People who do standup comedy know how to make the rest of us laugh, but does that also mean they are happy in the times between their routines? For comedian Jeff Allen, the crushing answer was “no way.”

Allen is genuinely funny now and, since he was successful, I assume he must also have been 20 years ago when his life changed, literally, forever. It’s a journey full of tragedy, sadness, pain, divorce, bankruptcy, and, ultimately, amazingly, incredibly, joyful recovery, hilarity and peace.
WARNING! This is a 19 minute video, three times as long as the typical video I put up here on HillFaith. I work on the Hill now as a journalist and I spent four years of my early professional life as a congressional aide, so I know how precious your time is.
But trust me, this video will make you laugh, it may make you cry, too, and it just might also mark a milestone in your life. Enjoy!
Wow. Just wow.
Beautiful.
“It’s the peace….”
(19 min felt like 2.)
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Glad you enjoyed it. I had a “feeling …”
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I can relate to his story, and though the particulars of our stories differ, two things resonate:
– the peace. I was such a mess inside and God replaced it with peace.
– gratitude. I have a deep gratitude for the things I used to take for granted.
Thank you for posting this, Mark, and thank you for joining God in His work on the Hill.
God bless you.
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Great video. What does he refer to just past the 13 minute mark when he says he read in the Bible about some struggle between two parties? I can’t make out what he says and I don’t get the reference.
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Not sure about the two parties reference. Maybe his mention of “angels and demons?” Just not sure.
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That helps. He says “when I read about demonic realms and angelic realms in the Bible…” Previously I couldn’t make out the words.
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A great testimony! Thank you for sharing it!
Sent from my iPhone
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Greetings from India… today October 2 nd is the birth anniversary of Gandhi and is celebrated here as a national holiday..
Even though Gandhi was a devout Hindu till his last breath his model of Ahimsa or non violence was almost entirely inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ. It’s only fitting that I came across this wonderful and poignant expression of faith on this particular day ..
I don’t think Ahimsa is a panacea for every situation but we can all agree that the message of peace is badly needed in what appears to be a time of unending conflict…
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Jesus is no panacea, He is the living God and creator of the universe, and He is coming back to this Earth and He will reign in Heaven forever.
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As a practicing worldly woman in Houston, my story is similar to Jeff’s. A tiny blue book entitled “The Name of Jesus” was in my possession for YEARS. On Christmas Day (!) 1998, I needed something to read, and … well, I didn’t feel like standing on the lawn screaming HAVE YOU READ THIS???? I felt an overwhelming peacefulness that is still very much with me, 20 years hence. Thank you for Jeff’s story.
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7 And may the peace of God, which passeth all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7)
The closing phrase of every sermon of my youth (when the historic liturgy still reigned supreme) is a gift of God that is too undervalued in our age.
I deleted a decidedly negative comment about my denomination’s leaders who removed such language from its more recent hymnals, but believe it is a travesty that such Biblical truth is culled from our
weekly worship for the sake of going along with others or being more “in keeping with our modern times.”
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