God Said It, and it Freaked Me Out!

The difference between the truth of God and revelation is very simple. Truth is where God’s been. Revelation is where God is. ~Tommy Tenney, The God Chasers

This week on Kingdom Bloggers we’re going to find out where God is. We’re no longer going to camp on a past move of God (as good as they are to remember and reflect) but we are going to hear current testimonies of what God is doing now. Kicking off the week is David Johndrow. Since he left Kingdom Bloggers as a weekly contributor, he’s been on an adventure with God. Enjoy the update.

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What would you do if God showed up and gave you a list of things to do, then added to that a few statements about where you are in life, and how much He loves you?

Well that is what happened to me in 1994, and again in 1998 - it all freaked me out! Prophecy freaks me out because it always speaks to the impossible in my life. God will often go after forgotten dreams and undisclosed prayers.

Last November, while I was in California, I received a prophetic word from a young lady (14-years-old) about the acceleration of things that I have been puttering around in the Kingdom with for decades - my space shuttle was about to take off! That's pretty exciting because I have been a part-time minister/missionary on-and-off for many decades. It freaked me out because I didn't see how God could possibly turn my disorganized and busy life into something that he could use.

I also received words from Joyce and another from Linda. Spot on ladies!

Sometime last fall I left Kingdom Bloggers behind (as well my own blog: Fire & Grace and a music CD I was working on) as the Lord asked me to . That is what I heard in prayer. It was tough, I love to play guitar and write blogs about Jesus! He told me through those exercising the gift of prophecy that I would be busy - this was the year - this is the time - the was my time...

For those that don't know me, I started something called the 5-Fold School of Ministry at my church last January. The most recent class only had about a dozen folks from my congregation, and 5 times that many with other Christians from the New England/New York region.  It is one of the things that is accelerating. Last year we held 3 schools (well I had a heart attack between schools 1 and 2), and this year it will be 8 at my church, and a few in other locations - nations actually.

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite facets of Kingdom living (besides study and worship) is to lay hands on others and see what God does. Some Christians like to teach or preach, others like to play worship, some enjoy kids ministry, some pray a lot and others dance; me, I like to pray for the sick, and prophesy. Sure, I preach and even know how to clean a toilet, but the laying on of hands is awesome. Why? Because God always gives me something personal, and important for others to hear; it's one of my gifts.

I met a new group of Christians while I was at Bethel Church in November 2011. One of them is fast becoming a good friend. His name is Dan Roberts, the pastor of Life International Church in London, Ontario.  A few weeks ago he and I taught and ministered for 3 sessions at the school, and then we were invited to a home church named Place of His Presence. There, 50 hungry people, and the Spirit of God poured out through two very unlikely men met: me and Dan.

Me and Dan Roberts from LIC in London, ON

Our little meeting went on for 4 and half hours! After about an hour in, we asked people to leave whenever they needed to; they stayed. And they called friends and family to come and receive from God. The meeting got bigger!


God what are you doing!?! I thought I was going to do a little 20-30 minute teaching about the Apostolic Church. Their little worship team brought down the glory with this song by Robin Mark. The presence of Holy Spirit was so amazing, so sweet, so indescribable... one woman drove to the meeting and said that she saw demons at bay outside the house. I am glad she waited to tell us about it until a few days later!

Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I am going to be in London, ON in a few weeks - well after I get to Florida and meet up with some other folks that the Lord put me together with at Bethel. The little school is growing. We now have a bank account, a part-time bookkeeper, a part-time AV guy, a web site, and a growing list of teachers and guests. WOW!

With all the excitement and opportunities for larger venues, I still love doing the little home churches. That is how I got my start with the Brazilians 13 years ago. It gives me the chance to really flow, and to be close to the transformations in an intimate setting.

Ministry for me is not a vocation, not a job, not something I do, it is a way of life. I am always on duty.

Life in the Kingdom is never about offerings, or big names - in fact I love to promote others. There is nothing more exciting than taking a new convert, or a believer who is new to the things of the Spirit and letting them lay  hands on others. God always does amazing things! Always.

The good news is that you can do what I do. If you need help learning, grab a couple of dozen friends and let's get together. I am never too busy to go where God is opening a door.

It's hard to end a blog like this. I am so excited about all that God is doing. I don't believe the climax of the story has come yet! It is more of an introduction to the things that lie ahead.

I guess for now, you can follow me on Twitter for the rest of the story. Love and blessings to my friends here at Kingdom Bloggers, and to the new additions my departure made room for!

Sounds of Summer - The Cup Runs Over

One of the things that I love about Kingdom Bloggers is that we really get to talk about our lives with Jesus. We don't have to teach or preach; just be ourselves. My journey to the current place in life started in August of '06. HERE are the details on that. The story, however; continues.

There is nothing in life richer than knowing God. I could care less about theology or church stuff or religion or anything else. What I care about is Jesus, and knowing him deeply.

This week your Kingdom Bloggers are back from summer break with some testimonies about how God has worked in their lives. Welcome back, Joyce, Tracy, Dave and Tony. Here's mine:

If you read Waiting for the Rain - Acting on a Promise, you know that just as the Lord promised, the rain fell after three and half years. Since that time I found a new church - one that I decided to visit one morning during prayer. The pastor and I have become friends, and we meet together every other week for a few hours. He encourages and loves, as well as appreciating my ministry and spiritual gifts.

