I talked with a pastor recently who said of one of his parishioners, “I assume he doesn’t like me.” “Wow,” I said, “Can you read his mind?” “Well, I can tell by how he acts around me that I’m not his favorite guy.” “Hmm… Could be I suppose. Have you ever asked him about it?”ContinueContinue reading “Quit trying to read somebody’s mind”
Author Archives: Don Follis
“What do you want?” sometimes becomes “Okay, but how do I discover what I really want?”
The first words attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John are addressed to two of John the Baptist’s disciples who are following Jesus. Jesus turns to them and asks, “What do you want?” I wrote my thoughts about that question in yesterday’s blog post. I think it’s a great question, but it begs anotherContinueContinue reading ““What do you want?” sometimes becomes “Okay, but how do I discover what I really want?””
Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of John
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John we read of a day when Jesus passes by John the Baptist and two of his disciples. Seeing Jesus, John the Baptist immediately says to his two disciples, “Look, the lamb of God.” John’s two disciples started following Jesus. When Jesus noticed them, he turned andContinueContinue reading “Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of John”
The friend I needed in 1975
Jennifer & I hiked the trails in the McDowell Mountains this week, on the NE cusp of Phoenix, AZ. Here is Jennifer on the Gateway trail on Christmas afternoon. Back in 1975 when I was in college in Manhattan, Kansas, I met a guy named Larry Londen. He was a city boy from Phoenix, Arizona.ContinueContinue reading “The friend I needed in 1975”
I visited the church in Cairo, Egypt, where the holy family once hid…
On this day in the church calendar in certain parts of the Christian Church around the world, Holy Innocents Day is celebrated. It is a time for the faithful to remember back to that fateful day when when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all the boys in Bethlehem under age 2 (Matthew 2). TheContinueContinue reading “I visited the church in Cairo, Egypt, where the holy family once hid…”
I am always caught off guard
On December 26th the Church historically celebrates The Feast of St. Stephens and then on the 28th Holy Innocents Day is celebrated. Coming immediately after Christmas, they always seem to catch me off guard. On those days the daily Bible readings (for those who follow the lectionary) are of the stoning of Stephens in ActsContinueContinue reading “I am always caught off guard”
On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, don’t give up hope!
Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Tonight, friends will come to our home. We will light 3 candles – the first 2 Sundays of Advent we lighted purple candles. Tonight, we will light the pink candle.
Total depravity meets Christmas in 4th grade classroom
On a hot summer day last August, I was thinking back to an early December day when I was in the 4th-grade at Hoxie Elementary School in Hoxie, Kansas. Miss Karnes, my teacher, asked me to choose the Christmas tree for the class.
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