Author Archives: Don Follis

This morning I was reading the obituary of Slobodan Milosevic in the New York Times.  Milosevic died a few days back at age 64 of an apparent heart attack.  He was a prisoner at the Hague, on trial for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Milosevic served as President of Serbia from 1989 toContinueContinue reading “Enough despair to go around”

Good for the movie Crash.  Last night it won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005 at the Academy Awards.  When I saw crash almost a year ago, I found it gripping.  In a Christianity Today poll I participated in last December, I voted Crash as the best film for 2005.If you want to seeContinueContinue reading “Crash deserved it!”

I have no doubt that the Church works best  when each person does her part.  Throughout the years I have taken several different spiritual gift inventories.  Most of these have some value, and I don’t discourage people from using them.  They especially can be helpful for young believers.One of my friends told me she repeatedlyContinueContinue reading “Discovering the Most Important Spiritual Gifts”

"Just as a ship without a helm is driven to and fro by the waves,  so a careless man, who abandons his proper course, is tempted in countless ways." — Thomas a KempisOne of the reasons men blow it when tempted sexually is because they have no real plan.  So, here’s a plan:1.  When youContinueContinue reading “Don’t abandon your plan or your course”

The second commandment reads: "You shall not bow down to (idols) or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,  punishing the children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who loveContinueContinue reading “Genetically predisposed to sin”

I wrote about the importance of forbearance in a recent post, and someone responded saying, "Sometimes forbearance does not work. It’s not as easy as it sounds."Hey, I couldn’t agree more.  The guy pointed out in the book of Acts that Paul and Barnabas divided company over John Mark, Barnabas’ relative.  It’s true.  They gotContinueContinue reading “The conflict that led to Separation!”

So you have this situation where you can’t read someone very well.  This happens to everyone, unless you’re a complete hermit or you think you’re God’s gift to the world.  Frankly, the cues you look for just aren’t there.  You start to get insecure and frustrated.  You’ve given what you thought were proper cues onlyContinueContinue reading “Forbearance is one of the great keys to life!”

When you reach out to God in prayer and reflection, do you ever struggle with conquering   the ideas and images that come to your mind?  For me, some days the struggle is powerful, and I am amazed at how much of my sinful man remains.  One of my favorite devotional writers, a retired physicsContinueContinue reading “Constant Vigilance or there’s no victory!”