Hump day got you down? If you need someone to lift you from the Wednesday blues check out Third Day with special guests Lincoln Brewster and Kendall Payne.

Third Day is a Christian rock group that hails from Atlanta, Ga. Their tour, “Offerings,” will conclude Wednesday in Ames after a successful run, including a sell out “Offerings” fall 2000 tour.

Sara Huber, advertising and promotions coordinator for the Iowa State Center said it typically tries to have one or two Christian shows a year, depending on who is touring.

“Ames and its surrounding communities have always been strong supporters of the Christian acts that come though here,” Huber said.

Levi Willms, junior in animal science, peer minister at Memorial Lutheran Church in Ames and a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, will be among the hundreds of fans flocking – no biblical pun intended – to Stephens for the show tonight at 7.

Willms is skipping meetings of both of the Christian organizations he is involved with in order to see Third Day’s concert tonight.

“They are probably my favorite band!,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it [the concert] for anything.”

“Third Day’s music is really uplifting,” Bruce Bergman, senior in agricultural business, said. “[Listening to religious music] is not as intimidating for some people as going to church.”

Third Day has sold more than 1 million copies of its combined four albums. The Grammy-winning group’s latest release, “Offerings – a Worship Album,” has been the number one Christian albums for more than six weeks.

Kathrina Rud, junior in agriculture education, will also be attending Third Day’s concert.

Rud, a member of Campus Crusade for Christ and Athletes in Action, said she enjoys listening to music with such an important meaning behind it.

“I really love Third Day’s lyrics. They are so strong,” she said. “Every word praises God. A lot of Christian songs seem to glorify [the religion], but Third Day gives the glory to God.”

Rud also said she likes the group’s use of scripture in some of its songs.

“It is just impossible to sing a Third Day song without praising God,” she said.

Third Day has had some success crossing over to the mainstream charts – which is helping to build a bigger fan base resulting in bigger venues.

“It’s hard to imagine how they can put as much emotion into the songs as they do and still come off sounding like a modern rock group,” Huber added. “They really do have a lot of good messages and some really good music.”

Bergman, who was first introduced to Third Day and Lincoln Brewster by his sisters, expects tonight’s show to be very entertaining.

“The fans really get into it,” Bergman said. “No one will be sitting on their hands!”

Tickets for the show, which is expected to run between three and four hours in length, have been selling well, Huber said.

“We have very few top-price seats left,” she added.

Willms and Rud, both long time fans, are excited to see a band that they are familiar with.

“I think it will be cool to see a band that I’ve been listening to for so long,” Willms said.

“Don’t knock Christian music until you have listened to it,” Rud said. “God has given these guys musical talent and if I can be able to praise him by listening to it, then rock on!”

Not everyone has a glowing opinion of Christian rock bands like Third Day. Former 105.1 Channel Q DJ Kara James, senior in journalism and mass communication, said she realizes its popularity but would not call herself a fan.

“I’m not into it,” James said. “A lot of people do follow [Christian Rock] though. I think that the people who are into it believe it for a reason.”

Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster locations and at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office.