Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

As we spend the final days of 2010 here are my 12 most popular posts for 2010. January: A Seed is Planted - No More Church As Usual  - the beginning of my quest for a more meaningful and vibrant church! February: Who Gets to Go to Heaven?  - Some times we get tangled up in who is good and who is bad . That is not the point at all! March: Sexual Services, Unions and Health Care - Where Do You Draw the Line?  - Just read it! The title says it all. April: They Are Going to Tax the Rich  - what the new health care bill really means beyond all the rhetoric and finger pointing. May: Don't Touch That Dial  - thoughts on rewriting history while omitting the facts. June: Everybody Thinks They're Right  - every Christian thinks they are 100% right, are you one of them? July:  5 1/2 Things I Don't Think I Need to Hear in Church Again as Long as I Live  - the lighter side of common clichés in evangelical preac...

I thought I would take a ride back in time and look at 2010 according to some popular bumper stickers. It's been an interesting year environmentally, economically, politically and for our celebrities. Here's a walk down memory lane 2010. January 19, 2010, Scott Brown Breaks a Democratic Stronghold in Massachusetts, and the Senate. Michelle Obama Kicks off Her Fight Against Childhood Obesity February 20th. Joe Biden Drops the F-Bomb Adding Class to the White House on March 23rd. Gulf Oil Spill started April 20th. Jan Brewer Signed Arizona's Immigration Bill into Law on April 23rd. Times Square Terror Attack Averted May 1st: Lindsay Lohan Arrested June 9th. NY Mosque Debate Begins in July and Hits the Streets in August. Tiger Woods got Divorced on August 23.  Christine O'Donnell runs for Delaware Senate Seat and Her Wicca Video Breaks in Sept. Obama pr...

Well, this is it! The last day to grab something for the stockings - and it's time for the men to start shopping. :) I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Here are my last few suggestions if you still have time to get out there and shop. Batteries : C'mon now, everything you bought and are going to receive probably needs batteries. The most popular size are AA, and AAA. USB Cable : If it isn't powered by batteries, than it probably plugs into the the USB port on your PC. USB Hub : If you bought a boatload of the USB gadgets I recommended, then a USB hub is a good idea. You can daisy-chain them, and easily have quite a few devices. Printer Paper : Photos, Christmas cards, package labels - it all needs paper! SD Cards : Most cameras, cell phones and video cameras take an SD card. They are pretty cheap, just $12.99 from Best Buy for a 4GB. Chap-Stick: Baby its cold outside and dry too. I love to get these in my stocking - but I do prefer B...

Well, Christmas is almost here and I thought I would share a little of our seasonal celebration. We mostly had a good time with the pre-celebration stuff. Our youngest is starting to get a bit of her mother's sense of humor. This is Charlotte when she discovered that the baby Jesus was not in the crèche scene. "Where is baby Jesus?" she asked her mother. "He won't be there until Christmas." She replied. "Then why is everyone else here?" She fired back. And that what it's been like... The following shot is entitled: Too Loud I am still working this week, but we have still managed to fit in a few fun things. This is me and the little redhead. We had a nice time on the buggy ride because there was not enough snow for a sleigh ride. This is her and her mom! This is LINK is mty favorite Christmas Song: Mary Did You Know . And the following is my favorite Ch...

Well the Christmas season is in full swing. And even if the use of the word  Christmas is politically incorrect, I am still enjoying a lot of it. Here at Fire and Grace , this is my 495th blog, the start of my 5th year behind the keyboard, and truthfully I am not feeling inspired to write about Christmas again. I have written about it a few times before. One of my very first blogs in 2006 was a Christmas Rant  about the usage of Merry Christmas in public - shallow. Recently I wrote about the 5 things I enjoy about Christmas  including some traditions that have nothing to do with Jesus - I know, virtually pagan. Yes sir, in 2009 I was on fire and I wrote about the 5 reasons Christians hate Christmas - and I sarcastically defended it legally! I wrote about  reindeer games and things that make Christmas fun - and in 2008 I was sentimental about Christmas, pouring my heart out about the real meaning of Christmas . Then th...

I am hoping that with my help, your Christmas Shopping is completed. There are only 8 more shopping days left [Countdown HERE ]. And next Friday I'll be wrapping this up with Geeky Stocking Stuffers. This week I am going to make a list of geeky charities and free things that you can invest in instead of buying more glowing electric powered gadgets. As Christians, maybe we can take a few minutes and think about someone else. I don't know about you, but if you have running water, the power is still turned on, and there is food to put on the table, you are doing better than a lot of folks. If you have a few gifts to give, you are truly blessed. This is my friend Dennis. We have known each other since the 70's. He's got a cushy job as a CEO, but he loves the Lord and cares about the poor  and homeless - maybe more than anyone I know. Many Christians look towards the poor at this time of year. There are so many folks that are without right here in the US. Personally I...

