Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

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...

Good question. I have a good answer. I didn't have time. Here it is bedtime, and I thought I should put something up - it's like a commitment, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So, what was I doing? I was playing guitar and getting my thoughts together for a CD. And I was working on my families web sites. Shoemaker's kids and all. Here is one I did for Zöe. She is an aspiring fashion designer. If you need a dress for New Year's, check her stuff out. (Not you Tony!) http://www.designsbyinfinity.com And this is the one that I did for my wife's pet sitting business. http://www.housecallspetsitting.com I also wasted my lunch hour actually having lunch. But I did manage to comment on Charlie's Church of Christ , Godly Sheep , The Church of No People , Tony C Today and  Abundant Living  this week. And one more thing: Please  pray for my friend Curtis ; he's been ill. I'll be back on Friday with more Geek Gifts ! Or if you are not a reader of Kin...

I have been part of a discussion that asked this question:  Spiritual Maturity - why wouldn't Christian leadership want their people to achieve it? Of course most of the respondents had a bone to pick with pastors that were prideful, greedy, controlling, afraid of folks with strong gifting and things like that. All of which are problems in the church. I have a different view. It appears that the consensus is that somehow leadership likes to keep folks uneducated. I agree, there are lot of pastors that probably like control, the limelight, and are wounded; finding a false sense of value in their job. The real question for me, is: "How did we get here?" If you think about it, church structure is pretty much a business model in most countries - especially in America. The pastor is the CEO of his church, compete with salary and perks. He may surround himself with a few elders to support him. Much like the president's cabinet. They are not elected,...

Last Friday I started recommending biblically authorized geek gifts . This week you can skip the skimpy nighties and get her something SHE wants. There are only 43 days left to shop [ COUNT DOWN HERE ], and here is your chance to win big for the woman in your life. And if you get them now, they'll be totally amazed because the gift slip isn't dated December 24th! Each Friday, from now until Rudolph eats your carrots, I am going to suggest suitable gifts for men, woman, couples, children of every age and maybe even pets. Here are some inspired by estrogen. USB Heated Gloves : If you let your woman use the PC during the football game; and especially if you bought her a leaf blower last year, then you need redeem yourself and purchase these heated USB computer gloves. They'll keep her hands warm for kitchen work cuddling - it's a win-win. Daniel 10:10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. James 2:18 Faith and works, works and faith, fit ...

Today my youngest turns 7! She's been so excited about her birthday that she's had a hard time sleeping. She's been pouring over the gift catalogs from which she has made numerous  demands suggestions over the past few weeks. As a dad, it is a whole lot of fun to watch her be excited about something in her life. As an adult, those times seem to grow fewer and farther between. I want to brag about my kid for a few minutes. She has a lot to be proud of. Charlotte is: - Bi-lingual, speaking Spanish nearly fluently. - Does well keeping herself entertained in a neighborhood devoid of kids her age. - She is very analytical, bright and well, quickly sets traps that her parents cannot easily back out of. - Looks like her mom! - Likes her purple guitar! - Has figured out how to get both boys and girls to chase her in just about every social situation. - Has said some classic things ! - Likes to know things about Jesus. - Likes goodnight kisses. I guess my favorite t...

My Daughter and I went to the grocery store a few days ago. Just inside the entrance was a large man behind at a small card table, dresses in VFW uniform with a handful of poppies . That's where Charlotte and I met Harry Serulneck, the quartermaster for the Framingham Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 929. I couldn't help but think of my dad who would have been about the same age, though Harry was 8 years older. I just keep looking at him, thinking of my dad; thinking of the last salute he received from the Sergeant. "We salute Sergeant Johndrow, she said." And the closed his casket forever. I thought about the last time I saw his face. Harry is out there supporting a brother in arms - a blind one. His post is taking up a collection to provide a hand held reader for another soldier who served our country. I read a couple of online articles about Harry, and two things struck me. One, most of the posts don't have any comments, but this one particular POST has ...

