Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

. . . Or Happy I Ate Too Much Yesterday Day; depending on where you are from. The sizzle of Christmas is over for most of us. The heightened awareness of giving has subsided - there is still a bit of mess in the living room as daughter number 3 has tried to find her favorite Christmas toy - leaving some unfavorites in a pile. She slept with her new American Girl Doll, "Star" and has already put on her first concert for mom and dad. Please hang on as I post a few random thoughts about Christmas and New Year's - eventually I'll make a point. I had prime rib and pecan pie for breakfast - oh and Mary Anne shared her chocolates - a Christmas miracle. The post office never delivered the Christmas gifts I bought online for the older girls. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I only got them one. The Post Office said they tried to deliver them on the 24th and left a notice - they lied. I filed a complaint. Can't wait for their health care to come online. How about you...

Bah Humbug! This is the first Christmas Eve that I have had to work since I can remember. I am getting out at 1 pm, and looking forward to the day's activities - family, wrapping, eating and church - yes, in that order. Today I am thinking about my family: My 6-year-old; her excitement this morning, my wife and her joy about visiting her family for another Christmas Eve, my 20-something at work showing off her new engagement ring while styling doll hair, and my 18-year-old who is in the midst of the difficult transition from teenager to adulthood. Holidays can be tough sometimes. For me, for the most part, I can look back and find times of joy. The first Christmas I spent with Mary Anne. My little ones coming down the stairs to survey their gifts, quiet moments in a church service - ones like now where I remember when I was in the presence of Jesus, times with family and even those when I wasn't with them. There is a sadness as I miss my parents for another year. I am thinki...

Well, it's going to happen and you know it - and it's just around the corner. You will receive something that you don't need, don't want, don't like or don't fit. It will happen. Like creamed corn at a food pantry, you'll be wanting to get rid of some gift this year. I remember my sister getting an angora sweater from my dad for Christmas some years ago. It was so fluffy I think it "meowed." Her eyes shifted around the room looking for a place to land other then the anxious gift-givers. At the car in the driveway she held it up and said, "what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" It wasn't exactly the type of gift you give a hippie living in a tee-pee. This is why gift cards are so popular - well until you get one marked $50 with $7.86 remaining on it. That'll kill your self esteem in a heartbeat. Actually if you are related to, or friends with, someone that would do that - it's likely that you already have self esteem iss...

My friend Tony C blogged about Christmas this week. The comment thread turned into quite a discussion. Like teetotalers at a cocktail party, and dieters at a Thanksgiving feast, the church is again split on whether on not to celebrate Christmas - breaking rule #2 ! BTW - Can we have a skinny Santa? And where would we be without gifts and a tree? Here are the top 5 reasons Christians hate Christmas: - Pagan Roots - Commercialism - It's not the day that Christ was actually born. - It's not a biblically sanctioned feast or celebration. - Fertility symbols such as the Christmas tree and Santa Clause. - And this one is for free - people who don't have faith in Jesus celebrate it making it worldly. There you have it, 6 good reasons NOT to participate in any type of Christmas festivities. If you are a Christmas-ee and not a Christmas-or, you might feel a little empty perusing the above list. Christians have been doing this seasonal madness for almost 2000 years. The celeb...

I love Christmas time. Unfortunately, I am usually too busy to enjoy the season. I seem to parachute in a day or two before, and poof, it's gone like a rabbit in a Doug Henning magic act. There's just not enough time from Halloween to Christmas. And besides, our house still smells like pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving for cryin' out loud. In spite of all that I need to do, I have been trying to be more purposeful in getting in the Christmas spirit. I started playing holiday music on Black Friday, but I have to admit, I switch it over to news radio every time I hear Madonna. It's like oil and water, Madonna and Christmas. I like traditional hymns like We Three Kings, even though they were not there when the real Jesus was born. It took me 30 years to discover the real words did not include "smoking on a rubber cigar." Next time I see my brother, I'm going to punch him in the nose for teaching me that. You have no idea how mad the blue-rinse widow was at mid...

As I sit here in my little office, I can see a few feet of snow out the window. My teenagers are on their way to celebrate Jesus' birthday. My shopping is done, and I ran a few errands for my wife too. I have all the ingredients for my hor d'ourves. The Christmas cards just arrived thanks to Fed-Ex. We'll be calling them New Year's cards. I am thinking about what church will be like tonight - it's a new place. I am looking forward to a Merry Christmas. Every year I take some time off at Christmas because I really enjoy the season. I hear the excitement in my kids voices about the gifts they hope to receive. My youngest wanted to sit on Santa's lap-- "You know Dad," she said, "the real Santa is the one where you work." In doing a little shopping, I heard parents just as excited to give their children a gift... so much so, as I walk the aisles of department stores and ride mall escalators, I often hear "This will be an early Christmas gift...

Well, this country may have gone over the edge. We have a national and state holiday called Christmas-- since like 1870! But it is wrong to say, "Merry Christmas." Somebody that never heard of Jesus might be offended. Give me a break! The name of the holiday is CHRISTMAS, named after the Christ, and that is what I am going to call it! The 25th of December in America and lots of other places is you guessed it, Christmas! This year I think Chanukah happens to fall on this day too; but is doesn't always. So let me wish you a Merry Christmas on the 25th and the preceding days during the season. I don't really care about all the other holidays. Christmas is a legal holiday and nothing else is here in America on the 25th. On that day, I am going to take it off from work and have a party, talk about Jesus and give gifts to my family. I am not going to celebrate any body else's holiday. No, not Bastille Day in France, nor Carnival in Brazil, or OMG Ground Hog Day! Happy G...