Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

For the love of God, will somebody tell me why everything bad has to be the fault of someone, or something? I have read a few blogs in a row that address, or question who's to blame. A plane crashes, a child drowns, you don't win the lottery... the list goes on and on. If you watch the news, the Republicans blame the Democrats, Obama blames Bush, and BP blames the contractors; the contractors blame the well drillers. The finger pointing is epidemic - and for the big guys, they pay their image consultant and lawyers to make it go away. We live in a Culture of Blame! Even separating couples with "no fault divorce", waste their time assigning blame as a smoke screen to some ancient principal of "personal responsibility." Folks play a lot of emotional games trying to get the upper hand in life. HERE 's a book full of them. The Blame Game is the worst. It squary tries to put all the responsibility on any other party or object that was within a few mil...

For years I have attended small groups, or home fellowships as they are sometimes called. They are an interesting blend of intimacy, arm chair theology and the real Jesus. Here is my take on the anatomy of a home or small group meeting -1 Worship: This is the time when we tell the Lord how much we love him in song. We praise him as the wight of the world lifts off our shoulders and we come into the presence of Almighty God. Err - get something to drink, take a large handful of chocolate covered pretzels because we skipped dinner, and make a plan for the soft couch instead of the miniature folding chairs from kids church. -2 Unofficial Potty Break: On the 15th chorus of I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (how come no one dances to that song?) it's a good time to beat the rush. Beware, once someone gets up, it is a sign for others to make their moves for the coffee pot, the peanut dish and the brownies. It is a li...

I don't know about you, but when I go to church, there is some pretty specific paraphernalia that Christians seem to need to make the experience fuller, and engage God more deeply -1 The Bulletin: An essential accessory for every service. A list of this week's happenings, contact info for all the important folks, and maybe some sermon info - well if the pastor plans ahead. It doubles as a "shut the kids up" personal coloring device and a fan when the A/C wasn't turned on in time for the service. Usually free for the taking. -2 Leatherette Zipper Bible Case: The coolest ones have a Jesus fish or a cross on them. But they have them for kids, camouflage, and bright magenta! Or you can have Footprints and verses about swords on there too. They can hide sermon notes, bulletins from 1996, high-liters, pens, "Jesus Paid it All" personal checks, small handguns along with phone numbers and emails of folks that you'l...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if churches were run by big corporations? I have. -1 First Church of Walmart - it would be be the biggest church around for miles. A real come as you are fellowship. You'd be sure to be greeted, but don't expect too much expert help after that. The pastor would man the Customer Service desk single handed. Sermons would be broadcast from the mother-ship in Arkansas to big screen HDTVs in every price range. Folks that serve would receive rewards cards. There would be an express line for folks only wanting a little church on Sunday. And Kid's Church in the Toy Department! Hey, you might even get a roll-back on tithes and offerings. Photo: PeopleOfWalmart.com -2 Dunkin' Donuts Family Church - Fellowship time would rock! The decor, a bright pink and medium brown would give spiritual comfort to caffeine deprived. The kids would be on a sugar high until Monday morning. Double-Shot Latte Sermons, Iced Home Fellowships and Sunda...

In life the average person will change jobs 10 times , and move to a new living situation 11.7 times . In 2009 the Pew researchers discovered is that 44% of Americans have changed faiths at least once. Some converted from one religion or denomination to another; others grew up with no tradition only to adopt one as an adult; still others left their childhood faith and found themselves with no religious home. That's a lot of change! I think that the trend shows that Americans are looking for something they can't easily find. It probably shows some immaturity as well. Why tough it out, if you can move on? So let's say hypothetically that you are able to move - put your house on the market, look for a new job and find a new life. How would you know that you were at the right church? I have some ideas. - Inner Witness: Everyone is going to answer, "God said this is the place." so here I am. I am not buying that as the only way to know. If we were that certain...

