Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

Here I go having my own thoughts again – in between the last ones and some time with the Lord. Hopefully you read Part 1 of this 2 part blog series. -1 Church is boring, are we going to blame that on God? I read the Bible and it says that David loved the Law – that’s right, he delighted in God’s law. Some how He saw His savior and messiah reveled in it, and that made him joyful. I also read about the Puritans and how they spent all day in church. Some Pentecostal churches have watch night services that go from sundown until sunrise. How do you think they do that and stay awake - and not get bored? I mean without Law & Order to watch on TV, how do you think they survived? It is an interesting question. I have been to quite a few revival meetings in my tenure as a Christian – some long weekend retreats and even a few of those watch night services. I am from the entertainment generation of radio, TV, movies, music and yes, we had Pong. I would say that it takes more to keep me, ...

There is one good thing about having your own thoughts – well, if you can remember what they are! For over 10 years now, I have been contemplating church. Until then, I accepted church at face value. Whatever you think church is I am talking about my biblical perceptions. I have studied and thought about all kinds of worships styles, models, teachings, and moves of God from the Charismatic Renewal of the late 70’s to the more recent and short lived Lakeland Revival. Have you said to yourself, “this is what’s wrong with church?” Followed by a thought or an idea that you felt would make things better and more spiritual? I know I have. I have been teaching and blogging about it for years. I suppose that many of my ideas and insights are not new, but bear with me for a bit. I recently was talking to the elder of a church I visit from time to time. He told me that I should check out some of the books by Frank Viola. I didn’t buy any – sorry Frank. But I did go and read some of the revie...

If you are out of excuses and thought about what a mission trip might be like, than maybe you're ready to see what the next steps are. What I love about God is that once we hand over the keys in certain areas of our lives, He is able to get a lot of things done. Here are some practical steps for heading in the direction of Christian missions. -1 We admitted that God was right and we were wrong. We could do this in His strength. -2 We sought God in prayer not trying to figure out how any of this would come about. -3 We asked a few trusted friends to pray too. We didn't ask their advice - just prayer. -4 We got a passport in faith. -5 We prayed about where we should go - did a little research online - and and kept the eyes of our heart open. -6 We read the book of Acts with a new viewpoint. -7 We looked for mission opportunities and local outreaches - maybe God would illuminate one of those? -8 We spoke to others about their experiences on a mission trip. -9 We ...

Well, if you are not going on a mission for a specific reason, rationalization or excuse outlined in Part 1 , then maybe you need some motivation to start thinking about why you might go. I do know that some folks are called to missions, but every Christian should do a short term project or two to serve someone else. Reasons to go on a Mission - It’s biblical. Starting Genesis, the purpose of mankind was to populate the earth and be fruitful. "Go into all the world spreading the good news." The great commission might be you neighbor or a small village in the South Pacific. - The Gospel has not been preached to every human being, you might be just the person to show up and close the deal. - Because there are lots of poor folks in other countries that need to be served – and many are much poorer than in the folks in the US. It really does change your perspective on "stuff." MORE BTW - Missions are not just to poor folks. When I lived on Cape Cod we had a pretty...

As my 757 taxied toward the gate, disembarking instructions came over the PA system in Spanish and Portuguese - but not in English. The flight attendants were spraying some stinky stuff and I haven't got a clue what it was for. Outside the window, Sao Paulo International Airport and my first trip overseas. Why would anyone want to go on a mission trip? It’s a good question. I am sure, like me, you can probably think of a few excuses not to go. If God has already called you to a mission trip, then you can skip this post. The rest of you get to read on. ;o) Missions; “to go” have been around since the time of Adam. It has always been the plan for man to share the Gospel message. Even before the fall, the mandate was there. Adam was meant to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." When you have time do a word search for “nations,” you’ll be surprised at how we were...

Regardless of where folks are with God, or not, personally I feel that being a Christian has a lot of benefits. As an entrepreneur a few years back, I always  thought it was cool flashing my American Express Gold and Platinum cards to make purchases. Their theme line: Membership has its benefits had a nice ring. Umm but I don't know what they are. Here are some things that I like about being a Christian. Coffee - I have to say, for all the years I have attended church, I don't think I've had a bad cup of coffee. In fact, I really like the coffee at my current church. Good job! Music - Certain types of Christian music is pleasing and I look forward to it. Live music is a little more engaging than the CD player/iPod/Cassettes/8 Tracs. I do wish there were more talented Christian guitarists like Lincoln Brewster. And I liked Eric Clapton better when he was a heathen. Hours - Except for Midnight Mass an Easter Sunrise service, the church hours are pretty good. Not ...

