The passing of a loved one causes us to think about eternity and what it might be like in heaven.  In 1979 my father, Rev. Russell T. Allen, reflected on the life of a young boy who died after a long illness.  He penned a poem that had a heavenly perspective.  Three months later, in October 1979, my father was killed in an automobile accident.  The poem he penned has given great comfort to many, as our thoughts are redirected from how much we'll miss that person, to how much better they are in heaven than living here on earth.  Since that time, this poem has been printed and read at hundreds of funerals.  I'm posting this as an encouragement to those who have lost a loved one and to give you permission to use it whenever appropriate.

I'm Home Now 

I'm in my eternal home now! 
It's all true! This place is absolutely magnificent.
Human words cannot explain it,
And I'm so alive, so free, so happy, so perfectly content.

I'm home now! 
My mind is clear, all pain is gone,
My hopes and dreams have all be satisfied
The moment I left earth's shores and landed here in Heaven.

Thank God, I'm home now!
There are no misunderstandings in this place.
No anger, no harsh words, no hurt feelings, no selfish acts, no problems on my part or that of others.
I see plainly here, and although God's will was sometimes hard for me to see on earth,
Here it is bearutifully perceived.

Praise the Lord, I'm home now!
Sorrow is foreign to this place and I have yet to see anyone weeping.
And the friends that I have met, you wouldn't believe.  And they seem so different and so gracious.
I'll probably spend half of eternity talking to them.

I'm home now!
The greatest thrill was to see my Savior - face to face.
If I could cry, I would, but I'm just consumed with such joy and love that it defies comprehension.
Mortals on earth cannot know it.  It is just unexplainable.

I'm home now!
I'm filled with God's glory and with His radiance.
I've found that talking to people on earth about Jesus has made the inhabitants of this place exteremely delighted.
They said that I would meet some of those I brought to the Savior later on.
That gave me rapture becuase I now know what this abode is like.

So, I'm home now!
If I could speak from this side to your side, I would say that the old adage is never out of date.
It goes, 'Only one life, it will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.'
And in parting let me say, don't ever pity me, or shed bitter tears.
I'm better off now than in all my earthly years.
I've started my new lefe and it's been worth it all.
I trust I'll meet you again here.
Maranatha!   I'm home now.

Rev. Russell T. Allen

The View from the Office Window

I used to have a corner office at Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church. It had six windows in it. One was covered up with plywood and an antique air conditioner stuck in it. The large window, which was actually three windows side by side, overlooked the worship center with the cross standing tall above it. The other two windows allowed me to see the parking lot and the traffic on Cedar Crest Boulevard. There was always lots of traffic going past that office. I loved that office. So did everyone else who came into it. There was always natural light so that I seldom used the electric lights in the ceiling - sort of a ‘green’ thing before there was a ‘green’ thing! I could open one of the windows and enjoy the great out of doors from within my delightful office. When it was cold outside, I’d get some cool air, when it was hot, I could get warm, regardless, the window gave me light and permitted me the ability to regulate the temperature in my office, and in Pastor Mahurin’s or Pastor Boone’s office because the thermostat was in by my door! Talk about power! I spent almost dozen years in that office, and then, due to progress, I got moved to the basement!

I now have a corner office, granted to me by the kind souls at the BFC Board of Missions. It has two windows. One faces Brookside Road, but permits me only to see a house and some traffic. The other gives me a vantage point overlooking the parking lot between two office buildings. That one is more exciting, because occasionally, someone parks a car and ventures into the building, not very often, but sometimes. The windows are part of the exterior facade and are fixed, so the temperature is always the same - a perfect 72 degrees. Whether it is 12 degrees or 102 degrees, it is always 72 degrees in my office. The windows provide a chance to look outside, but because they are tinted, I must have a light lit so that I, and any visitors who come my way, can see within the office. My ‘green’ footprint has changed, but that’s okay. My perspective on things has changed also.
I was a pastor at a local church, and naturally, my primary concern was for that church. How were we doing? What were the numbers? What worked, what didn’t work? What else could we do? Were we effective? What could we do better? What if, ........ lots of questions, lots of thoughts, lots of ideas. Some of them we implemented, others were postponed, some were put on the shelf, and others were deemed just ‘another Allen idea.’ When we wanted to elevate the biblical knowledge of our congregation, we started the Family Bible Institute. It went well for a decade. When we realized that we were not providing venues for fellowship, we shut down the FBI and instituted a small group ministry. Nothing happened very fast, but things happened and the church continued to move, at least internally. From my vantage point within a room filled with windows, the church was advancing, making an impact, especially for those who were a part of us.

