Dr Paul Allen

Your neighbor asks what you did over the weekend. You think to yourself,  Should I mention church? If I do, am I ready to share the gospel ? If I am, how do I get there? You know you should say something to your barber, or to the barista at your favorite coffee shop — something about Jesus , something about the gospel — but you feel stuck. Palms are getting sweaty. Guilt is circling like a bird of prey. You feel the window closing. I doubt many Christians need convincing from Scripture that we’re all called to evangelize, to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus ( 1 Peter 2:9–10). Evangelism is the simple and supernatural telling, pleading, and inviting of people to turn from sin, and to place their faith in the one crucified to pay for sin and reigning now over the whole universe. In evangelism, we are telling people to run to Jesus. But we often struggle with how to tell the good news, especially with where to start. One Question If you struggle to get the conv...

English: The title card for the musical comedy series Glee (Fox). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) People are steeped in secular culture – particularly the young – have become increasingly intolerant of anything they see as “intolerance” to lifestyles their church considers sinful. It is no longer the Bible that guides them, but the TV with shows like Glee , Modern Family , Music TV, Katy Perry . But Leviticus 20:13: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” Matthew 5:32 : ‘But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity , makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.’?” The clash is about to get bigger. This is essentially a war against Christ and the Holy Spirit engineered by Satan. Related articles The Magisterium of Sophomores: another High School explosion Petraeus to testify behind doors on Benghazi Friday 3 Characteristics of a New Life Christian...

English: Anthony Fedorov from American Idol (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In the documentary film chronicling her journey to superstardom, performer Katy Perry advises her fans: “ Believe in yourself and you can be anything.”  Not that I would place any weight on Katy, her skills or comments.  However, if eleven seasons of American Idol have taught us anything, it’s that self-belief is not sufficient for success. At the beginning of each season of Idol, vocalists audition in front of the judges, and some are dreadfully tone-deaf and off-key. Amazingly, despite their obvious lack of talent, these musically-challenged contestants truly believe they are destined for celebrity. In fact, they’re genuinely shocked when the judges candidly provide them with negative feedback before dismissing them from the set. Certainly, at many junctures in the leadership journey, you must be supremely self-assured to press forward through adversity. But while self-confidence factors into...

Image via Wikipedia BY Adam Holz In late November, comedian and actor Russell Brand stopped by to chat with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show. Among other things, Ellen asked him to address rumors of marital difficulties between Brand and his wife, pop star Katy Perry . I appreciated Brand's response, and we published what he said in our Dec. 5 Culture Clips feature: "There are always rumors, aren't there? In the end you have to just not engage with Internet technology, which is difficult because a lot of the nude women websites I quite enjoy. But they've had to go. I've treated the whole Internet now like it's a wicked little liar. Yeah. I am really happily married." He also added, "I'm married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge." I liked that Brand said he was happily married. I liked his willingness to admit that he had to shed some really bad habits. I liked his commitment to lifelong marriage. And I like...