Dr Paul Allen

Whether a person is searching for their calling or wholeheartedly pursuing their life's purpose, LIVE LOVE LEAD will help them navigate a faith path that is all their own and discover unique gifts tailored perfectly for their journey. How do people experience the best life that God intends for them? The answer lies in understanding that the Christian life is an adventure, and that they only have to follow the greatest Guide who ever walked the path of life--Jesus. In this straightforward book, Brian Houston shows readers the way to live fully, love completely, and lead boldly--the hallmarks of Jesus' time on earth. "This is a remarkable book by a remarkable man. You will love his transparency and passion!"―Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Church , author of bestseller The Purpose Driven Life "A book that will prove to be a gift to the world."―Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, creators and executive producers of The Bible and A.D.: The Bible Con

Heard a great message at Hillsong Conference a few weeks ago on Jericho from Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church using Jericho titled "Don't Stop On 6". The point that stuck with me was that those with Joshua had no idea how many times they would circle Jericho before the walls would come down.  I thought there was a powerful metaphor in that for us to not give up when facing our walls. Don't give up fighting through your trials because this may be the last time around the wall before it comes tumbling down. Just keep marching as if it was the 6th day, you never know what God will do. Pastor Brian Houston from Hillsong Conference Sydney - No Other Name spoke highly of this message from Steve Furtick. #NoOtherName. Thank you Steve!  Related articles Hillsong Worship: Latest Hillsong album 'No Other Name' to be rebranded (crossrhythms.co.uk) Greg Laurie promotes Furtick's new book (standupforthetruth.com) A Baptist Pastor goes

Bill Hybels shared at Hillsong Conference the message: 15 minutes with God. He challenged his friend about allocating time to have devotions and meet with god. Years later he met this same friend who looked completely different. Bill had a meal at his house and the man showed him his rocking chair . Bill had challenged him about his devotions, so he bought a good rocking chair, got his coffee, Bile and chair and started a life changing habit. Bill encouraged the Hillsong Conference to allocate time to God each day by doing the same thing. Brain Houston, thanked Bill for his insight and contribution over the years to the Christian church in Australia.  Related articles Hillsong - Australia's most powerful brand (mumbrella.com.au) A Baptist Pastor goes to a Hillsong Conference! (exposingerror.wordpress.com) Hillsong Conference 2013 ... On Live! (becauseheartmatters.wordpress.com) SOAR 2014 Song List (aaronwilliamsblog.com) Colour 2013 (vspeech.wordpress.com) C

Onion Skin ID (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) [This post is courtesy of Phillip Jensen , Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney .] The nature/nurture debate is as endless as the determinist/freedom dispute. The safe position to adopt combines both nature and nurture. Yet that doesn’t end the debate; it simply moves the discussion onto the character of the combination. Scientific research will not bring a resolution. Not simply because the question is large and complex and the research is narrow and detailed, but because the reason for the debate is the implications of its outcomes. The ‘nature people’ have a desire to demonstrate that behaviour, especially bad behaviour, is nobody’s fault because it is inbuilt into our very being. Chauvinists use this reasoning to argue for inherited sexual differences that will excuse their behaviour towards women, just as much as homosexuals use it to justify their behaviour towards men. The ‘nurture people’ are the cultural relativists who de

Sixty-one percent of Australians self-identified as Christians in 2011, which is down from 91 percent in 1911, only 100 years earlier. Australia's population is steadily getting older, but the church is about to get younger. As the churchgoing elderly (78.5 percent of Australians born before 1946 self-identify as Christians) slowly begin to pass away, the ever-growing middle-to-young population of Australia will begin to dominate the churches, though those churches will likely be smaller due to the number of young people no longer self-identifying as Christians. (1) Here are three primary pieces of the churches of Australia that will be integral to their health in the long run: 1. Evangelism Sixty-seven percent of Australians who self-identify as Christians are comfortable sharing their faith with friends and family. This means that 33 of every 100 Australian Christians are uncomfortable sharing the gospel with those closest to them. (2) (Remember, this is self-identified C

English: A green version of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Allah-eser2.jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) By Nathan Lovell. Last week I awoke to the news of an Islamic protest march through the centre of Sydney . It wasn’t an entirely peaceful protest. I am Australian , but I live in Africa where this kind of thing is common, and often worse. Earlier this year, one of my students from Nigeria was unable to attend the first two weeks of term because his town was literally under siege by Muslim insurgents who were burning churches and the homes of Christians . No doubt the Christians were doing their own share of insurgency also. Nevertheless, it was still shocking for me to see pictures of Muslim protestors marching through Hyde Park to uphold the honour of their prophet Muhammad . One photograph showed a child holding a banner that read, “Behead all those who insult the prophet!” How should Christians respond? There is no doubt that their prophet was being insulted. They we