Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

Here I go having my own thoughts again – in between the last ones and some time with the Lord. Hopefully you read Part 1 of this 2 part blog series. -1 Church is boring, are we going to blame that on God? I read the Bible and it says that David loved the Law – that’s right, he delighted in God’s law. Some how He saw His savior and messiah reveled in it, and that made him joyful. I also read about the Puritans and how they spent all day in church. Some Pentecostal churches have watch night services that go from sundown until sunrise. How do you think they do that and stay awake - and not get bored? I mean without Law & Order to watch on TV, how do you think they survived? It is an interesting question. I have been to quite a few revival meetings in my tenure as a Christian – some long weekend retreats and even a few of those watch night services. I am from the entertainment generation of radio, TV, movies, music and yes, we had Pong. I would say that it takes more to keep me, ...

There is one good thing about having your own thoughts – well, if you can remember what they are! For over 10 years now, I have been contemplating church. Until then, I accepted church at face value. Whatever you think church is I am talking about my biblical perceptions. I have studied and thought about all kinds of worships styles, models, teachings, and moves of God from the Charismatic Renewal of the late 70’s to the more recent and short lived Lakeland Revival. Have you said to yourself, “this is what’s wrong with church?” Followed by a thought or an idea that you felt would make things better and more spiritual? I know I have. I have been teaching and blogging about it for years. I suppose that many of my ideas and insights are not new, but bear with me for a bit. I recently was talking to the elder of a church I visit from time to time. He told me that I should check out some of the books by Frank Viola. I didn’t buy any – sorry Frank. But I did go and read some of the revie...

If you are out of excuses and thought about what a mission trip might be like, than maybe you're ready to see what the next steps are. What I love about God is that once we hand over the keys in certain areas of our lives, He is able to get a lot of things done. Here are some practical steps for heading in the direction of Christian missions. -1 We admitted that God was right and we were wrong. We could do this in His strength. -2 We sought God in prayer not trying to figure out how any of this would come about. -3 We asked a few trusted friends to pray too. We didn't ask their advice - just prayer. -4 We got a passport in faith. -5 We prayed about where we should go - did a little research online - and and kept the eyes of our heart open. -6 We read the book of Acts with a new viewpoint. -7 We looked for mission opportunities and local outreaches - maybe God would illuminate one of those? -8 We spoke to others about their experiences on a mission trip. -9 We ...

Well, if you are not going on a mission for a specific reason, rationalization or excuse outlined in Part 1 , then maybe you need some motivation to start thinking about why you might go. I do know that some folks are called to missions, but every Christian should do a short term project or two to serve someone else. Reasons to go on a Mission - It’s biblical. Starting Genesis, the purpose of mankind was to populate the earth and be fruitful. "Go into all the world spreading the good news." The great commission might be you neighbor or a small village in the South Pacific. - The Gospel has not been preached to every human being, you might be just the person to show up and close the deal. - Because there are lots of poor folks in other countries that need to be served – and many are much poorer than in the folks in the US. It really does change your perspective on "stuff." MORE BTW - Missions are not just to poor folks. When I lived on Cape Cod we had a pretty...

As my 757 taxied toward the gate, disembarking instructions came over the PA system in Spanish and Portuguese - but not in English. The flight attendants were spraying some stinky stuff and I haven't got a clue what it was for. Outside the window, Sao Paulo International Airport and my first trip overseas. Why would anyone want to go on a mission trip? It’s a good question. I am sure, like me, you can probably think of a few excuses not to go. If God has already called you to a mission trip, then you can skip this post. The rest of you get to read on. ;o) Missions; “to go” have been around since the time of Adam. It has always been the plan for man to share the Gospel message. Even before the fall, the mandate was there. Adam was meant to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." When you have time do a word search for “nations,” you’ll be surprised at how we were...

Regardless of where folks are with God, or not, personally I feel that being a Christian has a lot of benefits. As an entrepreneur a few years back, I always  thought it was cool flashing my American Express Gold and Platinum cards to make purchases. Their theme line: Membership has its benefits had a nice ring. Umm but I don't know what they are. Here are some things that I like about being a Christian. Coffee - I have to say, for all the years I have attended church, I don't think I've had a bad cup of coffee. In fact, I really like the coffee at my current church. Good job! Music - Certain types of Christian music is pleasing and I look forward to it. Live music is a little more engaging than the CD player/iPod/Cassettes/8 Tracs. I do wish there were more talented Christian guitarists like Lincoln Brewster. And I liked Eric Clapton better when he was a heathen. Hours - Except for Midnight Mass an Easter Sunrise service, the church hours are pretty good. Not ...

A few years ago the Christian Rock genre was cranking along and artists were occasionally crossing over to secular media. U2, Amy Grant, and POD just to quickly name a few. During rival in Australia, many artist were heard on secular radio. It's hard to say if music influences culture or reflects it, however; it is certainly a driving media force. I don't think that I know anyone without an iPod. Today is the 30th anniversary of the " Footloose Event " - you know that little conservative town in Texas where dancing was forbidden at Elmore City High School. They finally got a prom, and of course the movie Footloose was based on it. It's hard to dance without music. So what does all that have t do with church or even God? Like all art forms, it is an expression of the soul and creative spirit - the souls that was created by God. Artistically there is really no "right" or "wrong" - just popular acceptance and obscurity. The Bible is pretty...