Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

I watch enough forensics shows to know that the use of alternate light sources can reveal evidence unseen by the naked eye. DNA tests can reveal the identity of virtually any perpetrator. The entire science of forensics, from gas chromatography to scanning electron microscopes, make it hard to hide anything from criminologists. I also find it amazing that in the city of London there are thousands of video cameras on which all types of activity can be watched on virtually any street in the city. Undersea remote submarines equally amazing. They have ruined the myth of the Titanic and exposed the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle by finding ships that "supposedly" vanished. Those very mysteries, along with the illusions of Harry Houdini, intrigued me when I was in fourth grade. Even more intriguing is the NTSB as they reconstruct an entire airliner from a crash site. It is astounding how they seem to find all the pieces, let alone reassemble them! Have you ever thought about t...

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 this:  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...

As our global world-view changes, homogenizing world cultures by the osmosis of media and international travel, the pressure of political correctness, and the sin of a fallen world, things are changing. I am discovering some really bothersome religious world-views. Jesus is just the hero of the poor (and nothing else). It appears that there is a growing movement to identify Jesus with social justice - in particular, caring for the poor - and that's it. For the record, I am NOT against the poor, and I think the church global has abdicated from their responsibility to feed them. That is why the government feels obligated to do so. Next. Truthfully, most Americans do not know what real poverty is like. Here is the problem that I am having. If a Christian does something that appears extravagant, the first thing some Christians do is say they should have fed the poor. A pastor takes a well deserved cruise vacation, and he should have spent the mone...

My readers are vigilant, often giving me kudos for going after the relationally insensitive, and calling out those that knowingly break the "rules." It makes me wonder, are we cheering on the under-dogs, or are we enjoying the prideful, yet well deserved smack upside the head from Mr. Fire and Grace? I was just thinkin'. There is the constant battle against the rationalization that we are "not perfect" - which is true, and the notion of unobtainable legalistic perfection. Embracing the truth about grace, however; is not permission to act badly. It should be a sign that we need to constantly, as Paul said, "take our thoughts captive," and examine our behavior. How many of us do you suppose actually do that; examine our behavior? Are we sitting here having some of these thoughts: "I am a poor employee because they don't really pay me that well." "I am a bad wife/husband, but my spouse is worse." "I am a rebellious child - it...

Today, for my coffee break I decided to click through the NEXT BLOG link on the Blogspot interface - yup, it's right up there. I believe that it is intended to join random blogs by topic. I have actually found some good blogs that way - you can see a list of some of them down yonder on the lower right. I have also found a lot blogs that didn't really catch my attention - denominational clones and religious blather that, well, I am tired of hearing. I also saw a lot of judgement and defenses for liberal (read that non-biblical Christianity). Personally, I want to hear something fresh! I am looking for some rhema , or at least some satire that gets me from one end of my coffee break to the next. Over the years I have come across lots of sites and blogs that pound Christians into the ground - some deserve it. Today I came across a blog site which posts mug shots of clergy, pastors, youth pastors, choir leaders and Sunday school teachers that have been arrested; mostly for sexual o...

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...

I continually stand amazed at how we function, or dysfunction in the church. Look, everyone in church is looking for grace, and in loads of other places besides. Getting off the hook, not being found out and being forgiven are top of the list for most folks. When we do get caught, grace is wonderful. I remember my dad not whacking me for busting a neighbors window with a poorly thrown rock. Because of his grace that day, I didn't have to suffer any punishment, OR make excuses. Had I been pressured, my 10-year-old mind would have blamed someone... the spinning of the earth on its axis, that fact that my dad hadn't taught me to throw rocks with better accuracy... umm... the target that I was trying to hit moved (Technically the targeted telephone pole had once been a tree in the woods which was moved to our front yard by the power company.). The question is when is grace appropriate versus consequences, or punishment for our actions? As I write this, it sounds a little harsh, but...

Not a day goes by when we hear some saying that pertains to so-called wisdom. "Seat Belts Save Lives", "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right", "Low Fat", "Low Carb", "Easy Does It", "Jesus Saves"... the list goes on an on; while the more popular ones are bumper stickers. If you have ever been in a church, you've heard a lot more of them. Here is one, "It Take Two to Tango"; meaning that both partners are responsible for negative outcome in a relationship. Another version is "relationships are 50/50%" when they are really 100%/100%. And my favorite, "good intentions paved the road to Hell." Oh yes, and let's not forget the "money is the root of all evil." I think in an effort to make things more understandable, some actual scriptures get changed while the original meaning stays intact. Other times well meaning folks try to make these sayings more palatable while they entire truth is ...

As the news spread about the horrific tragedy at Virginia Tech. I am always amazed at the commentators. I don't know if they make this up, or some fool writes it for them. This morning I heard one commenting on why this happened. Before I tell you what he said, I want to qualify my comments. First of all it is honorific, sad and tragic when lives are lost for no reason. There was no cause, no reason for such a violent act. Provoked or not, I can't imagine what this young man was thinking. Second, don't compare it to war, where acts of aggression and viable threats perpetrate a forceful response from a country, not an individual. Third, I don't know why God allows these types of tragic events to happen, but I have a couple of clues. A - He is looking at all of eternity, not just this day, this week-- or even this life time. He is aware of the value of earthly human life I am sure. B - God is sovereign and our ways are not His ways. Therefore, it is unlikely that we will ...

Thursday, November 23, 2006 I am always surprised when people are so surprised that others, even leaders, fail morally. What happened to Ted? If confession is the answer to maintaining personal purity; and I think it is, then we need to look closely at those barriers. All things being equal, some of those barriers include personal pride and arrogance, lack of transparency (fear of being judged or ridiculed), the sin nature itself and the direct attacks of Satan. Every believer suffers from both the inward and outward pressure of all of these. There is one more barrier worth mentioning which needs a closer look; the "church." In nearly 30 years as a believer, I find that it can often be an unfriendly place to confess anything. I am saddened to say that rarely did I find people being transparent about poor marital relationships, addictions and various and sundry other moral failings. So I did the same. The church has not always been a safe place for the nitty-gritty of honest a...