Allen's Blog

Part 2/3 The Virtue of Self Discipline "The first and best victory is to conquer self." — Plato Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” --- Jesus       Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?   Run   in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown   that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;   I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.   No, I strike a blow to my body   and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. --- Paul The idea of self-discipline is not a uniquely Christian discipline but those with the Spirit of God living within them may have th...

Living the virtuous life is not for the faint of heart Part 1/3 Having returned from speaking at the High School Retreat in Cameroon last week I thought it would be beneficial to publish the essence of my talks on this blog.  I might as well get as much mileage out of them as I can.   My topic for the evening was “Becoming a Man/Woman of Virtue” .  Virtue is not a word you hear much about these days.  It seems unattainable and maybe even undefinable.  Why strive for something that you can’t ever reach?  Or can we? Theme Verse: Philippians 4:8,9  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true , whatever is noble , whatever is right , whatever is pure , whatever is lovely , whatever is admirable —if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” So, here’s a command to be virtu...

Epiphany Years ago, I took some personality inventories that applied certain personality traits to me.  Supposedly, knowing these traits would help me to know myself and others better.  Admittedly, they explained a lot, but I’m not sure how helpful they were.  I’ve also discovered that people use these descriptors or labels as an excuse.  For instance, if I discover that I am an introvert then I can use that as an excuse and avoid interacting with people.  I think the weakness of these tests is that it places limits on us that we often believe are insurmountable. For years I argued with God about my calling to ministry.  “God, I’m a task-oriented person...I don’t do my best in relationships.  I took a test that said I was an introvert.  God, can you call someone else.”     But being the obedient son that I am, I entered the ministry.  I excelled in administration and programs, and sure enough, my people skills w...

The Hedgehog Principle In Jim Collin’s book Good To Great he tells the story of a fox  chasing after a hedgehog.  It actually comes from an ancient  Greek parable but Mr. Collins uses it to illustrate his point: “Are you a hedgehog or a fox?” "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.  The fox is a cunning creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog.  Day in and day out, the fox circles around the hedgehog’s den, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.  Fast, sleek, beautiful, fleet of foot, and crafty - the fox looks like the sure winner.  The hedgehog, on the other hand, is a dowdier creature, looking like a genetic mix-up between a porcupine and a small armadillo.  He waddles along, going about his simple day, searching for lunch and taking care of his home.   The fox waits in cunning silence at the juncture in the t...

Do Something Only God Can Do Evangelizing the rich is very hard because we don’t clearly see our need.  That’s right, “we”!  Having lived in a country where the average person makes about $2/day, I’d say if you’re making minimum wage you are rich according to world standards. And even when the rich (us) become believers, we end up living lives that look no different than anyone else.  We buy the same houses, the same cars...Oh, a friend...and he is a friend...a Christian friend told me the other day that God answered his prayer.  Great!  What’d you pray about?  He told me he had been praying for a particular kind of SUV and he got an amazing deal on it.  i.e. The $90,000 price tag maybe was cut in half or something.  Okay, I don’t want to box God in and I think he can be involved in every aspect of our lives, but...well, you can draw your own conclusions. So, we’re a people who have an expendable income.  We have materia...

Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawidge, the bwessed awwangement,  that dweam wiffim a dweam… …  Marriage Part 1 Ephesians 5:25-29 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.   After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—  In just one day I belittled or demeaned my wife three times.  In other words, I spoke down to her and made her feel less than the woman that she is.  I fell victim to the lie that if I made my wife feel stupid then I would look really smart.  Sounds kind of dumb doesn’t it but for some reason...

Your Impact On Others How do people feel after they’ve been with you?  Honestly, what impact do you have on others?  Are they encouraged?  Do they feel depressed?  Are you even aware that your attitudes and behaviors affect everyone with whom you come in contact?  If you are sad and withdrawn, then you may pass that on.  If you’re smiling and energetic others might begin to feel influenced even if they didn’t start out that way and unknowingly, you have changed their mood.  Or is it possible that you don’t even think about the influence you have on people because you are too busy talking and sharing your problems?  Is it possible that your idea of a conversation is a verbal ping pong match?  I talk...ping...you talk...pong...resulting not in a conversation but in a game of verbage one upmanship.   I believe that many people go through life not really understanding the influence that they daily exercise.  I realized i...