Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

As America continues to ramp up the rhetoric over immigration instead of coming up with a plan that is fair to every American and hopeful alien, the Republicans have pulled out all the stops and gone after the 14th amendment. Finally law makers are going after our beloved Constitutions to make a point; knowing that it is unlikely that the 14th will be repealed. Just last week amidst the debate over building a Mosque 721.257896345 yards from ground zero, another story surfaced of a missionary to Korea. Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who was raised in Boston and had been working as an English teacher in South Korea, was arrested in January and sentenced to eight years of hard labor ($750,000.00 fine) for illegally entering North Korea from China. READ MORE... In fact a few stories have surface this year, and a bunch of others have gone unnoticed. Hard labor in North Korea is HARD. It seems to be a fairly good deterrent. It is used to ...

I once worked as a wedding photographer. One of my last shoots (eventual pun intended) was for a guy that owned a weaponry store. The groomsmen were all armed with handguns. The groom even had a walking stick with a 28" sword in it... yeah, really. HERE is a look. I am 2nd amendment guy, but guns and champagne do NOT go together. A little nervous, I had them pose with the weapons (so that the bride could use them to procure an restraining order in the future.). It was sort of a fun shot, but I was glad to see the pistols go back in their holsters. Part of what made me uncomfortable was that I was not part of the weapon culture. The guys talked about getting shot and stabbed; offering to show scars from whatever their day jobs were in the past. No, I didn't ask any questions. I can say that the groom was the most generous tipper I have ever come across. That's all I have to say. Culture, simply defined; is a group of folks that get together who create and follow behavi...

Be honest, are there things that you don't like about the church, about its people, and the "rules" in the Bible? Ann Rice recently had a whole list. I have posted a few lists over the years myself. I bet you can even whip one up before you get to the next paragraph. How is it possible to know Jesus and yet exist within an imperfect church, with diverse viewpoints, denominations, worship styles, theologies and well, uncertainty? To quote Mark Driscoll, who I generally don't care for (Hey, I do like Rob Bell sometimes): "Every Christian struggles, to varying degrees, with different parts of the Bible because they call us to repent of beliefs we formerly held and ways in which we formerly behaved." I suppose the rub comes when that which we read in the Bible conflicts with our personal belief system. That's when the fireworks start. It is the time when folks from Westboro Baptist Church and Jerimiah Wright (Obama's Former Pastor) make headlines....

Church is a diverse place. It will make you, laugh, make you mad, and make you cry. Here are some clips - they are mostly about a 1 minute or less. I hope you enjoy my twisted menu of what we call church. So tell me, which of the following videos would Jesus be like, "that ain't me!"

On August 4th the WSJ published an article in which the Democrats proposed a way to raise taxes for the Red States, and leave it the same for the Blue States. "One irony of the tax increase that arrives on January 1 is that the it will hit residents of high-income, Democratic-leaning states like California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York the hardest. This is a problem for pro-tax Democrats. Enter New York Representative Jerrold Nadler, who wants to exempt his own six-figure constituents from the tax hike he supports. Mr. Nadler's bill would "require the IRS to adjust tax brackets proportionally in regions where the average cost of living is higher than the national average."" I discussed taxes, with one of my anonymous friends in last Tuesday's comments . A couple of ways we could make taxation more fair include the Fair Tax and Flat Tax . The idea of taxes based on the Cost of Living, is actually a great one if we could take advantage of the...

Maybe you get caught in a steamy affair, stealing from the church treasury, found with a prostitute, arrested for drunk driving or worse - then what? These things happen to a lot of folks - yeah, and even church folks. The church's response is often inconstant, so you need to make your move before they do. Here are some classic celebrity tactics you can use when you get caught: -1 Duck into Treatment Like Patrick Kennedy: If you are in trouble, and anyone has ever seen you at a party with a drink in your hand, head for detox. No one is going to bother you there unless you murdered someone. It actually doesn't matter what your sin is, they have treatment for every addiction, and even suspected addictions. If you are not looking for help, stay away from Dr. Phil. -2 Lawyer Up like Lindsay Lohan: A good attorney can deflect a lot of stuff, craft excuses and plausible scenarios in which you'll come off looking much better than the average criminal. They can even get you...