I read some blogs and they are outlined in perfectly numbered topical points. Matt at The Church of No People often uses three examples. I think it is a Japanese thing. The Japanese almost always use odd numbers - particaulry 3 and 5 in the number of objects in a painting. Maybe Matt is Japanese, I don't know. Then there is Brett that writes Godly Sheep ; he has his Monday High 5 series. Of course there is Tony C , he rarely makes a point. I am not sure if he can even use numbers yet, but I'm glad to call him a friend - and he does make me laugh. Well, I don't want copy those guys, even though I worship them - so I am going to do a 5 1/2 series. You'll get 5 complete points, and a 1/2 finished one - sort of like teenagers clearing out the dishwasher. So here is my first one. Five and a half things I don't think I need to hear in church again as long as I live. Let's face it, the Christian-ese vocabulary is limited and that is a formula ...

If you are as old as me, you might remember Louden Wainwright III singing Dead Skunk. You got yer Dead skunk in the middle of the road Dead skunk in the middle of the road You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road Stinkin' to high Heaven! It sort of makes me think about what some folks call truth - I mean you've got your whole truth, your half truth, your stinking truth, your subjective truth, your absolute truth, your objective truth, your personal truth, your universal truth, your human truth, your social truth and your relative truth - and white lies. And after all that vomit, there are theories of truth such as correspondence, coherence, pragmatic, consensus, and my favorite - performative. But, I am simple guy. Here are what I think, the top reasons that people don't tell the truth. - Shame: I think that a lot of folks that I know lie because they are ashamed of what they have done. If you stole your grandmothers food an...

I got to thinking - I have probably attended about 3,000 church services in my life time. On an aveage of an hour each, that gives me about 3,000 credit hours; enough to have a few dozen degrees in church-i-anity. I am feeling good about myself, my church experience and while that lasts, I am going to do a little analysis. I have noticed that in our church culture (a nice way of saying religious Pharisees) preachers some times run on a little bit. On occasion, God is done, and they are not. So here are five signs that they know this is true, but are in denial. - "In closing" Why don't they just say, I am not done yet, I have more to say, and those who want to, can leave now. Here's why. If they did, it would sound like a commercial toilet flushing as folks headed for the door. Mary Anne and I usually close our eyes because we know there are going to be 4 or 5 closings. - "Paul preached all night" Yes, and he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked and impris...

I have a real heart to see the true church change in such a way that she becomes more effective in people's lives, and that the Kingdom of God is advanced. Recently I have been back doing some simple ministry at a new church - it's a safe place with some folks that love me. That's a real change from the last few years. Thank you Jesus. In the process, I am beginning to experience personal revival - yes - even yours truly needs to press in. Hanging onto our faith; the substance of which is the power of God to work through us to accomplish Kingdom objectives, is not enough. I have been studying, reading, and worshipping. I was before, but I seem to be connecting with God better. In the process I have uncovered few things that make some sense to me now. The first is healing prayer. Luke 5:31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. If you take even a few moments to look over your own life, there is going to be some soul sickness...

Some days, am just glad that God is in charge. Here are some folks that should be convinced of that fact. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

by Les Young When war, famine and even earthquakes are referred to as signs that the end-times are approaching, a common retort from the skeptic is, "These things have always been around." To this I would have to say, "You are right, but......" If there were no "but" it would make little wense to write this short article, but there is a "but." Allow me to phrase it this way. In the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24-25, Mark 13 and Luke 21) Jesus stated that there would be wars and rumors of wars, and that nation would rise up against nation. He also speaks of famine (sometimes caused by natural disaster; often a byproduct of war) and of earthquakes. In all three accounts of this discourse, Jesus allegorically compares these, and other events, to the birth pains of an expectant mother and/or the budding of a fig tree. In the one case, the baby is not far behind; in the other - summer is close at hand. So here's where the "but" comes i...

