Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

Sit, roll over, fetch - it's a lot to remember for a dog with a brain the size of a golf ball. Just think what dogs would be like if they were as smart as - well you. The Christians that read my blogs are like the rest of the church, diverse. My readership embodies everything from Charismatics to Catholics, and lots in between. There are those that have some training and those that don't. If it was an intellectual game, some would win, and some would lose. Thank God it's not. The good news is the Good News. The Gospel is fit for each one of us, and the trick is contained in one word: obedience. There are a bajillion people running around asking WWJD? He'd be obedient - perfectly obedient. He would have cleaned his room when asked and as a reward, I guess He'd get to use the family donkey. He would have given His tithe, been honest on his time-papyrus at the carpentry shop, and given up His favorite hitching post in downtown to a crippled man - well, if He didn'...

I was talking to a few friends, coworkers, and even my wife this past week. Each discussion about a current issue seemed to go a little sideways. Here is what I mean. I was talking about immigration, and a friend stated the problem was that illegal aliens are able to show up in the local Emergency Room (or other places) and get care at the expense of working Americans. The facts are that someone is here breaking a law, and yet, we need to have compassion and give life saving medical treatment that they cannot afford. It certainly is a quandary - an ethical dilemma, and there is no clear cut Bible verse that we can stand on without debate which allows us to know what exactly what to do. There isn't and don't gag me by saying, "What would Jesus do?" He would have healed them supernaturally, free of charge. As I thought about this issue and others like it - beyond cable news and the rhetoric of Washington- what I discovered is that the situation at hand was a symptom of ...

It is always exciting to to be a Christian. You may not always know what God is up to, but when you are listening, and hanging out with God's people, things do happen! For a almost a year, I have been an online friend with the author of Woe Is Me and more recently the author of Tony C Today . These two guys have caused me to think, to pray and to be challenged in the things that I hold close. And they enjoy my sarcasm (to tear flesh). Together we have banded together in Jesus' name to write another blog focusing on the Kingdom of God. This week it's testimonies, and I believe we are going to talk about answered prayer next -- who knows where it will go from there. So check us out at www.kingdombloggers.com . Some may ask why 3 guys that already have blogs joined to make one another? Good question. One night I had a dream about it - and then pretty much forgot about it until Dave called me. In the course of our conversation, he brought up the fact that we should do somethi...

There in a kitchen, one decorated with copper-tone appliances - the refrigerator adorned with pictures of my nieces, an unfinished shopping list, a calender, magnets; one with the Serenity Prayer, along with mementos from meaningful events in my mother's life; all lit by a simple incandescent ceiling light, I stood. Like the opening scene from an episode of CSI, I waited for the headlights of my friend's car to disappear from the driveway. As the high-beams cascaded across the faux maple cabinets, I was finally alone. In an rush of emotion like a freight train - an orgasm of excitement, rationalization, denial and pain, I grabbed the copper handle and opened the door to the liquor cabinet. My favorite, vodka, gone! The rum, watered down to nearly nothing from maintaining the level to the pencil mark -- and there -- a bottle of Cutty Sark Scotch; green glass glistening in the shapely curve just above the schooner clad yellow label. In the midst of it all, my only thought:...

I loved Jerry Sienfeld's response to the persistent telemarketer. I took the last month to do another survey on the behavior of church people and here are the results. But first a little bit of Jerry to set the tone. How many folks from church call you? 42% said 0 38% said 3 4% said 4-6 14% said 7-10 Nearly half of the respondents, OK, let's not exaggerate 42% - that's 42 in a congregation of 100 or 84 in a congregation of 200, or 420 in a congregation of 1000 -- and for those of you at a mega-church, that's 2,100 out of 5,000 who said zero! Zero people call them. Think about it?!? Maybe I should say think about it hard. If we are going to be known by our love, and we can't even pick up the phone - well, I report you decide. Did you know that the Vineyard Christian Fellowship did a study about 10 years ago? They found that a newcomer - Christian or otherwise -- needs to make six to seven meaningful friendships in order for them to stay at a church and become a produ...

There was a discussion on Facebook today about how some people think Christians are "whack jobs." Regardless, God is still great. I don't really know much about beer. I haven't had one in just about 30 years. There are a lot of folks that consider themselves to be Christian. Some because they do good, and others because they have faith in God or are born again-- and others because they grew up in a Christian denomination. Far be it from me to decide who is in, and who is out. Some say we'll be surprised at who is going to be there, and others say who think they are in will be surprised when they are rejected at the Pearly Gates. Hmmm... But let's say you are a real Christian who is feeling passionate about doing something for God. You know something beyond throwing a few bucks in the offering plate and trying to be a good person. The church calls it service or ministry, which could include such things as: reading scriptures on Sunday morning, planning a harves...

