Author Archives: Don Follis

 God’s plan:31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly.  Mark 8:31-32a  Man’s point of view: And Peter took him aside and beganContinueContinue reading “Lent viewed from God’s plan & man’s plan”

Sad to say, I was a slow learner the first 20+ years of my ministry.  I loved to have answers for people, such as for a person who might have asked me about having daily devotions, for example.Here’s the old Don with a quick answer:  “What you need to do is spend 10 minutes readingContinueContinue reading “Ssshhh… Your heart is trying to speak to you”

Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl said: “When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” Who are the happiest people you have ever met?  For me, it’s those who live with a humble sense of gratitude in the midst of finding their lives difficult and yet beautiful and good. ContinueContinue reading “Practice gratitude during Lent”

Last week while I was in Charleston, South Carolina, for a few days I was rather amazed and mesmerized at the number of very old churches in Charleston, some of them a few hundred years old and still going.  That got me thinking about what is the element that makes a church a place peopleContinueContinue reading “Love is central in all thriving churches”

Isaiah 53:5-7New International Version (NIV)5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,    he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him,    and by his wounds we are healed.6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,    each of us has turned to our own way;and the Lord has laid on him    the iniquity of us all.7 He wasContinueContinue reading “Were you there when they crucified the Lord?”

Of Course Rick Warren is absolutely right.  But in fact, we are even called to discipline and curtail even what we think.  That’s what Paul said:Philippians 4:8New International Version (NIV)8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent orContinueContinue reading “No, don’t believe everything you think. But, then, don’t think everything either!”

“Conscience, Judas” Nikolai Ge (1891)This painting by Russian painter Nikolai Ge is of Judas Iscariot standing alone as the soldiers take Jesus away.  Seeing him wrapping his robe more tightly, you can’t help but sense the descending darkness.  Viewing this painting, my mind immediately goes to this passage…When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. WhileContinueContinue reading “Judas, the betrayer, was at last … all alone”

One of the crucial aspects of Lent — the 40 days prior to Easter — is paying attention to who we really are.  “From dust you came and to dust you shall return.” During Lent, in particular, we say, “Yep, that is absolutely correct.”Paying close attention, however, does not then mean severely judging ourselves andContinueContinue reading “We don’t judge ourselves during Lent but we do pay very close attention”