When I first became a Christian, I didn't try too hard to add any knowledge to my faith. I didn't go to church, and I prayed gimme prayers. I was pretty sure I was saved - no I was sure - well, almost positive. A few years later I met a guy at work that was involved in The Way Ministry cult. He quickly challenged my beliefs, and offered a lot of knowledge about the scriptures. Some of the things that he said were confusing, but he answered my every question. I decided to read my Bible (interesting thought, right?) I was still confused. In a few short weeks, their teachings had begun to work on me. The logic was impeccable, yet something didn't seem right. It didn't pass the smell test. Finally, I went to a Christian bookstore to see if I could find a book with all the answers. I bought a Strong's Concordance with the Greek and Hebrew Lexicon, Gleason L. Archer's Bible Difficulties Encyclopedia, Ungers Bible Handbook, and a couple of commentar...

Who really knows what Christopher Columbus was actually thinking back in 1492. When I read about him lobbying the Kings and Queens of Portugal, England and Spain; wheeling and dealing, it makes me think of the moive, The Pirates of Silicon Valley, which is a story about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Chris was looking for investors, negotiating for power of undiscovered lands, and looking for titles and prestige. Good ole' Columbus has been called a lot of things over the centuries. Ultimatley, it tuns out, his math was not too good, his science was not sound, his procalimed religion of Christianity did not match the tyrant ruler he later became. He did manage to get a holiday named after him... just think, maybe David Johndrow Day - probably would fall on April 1st or Februay 29th. Who knows how one's destiny will turn out? I was reading The Church of No People a while back and musing over Matt's career choice dilema. As always, it made me think about my path through li...

I have written on political topics in the past. And with the upcoming electons, I thought I would dedicate Tuesdays to some political ranting and Johndrow-esque, "think for myself" politics. Most will not be based on any specific Christian belief or doctrine unless it applies. As an American I find myself stunned, over and over; like fish in the reach of the tenticles of a man-o-war, at political solutions to human and spiritual problems. I live in Masschusetts, and we are the most liberal state in the US. We were first in gay marriage, we were first in mandatory healthcare, we have rejected mandatory sentencing for repeat and sex offenders, we are ahead of the Global Warming curve, we have high taxes ( on average 10% ), we are split on casino gambleing only because we've missed the boat (if doesn't create jobs, it's a political flop), and well John Kerry and Ted Kennedy were our sentaors for many years (Kerry still is). The last time we went red for president...

The church often struggles with the God ordained tension to stay where it is - go with what is working, and move forward to be relevant. The "evangelical" movement, the "non-denominational" movement, and now the "emergent" and "relevant" movements. There is even a magazine for relevant ! How is the "Hip" evangelical church doing at attracting and keeping young folks coming? HERE is the WSJ story. Relevance is supposedly the intersection of what "we" have to offer, and what someone is hoping to "get" when they come to church. That's why so many churches get caught up in silly marketing schemes and do stunts to get folks to come and watch the performance. I heard a speaker start a sermon with these 3 questions: "Do you have an opinion about the church?" Does God have an opinion about the church?" "Then what do you need an opinion for?" Everyone has thoughts and ideas about the chur...

I love music, and I thought I would share 5 1/2 tunes I really like! -1 Party - Now this is church! -2 All to You - Lincoln Brewster w/ a Great Testimony -3 I Could Sing of You Love Forever -4 I See the Lord -4 1/2 Our God is an Awesome God! -5 Let if Rain 5 1/2 Josh Myers - 1/2 a Great Tune! How about you, what are your favorite tunes?

