Author Archives: Don Follis

Yearning for a new way will not produce it. Only ending the old way can do that.You cannot hold onto the old all the while declaring that you want something new. The old will defy the new; the old will deny the new; the old will decry the new.There is only one way to bring in the new. YouContinueContinue reading “Yearning for a new way”

I always think it’s funny when football rolls around and I start hearing both new and old coaches talk to the media. “We have some young men out there who want to take the hill, whatever the cost.””You saw what happened last year.  What I’m hearing this year is some guys who are tired of surrenderingContinueContinue reading “Anybody who truly knows, knows they don’t know!”

At the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit in  early August, one of the best talks, in my opinion, was by Joseph Grenny, co-author of the best-selling Crucial Conversations. After Grenny gave his talk, I read his book.  I liked it a lot.  And, not surprising, my thoughts ended up as my Sunday column today in theContinueContinue reading “Crucial Conversations Make Life Meaningful”

Brooklyn, New York Cemetery”Young man, as you walk down the pathway of life toward an unavoidable bald head bordered with gray hairs it would be well to bear in mind that the cemeteries are full of men this world could not get along without, and note the fact that things move along after each funeralContinueContinue reading “Graveyards are full of indispensable people”

I talk with lots of people who feel stuck.  Here’s the direction I try to go when someone says, “I’m stuck and I just don’t know what to do…” 1.Spend less time asking “Why?” and more time asking yourself “What now?”2.Be grateful for the emotional support others give you.  You need those people on yourContinueContinue reading “Are you stuck? … Well, give thanks!”

I’ve done enough prison ministry to realize that although repentance is often accompanied by sorrow, simply feeling bad does not prove that one is repentant. There is a big difference between remorse and genuine repentance…  Ken Sande writes, “Worldly sorrow means feeling sad because you got caught doing something wrong or because you must suffer theContinueContinue reading “Let the fruit of true repentance keep ripening!”

Blogger Trish Ryan always makes me think.  Here are a few lines from her reflections on her good friend’s recent funeral…A short while ago, a friend posted this quote from St. Francis of Assisi on her wall: “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received–only whatContinueContinue reading “Each Day truly is a Gift from our Creator!”

Several years ago I discovered TED Talks.  It’s one of the best discoveries I’ve ever made … especially for a guy who spends a lot of his life thinking about the power of words.   Over the years I’ve watched some phenomenal TED Talks … some truly outstanding presentations.Three weeks ago a pastor friend recommendedContinueContinue reading “Speak clearly; speak well … it makes a huge difference!!”