Author Archives: Don Follis

If you really want the fruit of patience to ripen in your life, give yourself a break!

If we want the fruit of patience to truly ripen in our lives, we must squarely face this question:”Why do we repeatedly give other people the benefit of the doubt but regularly beat ourselves up for making mistakes?”There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, says Paul in Romans 8.  And Jesus himself squarelyContinueContinue reading “If you really want the fruit of patience to ripen in your life, give yourself a break!”

Three short phrases to ensure you will definitely kill a good confession

  Ken Sande says if you want to make a confession utterly worthless, use one of these three phrases.   “I’m sorry if I’ve done something to upset you.”   What do people hear when you say this?  Often, “I don’t know that I’ve done anything wrong, but since you’re obviously upset, here’s a tokenContinueContinue reading “Three short phrases to ensure you will definitely kill a good confession”

Mistakes I make almost every day…in mentoring others

These are some of the mistakes I make a lot in talking with people…Trying to Fix the person.  (I can’t even fix myself.  So what is it in me that wants to fix you?)Working hard to Diagnose the problem instead of discussing the greatness of the person with whom I am talking. (If you seeContinueContinue reading “Mistakes I make almost every day…in mentoring others”

God loves us and he really, really likes us, too

The inimitable Dallas Willard died yesterday at age 77.  From Dallas Willard:“We must understand that God does not ‘love’ us without liking us – through gritted teeth – as ‘Christian’ love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and eachContinueContinue reading “God loves us and he really, really likes us, too”

Always look at the context as you ponder ministry in God’s Kingdom

Yes, Jesus fed the 5,000.  Yes, he walked on the water, even beckoning Peter walk on the water, too.  These are amazing events.  Both are recorded in Matthew 14.But look at the context.  Look at the whole scene.1.  At the beginning of Matthew 14 John the Baptist gets beheaded.  Yes, the one of whom itContinueContinue reading “Always look at the context as you ponder ministry in God’s Kingdom”

Jesus — the great question asker

I love to ask people questions because great questions can usually cut through a lot of the fog.  Jesus was a person who was always asking great questions…When the  disciples were in a boat  in a terrible storm, Jesus asked,  “Why are you afraid?” (Matthew 8:26)He asked  the  disciples, when  they were  faced  with feedingContinueContinue reading “Jesus — the great question asker”

Questions Malaysian pastors ask…

Freelance author Philip Yancey, one of my long-time favorite writers,  is just finishing up a trip to the far east, including Malaysia, where he spoke at a pastor’s conference.  Below are some of the questions he fielded from Malaysian pastors.  Sounds like questions that could have come from a pastor’s conference here in America, too.ContinueContinue reading “Questions Malaysian pastors ask…”