I am no longer the pastor at a local church so my focus is no longer singular. In the position of Executive Director of the Bible Fellowship Church, I now care about more than 60 churches and four departments. The windows have changed and I can’t see them all as well as I could see Cedar Crest. Some of our churches are doing really well - impacting their communities, developing mature believers, great worship services, and growing. Some of our churches are holding their own, hanging in there so to speak. But, some of our churches are struggling, not as many people involved, and not really being as effective as perhaps they had been in the past. It’s not because of a lack of desire on the part of the leadership, it just seems to have hit a wall and hasn’t been able to get beyond that point. It’s sort of like the parking lot I now view - some cars, but not many. Now as I look out the window, I wonder what we can do to start things moving again, to get the traffic flowing.

I met Reggie McNeal in July at a conference in Orlando. Reggie is the author of several books on church life, but tends to push the envelop as far as he can, if you know what I mean. In a conference session he noted that the church around the world was growing at a pace faster than at any other time in history! China, India, Asia, and Africa were seeing people coming to Christ like never before! What’s unique is that most of them have nothing in terms of this worlds possessions, few facilities, and almost no money. Yet, God is blessing and Christ is building His church. The numbers are staggering, if we can trust the numbers being reported. In contrast to that, the church in America is declining as a percentage of the population. Churches still have people in attendance, but that’s because we’re living longer and continuing to attend church. The medium age of church attendees has continued to rise as younger people are opting out of regular church attendance. The church in the USA spent $102 billion last year (we spent $17 million) and yet the results pale in comparison to the third world where almost nothing was spent! We’ve gotten better at ‘doing church’ but not much better at ‘being the church.’ I know those are popular buzzwords, but they convey a truth. The church is not facility, it’s not a place. The church is people, people redeemed by the blood of Christ, members of His body, the bride of Christ. We need facilities in order to meet together, but facilities are a means to an end, not the end itself. We are a redeemed people commissioned by Christ to make disciples of Himself. Obviously that can be done with or without facilities, but facilities can help that effort. Nevertheless, the mission is still to make disciples, not just conduct church services. Does that change in focus, from conducting services to making disciples, change anything in your church?

I am in the process of visiting our BFC churches. Most of the time Donna and I announce our coming and then have lunch with the pastor and his family. It’s been great! But sometimes we just pop in and sit in the pew. Hardly anyone knows us, so it’s easy to act like normal visitors. One observation that I can make so far: our church facilities have room for more people! So here’s the question: how do we engage more people for the cause of Christ, develop disciples, and integrate them into the life of our church? Do we have to do some things differently? Perhaps an analogy of the process of extracting oil would be appropriate. When oil is in the ground, it’s easy to get; you stick in a straw and out comes the oil. But shale oil is a different ilk. You have to work it differently in order to get the same result. We know how to do church like we have done in the past. But it’s different now. There are people who can not and will not fit the rhythm that we have for a worship service on a Sunday morning at 11:00. In fact, we don’t even want all of them to show up so that the restaurant will be open and serve us when the worship service is over. Sorry, the truth hurts sometimes. So are we doing our best to reach people both with the gospel and with the opportunity to join with us as we worship? Could we do differently? Should we do differently? Just some thoughts as I gaze out the window on a day with bright puffy clouds and the temperature inside is a perfect 72 degrees.

David T Allen

Several years ago I received a gift from a couple who were members of Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church, Lisa and Neil Christiansen.  It looked like a book, a large book, but the inside of it had been hollowed out so that candy, specifically Good n Plenty stored in a clear plastic bag, could be placed inside.  It was a great gift, and in subsequent years they would bring the candy, and I would store it in the book.  On the outside of this book, in large gold letters, they wrote "Allen's Commentary."  It was probably appropriate.  Although many greater men than I have had the last name of 'Allen' and have written real commentaries, it still fit.  I've always had a comment, a thought, an impression, an idea.  When I've been smart, I kept them to myself, but on other times I've shared them with those who asked, and sometimes even to those who didn't!  But if I keep candy in my commentary, maybe it'll be a good reminder to speak with sweetness, grace, and kindness.  Almost sounds like what Paul wrote in Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Candy doesn't need salt, but you get the idea.  May these comments from my commentary always be filled with grace, with the sweetness that befits a brother in Jesus Christ!
David T Allen

PS - Allen's Commentary (the hollowed book) is still in my office, and, at this point, is empty.