I've had a lot of history with the Charismatic Renewal and the more recent Charismatic Movement for which the "gold" phenomenon or miracles are usually identified. First, let me speak of my own experience. In 1999 I took my kids a meeting with Kathy and David Walters. There were about 200 in attendance. During one of the meetings, my 8-year-old was radically baptized in the Holy Ghost. She went up for prayer 7 or 8 times, and the last time she was out for nearly an hour. That night she began to pray in the spirit. For over an hour she pressed in until she finally went into some sort of glory land. I left her there in her room. The next day she couldn't wait to get back to the conference. She went to the ladies room during the 2nd meeting, and from there, all the way in the back of the church, so everyone could hear, she cried out, "I have gold dust on my face!" I saw it. A few months later I was at another meeting with the now deceased, Larry Lambert. We...

Do you believe it? God repaired a water pump on a Toyota pick-up. Yes, he removed a lump, and healed bronchitis too. He gave a word of knowledge about a persons life so that they would know that He was speaking to them about their future in Christ. Yes, God multiplied invitations to a Christian conference on the streets of Oslo, provided the exact amount for a plane ticket to minister in Ohio and shortened the miles to the airport. This morning I am pondering the supernatural. All of the above happened to me personally. As I type, I can feel God's presence - as if He is knocking on the door - something seems eminent, yet, I can't put my finger on it. I thought some sort of revival was going to break out last Sunday in church - like a glass filled to the rim. I feel the same this morning. I actually don't know what a revival is. I have read about many of them. There are the renewals (in the church) and the revivals - the presence of God sp...

Since I wrote my very first couple of blogs, I have been of the mind that God's people should be giving glory to God for their miracles, not me. I still feel like that is true. MORE on that . I did however; in my recent studies, come across this verse. Daniel 4:2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. So, once again, I am going to brag about my Jesus! I heard John Paul Jackson talking about translation (time travel), and how God shortened the miles for him and Bob Jones one time. One day, not long after, I had a chance to use that story, as a basis for my own faith. In 2001 my friend from church, Will, needed a ride from Air Station Cape Cod, in Sandwich, MA to T. F. Green airport in Providence, RI. He was going to see his wife after a long separation. The trip is exactly 70.1 miles. His flight was scheduled to leave at 5:05 pm for SC. I arrived at his apartmen...

A. A. Allen , John Arnott , Kathryn Kuhlman , and even "The Apostle of Faith"; Smith Wigglesworth have been tagged as heretics, false prophets, and "tools of the Devil." I find this practice of bashing despicable.  For the record, I am sick of hearing all these cockamamie Bible proof texts that supposedly prove that God doesn't do a damn thing anymore. There is a world going to hell in a  hand basket, and a small group of religious idiots seems to get a lot of air play when it comes to denying the supernatural power of God. I wonder if these folks have ever had an answered prayer in their lives?!? It is obvious that almost all of them have not been to meetings with the preachers and ministers they are bashing. For whatever reason, the church seems to have limped along without power for so long, that when it does show up, some folks think it's the devil. All this severely negative talk simply makes the church look stupid.  HERE ...

Happy 4th to you. Today we celebrate our independence as a nation. I am grateful for my freedom. Regardless of what is going on in this country - even the stuff I don't agree with, our freedom has been bought with the price of American lives. Today, I hope you'll take a few minutes and read the  Declaration of Independence  to see why we split from England 200+ years ago. It had been may years since I read it, and some of the specific reasons ring true today. And honestly, what could be more American than Larry Carter playing the Star Spangled Banner in church! If you like him, buy a few CDs . He's a great guy, and his music touches the soul. God bless America!

At 50+ years of age, I have had the chance to visit thousands of places of business, and hundreds of churches. If I haven't leaned anything (according to my teenagers nada), I have leaned that first impressions count, second impressions count - and somewhere down the line, the sum total of all our impressions create a perception which is reality. What? You go to Walmart and the greeters says "Welcome to Walmart" You head over to electronics and look for some help purchasing a new HDTV (hint hint Mary Anne), and you cannot find anyone to help. How important was the greeting that you just received? Because you are mad, you head over to best Best Buy because you have some questions that you need answered. The man in the security booth greets you. "How are you today, welcome to Best Buy." You smile back and walk towards the sea of plasma in the back of the store playing Ice Age. A sales associated approaches, "looking for a new TV?"  As if you can't ...