Tom Allen

Q :  Why doesn't Tom preach every Sunday? Once again, I have to give it to you...you ask good questions.  There are a lot of pastors, I mean a lot, who preach 51 times a year.  They think they have to.  They think they need to.  They think it's their job.  They think they'd be letting their congregation down or shirking their duties or being lazy or...whatever, ...you fill in the blank...that they HAVE to preach every Sunday. They do so with diligence, a tender heart toward their people and a true desire to be a faithful steward of what God has called them to do...preach.  But, what are the ramifications of that, good motives and all? *They burn out early *They see themselves as indispensable *They sacrifice QUALITY on the altar of QUANTITY *They never give their people the opportunity to hear another person with another perspective and possibly an important and pertinent message just for them *They never allow themselves to be fed *They nev...

Q :  Why does Pastor Tom teach using a TV? When we moved from our temporary facilities at Turner High School to our permanent location, I was asked if there was anything that I personally wanted addressed as far as Audio/Visual components went.  I truly believe that they assumed my answer would be "no".  They were surprised when I said, "Absolutely.  I want a large screen TV on a stand that I can use as a teaching tool!". They asked the same question as many of you...WHY?  Great question!  Here's my answer... As a communicator I strive to do a number of things all at the same time: *Be relevant *Engage the audience *Be true to the text I am using *Relate to the crowd *Make eye contact *Be as independent as possible from any notes and speak passionately from the heart Over the years, I've spoken from behind a pulpit, from behind a Bible (with notes inside), from behind an iPad, etc.  You see the constant here?  Always "BEHIND" somethi...

Q :  Why did we quit doing the welcome in our services...the part where everyone shakes everyone's hands around them? A :   I'm like you.  I like shaking hands.  I like welcoming people.  I like saying "Good morning", "Welcome", "Glad to have you". Sometime back I attended another church of a different ilk than ours.  At one point the guy in charge told everyone to welcome everyone around them.  It was, for me, the most awkward and uncomfortable moment of the entire experience.  These people had been sitting around me for the last 30 minutes and hadn't even acknowledged my existence.  Now, because someone publicly told them they had to, they did.  AWK...WARD! I think that's exactly how guests feel when they get greeted on command.  There are basically two kinds of guests who visit our church:      1.   The INCOGNITO GUEST .  They want to slip in and slip out without unduly being noticed or   ...

Q :  Why is our music so loud? That's another good question, and it doesn't have one simple answer.  However, I'll try to do the best I can to answer to the best of my abilities.  Several factors are at play... 1.  The System.  When we opened our new campus we went from an analog sound system to a digital system.  That's the gold standard in the sound world.  That's great.  Only problem is, we don't have anyone in our church that is trained to run a digital sound system.  THAT'S A PROBLEM.  We've got great servants who are working hard to learn the system, and we've had people come in to provide training for our volunteers.  And, they're doing a great job.  We've learned how to balance the system and bring it down. 2.  Music is loud.  Crosspoint is not a traditional church and we don't have traditional music.  We have rocking, moving contemporary music.  That kind of music is served up loud.  Not ...

Oftentimes people ask, or at least think to themselves, "Why do we do that at Crosspoint Church?".  Sometimes the questions come because we don't understand.  Sometimes they come because we disagree.  Whatever the reason, it's good to know the WHY behind the WHAT.  I'm going to try to answer a few of those. Q :  Why do we play secular music before our Worship Services? That's a great question.  As you walk up the sidewalk toward the main building on any given Sunday, you'll hear either a playlist selected to coincide with the current series (EX: During the ULTIMATE ROADTRIP series we had traveling songs) or you will hear simply a collection of Top 40 tunes. But why?  Why not worship songs?  Why not songs glorifying God and preparing our hearts for worship?  Wouldn't that be more appropriate? Sure, those songs would be appropriate.  But, they wouldn't be strategic.   We have made a conscious decision that we want to see lives...

     Yesterday at Crosspoint Church we celebrated baptism.  It's not as though we never do it.  We celebrate those who've chosen to follow Christ and "Go Public" with their faith every month.      But, this time was different.  We did it outside.  We did it in two pools we had set up right outside our auditorium.  We encouraged everyone who had made a commitment to Christ, but had never been obedient in baptism, to do so.      People came ready to "Go Public".  But, then, I asked others to join them.  Those who wanted to follow Christ.  To decide right then...that day...in that moment... to follow Christ and be baptized.  Just like the Ethiopian Eunuch who wanted to follow Christ and be baptized as a expression of his commitment to Jesus.  Phillip told him, "Here's some water.  What's keeping you from doing it now?"    I asked them the same thing that day.     ...

     Rumors are funny things.  Sometimes they're just gossip (but, rumor sounds so much more palatable).  Sometimes we start them rolling without even knowing it.  Like a tiny snowball that starts rolling down a hill, picking up a little more snow as it goes, until it becomes a giant boulder of power leaving destruction in its path.      OK, so I guess I started this one...innocently enough.  I recently mentioned about a succession plan I had for when I retire.  Retire?  No one puts together a succession plan for when they retire unless they're thinking about retiring...right?  Absolutely true.  I am thinking about it.... in 10 or 11 years.        Here's what you need to know: 1.  I go to the gym most every day.  I don't go there because I like it (well, I'm starting to).  I go there because I want to keep my body in shape to do the job I love as long as is humanly possible. 2....

     Whether they are written on our calendars, on our Bucket Lists, discussed with those we love or just assumed somewhere back in the recesses of our minds, we all have PLANS.  PLANS of how parts and pieces of our lives will go.  When we will marry.  When and how many children we will have.  Where we will work, where we will live, how much money we will make...what our lives will look like.      The problem is, seldom do they   go that way.  Sometimes there are little detours along the way.  Sometimes we are totally sidetracked.  Sometimes they explode in our face and it seems as though EVERYTHING...EVERYTHING we planned has blown up.  Sometimes it's the " by this time we will"  things that don't go as planned.  Sometimes it's devastating when the children we planned for don't come.  Health, finances, relationships, relocations outside our control, downsizing....all of these and more can adverse...

     Yesterday the world was shocked, saddened and totally caught off guard at the death of Robin Williams.  Not just his death...his death at his own hands.  How could that possibly happen?  How could someone so full of laughter and wit and humor and LIFE come to a place where they would take their own life?  And, in the middle of our sadness and confusion, is there anything we can take away with us from such an event.      I think so. 1.  People are not always as they seem.  The cover is not necessarily the best indicator of the book.  There are a lot of smiling, laughing, sad people. 2.  As a culture, we have made great strides in understanding and accepting diseases.  Diseases of the brain are not necessarily one of those.  If Mr. Williams had cancer we would have understood.  We understood, somewhat, his battles with addictions.  We seem to understand and feel OK with diseases of any port...