Fire & Grace is like a particle of dust in the entire blogger universe. I guess I might be like a lint ball in the smaller Christian online world. The Jesus loving blogospehere can be friendly, but it suffers some violence too. Check out Jesus Needs New PR or Stuff Christian Culture Likes , that should open your eyes. It actually got me to thinking about what God thinks of this blog. Finally, right? I haven't got an answer yet. It's interesting, I started reading other blogs and I liked the style of some of them - more than my own even. I know it's not a contest, but I spend a lot of time writing, editing, and creating Fire & Grace. The more readers I have, the more I feel like I am "doing God's will." I know, stupid, right? I did all the things that are recommended for making your blog popular . I made it shorter, numbered the points - well (5 1/2 - I know, slightly retarded), linked out, guest blogged, had guest bloggers, did a series ( The To...

I can't imagine what life would be like without a few gadgets. They keep me in touch with my family and friends, allow me to quickly and cheaply publish whatever is on my mind, find the answers to questions my wife asks, enjoy music, access an endless supply of funny videos, message my kids, remember where I am supposed to be, figure out where I am, use the Internet for ordering pizza, and now if I could just find a use for the phone, life would be complete. -1 Blackberry:  Crackethberry in the King James. It facilitates most of  the  7 deadly sins: sloth, lust, pride, wrath, greed, envy and gluttony. As we well know, God the Father regularly spoke to Jesus about all sorts of things. I am sure there would have been an iWill app that they could communicate on: Father: There's a woman with an issue of blood. Son: Sorry dad, I didn't see her but the anointing sure went out of me. And can you see Jesus grabbing text me...

Have you heard all the flap about Ann Rice quitting Christianity? It seems that it is on every blog I read, and some I don't. I am not going to rehash any of it. As far as I am concerned, it is a non sequitur. She said she quit, I said, "Praise Allah!" There are a lot of bigger idiots (that are not selling books) that I wish would quit too. When folks like her say stuff like that, it is simply a reflection of the negative view some have of Christianity. For me, it has as much weight as something Bill Mahr says. Since the beginning of mankind, there has been religion, and God is fully aware of that - one reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross. Next! What I want to know is why people that could care less what the Bible says; much less practice it, want to be called Christians? Like a vegan ordering a meat-less Big Mac, the need for the "Christian" label amazes me. It is especially disturbing because, according to Barna, about 78% of American CHRISTIANS bel...

This week I am away at the beach. It's a time to spend with my wife and 6-year-old. The older girls and I had a few days up at Lake George, NY a couple of weeks ago. -1 Waves:  There is no sense going to the beach unless there are waves . Otherwise you can just take a take a bath. The bigger the waves the better! The raw power of the ocean is a sign of His majesty. I find it soothing and very spiritual. And boogie boarding is a lot more work than software programing! -2 Sand: It's not the ocean if there isn't some place to get sand between your toes. Don't get me wrong, I love the rocky coast too. It's just that I like to be barefoot as much as possible. I also like to walk, and the longer the beach the more I like it. -3 Sunshine: I pretty much work in an elevator shaft, so I look forward to as much sun as I can get near. I enjoy the shade on a sunny day, and late afternoon walks on the beach. As a pasty white American, SPF 5,000 is essential along with a p...

Everyone who goes to church supposedly worships. There are lots of things one can worship, that's for sure. Here is a LIST . Admittedly, there are different worship styles within the Christian Church. And no one seems to agree what the right way to "worship" is.  Who really knows what God is after in our worship? Have you thought about it - about worship? -1 Worship in Song: This is the singing stuff. Organs, choirs, plain chant, rock bands - we have a wide variety of musical styles within the Christian genre. And of course you have your folks who can't sing and advertise it by singing louder than anyone else. Musical worship seems to be the quintessential form of worship. After all there is a worship leader and he always leads the music. Seems odd... maybe (s)he's a Levite. -2 Worship in Giving:  My friend Dave calls them the beggars plates. Some churches have an offering basket, others put it on the platform, some just have a box in the back of the room. M...