Dr Paul Allen

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” —Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) It’s a sweeping claim, but it might just be the kind of overstatement we need today to be awakened from our relentless stream of distractions and diversions. How hauntingly true might it be, that we are unable to sit quietly? Four hundred years after Pascal, life may be as hurried and anxious as it has ever been. The competition for our attention is ruthless. We not only hear one distracting Siren call after another, but an endless cacophony of voices barrages us all at once. And yet, long before Pascal, Jesus himself modelled for us the very kind of habits and rhythms of life we need in any age. Even as God in human flesh, he prioritized time alone with his Father. Imagine what “good” he might otherwise have done with all those hours. But he chose again and again, in perfect wisdom and love, to give his first and best moments to seeking his Father’s face. And if Jesus, e...

Can you imagine what Ezekiel went through when he heard the words God uttered to him in Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Can you imagine? Here is a man who was simply minding his own business when God intervenes. He is one of the few to interact with God, he survives the encounter, and God raises him up as one of His prophets. But then after tasking him with the job of being a preacher to his own people, the people of Israel, he leaves him with a bomb. By the way, they’re not going to listen to you! What in the world? Then why bother? Ok, then send me somewhere else! Those are some of the statements I’d be tempted to make if I were in Mr. Ezekiel's shoes.  Can you imagine telling a believer this?  If someone had told you, as you made plans to go to UK or France or Italy, that you would spend 50 years preaching but no one ...

Ever been in physical, mental or relationship pain? You pray then wait, but what do you do while you wait? Panic? Worry? Take excessive medication?  Today we meet a lady that had been waiting for relief from her condition for a long, long time. 2 WAYS TO WAIT FOR JESUS SO YOU CAN GIVE GOD GLORY WHEN HELP IS DELAYED 1. PASSIONATELY PURSUE JESUS WHEN YOU NEED HIM In Luke 8:40-48, we see two cases of passionate pursuit… A) THE SYNAGOGUE LEADER  Luke 8:40-42 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. Jesus is swamped in a crowd of fans and somehow a desperate man worms his way through the crowd and collapses at Jesus’ feet. The crowd recognizes Jairus as a ruler of their synagogue. Can you...

Philip the Apostle. The text (in Old Church Slavonic) in the book is: "15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love..." (First Epistle of John). Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (1774) at Kondopoga. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And in your godliness, brotherly kindness …” 2 PETER 1:7 Real Christian discipleship will include practical brotherly love. A genuine love for God will invariably lead to a love for others. That’s what Jesus said of the two great commandments ( Matt. 22:36–40) that summarize the Ten Commandments . The apostle John also related love for God and love for others: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” ( 1 John 4:20). The kind of love that’s called “brotherly kindness” in today’s verse is ...