up starting again with small album sales and low-key promotional tours or support slots to established mainstream bands. Six of us sitting in a circle on a grassy embankment attracted some strange looks, but the topics of our conversation were important ones. How would lyrics need to adapt, if at all, for a wider audience? What would Mac, already a superbly accomplished communicator, say between songs to a wider audience? Would the guys be prepared to play support slots for mainstream artists? Did they realise that stepping outside the walls of the church meant that prayer and Bible study didn’t become less important but more important? How would we explain to faithful fans what the heart of the band was for this new direction? How would be deal with Christians who might misunderstand what the band believed God was calling them to? We look back to that afternoon in Oklahoma City and remember it as a crucial time when God not only spoke to us, but we sensed a unity of purpose and an excitement about the future that could only have been from the Holy Spirit. There was a genuine thrill about being on this journey together. Years later, we were reminded about these feelings towards the end of the Wherever You Are tour. The band was thinking about a change of management, and was looking to move into a new season of ministry. Meetings and discussions in the middle of a busy tour were proving difficult and at times tensions were running a little bit higher than normal. Yet at the right time we were able to find a few hours to meet up in a restaurant and seek a unified vision. With remarkable ease and in a short space of time, there was consensus, enthusiasm, peace and faith about the future.

SNEAK PEAK 1.

As promised here's a short extract from the upcoming book about life on the road. We really hope God uses this project to encourage and inspire Third Dan fans old and new. Here's a paragraph from a chapter entitled 'Lord of All Creation':
Having listened to Christian music for well over 25 years, my observation is that Christian musicians are not always as creative as they could be. There is much pressure to produce the Christian equivalent of what is successful in the charts rather than pursuing originality, and Christian lyrics in an attempt to communicate the unchanging message of the gospel can come across as clichéd and jaded. However, I believe that none of these criticisms can be levelled at Third Day. Whilst they undoubtedly have their influences, I have long marvelled at the distinctive and original style of both music and lyrics that the band has come up with over the years. Whilst some Christian artists chose to ride the ‘worship explosion’ with albums packed with covers of recent popular worship songs, Third Day have chosen to write fresh worship songs or cover existing but little known songs that they felt deserved a wider hearing. This chapter will take us behind the creative process and confirm that we worship a creative God who gives us the talent to create for ourselves and to bring Him glory.

PRAY FOR THE BOOK!

Over the last year or so I've been working on a book which has the working title of "Lessons from the Road" - it's about my experiences with Third Day over the years. It's packed with devotions that we've shared together, stories behind the songs from the guys themselves, lots of insider views, reminders of God working, and plenty of memories and perspectives from Mac, Mark, Tai, David and Brad.
Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is that the manuscript is finished and is currently being offered to a couple of publishers. We are all really excited about this project and would appreciate your prayers. The book will be a devotional help to people, an encouragement for fans, and also a really good read! Could you pray that a publisher will see this vision and want to publish it?
Over the next few weeks I'll post some sneak peeks from a couple of chapters just to whet your appetite.

HELLO!

Welcome to my new blog! What a grand title I've been given. A knight of the realm I am not. A reverend, yes. Yet 'Sir Nigel James' does have a certain dignity to it.
I've been blogging for well over a year now on my own site Spin Like the Wind but we thought it was about time I had a more Third Day road pastor specific blog. Now given that Third Day aren't involved in a major tour at the moment, it means I'll have plenty of time to answer your questions, especially those tricky ones about life and faith that are puzzling you. Feel free to fire them at me!
Timothy, my dear son, be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus.
You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things. 2 Timothy 2.1-7