A few years ago the Christian Rock genre was cranking along and artists were occasionally crossing over to secular media. U2, Amy Grant, and POD just to quickly name a few. During rival in Australia, many artist were heard on secular radio. It's hard to say if music influences culture or reflects it, however; it is certainly a driving media force. I don't think that I know anyone without an iPod. Today is the 30th anniversary of the " Footloose Event " - you know that little conservative town in Texas where dancing was forbidden at Elmore City High School. They finally got a prom, and of course the movie Footloose was based on it. It's hard to dance without music. So what does all that have t do with church or even God? Like all art forms, it is an expression of the soul and creative spirit - the souls that was created by God. Artistically there is really no "right" or "wrong" - just popular acceptance and obscurity. The Bible is pretty...

Many years ago (1960's) the first Internet message was sent from one computer to another. It said: Hello World! As a computer geek, I have been designing, writing and engineering websites since the early 90's. A lot has changed during my tenure. Do you remember the metallic "hiss" and "boing" of your modem? 15 years I ago I was a guest on a television program  where the advent of the Internet was likened to Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. One might be tempted to think that with all this technology and science, life would be better. I suppose in some way it is easier, but I am not sure about better. If you have a digital clock or DVD player flashing 12:00 , then you know what I am talking about. Amazingly, advances in communication have always had an impact on civilization. If you have been to the Epcot geo-sphere, you toured the history of communication. From stone writings to hand penned sacred texts - to the Gutenberg press and on to Internet ch...

For most of the years our little one has been on this earth, my wife and I haven't gotten a lot of time together. It has only been in the past year that we have had regular date nights. This week was the jack pot. A friend of Charlotte's high jacked her for the whole day on Saturday - all very unexpected - we caught a movie and went for Chinese. Sunday she had a Princess workshop and we went for Italian. Tonight I drove Mary Anne to an appointment and we went to TGI Fridays on the way home. Our regular date is Thursday and who knows what that means. All our days together have converged this week, it's almost like a honeymoon. We have to work at talking about each other, as it's easy to spend time on the kids, in particular our little star. Last weak my wife broke her ankle picking up Charlotte at school. We ordered pizza and when the the delivery man came to the door our 6-year-old opened the door and said "hello." He sort of brushed her off, so she said w...

It's been awhile since I have written about miracles. If you have been reading this blog for a few months, you'll know that I believe in a supernatural God, one who does supernatural things. I love reading books such as Like a Mighty Wind (Mel Tari), The God Chasers (Tommy Tenney) I Believe in Miracles (Kathryn Kuhlman) and Caught up in Paradise (Richard Eby). They inspire me to believe God for amazing stuff. And you know, He has done it in front of my very eyes. As I look around at the people that I am in contact with, I see lots of needs. From finances to cancer, I know folks that need miracles.... or so it seems. Here are some of the things that I have heard about miracles over the years. "If you have faith, you'll have miracles." "If you pray for potatoes, God will give you a hoe." Or, "coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous." "We don't need miracles, we have science." And today's winner, "miracle...

Growing up I was forming my musical tastes. My influences came from my family, and then those that I had as friends. In Kindergarten Mrs. Gannon would play all the kids tunes on the piano. Bingo , If You're Happy and You Know It and of course Happy Birthday . One of the girls in class brought in a 45 rpm of the Beatles, I Want to Hold Your Hand - I liked it. In first grade my teacher, Miss Carol, who wore Go-Go boots, played guitar (and probably smoked pot - but I don't know) and we sang folk tunes, Puff the Magic Dragon , If I Had Hammer , and Michael Row Your Boat Ashore . At home my dad listened to the radio - stuff like Winchester Cathedral and tunes by *GAK* Lawrence Welk , Tommy Dorsey and Al Hirt . On the other end of the house my brother played Bubble Gum music including: The Archies , 1910 Fruit Gum Company and of course the Monkees . As his musical tastes evolved he turned to pop by the McCoys , Status Quo and other chart toppers of the 60's. Everyone ha...

