Dr Paul Allen

One of the realities we face as people living in a fallen world is that tragedy and sadness surround us. This seems especially true each Christmas, as we reflect on the many acts of violence that marked the past year—acts that reveal deep truths about our culture and the spiritual condition of our nation. No sooner does one tragedy fade than another begins. We open our phones to check the news and are bombarded with story after story: shootings, kidnappings, robberies, or arrests for heinous crimes. It’s gut-wrenching to realize that people have lost loved ones during what should be a joyous holiday season—all because of the wicked acts of wicked men. Yet the sad reality is that our world is not so different from the one into which Jesus was born. In Matthew’s Gospel, we read of a wicked ruler, Herod, who ordered the death of all male children two years old and under in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2). He committed this atrocity out of fear of losing power, driven by his own ego and ...

Tim Shorely I have stage four, poor-prognosis cancer, and I believe in healing, either bestowed directly by the Lord or through the intercession of others. I’m convinced there are moments when God transcends and circumvents the normal to heal instantaneously and supernaturally (1 Cor. 12:7–9). I sincerely believe he can and often does this without any means other than his love-released power—to make the body whole, the spirit glad, and the tongue exult. My faith doesn’t embrace fraudulent faith healers, name-it-and-claim-it charlatans, prosperity peddlers, or positive-thinking gurus. I believe God can and often does grant actual, supernatural healings of the body, spirit, and mind, by which the truly sick are made truly whole through the authority of Christ’s name, often catalyzed by the believing prayers of God’s people. But I still have cancer. Despite thousands of prayers, many of which have been bathed in ample faith and anointing oil, I still have cancer, and my clock’s ticking. T...

Frans Floris - The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Gathering and Protecting Mankind - WGA7949 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Of the many beautiful hymns that have been composed in celebration of the birth of Christ , few in my mind equal the depth of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel . The origins of the Latin version Veni, Emmanuel are obscure. It may have been composed as early as the 8th century. The melody appears to have originated in France in the 15th century. The hymn was translated into English by the Reverend John Mason Neale in the mid 19th century. The English version originally consisted of five verses, which began "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel." Alernate versions of most of the verses and additional verses were composed later, and one can now find numerous versions of this hymn. While the origins of the hymn and its development over time are interesting matters, they are not the reasons for the hymn's profundity. That rests on the subject matter. The hymn...