Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."  - Charles Dickens,  A Tale of Two Cities If you have ever traveled outside the country, you know there can be a distinct difference in culture, especially if they speak a foreign language. Over on Kingdom Bloggers I wrote about one of my favorite verses a few days ago. It had to do with the reality of the new man living inside the old man . ...

I have a friend that grew up as a Catholic. She sent me an email asking if I knew the various differences between Evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism. Culturally, the two can be worlds apart, but I think she was a little shocked by the religious divide. Honestly, every denomination has it's problems... primarily humans like you and me are the root of them. Have you noticed that the body of Christ is so fractured that non-believers think all religions are the same? God is not god, he is GOD! Honest! As Christians, it is easy to claim unwavering faith in the knowledge of our little corner of Christianity. We may have been saved in a certain church, or brought up with a liturgical background (Episcopalian, Lutheran etc.). Add to that worldviews, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and we find that traditional Christianity is very, very diverse. (Geeze I almost feel bad using a cultural buzzword, diverse!) Hundreds of years ago the religious world split Christianity in two; Roman ...

I have been pondering miracles lately. If you have been reading this blog for a few months, you'll know that I believe in a supernatural God, one who does supernatural things. I love reading books such as "Like a Mighty Wind" and "Caught up in Paradise". They inspire me to believe God for amazing stuff. And you know, He has done it in front of my very eyes. As I look around at the people that I am in contact with, I see lots of needs. From finances to cancer, I know folks that need miracles.... or so it seems. Here are some of the things that I have heard about miracles over the years. "If you have faith, you'll have miracles." "If you pray for potatoes, God will give you a hoe." Or, "coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous." "We don't need miracles, we have science." And today's winner, "miracles ceased with the death of the last apostle." All of these statements are intended to illustr...

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...

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. 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 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 the thousands of yea...

20/20 hosted a special on Hell and it's many "versions" Friday, July 13th. Maybe people feel Hell is unlucky... I don't know. The commentator, Bill Weir, presented what I am sure he thought was a balanced view of the subject. What always amazes me about these intellectual and supposedly educated exposés, is that they don't really present the Biblical view. They don't quote any scripture and hence, we get a biased, uneducated worldview which is simply a collection of people's thoughts on Hell. I am sure the average viewer found it enlightening to hear 21 different religious and secular views of Hell. That, I guess, would allow them to make an educated guess of what Hell is to them. A friend of mine thinks that it is always good when we are confronted with eternal issues... I am always concerned that people will believe a lie and miss the real thing. Here is a quick list of the thoughts presented: Hell is a place for evil people only, hell is reserved for th...

A few days ago I went and test drove a few cars as I am pretty sure that I will need to replace my 12-year-old one sometime soon. While I was looking, I just decided that I should take a spin in some of the more exotic 2-seaters. After all, I can always look for a used Honda some other time. What's the big attraction for me? I guess they have always been exciting and I simply decided that this was my opportunity for a little fun. They were cars that I have always wanted to own, but I haven't been able to afford. As I looked past the Estimated MPG window stickers(which was 12 on the 427R Mustang!) at a luxurious and sporty cockpits, I was in another world. In the end, I was impressed with the Corvette, an American automotive legend. The Crossfire, well that was underwhelming to say the least. I really liked the Mustang. It is amazing how the Mustang and Corvette have come of age in 50 or so years. It appears to have taken a long time for the automakers to return to their roots i...

Today while I was waiting to hear news about my father-in-law's kidney surgery(which at the time of this writing seems to have gone well), I received news of another co-laborer in the Kingdom who died in an auto accident. He was known to me as Theodore, but those who were really close to him, called him Grandpa Theodore. He was well into his 80's, a missionary in Mexico... well for the last few years anyway. His legacy was missions in Asia including Vietnam, China and the Philippines. He was the mentor of a friend of mine who I know, and finally met, from a prayer chain on the Internet. We had many e-mails over the last decade... Time flies no matter what you are doing. I am sad today. As I sit here and think about Theodore's impact on my life, I remember when we first met. He was part of a team in doing a mission in Vietnam. He was located in California arranging things for Bobby and the gang over there. In 2000 the team finally got kicked out of Hanoi for their work. (Whi...

