I really, really like how my friend John Doyel thinks about loving ourselves...-----I think to love ourselves in a proper way it is done by looking at ourselves through God’s eyes.  It has nothing to do with the grades we got in school or the trophies sitting on the mantel.  It is not the resultContinue reading "What in fact it truly means to love yourself … Bingo!"

I was looking at Suzy Welch's 10-10-10: A Life-transforming Idea.Her idea is simple, and I like it.  Before making a decision, consider how will your decision affect you in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years.For example, in 10 minutes going to my exercise class at the YMCA this morning might make me feel stressedContinue reading "Decision making"

1.  The Holy Spirit is God.  In the Apostles' Creed I pray: "I believe in the Holy Spirit."2.  The Holy Spirit is God inside of me, and you, causing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to ripen in our lives.3.  The Holy Spirit will never forsake us.4.  WeContinue reading "Stay at your post standing in the strength of His might!"

In the last year Jennifer and I have hosted 3 marriage retreats for pastors and church leaders, Lastweekend was our 3rd one. Almost 30 pastor and church leader couples have taken advantage of these retreats we call "Exploring an Emotionally Healthy Marriage." Following the retreat I was thinking how important getting away has been overContinue reading "Becoming close to your spouse & to your friends DEFINITELY is worth all the hard work!"

In this incredibly vivid book -- Every Last Tie -- David Kaczynski tells the story of the Unabomber (Ted Kaczynski, David's older brother) and his family.  It's a gripping tale of a younger brother's love for his older brother, and how this younger brother came to to see not only his severe mental illness butContinue reading "A brilliant, troubled brother"

Today's column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette is a look back at my early days of learning that I was good at both listening to people and empathizing with them -- skills that serve me well to this day.  Read on ...-----Don Follis April 10, 2016 column: “Praying teaches us that life is as more aboutContinue reading "Learning to “listen” to nonverbal indicators started when I was just a young teen-ager"

Ironically, after seeing Eye in the Sky last night, with an excellent performance by Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, I read this morning in the New York Times, that an American drone strike in Somalia last Thursday is believed to have killed a key leader of the Shabab militant group.  Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell in EYE OFContinue reading "Deciding how to use your power to make a decision…"

On this Resurrection Sunday, I wrote a sad but redemptive column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.  I wrote it because of the Resurrection of Jesus -- to show that even when life is bad there is ultimately hope.  Were it not for my belief in the Resurrection, the singular, momentous event in in all of humanContinue reading "Easter’s message is clear: All people are deeply loved and valued!"