Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

I am sitting here in my office, and not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse, or the noisy chihuahuas; not even the 7-year-old. In my spirit I am as excited as a kid on Christmas eve. I don't even know what God is doing quite yet (I usually get the memo about the time it is happening). So what is going on? Well, the Spirit of God is beginning to move in our region. Some of the things that I have brooded over, prayed about, and had vision for are on the precipice. How do I know? Well, my spirit is raging. Emotionally  life is just the same old, same old.I am working part time, exercising and recovering from a heart trauma. It it has taken a physical and financial toll, but the Kingdom of God is where I live. There is a saying: some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good, others are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good. it is meant to point out the balance between living here, and living t...

John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement, used to say "everyone gets to play." What he meant was that the leadership wasn't going to be doing all the ministry. And that is a good thing because, in most denominations, the pastoral and overseeing authorities were really separated from the laity. They were the paid "holy men," often doing all the praying, all the teaching and all the administration and counseling too. Bigger churches just had more paid holy men to carry out the so called ministry of the church. When I was doing missions in Brazil, I found it really difficult to just be a regular guy, trying to do what I saw the Father doing. Everyone wanted to address me with some sort of title -- out respect for sure -- but I wasn't ordained at the time. The separation between me and them was perceived. Sure, I studied the Bible in a formal school... but really, who gives a flying epistle? Paul the apostle was a very well educated Jew, but he didn't...

As I spend time recuperating at home from a viral myocarditis, I have rekindled my love of ice hockey; watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs sure beats Oprah and Ellen! I know, you are thinking what does this have to do with Jesus? I'll try to explain. Growing up in New England we have cold winters with frozen ponds from late November to early March, therefore;. hockey didn't require indoor facilities for which there were none in my town. We laced up a pair of department store skates, grabbed a hockey stick at the local hardware store and headed out the door. We used tree branches for goals, and protective padding was unheard of. During the 1970-71 season I saw the  New Haven Blades  play. It was their last year, and one of their last games. It was hard hitting, fast-paced game with a number of fights - truly exciting and inspiring! My brothers and I headed to the pond and imitated them as best we could. About the same time one the neighbors joined a "real" ho...

Today is the first day of another new year. I normally post on Friday; however, this is my actual 500th blog right here at Fire & Grace. I wanted it to coincide with the tectonic plates of time shifting to 2011. For New Year's Day I could write about the past year, what the future holds, or reminisce about the alcohol fueled ghosts of New Year's past. I could write about the food we are going to have at our little celebration that will be over at 10, or what it was like to watch the ball drop. I might even cast spiritual vision for the future. Enough about what I am not going to write about ! The original intent of Fire & Grace was for me to tell stories about my Jesus. This life is described in  Deuteronomy 6 .God commands his people to answer their children and tell them about deliverance, signs and wonders and the reason they are living a bountiful life. God has truly brought me out of a bunch of places of bondage, through the ...

Sunday seems like a blur. I woke up with my regular dilemma: do I go to a church that is local with a short service so I can get something else done on Sunday, or drive over an hour each way and take my chances on being totally disconnected at a new church? I decided to start driving and see what God wanted to do. Either way I would be at church, and the distance/service times work, allowing me to be on time at either one. As I started to drive, I was focusing the negatives - yeah, I have the problem. My thoughts went like this: "Nothing much has worked out since the move." I had sent an email to the new pastor, but he hadn't responded. "Maybe I missed it and last weeks blog was a false alarm." "Maybe just going to church and being faithful in that is enough for God and for me. I'm feeling pretty empty - I don't see how this is God." "I wish this new thing would work out." *Flip on the Worship CD* Tim Hughes singing Oh Happy Day -...

Disappointment is a common emotion. And every Christian I have ever met has been disappointed. I am sure that Jesus was disappointed at times - He did have emotions. For the record, disappointment is not found in the Bible. There were, however; many disappointing circumstances in the lives of Bible characters. Think: Joseph, Jonah and Peter. I think that as Christians we see faith as the ability to just know something will happen: place coin in machine, turn key, out comes candy. I suppose sometimes God works like that with us. We have a thought, desire, need, or want, and we ask God for it - like parking spaces or arriving at the scene of an accident. I call these the "Oh my God!" prayers. The process is a bit like a spiritual scratch ticket. I have found that my faith works like a muscle - a puny one most of the time. Some days I have a walk in the park, and other days it is a marathon for which I often feel unprepared. When we contrast faith and disappointment, there ...

