Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

Five, four, three, two, one! I remember it pretty clearly, I had the flu and there was the ball dropping to touch off the year 2000. Most of the world was waiting for computer system failures, airlines couldn't sell a ticket, Disney released the newest Fantasia while churches were saving water in barrels, food stuffs and buying generators. One prophet said "nothing would happen," and another said that "little would happen." Y2K came and went like any other New Year. In my personal life, 2000 was a though one. My divorce was finalized, I got laid-off and started back to computer school. I packed everything I had left in a VW Bug and moved in at a friends home. That same year: February 13th was the day that Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz died - it was the second anniversary of my dad's death. August 21st - Tiger Woods wins golf's PGA Championship to become the first golfer since 1953 to win 3 majors in a calendar year. November 16th - Bill Clinton beca...

Well, I've lost it. I tried so hard to fit the religious mold, I really did. I went to a church for all of 2009; tried to follow all the little programs, got a newcomers gift; mints and all, reached out, gave out business cards, called everyone that gave me a number and emailed everyone else I met. I attended a few small groups, volunteered for some stuff and stood by the coffee pot trying to catch a little conversation. Religion is not working for me. Instead of lifting my spirit, it makes me sad. I finally had to tell myself I am not of this world I call church. I am sorry, this can't be the gathering that I was warned against forsaking! I must be doing something wrong. I might not be needy enough, old enough, short enough, clean enough, interesting enough or of the right lineage. I dunno. Maybe I am in denial, but my daughter's youth pastor thinks I am awesome. Too bad I am not 16, I could go to those meetings! What am I going to do? I am going to pray this prayer ...

. . . Or Happy I Ate Too Much Yesterday Day; depending on where you are from. The sizzle of Christmas is over for most of us. The heightened awareness of giving has subsided - there is still a bit of mess in the living room as daughter number 3 has tried to find her favorite Christmas toy - leaving some unfavorites in a pile. She slept with her new American Girl Doll, "Star" and has already put on her first concert for mom and dad. Please hang on as I post a few random thoughts about Christmas and New Year's - eventually I'll make a point. I had prime rib and pecan pie for breakfast - oh and Mary Anne shared her chocolates - a Christmas miracle. The post office never delivered the Christmas gifts I bought online for the older girls. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I only got them one. The Post Office said they tried to deliver them on the 24th and left a notice - they lied. I filed a complaint. Can't wait for their health care to come online. How about you...

Bah Humbug! This is the first Christmas Eve that I have had to work since I can remember. I am getting out at 1 pm, and looking forward to the day's activities - family, wrapping, eating and church - yes, in that order. Today I am thinking about my family: My 6-year-old; her excitement this morning, my wife and her joy about visiting her family for another Christmas Eve, my 20-something at work showing off her new engagement ring while styling doll hair, and my 18-year-old who is in the midst of the difficult transition from teenager to adulthood. Holidays can be tough sometimes. For me, for the most part, I can look back and find times of joy. The first Christmas I spent with Mary Anne. My little ones coming down the stairs to survey their gifts, quiet moments in a church service - ones like now where I remember when I was in the presence of Jesus, times with family and even those when I wasn't with them. There is a sadness as I miss my parents for another year. I am thinki...

Well, it's going to happen and you know it - and it's just around the corner. You will receive something that you don't need, don't want, don't like or don't fit. It will happen. Like creamed corn at a food pantry, you'll be wanting to get rid of some gift this year. I remember my sister getting an angora sweater from my dad for Christmas some years ago. It was so fluffy I think it "meowed." Her eyes shifted around the room looking for a place to land other then the anxious gift-givers. At the car in the driveway she held it up and said, "what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" It wasn't exactly the type of gift you give a hippie living in a tee-pee. This is why gift cards are so popular - well until you get one marked $50 with $7.86 remaining on it. That'll kill your self esteem in a heartbeat. Actually if you are related to, or friends with, someone that would do that - it's likely that you already have self esteem iss...

For over three years I have been writing Fire and Grace, and my readers have their favorites. Here are the top 100 most read blogs from the most popular to the least popular. Role Of Holy Spirit - Power To Be a Son Or Daughter of God The Cost Of Following Jesus - For What It's Worth 5 Fold Ministry - Prerequisites Part 1 Poor Or Poor- The Poor of the Bible Demonic Curses, Oppression and Possession Rhema! Hearing God Right Now! 5 Fold Ministry - Ephesians 4:11 When Prophetic People Do Stupid Things My How You've Changed Glory, Glory Hallelujah He Reigns Facebook 10 - Commandments Dos And Don'ts The Perfect Church - No Kidding You're It Intimacy - A Really Personal Relationship Nobel Peace Prize - What Is It Really? Case Against Fundamentalism The Prophet Part 6 Of 7 Closer Than a Brother - What Is a Friend ? Real Faith - Following Voice Of God Sound Of Rain - Revelation And You Parable Of the Water Buffalo - Kids And Cars God Grant Me the Serenity - Some Things Change Re...