It seems that the larger my readership grows, the more I start to feel like I am out of my league. Thankfully conflict is not the absence of peace. I do propose to carry on. Often times I am challenged by the questions and comments I receive-- especially on Facebook. Today, if you are a Bible believing Christian I want to challenge you. If something-- a cause-- is important to you, leave a comment and tell me why the Bible is in tune with your way of thinking. I usually do the thinking, but today it's your turn. Before you start I want you to think about what it is like to love your neighbor as yourself. When is it OK to act like Jesus and turn over the table of the money changers? Are you forgiving? How many people have you seen give their life to Christ this week? How many folks have you brought to Christ? If the church is supposed to preach the gospel, how are they doing? What are we doing for the poor, the widows and those in jail? Are we there when someone we know moves to a ...

For the church to be effective in carrying out the task of making disciples, it must come to some common ground, or we will not be unified. In the first century there were Jewish and Gentile believers. Even those two distinct groups were divided into followers of the different apostles. There were those that followed Paul and those that followed Apollos. It almost seems division was inevitable. 1 Corinthians 1:12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas (Peter)"; still another, "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Paul certainly understood the problem with immature believers that would follow a man, not Christ himself. What about you? Are you following Christ or a man? How do you know? You can usually separate these folks out when a pastor leaves and a new one comes. Some try to follow the pastor to...

In America, here in the land of the free, there is trouble. This morning I heard Jim Gilchrist of the Minuteman Project was scheduled to speak at an immigration conference at Harvard University. However; he's now been disinvited. Isn't this the same school that Beer Summit rock-star, Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a professor? Isn't this the same Harvard that invited past president Jimmy Carter to speak-- well, with certain questions off limits? The event organizers, the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee have an official statement. "Mr. Gilchrist’s participation in the conference on the behalf of the Minutemen Project was not compatible with providing an environment for civil, educational, and productive discourse on immigration, and we cannot host him at this time." Have we gone PC Mad? We have important issues in our country that need to be discussed. And there is a view, right or wrong, that shouldn't be part of a debate to train lawyers? That's object...

I heard about a poll on the radio in which 900 Americans were asked what phrases most annoyed them. Well here is the most recent list of terms. 47% responded that "whatever" is by far the worst of the bunch. Among the other cringe-worthy phrases were "you know" (25% of the votes), "it is what it is" (11%), "anyway" (7%) and "at the end of the day" (2%). I would have added "like" -- it must be the teens and 20-somethings in my life. But there have been many other idioms and idiomatic expressions over the years, all of them causing verbal fatigue -- "really," "absolutely," "no problem" (thank you), "," at this moment in time" (I am going to change my mind at some other point in time), "with all due respect" (I think your a total idiot)," "to be honest with you," "24/7," and "it’s not rocket science." Actually, I prefer it's not rocket s...

As a blogger of faith and occasionally politics, I get challenged on my beliefs, my faith and my positions on the popular issues. There are some very intelligent people out there who have done their research-- they scare me. I am just an average Joe, sitting here this morning enjoying the foliage out my New England window, as I eat baby Goudas and sip Colombian coffee. I honestly can't compete with intellectuals- and I don't really care too. Go read the Huffington Post or Politico of some blog where the writer has 10 degrees from your favorite university. Today I want to challenge your faith when it come to the miraculous. Why? Because God is not just waiting to bless you and those around you when you get to heaven. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is AT HAND! It seems odd to me that Bible believing Christians get a little widgy when a manifestation of the Holy Spirit doesn't seem to have an exact match in the Bible. Things like healing eyes with dirt and spittle might se...