As I descended the three flights of stairs in my office building to the ATM, I had a deja vu moment. In a thought, I was taken back to high school some 30+ years ago. I was then on my way do something during class. For a moment today I was really "there." During my jaunt around the building I began to think of an eclectic array of moments in my life: my wife's shaking hands while we stood at the altar preparing to say our vows, the faint moment I had at 4:39 am the day our daughter was born, the memories of my mother's last moments here on earth; and my dad too. The vapor of this life over for them... the grief, the joy over loved-ones trapped by cancer for months of suffering... over forever. I also thought about my missed opportunities, the fact that my mother never my met my wife of youngest daughter... the day I quit a job I wish I had now... the regret of selling my vintage guitar collection for thousands when it is now worth hundreds of thousands... there are a ...

Whatever you think of Jerry, he has left his mark on American society. Some will remember him as one that proclaimed that the AIDs epidemic and 9/11 are judgement from God. Others will remember him as a political influence that got Reagan elected in the 80's. Here is what I think. (That is why you are reading this blog, right?) Whatever gains we have made politically, are cancelled by proclaiming judgment on the nation which is the job of Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I believe that sin has consequences and when an alcoholic dies from cirrhosis, or a smoker from lung cancer, I think, well you got what you paid for. I know there is grace and mercy, but that wages of sin is still death. It was God's plan for us to live forever, that is why we need Jesus. The point is to leave the judgement up to Jesus. History bears out the sins of a a nation bringing judgment on themselves. It happened to Israel a number of times. It also happened to the Roman Empire and the early Greek states....

With Mitt Romney and Al Sharpton facing off over religion, I have to say, I don't get it. As a Christian I was taught that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light and that there is no other way to heaven. He said, and I read it, therefore; I am just repeating it. The apostle Paul said this, if you confess salvation with your mouth and believe it in your heart, then you have it. (Romans 10:9-10) So where is the argument? The Christian; Sharpton, claims to know, but acts like he doesn't know better. Romney, a very nice guy, thinks that we need to be tolerant of all religious practices not just his. Sharpton may know the answer, but it was not presented with love. *Gong* both sides in error. Why? Defending the truth without love is being a clanging gong... see 1 Corinthians 13 to see what I am talking about. Not believing in Jesus as a savior is an eternal error. But who can prove it? So, what is it that made Jesus say what He said? How could he say, I am the only way to heaven?...

Last night I was impressed with the topic at our Thursday night group. "What is church?" Wow, you get all kinds of answers. It is a place of redemption, love, hope, "not a building", people, institution.. and the list goes on. I guess I would ask the inverse, what is the church expected to be that it is not? Well, it is not a building, not a social club, not a political machine... I am sure you can think of some others. If we look at church history, and we should. We'll see that the 1st century church was comprised of communal living and small home churches with occasional services held in synagogues. In truth the persecution of the early church caused it to be primarily underground in many respects.... or the parishioners would be stoned to death, fed to the lions, forced to burn to death on an iron chair over hot coals... it was ugly, very ugly. So, why did the early Christians claim faith in the face of torture and death? I would say because church was not a ...

Today I heard two stories that blow my little mind. First there was the artist that created "My Sweet Lord", an anatomically correct version of Jesus... just in time for Easter. The other was the man that sits quarantined in jail with a nearly untreatable strain of tuberculosis because he refused to wear a "germ" mask. Both stories cited free speech and personal civil rights as reasons for being in the controversial positions they find themselves in. Let's take a look at each incident separately. The man that created the alleged "offensive sculpture" has a right to create anything that he wants to. This America not Iraq. So why are people freaking out over this so called sacrilege? If we view it morally, then there are lots of immoral statues and paintings on display in public places. How many high school students have not seen Michelangelo's David in class? If we view it as anti-Christian then we need to see where this artist is in terms of salvat...

My wife and I were joking recently about bending the rules. She had inadvertently made herself a ham sandwich for lunch on Friday during lent. For her, being raised in the Catholic church, she enjoys participating in Lenten fasting in which everything but fish is not permissible for consumption on Fridays. I quickly Googled "pig fish" and found the following link. PIG FISH As if some how ham could ever be legal on a Lenten Friday! Most churches have lots of rules. Actually every religion seems to have a set of rules. Rules are not bad or good in themselves. Biblically rules were described in two ways, those mandated by God; laws, and those mandated by men; customs. Godly laws were created to show what is right and what is wrong. More so, they highlight our inability to do them perfectly. There is no one that has ever obeyed God's laws perfectly except Jesus. Thus the whole reason for grace and salvation through Jesus. That part that makes me chuckle is the customs. Custo...