I had a glorious 4 day weekend. I enjoyed lots of things while I was off: relaxing, guitar music, dinner out with Mary Anne, a walk with Charlotte, a hamburger with a friend, church and some sleeping in. I also endured the demise of my Blackberry. :( I promise, this is going to be spiritual, but I want to rant a little about my "Dumb Phone". Even after a few hours on the phone with tech support, I had to take it to the Sprint store 2 times to get things working. Even with a back-up and restore, there was a lot of stuff that had to be configured again. I need a new phone. Any suggestions? I was at church Sunday morning and ended up praying with a gal who was first-timer. It was obvious to me that the Lord had given her a writing gift.  After the closing prayer, I shared that with her. "Well, that is interesting she said, I am writing about 'how to find a new church'." I thought about how I found a new church, one in which things are going pretty goo...

Now that I am slowly returning to normal after the elections, I am thinking about much more spiritual things again. I took a few days off from work to recharge my batteries. With nary a ripple in the pond if life I think and therefore I share it on my blog. -1 Does Anyone Read This Stuff?  I really wonder if it is all worth it. I think that most folks read my comments on other sites and come to see if I am for real. -2 Retirement? I am a little more than 10 years away - well unless somebody changes the age. Every weekend I pretend that I don't have to go back to work ever again - and then the alarm goes off on Monday morning. I pretend that I am just hanging out with Jesus, flowing from guitar to PC, to family activities to naps and then to lunch and back again. -3 Money: Who doesn't think about money? I think about all the good I would do with it - the mission trips, feeding the poor. And the stuff I could have too. I am angling fo...

There are 50 shopping days left 'til Christmas! [ CHECK IT HERE! ] As a Christian I really like Christmas, pagan roots or not, it's my favorite holiday. Because of that, Fire & Grace is going to become "Gift Idea Central"! Each Friday, from now until Saint Nick shoves his flabby posterior down your chimney, I am going to suggest suitable gifts for men, woman, couples, children of every age and maybe even pets. Each one will be scripturally suitable, a distraction from the brumal days - and geek approved. USB Rocket Launcher : Defend your office or cubicle with a computer-controlled USB Missile Launcher (USB Powered Air Darts). The USB Missile Launcher is the Ultimate Desk Toy and stress reducer - fully "geek" approved! 2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. I'm Bloggin this T-Shirt : Get the message out and let your non-virtual friends...

Well Election Day 2010 has passed, and political aspirations have been decided for some number of years divisible by two. When I think of politics, I think of bull. There was plenty of that - but connecting the dots of my rather warped thought process, I thought of the Running of the Bulls. I found the following description of the yearly festival on Wikipedia . I have changed a few words to make my point - those are in bold The Running of the Bulls (in Spanish "encierro," to shut/lock up) [back room deals with live bull] is a practice that involves running in front of a small group (typically a dozen) of bulls [house speaker, Majority Leaders, etc] that have been let loose. The most famous running of the bulls is that of the on the first [Tuesday of November] ; although there are others in towns and villages across country. Unlike bullfights, which are performed by professionals, anyone may participate in the Running of the Bulls [elections] . The purpose of this even...

Today is Election Day. After this year's negative attack ads, I am glad it's over! This will be the last Political Tuesday post until the rhetoric reaches a fevered pitch again next Fall. I am voting in Massachusetts. We have local, State and Federal candidates to consider. I have done my best to research the candidates; watched debates, read campaign web sites, listened to a few ads, checked voting records, and ignored gloom and doom: Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Keith Olberman and John Stewart. As always, it bothers me to vote for questionable character or worse questionable character - but I am going to do it regardless of the quality of the choices! How we vote here, particularly for Congressional and Senatorial candidates affects you! How you vote, not just in the US, affects me. Please pray, research and get out there! We have 3 Ballot Questions: Two involve repealing state sales taxes added during the current recession, and the other is about permits for low-income ho...