Paul of Tarsus 1 Prison Way Rome, Italy Phone: 800-CAUGHT-UP Website : JewsforJesus.god (see the live prison cam) Skills: Intellectual Deep Thinking Orator Revelatory Work History: Tent-maker/Apostle of the Lord More Journeys 63-67 AD Imprisonment in Rome 61-63 AD Voyage to Rome 60-61 AD Imprisonment in Judea 58-60 AD Third Journey 54-58 AD Second Journey 51-53 AD First Journey 45-47 AD Damascus 37-40 AD Published Works: Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Education: Synagogue at Jerusalem Areas of Study: Jewish Scriptures and Pharisaic traditions Foreign Languages: Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin Previous Addresses: Colosse, Spain, Corinth, Miletus, Troas, Crete, Nicopolis, Philippi, Italy, Judea, Ephesus, and Macedonia Arrest Record: Jerusalem Rome Ephesis Philippi

This morning I woke up to the news that Barrack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Growing up, this prize always seemed to be revered in my household as given to the brightest, and most world changing individuals. These ladies and gentleman were distinguished because of the work that they have done to benefit mankind. Of course my mother studied political science, among other things, at Yale University. She was liberal. Regardless of her political views, she treated this award with the highest esteem, and so have I until the last few years. The history of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Laureates that have won it, is rich. What is the Nobel Peace Prize really? It is an award for peace - and anti-war. However; one reader put it this way, "It is fodder for the right-wing talk show hosts." According to http://www.nobelprize.org , this is how the Prize came into existence. ""On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the lar...

You call yourself a Christian, have a Jesus "fish" on your car, and some days you see the problems of the world as a sign that He is coming soon. You're all set. As a long time Christian with some seasons of backsliding, I thought I was getting closer to the goal of putting on the mind of Christ. I suppose some day I will learn to wave with all my fingers when someone cuts me off on the Mass Pike. Until then, I am just a sinner saved by grace. This amazing grace is not a license to be a jerk-- but it sure does come in handy when you are one. Amen? In the last week or so, I have been really studying the lives of some of the apostles. You can poke through the last few posts for more on that if you like. In the process, I also had a discussion about the 5-fold ministry on Facebook, and some folks had a fiery debate over gay marriage. It was an aside to a link I posted for a petition to vote for a new law protecting student's rights to do "religious" stuff in sc...

One of the comments from my last blog, made me want to have a little fun with Thomas' resume. Thomas also has quite a Biblical history which I rarely hear abut save the doubting Thomas sermon every so often. How about you, are you like Thomas? Thomas (The Twin) 120 Upper Room Jerusalem, Israel ImTheOlderOne@His.net 5LO-AVES-2FISH SKILLS: - Logical - Rational - Relational - Thoughtful - Bilingual EMPLOYMENT: Worked with Messiah suggesting boldly that we die with Him. 3BC - 0 AD Student 20 BC - 3 BC EXPERIENCE: - Fed 5,000 men and their families with a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread. (Wasn't my idea.) - Witnessed Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus. - Saw the demons cause the pigs to run into the sea. - Sailed the Sea of Galilee - Saw Peter walk on the water - Amazed that Jesus could sleep in the midst of a storm. - Jealous of my brother who believed when I didn't. EDUCATION: Basic Hebrew OBJECTIVE: Seeks apostolic position. Thomas - most often called doubti...

Christians are an interesting group of folks. When they think of ministry, they are more likely to think of it as an occupation or vocation -- plumber, pastor, or car thief. As believers we often assume that because many ministers go to school for a masters degree in divinity - M-Div in the business, that they have lots of answers for us in negotiating the treacherously narrow path known as the will of God. This is not always the case. In truth, when we look at the early church, we do not see this type of education in any of the apostles but Paul. As a Pharisee he was the only one that was formally educated in the scriptures. I doubt that he took homiletics, pastoral counseling or classes on exegetic principals. And like any human, before he had an experience with a living God, he was legalistic about the Scriptures even using them to decree death - sound familiar? After the experience on the road to Damascus, Paul became revelatory - the latter being of God. The scriptures could not ...

Today at lunch I was thinking about the headlines I heard on WBZ radio as I shuffled my feet from gas, to clutch, to brake, and back again for nearly an hour in rush hour traffic. Our governor decided to stand behind some laid off union workers at the Hyatt in Boston - says he's going to boycott Hyatt - funny he didn't speak up when I lost my job to someone in India. Union - oh yeah, that's right, unable to make concessions in a tough economy-- let's punish the business that is employing 190 Americans. Another was the clatter over Obama going to Copenhagen - who cares really? Send Polanski to jail for life - please! Then there was the Tsunami in the Samoas. Amazing, and without warning four 50 foot waves smashed into the beaches of the South Pacific Islands. Hundreds died - their last moments on earth. I wonder what they were thinking 30 minutes before it happened? Matthew 25:5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6"...