As I practice my electric guitar... usually worship songs, I think about how music fits into the the Kingdom of God. I have been playing for 30+ years and I still play at church from time to time. I have to say I am shocked by denominations that think music is sinful and shouldn't be allowed in church. Don't get me wrong, I think there are lots of secular songs and a few hymns that don't belong anywhere near church, but real worship songs? How did we get there? FYI - There are 34 verses in the NIV Bible that directly reference the word music. There are 47 references song, 153 referencing worship, and I am betting that a good number of those include music. There are 30 for the harp and 5 for the tambourine. And you can look up any other ancient instrument and probably find a few verses for those too. Getting past my shock, I have been a part of all kinds of church music from playing three story cathedral pipe organs, choirs to plain chant and even rap that brought hundreds t...

In the book of 1 John the writer testifies to what he has seen the Lord do. I often refer to that verse when naysayers tell me how God, doesn't exist, how He can't do this or that. Funny how they'll go to a psychic or read a horoscope and then claim there is no supernatural God...but that is another story. I testify to what I have seen God do. Paul said, "let me boast about God, not about myself." That's what I like to do, boast about Jesus. When I think back on my life, I see the places where He has intervened and also where He has changed me. These are things that are not open to debate. Really, I am alive after doings lots of things that could have easily killed me. But more then that, there are the healings that I have witnessed, the people getting out of wheel chairs, recovering from terminal illnesses and even having migraine headaches stop. There are the time when the unmistakable voice gave me amazing advice; the kind that takes your breath away. Oh su...

My wife and I were joking recently about bending the rules. She had inadvertently made herself a ham sandwich for lunch on Friday during lent. For her, being raised in the Catholic church, she enjoys participating in Lenten fasting in which everything but fish is not permissible for consumption on Fridays. I quickly Googled "pig fish" and found the following link. PIG FISH As if some how ham could ever be legal on a Lenten Friday! Most churches have lots of rules. Actually every religion seems to have a set of rules. Rules are not bad or good in themselves. Biblically rules were described in two ways, those mandated by God; laws, and those mandated by men; customs. Godly laws were created to show what is right and what is wrong. More so, they highlight our inability to do them perfectly. There is no one that has ever obeyed God's laws perfectly except Jesus. Thus the whole reason for grace and salvation through Jesus. That part that makes me chuckle is the customs. Custo...

The congress has voted to not support the president's plan for more troops in Iraq. Apparently it is nonbinding and doesn't really mean much. However; I think it is important as a thermometer for where we are in the process. Before I launch into my topic today, let me explain that I understand that war causes the loss of human lives. It is evident from the first moment of aggression recorded on earth between Cain and Able, that killing is the outpouring of what is in the human heart. In contrast, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob sent Israel to war for different reasons. There in lies the dichotomy of God's plan for mankind, the human race and the future of the earth. God is sovereign and doesn't make mistakes. Therefore; I assume that war is necessary in some cases. When people receive wounds that cause a lot of bleeding, we apply a tourniquet and pressure to slow the bleeding so that the healing process can begin. Having lived through the Vietnam war, I always thoug...

I often find that people are surprised by relationships and their inner workings. Yet, they think, we get along or we don't. It's all about chemistry and soul-mates. Truthfully, there are so many facets, both emotional and spiritual, to good relationships, that I wouldn't depend on luck. In the Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck talked about ego boundaries, right after he said, "life is difficult." Yes Virginia, relationships are very complex. However; I believe that most of the more complex problems can often be broken down into simple elements. Relationships are work even under the best of circumstances. But isn't there and easier way? Yes and no... none is without effort. Here are, what I think, are some common sense actions we can take in any relationship. It has a bit to do with being proactive. INITIATE - Be a friend first. Reaching out isn't easy, but it can be worth it. It doesn't matter what the relationship is; spouse, neighbor or church buddy, ...

The local news has run a few segments recently on heroes... real life life-savers. One story was about a man in NY City. He threw himself into the path of an oncoming subway train to save the life of another man, who; fell onto the tracks while having a seizure. The other story involved a state highway worker that pulled his "crash pad" truck into the path of an oncoming semi on the interstate. His vehicle absorbed enough of the impact, before it was pushed over an embankment, to save the life of a state trooper, who was also rear-ended in collision. Both of these heroes said they simply were responding to human need. I find it astounding as I just can't think that fast. I know, you're probably thinking he is going to give me a metaphor for Christ giving His life for our sin. No, if you're reading this blog, then you probably know all about that. If you have ever been in a Christian church, then you have most likely heard that Christ died for our sins. My point to...