Five, four, three, two, one! I remember it pretty clearly, I had the flu and there was the ball dropping to touch off the year 2000. Most of the world was waiting for computer system failures, airlines couldn't sell a ticket, Disney released the newest Fantasia while churches were saving water in barrels, food stuffs and buying generators. One prophet said "nothing would happen," and another said that "little would happen." Y2K came and went like any other New Year. In my personal life, 2000 was a though one. My divorce was finalized, I got laid-off and started back to computer school. I packed everything I had left in a VW Bug and moved in at a friends home. That same year: February 13th was the day that Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz died - it was the second anniversary of my dad's death. August 21st - Tiger Woods wins golf's PGA Championship to become the first golfer since 1953 to win 3 majors in a calendar year. November 16th - Bill Clinton beca...

Today my friend's child asked for a ride to school, and in jest, he replied, "why do we have kids?" His daughter fired back, "I didn't ask to be born?" Her dad, not to be out done, said, "Well, if you had asked, the answer would have been 'No!'" I have always wondered what God was thinking was when he "cursed the day he was born." ( Job 3 ) What I do know is that when children sin, God's gives them over to the penalty of sin. ( Job 8:4 ) I also heard another tale. It was about a man that had made a deposit of $10,000 at a local bank. One day he came to make a withdrawal and the banker seemed a very surprised. "I'm sorry, but I have to confess," said the banker "I didn't think you'd be back for it so soon, and I spent your money on a new bass boat." Of course, if this had happened to you, you would be upset. Very upset. Even if it happened to someone that you loved, you might feel a sense of righ...

God can do anything He wants, except control our free will, right? Hmm... God has orchestrated all the events of the world, and we can't change His mind, right? Hmmm... A recent blog comment got me to thinking, what is it that God is going to do between now and eternity that I cannot hinder, that the world cannot change? And if that is the case, then should I just coast until the sound of the trumpet? After all I am saved, and the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon my heart. Once you get your ticket, there can't be much left to do, right? It's a lot to think about -- kinda heavy. What I am getting at with these questions is basically the age old debate of Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Are we predestined by God, or do we play a part -- a role in our own destiny? I think it's both. But don't start rolling your eyes yet! Q. How many Calvinists does it take to change a light bulb? A. None. God has predestined when the lights will be on. Q. How many Arminians does it take to c...

This week I negotiated for the 4th family automobile. It's amazing how easy it gets-- and how comfortable I am doing it. I have decided that they count on the fact that you don't do this very often. The average person buys a car every three or four years. But I am not average-- not even close buying four in two months! The last Yari (plural of many Yaris) I bought, from a previously tortured salesman, in a town where they have a water ban because of a high bacteria count. He offered me a a bottle of water. "Has it been boiled, or do you save the tap water for customers you don't like?" He tried to smile. The thrill of the hunt has gone and now, buying a car is little more annoying than standing in line at the check out counter. We should be good for five or six years. I'm moving on. It looks like it is the season for moving on. For three years I have endured the local church-- and if you read some of my older blogs, you'll see that I put a lot of effort in...

John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement, used to say "everyone gets to play." What he meant was that the leadership wasn't going to be doing all the ministry. And that is a good thing because, in most denominations, the pastoral and overseeing authorities were really separated from the laity. They were the paid "holy men," often doing all the praying, all the teaching and all the administration and counseling too. Bigger churches just had more paid holy men to carry out the so called ministry of the church. When I was doing missions in Brazil, I found it really difficult to just be a regular guy, trying to do what I saw the Father doing. Everyone wanted to address me with some sort of title -- out respect for sure -- but I wasn't ordained at the time. The separation between me and them was perceived. Sure, I studied the Bible in a formal school... but really, who gives a flying epistle? Paul the apostle was a very well educated Jew, but he didn't...

"Are You My Mother?," you may have been read this book when you were little, or read it to your kids. It is kind of cute as I recall-- somewhat Dr. Seuss like. In the story, a little bird asks a host of other animals if they are, in fact, his mother. Of course, the story ends with a little bird united with his mother. There are some other children's books that have similar motherhood themes such as "Runaway Bunny." In this story the mother pledges her undivided love to her child, as she reassure him that she will be looking for him until the end of time. Having a boatload of girls ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 21, I have always enjoyed reading these particular books to them. Mostly because they remind me of Jesus and his love for each one of us-- a love that never fails. What would it be like for all kids to have dedicated parents -- well at least one that pursues them? Regardless of what the current culture thinks about family, I have never met a kid that didn...

I think we'd all agree, that the continuum of supernatural entities ranges from the hell of Satan's fiery inferno, to the city of Light and precious stones called Heaven. As Christians we can confidently say anything that God instructs us to do is not sin. We can also confidently say that anything that He instructs us not to do, is sin. We also know from reading Paul's epistles, that not everything in itself is evil. Between sin and not sin is realm I like to call "not sin, not God." Certain things are sin for sure, we're not going there. What about stuff that just is? Like playing guitar, golf, hiking, board games and other types of hobbies or pass times? I haven't even added TV or mindlessly surfing the Internet. Paul said Romans 14:20 NAS Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. This is really the verse that allows us to have the freedom to do all things...