Dr Paul Allen

Proverbs 17:10 : “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.” So how do we receive rebuke as a wise man seeking greater wisdom?  How do  you deal with personal criticisms from others? How do you process them, learn from them, and determine which ones are accurate and which ones are not?” www.hopecollege.com That question, of course, is all the more relevant in a day of social media . You not only have a few dozen people in your family and church or neighborhood or network at work who might criticize you, and you can deal with face to face, but you have a few million people who might get wind of your opinion on Twitter or Facebook or a blog or wherever you happen to be talking. They might get wind of your opinion and call you the vilest names in the world. In one sense, this world of social media is unrealistic because we simply can’t deal seriously with thousands of opinions about ourselves. And yet, on the other hand, t...

Our Twitter and Facebook habits make praying harder than ever. But before we look at the stats, let’s take a moment to appreciate the magic of conscious life, the capacity to focus on one thing, like this article and this unfolding sentence, following it along until it ends with a little dot. No doubt, as a reader, you’re fighting the chronic digital urge to skim. We  give  our attention because we have attention to give. With our attention we can  attend to  one thing and  avert from  another thing. The power to  fixate  is part of God ’s miracle in creation. Without attention, faith would be impossible. God not only created us to live and breathe and walk, like his other creatures; he wants us also to believe in him and to trust his word, to listen. The full scope of our affectional life becomes precious when we see it as our capacity to  attend . Mind-setting is the basis of our devotion to Christ , and it gives rise to eve...

If I am being honest, I have to admit that my iPhone habits have been largely unchecked, undisciplined, and unhealthy. And in a recent survey of 8,000 of our readers, many of you honestly admitted the same struggle. We asked you to finish this sentence: As I evaluate my life right now, my use of social media [ Facebook , Twitter , Instagram ] is . . . (A) . . . under control, limited, and healthy. (B) . . . not controlled or restricted, but also not having a negative influence on my life. (C) . . . uncontrolled and unhealthy. I check my social networks compulsively though out the day, and it’s probably not good for me. About 40% of you answered (B) — you don’t intentionally limit your social media use, and you don’t notice harmful effects as a result. Those of you who chose (C) — who admit your unlimited social media habits are unhealthy — were noticeably younger. Readers 18 to 39 are nearly twice as likely to call their habits injurious (38.5%) than those over fo...

Matt Chandler is a husband, father, lead pastor at  The Village Church  in Dallas, and author of several books, including  The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, and Redemption . We get a lot of questions from young Christian men and women who are “not yet married.” Their season of life awakens many desires and hopes, uncertainties and insecurities, and tricky pastoral questions. To help find the right questions, we called on three not-yet-married friends who gave some time to thinking about the challenges faced by singles — Lore Ferguson, Paul Maxwell , and the recently engaged Marshall Segal. We ended up with these questions: Is My Boyfriend (or Girlfriend) Godly Enough? Is There “Too Fast” In Christian Dating? Has Facebook Ruined Dating? Should My Church Help Me Get Married ? Should I Date a Godly Girl I Do Not Find Attractive? Should a Boyfriend “Lead” His Girlfriend? Keys to Sexual Purity in Dating? When Should a Single Stop...