Author Archives: Don Follis

Abram was 99 years old when the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am El-Shaddai — ‘God Almighty.’  Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.  I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.The Lord said Abram’s name would be changed to Abraham, for heContinueContinue reading “Someone knows my name”

On Monday I was standing on the Northwestern College campus in Roseville, Minnesota.   Specifically, I was standing along Lake Johanna, looking at the ice fishermen out on the lake.Suddenly I heard God’s voice in my mind.  "Don, you don’t know squat."  It was clear as a bell."You’re right," I said.  "You’re absolutely right."And then twoContinueContinue reading “What do I really know and who do I think I am?”

God, grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change.Grant me the courage to change the things I can.And give me the wisdom to know the difference.I need to pray that at least a thousand times a day!

Right after I graduated from college I was hired to work in public relations for the small school I attended.  I drove a school vehicle on official business.  For some reason the top business official at the school got his nose out of joint about the new graduate tooling around, though fully authorized, in oneContinueContinue reading “Envy comes in when you least expect it”

It is encouraing to me that the first fruit of the Spirit in Galations 5:22-23 is love.  People are desperately in need of a loving smile and a kind word.  Part of the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi says:"Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,ContinueContinue reading “Really listening is equal to really loving”

When I was a boy, the milkman delivered milk to our our doorstep two or three times a week at about 6:30 in the morning.  People across America would step outside to grab their milk and their morning newspaper.  Those days virtually are gone.  Milkmen are remnants of the past and newspapers, sadly, seem toContinueContinue reading “We must subdue it”

My sister said this novel by Khaled Hosseini made her glad she is a woman in the United States.I read Hosseini’s novel last week.  Hosseini immigrated from Afghanistan to the United States in 1980.  This story is set in Afghanistan and is a dark tale of two generations of women trapped in a loveless marriage. ContinueContinue reading “A Thousand Splendid Suns”

The Red dot is Waterloo, IA, where I spent a day earlier this week.  I had lunch on Wednesday with Vineyard pastors George and Judy Marshall of the Harvest Vineyard Church.  Iowa is great state.  Dotted with hundreds of farm communities and friendly people.  Hard-working people.  Good people.And guess who George and Judy reach?  TheContinueContinue reading “This IS God’s Church”