Tom Allen

We stand on the cusp of a brand new year.  Most of us will make some New Year's Resolutions.  Most studies say that the majority of us won't even last through January.  So, what's the answer?  Forget the resolutions?  Make them and blow them? Let me make another suggestion.  Rather than just make some resolutions, consider a Life Plan for 2013.  Let's walk through that a bit. STEP ONE:  Let's set some goals for ourselves.  Here's a few suggestions for your goals:      1.  Think minimalist.  If you set too many, you'll burn yourself out in a hurry and it's all over but the           crying.  Or maybe just the sense of disappointment and failure.  Think about 3 to 5 goals.      2.  Keep them simple.  Something you can convey in a few words.  Simple and precise.  Know           what the WIN is.      3.  Keep them varied.  Your goals shouldn't be all in one area of your life (EX:  Lose 20 lbs., lose           20 inches, have 6-pack abs, etc.)

OK, so it's the day before Christmas and none of these songs are working.  No Chestnuts roasting.  Definitely, no open fire...unless you want to turn the AC waaaay down.  And Jack Frost, he may be nipping, but certainly not at anyone's nose around here.  I'm reminded that I live in Texas.  For those of you who are not blessed to live in the great state of Texas, let me try to give you a little insight into what you're missing. It might be CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS IF.... *Your Air Conditioner is working overtime *Someone gave you chocolate-covered bacon as a Christmas gift *There's a cowboy hat on the top of your tree *The most popular Santa is the one at Bass Pro Shop *" Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer"  is playing at the mall *Half the items at Christmas Dinner are deep-fried *You're wearing shorts and flip-flops with your ugly Christmas sweater *There's a sign in your yard the says Merry Christmas, Y'all  *If the shepherds in your ma

It's Messy.   It's not filled with people whose lives are all-together and are trophies on display.  It's filled with messy people with messy lives that God takes and does miraculous things with, in spite of themselves. It's Not All About Me.   Even though I'm the Lead Pastor, my church is equipped by God's Holy Spirit to run with me or without me.  It's God-powered, not Tom-powered. It Needs Me.   This is not a contradiction.  It can operate without anyone, but always operates better with everyone.  Everyone is important there. It has a Great Vision.   It truly wants to Introduce Real People to a Real God.  Really! It has a Crazy Faith.   It's willing to go anywhere and do anything to please God. It's Generous.   This Church is willing to give up things it loves for someone it loves more. It's Fun.   My Church knows how to laugh...at me, at itself, at the world.  We value having Fun.  We don't take ourselves seriously, but we take Go

I'm reporting bedside, this morning.  Sitting in the pre-op room of Physicians Surgical Center, waiting for my wife to be wheeled into the Operating Room.  Interesting way to spend the holidays.  But, that's life.  Full of surprises.  When she's done we'll head home...but not to our home.  Our home's all torn up from the remodeling project that has taken on a life of its own.  So, we'll be heading to a "borrowed" home. I guess you could say there was "no room in our inn", so we had to find another spot to land.   I haven't ever been to these folks house, but I'm assuming it beats a barn and we won't be sleeping in a feed through.  Ahh, the ridiculous analogies pastors draw.  I guess it has something to do with our point of reference.  A wee bit limited. This is a hopping place.  I guess everyone wants to get that last-minute surgical procedure done before those new deductibles kick in.  That. or they want to look really good f

OK, I admit it.  When I know some store has made "Christmas" off-limits, it makes me more Christmasy than ever.  I go into a Starbucks and automatically wish everyone behind the counter a " MERRY CHRISTMAS" a minimum of 12 times per visit, just because I know they're not supposed to say it.  I purposely rub their noses in Christmas.  I find it quite exhilarating.  Call it, Tom's Ultimate Christmas Challenge. Face it, we Christians take our Christmas seriously.  No Happy Holidays  for us.  In fact, daily, I receive an email from one Christian organization telling me where I should and shouldn't shop this year, based on what their ads read.  If they use the big "C" word, they're on the Nice List ...go spend yourself into oblivion.  If they use the dreaded "H" word, then they are to be avoided like the plague.   Naughty, Naughty, Naughty List. I find that at Christmas, it becomes a lot more work to be a Christ-Follower.  You can&

