Tom Allen

Recently, I did a special message recently called  REAL TALK, A Conversation About God and COVID-19.  I tried to answer as many of your questions as possible but obviously couldn't get to all of them specifically in the time we had. So, I'm following up with a blog post to try and address some of those that we may have missed that morning. I'd like to hear Tom explain the difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament...how He brought on plagues and floods, yet operates completely in love now. That's a great question. Actually, it's a great, HARD question. I believe that the Bible plainly states there is one God and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His plan and desire have always been to bring the whole world to Him. His method of doing that in the Old Testament was to create a nation, Isreal. They would be an exclusive group of people He created out of nothing. He would make them a unique and different group of pe...

Hope that title kind of got you. Please, let me explain. Much bothers me about the world we live in...especially in our nation these days. Here are some of the choices we face: *Are you a Trump supporter or a Trump hater? *Do you support the 2nd Amendment or are you for gun control? *Do you support Colin Kaepernick and the kneelers or do you support our troops and love our  country and its anthem? *Do you believe Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter? *Do you support Gay rights or do you believe homosexuality is a sin? Let's face it, you and I both know I could go on and on and on ad infinitum...ad nausium. We're posed with choices, but usually only two to choose from. Both seem to be the most extreme versions of any argument. In fact, that's what our nation has become...a nation of two choices juxtaposed at two very opposite extremes. We find solace in asking, "Which extreme do you identify with? Are you one of us or one of them. Can we be friends or not?...

This past weekend I went to a marriage conference. OK, so that's not my idea of a good time. Don't misunderstand me, I love my wife. I even want to have a better marriage. But, sitting in a hotel ballroom for three days is not my idea of a good time. It's one of those..."I know this is a good thing... I know this is a needed thing... I know I will be better off for doing it... I know, I know, I know... I'm doing it... just don't ask me to get excited about it. It's the weekend. It's a 4-hour ride. It's expensive (conference, hotel, meals, gas, books I KNOW my wife is destined to buy) AND, could it be a better college football weekend. Finally, good games. (Played while I'm in a hotel ballroom). UGH... But, I said, "Sure, let's go" (fake smile required). And, we did. She's worth it, right? The 4-hour drive, honestly, seemed like 6. Then, we finally got there. I think more of Dallas is under construction that Houston. (is that ...