My friend Tony C blogged about Christmas this week. The comment thread turned into quite a discussion. Like teetotalers at a cocktail party, and dieters at a Thanksgiving feast, the church is again split on whether on not to celebrate Christmas - breaking rule #2 ! BTW - Can we have a skinny Santa? And where would we be without gifts and a tree? Here are the top 5 reasons Christians hate Christmas: - Pagan Roots - Commercialism - It's not the day that Christ was actually born. - It's not a biblically sanctioned feast or celebration. - Fertility symbols such as the Christmas tree and Santa Clause. - And this one is for free - people who don't have faith in Jesus celebrate it making it worldly. There you have it, 6 good reasons NOT to participate in any type of Christmas festivities. If you are a Christmas-ee and not a Christmas-or, you might feel a little empty perusing the above list. Christians have been doing this seasonal madness for almost 2000 years. The celeb...

My readers are vigilant, often giving me kudos for going after the relationally insensitive, and calling out those that knowingly break the "rules." It makes me wonder, are we cheering on the under-dogs, or are we enjoying the prideful, yet well deserved smack upside the head from Mr. Fire and Grace? I was just thinkin'. There is the constant battle against the rationalization that we are "not perfect" - which is true, and the notion of unobtainable legalistic perfection. Embracing the truth about grace, however; is not permission to act badly. It should be a sign that we need to constantly, as Paul said, "take our thoughts captive," and examine our behavior. How many of us do you suppose actually do that; examine our behavior? Are we sitting here having some of these thoughts: "I am a poor employee because they don't really pay me that well." "I am a bad wife/husband, but my spouse is worse." "I am a rebellious child - it...

Well, score one for the Taunton, MA Pubic School System. Today they suspended a 2nd grader for drawing a "violent" stick figure of Jesus on the cross. (left) Top that off with sending him to the shrink before allowing him to come back to school. ( Article ) Around these parts, the Catholic church is the most well attended church denomination in New England. There are crucifixes everywhere! That's why the little sign over Jesus on the crucifix says "IN RI." Not really... it says "Jesus Christ King of the Jews in 3 languages. When I was in Norway, we heard that Sweden had enacted a law which basically said any "Born Again Christians" had mental problems and were to be treated as such. We were on a team with some guys that had been put away because they "heard from God!" Now I understand that most churches don't want to hear from God, but this was pathetic. I was reading the comments on the article, and they range from "fire the i...

Today I am having a hard time not going to a few churches and turning over a some tables! For years I have attended church with my family in the hope of us growing closer to Jesus and His people. In the process of "not forsaking the gathering of believers," I have watched my family get hurt by shallow religious folks; who were for the most part, clueless. Today, I am mad about it. The lesson our kids have learned is this: If you are normal enough to fit our religious paradigm, we'll be your friend; otherwise, we can't be bothered with you. 1 Corinthians 4:15 (Amplified Bible)15 After all, though you should have ten thousand teachers (guides to direct you) in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. It is stunning to me how often "church" abandons kids to loneliness by buying into the lie that "kids will be kids;" teaching it like truth. The problem with that philosophy is that kids will become immature adults who can't take care of their own k...

Today's blog is for Americans. I don't know if you've been watching, but the debate of health care reform is at a boil. I don't care which side of the debate you are on, we NEED health care reform. It needs to be affordable, cover all Americans, and most of all be fair to taxpayers! I don't want to pay anymore than I am already paying in taxes. How about you? The current bill in the senate is not any of those things: it is not fair, it doesn't cover all Americans, and it is not affordable - nor does it lower costs. The Senate is pushing around the numbers, somehow hoping that we'll not be aware of the details and they can pass it in the middle of the night. This is not a rant, but a serious discussion on what is about to happen to you; well, if you live in America. A true democracy requires the input of the people in it. How do I nicely say, "get off you butt and participate -- in Jesus' name!" You need to be praying, listening, discerning and...

Today, for my coffee break I decided to click through the NEXT BLOG link on the Blogspot interface - yup, it's right up there. I believe that it is intended to join random blogs by topic. I have actually found some good blogs that way - you can see a list of some of them down yonder on the lower right. I have also found a lot blogs that didn't really catch my attention - denominational clones and religious blather that, well, I am tired of hearing. I also saw a lot of judgement and defenses for liberal (read that non-biblical Christianity). Personally, I want to hear something fresh! I am looking for some rhema , or at least some satire that gets me from one end of my coffee break to the next. Over the years I have come across lots of sites and blogs that pound Christians into the ground - some deserve it. Today I came across a blog site which posts mug shots of clergy, pastors, youth pastors, choir leaders and Sunday school teachers that have been arrested; mostly for sexual o...