In the wake of yet another atrocity, we find ourselves with more questions than answers.  WHY?  More specifically, WHY, GOD?  How do we make sense of this?  How can it be explained.  WHY? I wanted to write to you regarding this, but found some great, insightful words from John Eldredge, who stated it much better than I would have... It all depends on what you think is causing this. I hope you will forgive my honesty, but I do not understand the shock. The grief I understand. The speechlessness, the staggering, the profound sorrow, the overwhelming sense of violation – these I understand. We are reeling from yet another assault of darkness. But our shock reveals something else altogether, something even more dangerous than armed violence. I am describing a naiveté about the world that Christians, at least, should not be toying with. In his brilliant essay The Wind in the Trees, GK Chesterton explains our misunderstanding by means of a great storm he experienced: “I a

For the past couple of weeks, our home has been in the process of being remodeled.  We're turning a Dining Room into a Study, a Game Room back into a Game Room, knocking out a wall, blowing up our Bathroom...you get the picture.  Great stuff.  But, along with that comes great mess.  Everything's in a different place...including us. But, here's the big deal...TOTAL DISORDER.  The project is going well and everyone is happy, but the order to our home that we take for granted is gone.  I don't mean disrupted or effected...it's GONE.  I guess I never knew it was there.  I just took it for granted. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a household that operates with military precision.  Far from it.  But, there is order.  We know where things are (mostly).  We know where to put things.  We can walk though rooms without having to create a trail (now you get the picture?). Order is a good thing.  I'm not talking about ruts...I'm talking about order.  Order

I'm writing this blog with one hand (as opposed to 2 fingers), and the other hand is holding the most precious little angel.  Three days old, and just perfect.  It's great to hold a beautiful baby anytime.  But, it's especially important at this time of year.  It helps to look into that little innocent face and remember some of what Mary must have felt as she looked into the face of Jesus for the first time. Can you imagine what Mary must have felt each time she looked into the face of Jesus?  Unbelievable joy...this is her precious son.  Unbelievable confusion...why her, why him, why God, why this?  Unbelievable pride...he would be the Messiah who would set his people free once and for all.  Unbelievable pain...he would be the sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. All those emotions rolled into one.  If we knew all she did about our children, we might feel much of the same.  But she knew....not everything...but she knew.  And all she could do was love him.

*My Daughter-in-law is a stud.  Had a baby on Monday and went out to dinner and to look at Christmas lights on Tuesday.  STUD! *Presley Mae Allen is a little cutie.  I'm extremely objective here.  I'm just sayin'.  This kid is cuter than your kid.  Deal with it. *My grandson, Cash, has no "OFF" switch.  Trust me, I've looked everywhere.  It's not there. *At night, I'm very helpful.  I was always the first to wake up when Cash or Presley cried out.  It was my job to be the "First Responder".  I rolled over and told Susan which one was crying so she knew which room to go to.  I was VERY helpful. *It's cold in OKC.  I think Green Bay is near here. *Being a grandfather is pretty cool.  You kind of have to be old to do it, but the payoff is worth it. *Presley is 2 days old and has more clothes than me.  Something is wrong with this picture. *It really doesn't matter how many clothes Cash has because he only wants to wear what

Today, I come to you on assignment from the northern reaches of our United States...OKLAHOMA.  OK, maybe I overstated it a little, but I drove...and its COLD.  Feels like the northern reaches.  Anyway, I finally got to see my granddaughter (hard to even write that) last night about 10:30.  Once Susan stopped hogging her, I even got to hold her.  AND...she likes me!  It was pretty obvious.  At least it was to me.  Oh, and she's beautiful.  Don't want to leave that out.  She looks like a mini-version of her brother, but that could all change in a day.  But, either way, she's beautiful.  REALLY BEAUTIFUL. OK, no witty insights and life-changing quotes today.  They just called.  They've been sprung from the hospital (FREE AT LAST!), but need one thing from home before they are cleared for take-off.  IT'S BIG PAPI TO THE RESCUE!!!  (I'm already her Super-hero, and she doesn't even know it...but she will).

