Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

I have been writing Fire & Grace for many years; in fact this is my 600th post. in that time I have only had one guest blogger. (Well, I had some on my 500th Blog-a-versary). As I am recovering from all this heart stuff - actually I am feeling pretty good - I need some time to spend on other things. Therefore, I am inviting you to do a guest post. Yup, that's right. I'd like to feature them once a week, maybe twice of they are really good. They can be fun, testimonies, teaching in nature, or politics. Just leave a comment with a way to contact you. (Comments are moderated, so I don't have to post them!) The Bible is a good book, don't you think? Or, maybe you don't, and think Ex-Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards is a saint. It doesn't matter. The fact that this very blog might be about the Bible may already have you thinking "I'm bored," or "religion is not for me." If it was my kid listening to this, she might slip in one ea...

There are those that think the Bible is a book filled with a bunch of religious sounding stories, some historical accounts and others tall tales or myths, and that it is at best the "wishful thinking" of the authors. I am not talking about skeptics or nonbelievers, these are committed Christians who are uncertain of both the historical accounts and I suppose the afterlife. I disagree with them. What if the Bible is true from Genesis to Maps? It is not my place to defend God or the Bible. That type of conjecture only causes people to be upset. The logical thinking process that substantiates this apparent theory, maintains it is all subject to faith, and therefore; can't be proven. Again, I disagree. One of the things that I find intriguing about the Bible is that there is a thread which runs through it connecting the laws and events of the Old Testament to the historical and spiritual events of the New Testament. As an example of this principal, let's look at this ...

I grew up in an era when books were pretty much the only alternative to TV. I am sure you love your Kindle, but I had some favorite books with real pages and everything. My most treasured was The Wind in the Willows , which I received as a birthday gift from my grandfather in 1963. It was inscribed with a blue fountain pen. I couldn't read back then, but it was in a wonderful paper wraparound jacket and a green tweed like cloth binding. My mother would sit on my bed and read it to me. The experience is much less about the story line or the plot, but the experience of the book - turning pages, my mother's voice; its changing cadence and emphasis, depending on the character. When she read to me I could hear the wind in the willows. When I started to read, I had some childhood favorites: Little Toot , Winne the Pooh , Harold and the Purple Crayon , and The Little Engine that Could . I can hear that words "I think I can, I think I can." as if I was there in my upper bunk,...

Have you heard Christians getting all legalistic talking about who should be put out of the church, who's not a "true" Christian, who's got a hard heart, and who should not be allowed to mess with our Sunday morning service and stuff like that? I have, and I tell you the truth, as one who has failed in the church's eyes more than once, I hate it. It is not because I think I should have gotten away with anything. By and large, it is just the way church folks seem to like to operate, and it makes me mad as Hell. I was inspired by Matt over at the Church of No People . He's like a real pastor and everything - laid it on the line. I am of the mind that folks that actually get to church, are looking for some sort of assistance in life. Some times they don't know what - but an alert church can make a difference. Here is what Jesus would do. Mark 1:21(b) Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught...

Some days life is just, well, "life." A long time ago I learned to ask God what should I be doing, and what should I hand over to Him. Maybe you've heard of the " Serenity Prayer " - it's a good one! Like others, I am not perfect at it. Have you noticed, when things get tough, one group says "hang in there" - meaning keep on trying, and another says "let it go" - meaning you've done what you can, and the rest is up to God. So who's right, do we hang in there, or let go? I happen to believe that throwing Bible verses at problems is not always God. Some folks believe that the will of God, their personal destiny, the very key to life, is in the Bible. I would like to disagree. Before you shout: Blasphemy, consider this. Even if every word in the Bible is God breathed and true - and I believe it is - the central truth of Christianity is not believing what is in the Bible. It is faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the sa...

You call yourself a Christian, have a Jesus "fish" on your car, and some days you see the problems of the world as a sign that He is coming soon. You're all set. As a long time Christian with some seasons of backsliding, I thought I was getting closer to the goal of putting on the mind of Christ. I suppose some day I will learn to wave with all my fingers when someone cuts me off on the Mass Pike. Until then, I am just a sinner saved by grace. This amazing grace is not a license to be a jerk-- but it sure does come in handy when you are one. Amen? In the last week or so, I have been really studying the lives of some of the apostles. You can poke through the last few posts for more on that if you like. In the process, I also had a discussion about the 5-fold ministry on Facebook, and some folks had a fiery debate over gay marriage. It was an aside to a link I posted for a petition to vote for a new law protecting student's rights to do "religious" stuff in sc...

I have an old friend named Percy that I have known since I was in first grade. This is him (2nd from left) in 1967, posing with me (1st on left), and some others, at my brother's birthday party. We grew up in a small Connecticut town, spent years in the same schools, knew each other’s family, and did stuff together as kids. We haven't seen each other since high school graduation about 30 years ago, but we have reconnected on Facebook. Percy is, in my estimation, a genius; holding at least one software patent. Our discussion threads have been about politics, religion, the origin of life, intelligent life, evolution, global warming, creation, and a host of other subjects with which normally identify folks as liberals or conservatives. I really hate labels and stereotypes, preferring to simply think for myself. The two of us could easily be labeled any number of ways. But that is not what Jesus would do; therefore, I am not going to either. What I do know about my friend is this: ...

There are those that think the Bible is a book filled with a bunch of religious sounding stories, some historical accounts and others tall tales or myths, and that it is at best the "wishful thinking" of the authors. I am not talking about skeptics or nonbelievers, these are committed Christians who are uncertain of both the historical accounts and I suppose the afterlife. I disagree with them. What if the Bible is true from Genesis to Maps? It is not my place to defend God or the Bible. That type of conjecture only causes people to be upset. The logical thinking process that substantiates this apparent theory, maintains it is all subject to faith, and therefore; can't be proven. Again, I disagree. One of the things that I find intriguing about the Bible is that there is a thread which runs through it connecting the laws and events of the Old Testament to the historical and spiritual events of the New Testament. As an example of this principal, let's look at this ...

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 ...