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CREATIVE MEMORIES

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  “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” (A quote attributed to Ernest Hemingway although that source is much debated.) I expect that I have “bled” or put myself into every book I have written. But perhaps, most of all, into the novel Revival In The Rockies . The book involves a new church being planted in Montana – That is what my father did for many years: plant churches in the West. The book follows the journey of a gospel quartet and their pianist – I traveled with the Swordsmen Quartet for several summers as their pianist. The book recounts the bombing of the United States Capitol Building in 1983 – an event I remember well. The book starts at a Montana State Girl’s Event – I attended as a delegate to the Montana Boy’s State. The book records an attempt to set off a super-volcano explosion in the Yellowstone Park caldera – I have visited the park on numerous occasions. The book ends with a young man returning to Montana...
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CREATIVE TRUST

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  “Things are just things.” That was the message we received from our niece in Nebraska last Sunday night. Their home had just been hit by one of the many tornados which stormed through that state. The entire family was safe, but the house was a total loss. By the time we arrived to help with clean-up, Nebraska neighbors had done what the Midwest does best. A friend in the sheriff's office had called a friend in the fire department. Neighbors descended on the property, removed the downed trees, brought supplies and boarded up what was left of the house. Inside, it looked as if a giant eggbeater had stirred up the contents of every room, mixing their possessions with corn stalks from the field across the road, and broken glass from their own windows. In exchange for the corn stalks from across the road, the tornado had added their belonging to the corn field behind their house. Whatever is salvageable will be preserved, the rest will be totaled. “Things are just things.” “...
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CREATIVE ARCHIVES

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  167 years of history looks down on Minnesota Baptists. This summer when the Minnesota Baptist Association holds its annual meeting it will celebrate 167 years as a Bible-believing, Baptist association of churches. The book you see in the picture contains a record of that first year which concluded with an annual meeting in 1850. Berean Baptist Church of Brooklyn Park has graciously provided a home for the archives which record and celebrate this amazing history. The collection includes annual reports for those many years as well as bound copies of the state magazine “The North Star Baptist.” My father, Dr. A. W. Allen, edited the North Star from 1966 to 1985, compiling around 200 editions of the magazine. The board of the Minnesota Baptist Association is seeking to organize the archives so they can be made available for research. In addition to the minutes of annual meetings and the copies of the North Star, the collection includes pictures, historical documents, and record...
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CREATIVE RIVER CRUISE

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  When Shelia McLeish first contacted me about having the Golden Agers join the fifth and sixth grade classes from Fourth Baptist Christian School on a river cruise, my first thought was that they needed chaperones. Nothing could be further from the truth. They simply wanted us to enjoy a ride on the Mississippi with them. They had their own chaperones and we were just along for the ride. And a great ride it was. We boarded one of the Padelford Riverboats on Harriet Island in St. Paul. The day was chilly, not unusual for May in Minnesota, but the interior cabin was warm. The students, and some of our Golden Agers, enjoyed brief forays out to the upper deck as well. We headed down the Mississippi past the Smith Avenue High Bridge and the Omaha Railroad Bridge. We observed the Pig’s Eye Parrant Cave and learned that St. Paul was once known as Pig’s Eye. We navigated the Mighty Mississippi down as far as Fort Snelling, the site of the oldest existing building in Minnesota, the C...
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CREATIVE ADVICE

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  While typing Dad’s notes for the third book of collective sermons I am giving to my siblings I came across a short list of creative advice he gave to his fellow pastors. I think it is good advice for all of us. 1. Don’t monopolize conversations. “Your education may be the best of anyone present, but others like to express themselves.” 2. Answer your mail promptly. (Read ‘email’ today). “Missionaries do not relish having to ask repeatedly to come present their ministry. Dr. W. B. Riley said the success of his ministry was answering his mail the day he got it.” 3. Be honest in advertising and publicity. (Read ‘media’ today). “Nothing will bring disrepute to you and fellow workers quicker than a lie in the newspaper.”   4. Don’t try to run your former field. “Discourage letter writing. Don’t return for funerals. Back the new man.” His answer to the objection that Paul corresponded with former churches, “You are not Paul and you are not writing under inspiration.” ...
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CREATIVE HISTORY TOUR

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  Pastor Rodney Benson never piloted an airplane, but he did serve on an air base in England. After the war he shared with his daughter Becky many stories of the heroism of our airmen during WWII. When an opportunity arose for Becky to work at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota, she jumped at the chance. Yesterday the Golden Agers had an opportunity to experience the museum through Becky’s eyes. She guided us through the Trainer Hanger and introduced us to the Warhawks, Mustangs, and Thunderbolts in the Fighter Hanger. Her passionate narration stirred us as we viewed the Holocaust and POW Boxcar Exhibit. The Bomber Hanger and Navy Hangers came alive with her accounts of how the museum obtained the Paper Doll and the Hellcat Death N’ Destruction. The purpose of the Museum is to preserve history, promote patriotism, and inspire the future. Our guide accomplished that purpose throughout the entire tour. If you desire to be inspired by the heroism of our...
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CREATIVE RESPONSE

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  Last Sunday a young girl came up to me with a copy of my book “Star Queen of Persia” asking for an autograph. Her brother, who was also there, said “She’s read it five times.” Little did they know that both of them had rewarded me with one of the greatest gifts a writer can receive. She acknowledged that I had written the book and he made it clear that the book had been enjoyed. This Friday and Saturday the Bible Story Family Book Table will be at the Minnesota Baptist Association Ladies’ Meeting in Pine Island, Minnesota. “Star Queen of Persia” along with more than forty other books I have written will be available for those who enjoy reading Christian literature. The books include novels, dramas, Bible study, children’s books and other resources for home, church, and school. If you are attending the meeting, be sure to stop by the table. If you are not attending, you can see what books are available by looking for books by Robert A. Allen on Amazon. If you purchase a bo...
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