Today my friend's child asked for a ride to school, and in jest, he replied, "why do we have kids?" His daughter fired back, "I didn't ask to be born?" Her dad, not to be out done, said, "Well, if you had asked, the answer would have been 'No!'" I have always wondered what God was thinking was when he "cursed the day he was born." ( Job 3 ) What I do know is that when children sin, God's gives them over to the penalty of sin. ( Job 8:4 ) I also heard another tale. It was about a man that had made a deposit of $10,000 at a local bank. One day he came to make a withdrawal and the banker seemed a very surprised. "I'm sorry, but I have to confess," said the banker "I didn't think you'd be back for it so soon, and I spent your money on a new bass boat." Of course, if this had happened to you, you would be upset. Very upset. Even if it happened to someone that you loved, you might feel a sense of righ...

I love Christmas time. Unfortunately, I am usually too busy to enjoy the season. I seem to parachute in a day or two before, and poof, it's gone like a rabbit in a Doug Henning magic act. There's just not enough time from Halloween to Christmas. And besides, our house still smells like pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving for cryin' out loud. In spite of all that I need to do, I have been trying to be more purposeful in getting in the Christmas spirit. I started playing holiday music on Black Friday, but I have to admit, I switch it over to news radio every time I hear Madonna. It's like oil and water, Madonna and Christmas. I like traditional hymns like We Three Kings, even though they were not there when the real Jesus was born. It took me 30 years to discover the real words did not include "smoking on a rubber cigar." Next time I see my brother, I'm going to punch him in the nose for teaching me that. You have no idea how mad the blue-rinse widow was at mid...

Last month I posted a survey on the blog - maybe you took it. I asked my readers what their basic belief or religion was. Here is how things tallied up. I am a Christian. (69%) I am an Atheist. (19%) I just believe in God. (11%) I am Other/Jewish/Muslim. (0%) I also asked the same folks what their particular religion or belief encompassed. I believe in a supernatural God. (76%) I believe in spiritual gifts. (63%) I believe that prayer works. (63%) I believe in the paranormal. (30%) I believe in don't believe in the supernatural. (10%) It is not a very scientific poll, but it does reveal a few things. Here are a few conclusions. 19% of the respondents are atheists. I guess I am doing OK for a Christian guy - even non-believers are reading - or at least taking the poll. Our churches should be so lucky as to have 1 in 5 who need to hear the gospel. 80% responded saying that they believe in God or god. 76% see him as a supernatural entity. Hmm... 4% believe in a God that is what? A con...

The sweet summer air drifted by like a butterfly on swaying milkweeds. By night the lakeside; gentle waves lapping the sandy beach, glistening ripples transforming the stillness - as a stray headlight lit her hair and gentle smile. We sat like royalty overlooking our future - She laughed when I poked her in the side. The warm cascade of endorphins swirled about the cogs of logic - from surreal to real and back again, the hours passed. There we were atop the lifeguard chair, holding hands, talking, and gazing at heavens. Mary Anne is the best thing that ever happened to me. Sure, meeting Jesus and all that religious stuff is eternal. Me, I still have to live here on earth, amuse my 6-year-old, manage teenagers, commute to work, pay bills, go to the dentist and grow old. I don't know about you, but that is a lot of work. And if you have to work that hard at life, it's nice to spend it with someone that recharges your batteries! Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car, i...

-10 Lack of Deep Relationship - I think of all the stupid things Christians commonly do, the fact that so many do not understand what it means to be a church family, a brother or sister in the Lord, or a godly friend tops the list. John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Somehow this scripture from John (above) has been Americanized to mean "be nice to each other." Sure, some will take it deeper and pray for others, and some will even serve each other by bringing a meal or visiting someone in the hospital. The deeper the better - but I don't go to church to be "niced" to death! I think the basic problem is that we love as we have been loved , not as Jesus has loved us. The true test of a loving and deep relationship, however; is not good feelings, personal satisfaction and a plaque for expressing love using one of the 5 Love Languages . A deep relationship creates an atmosphere of trust, accountability and camaraderie. It i...

-9 The Influence of Witchcraft In the Church - What? The church does not engage in witchcraft! Well, some Christians do. Human beings are designed to engage the supernatural realms. Some of it's just not God! Even 33% of atheists believe in the paranormal and prayer. Martin Luther taught that witchcraft was a sin because the 2nd commandment says, "you shall have no other God before me." With that in mind, and before we look at the scriptures, here is brief list of practices and topics that I found in the Google search "christian witchcraft." - Divination, Fortune Telling, Horoscopes, Tarot Cards, Psychics and Ouija Boards - Fantasy characters such as Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Disney, Santa and the Easter Bunny - Holidays that take place on pagan holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentines Day - White and Black Witchcraft, Wicca and Liberal Christians only casting loving spells (I really found that!) - Satanism - Repetitive prayers and ma...