We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
My undeniable faith in God is what matters most to me in this life. Above family, friends, acquaintances and anything else that I know; God has always been there for me. Matthew 6:33 says to “But seek ye firsts the Kingdom of God and all of his righteousness and all of these things shall be added to you”. In Jesus Christ you find all of “these things” faith, trust, understanding, protection and direction. Faith in God is not just a value or a principal but its a lifestyle.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve never been a person who operates in fear, I think that is what I depend on to keep me going. If I’ve learned any lessons I would say that you have to trust God for the unknown. I once hear a Pastor say “If God tells me to run into a brick wall then its my duty to run… Its Gods duty to remove the wall!” Today me and my wife run a Social Media ministry called A2Z Christian Life…. our motto for this platform is simple, “to know Jesus and to make Jesus known”! We share encouraging videos and provide information on what churches to attend in the Valley and we also like to spread the word on events and ministries who are doing great things. We also host the A2Z Christian Life Podcast where we like to interview men and women of God who are “Kingdom Influencers”.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I grew up in Ohio where we don’t have any mountains at all so my first stop is gonna be to take them on a trip up to Sedona! On the way we would probably stop to see Montezuma Castle, I just find that place to be so interesting and its really something great to see. Also a drive up to South Mountain to over-look the city is always great for those who have never been here. The boat ride at Lake Pleasant is very beautiful and a day at Raw Hide for anyone like my dad who grew up watching cowboys and westerns is always good too. What am I eating? That’s a tough one! (LoL) The Valley is packed with so many placed to eat… If you want seafood, you gotta go to Angry Crab, for a good steak, Seasons 44… If you want good vegan food, Nana’s kitchen in Chandler…. want Bar-b-que, well thats gonna be at JJs Louisiana in Glendale! So much more to mention!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shout out to the life and legacy of my uncle Rance Allen. He was a pioneer in the Gospel music industry and one of the greatest preachers of the Gospel that any one has ever heard. As a young man he took me with him to his many preaching engagements throughout the mid-west and parts of the east coast, again he was the best to ever do it! He had a way of preaching the Word of God that would just lead mean and women to the alter to receive Christ. As I got older he allowed me to become the drummer for The Rance Allen Group! This is a Gospel group that he formed with my dad Thomas Allen and my other uncle Steve Allen that would revolutionize Gospel music as we know it and I was blessed to be able to play drums for this trio for a total of 30 years! They were they the first Gospel act signed to Stax Records in the the late 60s, they shared the stage with many popular R&B acts (Issac Hayes, Booker T & The MGs) opened for the Jackson 5; they did all of this and still remained true to their Gospel roots! During my time with them I was able to travel all over the world and record with some great artist to include Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond and play on Grammy nominated material!

Website: www.a2zchristianlife.com

Instagram: a2zchristianlife

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AZCHRISTIANLIFE

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkprYKENHLGdi9GIHy8DEQ

Other: email: letsconnect@a2zchristlife.com

Image Credits
Photos: Beyond Illustration Wardrobe: Kimmie Baker

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