I don't know about you, but there used to be places I "felt" more Christian. There were places it was not safe to use a little Christian-ese; like work. I wondered why it was that I felt filled up at church, and drained out at work and in between at home. I was once one of the believers that thought God pretty much lived at church; only stepping out to fix some heathens. There is another group that does stuff in the name of Jesus too. They have decided that Jesus would do x, y or z, and they act on it. Some days I think that anyone that feeds the poor, or gets someone else to do it appears to be a Christian.Is that it, just be nice and feed poor folks? Another group has decided that Christians must act like this or that, follow these rules while overlooking those ones. Then you have the grace and freedom group where you can do pretty much anything you want as long as you have faith. How can they all be right? So much time is spent in debate, acting religious, ...

The writer of Hebrews (6:1) said that the doctrine of the laying on of hands was elementary. Have you been taught it? I will be doing a class in January and this will be part of the teaching. It is interesting how certain facets of faith are simply overlooked. It is like James 5:14. There is a simple command to have the elders pray over someone who is sick and anoint them with oil, yet, rarely have I seen them gather together for this purpose. Here is the basic doctrine: Hebrews 6: 1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands , of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. The laying on of hands started with Jacob (Israel). Genesis 48:14-15a Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh...

Today it's Friday and there are only 15 more shopping days till Christmas [ COUNT DOWN HERE ]. The past few Fridays I recommended biblically authorized geek  Gifts for Him ,  For Her ,  For the Kids , a special selection of  Black Friday  gifts and Geek Gifts over $100 . Remember, each Friday, from now until Rudolph and Santa clamor on your rooftop, I am going to suggest Geek Gifts. This week, it's couples. I did get a kick out of the Target gifts for couples . On the list were slow cookers, an 8 pack of Memphis Solar Lights and the Office: Season 6 on DVD. Those sort of gifts make me soooo grateful for Mary Anne. J/K! My wife and I say no thanks to that sort of boring stuff. Don't worry, in spite of the fact that some of this Friday's gifts use batteries, there will be nothing like that . You can shop Frederick's of Hollywood on your own. I also checked out findgift.com and well. They had same sort of...

I have written many times about issues in the church, but today I want to offer some solutions for free! In return, I am simply asking you to give your feedback, and proof the text of my new book-let. It is just the first 8 chapters, but they are the best ones. The original work was taken from Fire & Grace blog posts and run in by the Grammar Cop and a couple of trusted Christian friends that are close enough to say stuff like: "Chuck it", "Where's the Bible proof for that?" and "That's just your opinion." Now I am giving you your chance to weigh in. Sure, if you really have read my blog you'll recognize a lot of it - but hey, it is now in a handy-dandy PDF file that you can pass around to your friends. If you print it out and don't like it, you can use it to start a fire, or as emergency toilet paper. And even better, if you live in central New England, you can even come to attend my Friday night classes in January. Many thanks...

This is one of the toughest topics I have ever written on. I get a lump in my stomach just thinking about it. Why? It involves people with feelings and souls, and it divides the church. Hot button issues make for lots of comments on blogs, but that is not why I am writing about it. This issue can be so emotionally charged, that many times it is much more easily avoided. Count me as part of that group. Some times issues come to confront us, and the folks from Westboro Baptist Church in KS showed up in my town last Friday to protest. You can read about it HERE . They picketed the high school because of a play that they were putting on about Matthew Shepherd. Certainly there are lots of views on homosexuality within the church. HERE is a survey review. It ranges from the judgmental hating of the Westboro Baptist Church to the folks at Gay Christian 101 . That is one of the biggest reasons that it is tough to write about - if we oppose homosexuality we are haters and bigots, and if e...

Last night I went to the town hall for the annual tree lighting in my little suburb. The emcee decided to be politically correct and called it a "Holiday Tree." Then Santa showed up to say "Merry Christmas". Regardless, everyone cheered Santa that hypocrite! Is it me, or is this just stupid? Am I missing something? Christmas (for now) is still a national and state holiday here in Massachusetts. Even though I am not a fan of Santa Clause, he comes out of the Christian tradition - ummm, he is not Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist. The term Christmas is short for the Old English phrase: Cristes maesse  (the Christ Mass); a traditional church holiday that has been around for a long long time (1038). And the truth is that it is celebrated by a lot of folks that could give reindeer's backside about Jesus the Christ. The use of the word Christmas apparently is exclusive - well not inclusive of 100% the population. Yet Jesus...

Today it's Friday, and I don't want you being too cheap on Christmas! Today's selection is a little pricey but still biblically approved. There are only 22 days left to shop [ COUNT DOWN HERE ], so get going. The past few Fridays I recommended biblically authorized geek Gifts for Him , For Her ,  For the Kids  and a special selection of Black Friday gifts. Remember, each Friday, from now until you get kissed under the mistletoe, I am going to suggest Geek Gifts. Here is a few high quality ones. USB Digital Microscope :   For the detail person that has either lost their vision from 20 hours per day in front of the PC, or wants to open up a microscopic world beyond that of natural vision. Colossians 2:8  Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings...