There's so much going on in the Allen house right now....I won't go into all the details.  Many of you know, the rest of you can guess...or ask someone who knows.  Think of everything you can and add one or two things.  That's us.  So, planning is crucial. Today: Short staff meeting, make assignments to cover my absence, prepare this afternoon for Sunday's message, watch Texans stomp Patriots, arise really early and head to OKC before the sun rises, and prepare for the birth of Presley Mae Allen on Wednesday. Then came the phone call at 4:42am.  Presley has other ideas.  Little twit.  No one told her what a tight schedule we were on?   "Presley, Yaya's car is in the shop.  It's ready to get picked up, but we're driving this little white time capsule they call a rental vehicle.  We don't even have transportation right now.  This is being very inconsiderate of others.  We have a plan.  We have a schedule.  We're stressed.  Why are you adding t

Recently, I missed someone.  Well, not just someone...a family.  It's difficult for me to tell you everyone  who is in attendance on any given Sunday, much less who is missing. (Sorry, if you miss a Sunday and I don't notice, please don't take it personally)  But, I had missed these folks, so I emailed them and they politely answered and told me they felt the Lord had lead them to another church.  I've learned to just accept those things.  I can't change them.  Don't have to like them...but, I'm not called to talk people into coming to my church.  In fact, I really don't want anyone there that doesn't want to be there...except lost people. Yesterday, I got an email saying, "I think we found what we're looking for.  We'll see you Sunday".  I have to admit, that made me smile.  That made my heart happy.  That gave me joy.  Why?  Because the church is a family, and when any part of the family is missing, it should hurt a little.  And

OK, call me the GRINCH if you like.  Label me EBENEZER SCROOGE if it makes you feel better.  I've heard it all.  You won't be the first.  You, certainly, won't be the last.  There are some things about Christmas I just don't like.  OK, I REALLY don't like. MATERIALISM:   We all struggle with materialism.  But, it really bothers me that the celebration of the birth of our Savior has become an excuse to place our materialism on steroids. BONDAGE:   These two go hand-in-hand.  Because of our materialism, most of us will buy way more than we can afford and sink ourselves further into the bondage of debt. GUILT:   So many feel they need to go everywhere, do everything, please everyone out of a sense of guilt, that may have been there already, but gets a few yule logs thrown on it to stoke the fire into a full blaze. EXCESS:   Whether you're an alcoholic, a spend-aholic, a worry-aholic, a sex-aholic, or one who struggles deeply with self-image or self-worth,

We're just 30 days away from a brand new year.  Seems like just when you get used to writing 2012, they go and change it to 2013.  Very inconvenient.  Very problematic.  Often confusing. Why is that important enough to mention?   Because everyone ( I use that term generously) will be making resolutions about how they're going to do better in the new year than in this one.  Funny part of that is, we know it.  We know it's coming.  It's as though we've got this reprieve, this temporary pardon from the governor, this get-out-of-jail-free card that allows us to do whatever we want now, because we know that day  is coming when everything is going to change.  So for now, we just eat, drink and be merry , because in 30 days all the fun is going to come to a magical and mysterious end. I guess my question is, If we know these things are important to our lives, why don't we just do them now?   Yeah, I know that's not the way it works...but why?  I know I'm no

OK, this doesn't rank right up there with the "best-laid plans of mice and men", but today the insanity starts at the Allen house.  Today, the contractors show up to begin the remodeling project.  The project that's run us out of our own room and upstairs to the guest room as of last night.  One of the major pieces of the project was supposed to be here by now...it's arrived at the Port of Houston...but it's being held up by Customs Agents (seems a little mysterious, doesn't it).  Anyway, without a completion date in sight, it starts today.   PRESSURE POINT #1. Then, there's the trip scheduled to Oklahoma City for a few days sandwiched within the confines of a week...while the project goes on...for the birth of our first grandchild...who was scheduled to come on the 12th, when we planned to be there...but, is making it known, she wants to arrive early.   PRESSURE POINT #2. Oh, did I mention Susan's surgery?  Already been postponed once, due to