David has had a rough time with church. In spite of both seminary and bible school training, as well as completing a certificate class "The Art of Hearing God" and 3 levels of Denny Cramer's prophetic School, I could not find a "place" in church until now.

I have been asked to co-lead one of the ministry teams. I am excited about the possibilities.


Well over a year ago, I wrote about my passion: The equipping of the saints by a 5 part team. I am so certain that God is working towards something called the 5-Fold Ministry model, I can hardly contain myself. I finally had a two hour meeting with the pastor and told him about a vision I had for an "apostolic school;" one where I would teach about, and train others to be part of this type of church. Our vision was so similar, that we had a high-five to end the meeting - a sign of complete agreement. He said that I would have to organize it, and take care of the details. I knocked out a web site during a few lunch hours, and wrote a 15 page booklet to be used for the class.

Cool, right! The best part is that God brought us together, and he is opening all the doors.

And there is more... one day I was driving home and I saw a house up on wheels that was being moved. I clearly heard the Lord say, "you are moving." In one of my chats with the pastor, he mentioned in passing that none of the elders lived in the town where the church is. I heard the Lord say, "This is your town, David; you'll live here.

In June, my wife and I went away for our anniversary. As we were talking, she said that no one seemed that happy in the town we live in, and asked if I would be interested in moving? Wow, I never thought we'd get to the conversation, never mind agree that it might be possible.

We decided to get a small horse farm (2-4 stalls), or move near the ocean. All of the listings that we found on the Internet that were in our price range were at the beach, or; coincidentally, in the town where my new church is. We did look other places, but the farms were taken off the market. Go figure.

A few weeks ago, I was driving to Cape Cod for our family vacation. I have a friend from the Pacific Northwest who is a prophet. He knows stuff, amazing stuff. Because I had time on the two-hour ride, I decided to call him - we hadn't talked in a few months. As I was pressing the SEND button on my cell, I got an email from him. I called him and thought it some what of a coincidence. Joseph said, "Hey, I was praying for you and the Lord says that you are moving northwest - well north then west. Interesting, the new church is northwest of my current home about 55 miles.

So there you have it, a move of God in process. We have decided to move, and have no clue as to how it is all going to work out - just a few promises from God. Here is where the faith comes in. In the midst of waiting, Joseph called me again and said he felt that the doors would open in about 3 weeks. Well, that narrows it down God. Thank you Jesus.

How about you, do you have any promises from God that you are waiting on?

Did Jesus Laugh?

The Brazilian bride and groom released white doves after giving their vows, signifying there new life together. There was one small problem, that being the ceiling fan the took the life of the groom's dove en route from the cathedral. The quick thinking pastor said, "that is not what I meant by fanning the flames of love," and continued to the next portion of the service.

After the ceremony, fueled by a few cocktails, it became a unforgettable anecdote.

This week, your Kingdom Bloggers are going to relate a funny story from church - which isn't all that spiritual I guess. Please feel free to comment and relate one of your own - this crew could use a good laugh.

Here is an excerpt from my still unpublished book.

Let me begin. In the Spring of 1999 I met a Brazilian pastor who became my closest friend. He invited me to minister at a church where he was the Youth Pastor. I remember struggling in prayer for 2 or 3 hours before the Sunday evening meeting. I just seemed to be fighting with something in the spirit realm, so I continued to press in, and finally I had a vision. I pictured a balding man in his late 50's to early 60's. The picture in my spirit was rather distinctive - a face I would recognize - and I took note. After the short vision I felt the Lord impress upon me 6 things I was supposed to share with this man. Again, I took note, ended my prayer session and got dressed for the service.

That evening I drove to Igreja Baptista, not far from my house. I met my friend there, and we worshiped for a bit. As I stepped to the platform for my portion of the meeting, I saw the face of the man from my vision. What was confusing to me was that he looked younger than the face I saw; having thin, but rich black hair. I thought, I will just wait for his father to come and deliver the message.

After 30-40 minutes of ministry, no one else showed up in this man's row. I decided to take a chance and asked the man to stand up so I could share what I had seen in my prayer time. I told him about seeing his face and I began to share the 6 things that I felt impressed to tell him. I told him that I sensed that he had been in Brazil for a few weeks and just returned. He nodded in agreement. Each of the 6 topics seemed to hit home and he became tearful as God encouraged him.

As I ended, I then told him how puzzled I was about the vision, the age of the man I had seen and the lack of hair; for he had hair. It was obvious to me that the words I had for him were not far in the future - how could he age and lose his hair? As the man sat down, there were some muffled snickers.

The pastor ended the service with a short prayer.

We filed into the kitchen for refreshments, the pastor and a my friend came to me almost laughing out loud. They told me this man I had just ministered to, had in fact just returned from Brazil - where he received a hair transplant!

My friend thought this particular incident was so much fun, that he used the story to introduce me over and over again while we were in Brazil. HERE is that story.

God really does know us, and He has a sense of humor too.