Here we are just out of the starting gate racing towards the Christmas holiday. I have a number of years experience blogging about holidays, traditions (pagan and Christian), the Culture War in the US and the role of church in them. There are things I like about Christmas which are simply tradition. There are those that are directly tied to the birth of Jesus. And the rest? Well, I just like it. I enjoy Christmas, and though I am not always spiritually tied to remembering something about Jesus, there is still something I love about Jesus' birthday that makes me meditate on my own need for a savior. It causes me to dwell on God's plan for me. In particular, the part in which this child born to us; who later died on the cross in place of a wretch like me. That gives me significance. Here is my list of things that make Christmas, Christmas. -1 Events: I have grown to love The Nutcracker , though I have only seen local productions with tapped music. Even so, the costumes a...

My apologies for a late post today. The Internet was no where to be found in our region at the very time I had allotted to write. It made me think of a few things - things some days I feel that I can't go without. Perspective is everything. As a member of the working- and lower-middle-class for most of my life; with an occasional stint of homelessness, being rich was pretty much out of the question. Even so, I have a lot of luxuries that I have come to rely on. Certainly I am grateful for them. I have traveled extensively in the Caribbean and also in Brazil.There are lot of folks living without running water, central heating and easy access to food. There is no Internet, no iPods, and no cell phones. Life is not about stuff, but I do have some cool stuff. A lot of folks believe that if you have your health, you have everything. I want to agree - especially now that I have a friend suffering the trial of serious cancer, another friend that is disabled by cancer and another tha...

Because today is Black Friday , I am going to pick some extra geeky, but still biblically approved gifts. And I am posting at 4:00 am in case you want to read it before you hit the Mall! There are only 29 days left to shop [ COUNT DOWN HERE ], so get going. The past 3 Fridays I recommended biblically authorized geek Gifts for Him , For Her and For the Kids . If you are going to start shopping now, check them out. Remember, each Friday, from now until Rudolph's Red Nose hovers over the chimney, I am going to suggest Geek Gifts. Here are some inspired by folks that need more to do. Time is Money Clock : Pull this out at the next business meeting. Wives keep track of all the hours you spend running the household while the Honey Do List grows ever longer. As long as you know what you and your team is worth, every meeting can be valued! 2 Kings 5:26  But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to ...

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. Abe Lincoln the proclaim-er of the day which the Pilgrims and Wapannoag Indians started, is now a National tradition - with a few additions which I am not thankful for. In 1621, the colonists at Plimouth (Plymouth where the Rock is displayed in a pillared hole in the sidewalk.) and Wampanoag Indians shared a harvest feast that is heralded as the first Thanksgiving celebration. I haven't checked Guinness Book of World Records though, but we'll leave it at that; it seems factual. In 1863, smack dab in the middle of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Interesting how we become thankful when folks are dying all around us. Legend has it that John Wilkes Booth assassinated old Abe because he broke the rules of political correctness. A TEA Party Republican who actually had the audacity to thank Almighty God in the presence of Atheists! But I digress. As a descendant of...

For most Christians, faith and belief are synonymous. I suppose that in a few cases they actually are. Microsoft Word's hand-dandy thesaurus says they are. Of course it includes trust, confidence, reliance, assurance, devotion, loyalty and conviction too. There are a few references for these words in the Hebrew and the Greek. Strong's 529 , 520 and 5012 . I usually refrain from teachings on Fire & Grace, however; this one is very important. Why? Because of the splintering of the church over doctrine, the mixture of politics and religion in the culture war, and mixture of religions that has no substance; just philosophy and practice. First, the word faith is used almost 500 times in the Bible, and the word believe about 300. The word belief , just 3 and one of those it is the same Greek word as faith . Context always seems to matter in the Bible. So what is the difference, and why does it matter? I am going to tackle belief first. In the Old Testame...

The past 2 Fridays I recommended  biblically authorized geek Gifts for Him  and For Her . This year while you are skipping the smoking jackets and skimpy nighties, you can add some of you favorite kids or nieces and nephews if you have any. Gone are the days of Barbie and Daisy BB Guns. This generation of kids, although sometimes suffering from entitlement and other serious social disorders such as rolling eyes, is pretty tech savvy - and you don't want to disappoint a kid on Christmas! There are only 36 days left to shop [ COUNT DOWN HERE ], and here is your chance to win big for the kids in your life. Each Friday, from now until Santa bites the cookie, I am going to suggest suitable gifts for men, woman, couples, children of every age and maybe even pets. Here are some inspired by imagination and fueled by a sugar high. Lego MindStorms : This is the coolest of cool, and probably a blast for parents too! The Inventi...