Health Care is law! I don’t know anyone that is against people having health care – I certainly am not. I have been working hard to quantify the cost of this new legislation. And they are going to add to the tax burden of those making over $200,000 per year. Some think that because the Good Samaritan paid for the injured man, we should too. It’s a strong statement. Here is what we are paying for the is new this year and in future years because of the health care plan. To quote Ric Edleman from who I gathered a lot of insight, "Life just got harder." 2010 - 10% tax on tanning (because we have, count em', 3,000 emergency room visits due to tanning bed injures each year!) in addition to your state and local taxes if there are any. (But we did get off on the botox clause because it was considered discrimination against woman and John Kerry.) - To pay for a deficit in it's mandatory health care system, Massachusetts, increased sales taxes, had a freeze on lowering property...

It was an action packed weekend. Lunch with daughter #1 and a tour of her school's fashion display at the mall. The Up Country gig at the VFW - a fun time and a late night - but the new Les Paul sounds so twangy (that's right, split coils!), Easter service, brunch at the Tara Hotel complete with shrimp and prime rib, and a sleepy afternoon enjoying the warm weather with Mary Anne. One of my neighbors dropped into have a beer - good thing he brought his own - except for viewing the Ray Bolz video from yesterday, watching him guzzle a Rolling Rock maybe as close as I got to Jesus all weekend. As the sun sets though, it was all very nice. Some days I'm a little ADD, and this Easter instead of concentrating on the resurrection, I became fascinated with communion - err - I mean the elements. There is something about symbolism that makes us feel close to Jesus. I am not sure if it this is a place where I am the religious nerd I often write about, or if we've crossed the l...

I think this is the most amazing story I have ever heard. LINK for YouTube Happy Easter. What do you think?

No, I am not talking about the White House. Easter is here when people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, not just from the dead, but to His long awaited place in Heaven and in hope of his return. Who cares really? For many years I have heard the joke, C & E Christians (Christmas & Easter). I wonder why that is funny and true? I don't believe that it is a special sin not to attend on these two holidays. Although I believe that Christians should be better taught about what they believe, I would much rather see them doing 1/10th of what they already know! Topics such as "what goes on in Heaven?", the "End Times" and the biblical meaning of Easter aren't as relevant to the troops on the ground. Once we understand the hope of Heaven , can't we move on to walking in our destiny until the end of our days? The Easter message is central to the Christian faith. If Jesus was not resurrected after being crucified, then there is no Christianity - next top...

First, I had a miracle healing watching the traffic report. Usually at 7:30 am I am stressed out doing the Zipper Ride on the Massachusetts Turnpike . Today, I have off! For anyone that knows even a little about Christianity, Good Friday is the symbolic celebration of the death of Jesus on the cross. It is the pivotal event in all of mankind, the perfect sacrifice (sinless lamb of God) hung on cross to be crucified in your place. One of the most fascinating biblical facts is that Israel celebrated feasts each year. Not only did they have significance to the Jews, but they foretell the story of redemption. Jesus of course was a Jew. If we take a quick look at the major events of Jesus life, we'll see the God used the feasts of Israel as another confirmation of who Jesus was. Birth of Jesus - Feast of Tabernacles Crucifixion of Jesus - Feast of Passover / Unleavened Bread Resurrection of Jesus - Feast of Firstfruits Coming of the Holy Spirit - Feast of Pentecost "In hindsight,...

Is the leadership of this country psychotic? Nope. President Obama is a politician. After raping the majority of the Americans over the passage of nationalized health care, he has decided to throw the Republicans a bone. OIL ! But Californy ain’t the place, it is the East Coast and in particular Florida. As our fearless leader steps well to the right as a damage control effort to keep the Congress as close to his side as he can during his tenure – and through the mid-term elections next November – he’s hoping that you and I will have forgotten that the average middle-class American will be paying from 4% to 15% more in health care depending on their current coverage – or lack there of. I am sure that it is his hope that the start of this exploration will last until just after the 2010 House elections, and the finish just after the 2014 presidential election. It’s an interesting turn of events for those that suffer, but did not curb their driving habits in the wake of $4 a gallon gasol...