Category Archives: Uncategorized

In this fourth week of Lent (March 25th) the Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Lord. … Luke 1:26-38.I find it helpful to contemplate pictures of the scene like da Vinci's famous depiction of the announcement.And when I hear Mary say "Yes, I am the Lord's servent," I wonder what I can learn from herContinueContinue reading “Annunciation announcement during Lent”

  So I was having lunch with a friend the other day.  The conversation was rich, and we talked long.  At the end my friend said, "You're a good man, Don Follis."I said, "Well thank you very much."A day later I was talking on the phone, and I ended by saying, "Thank you, you're a goodContinueContinue reading “You’re a good man … Don Follis”

  Earlier this week my New Testament reading was from John 7:1-24.  We learn that it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters.  We also learn that Jesus wanted to stay out of Judea because the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill him. We read that even his own brothers didn't believe him at this point. ContinueContinue reading “Judge correctly”

Christian liberal arts universities dot the land.  I've always liked them. … poking around the libraries, looking in on the chapel and hanging out at the student center.  Here are a couple pics taken on the Anderson University campus in Anderson, Indiana.  It's a pretty little campus with 2,200 students … about 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis.  There'sContinueContinue reading “Places I like…”

I spent an interesting day yesterday hanging out with Vineyard pastor Rand Tucker.  A San Diego boy, Tucker, 40, started the Hyde Park Vineyard Church in Chicago 10 years ago.  The photo here on the left is of a century-old Hyde Park mansion … now owned by and home to the Hyde Park Alliance Church.  It's two blocks fromContinueContinue reading “The Vineyard church in Chicago’s Hyde Park”

Missionary housing, baby.  Here is Ellen Benefield (Vineyard missionary) doing work on her laptop in her 9×9 foot bedroom, while baby Ethan sleeps on the bed beside her. The entire floor plan for the house is 400 square feet.  Baby Ethan has been my roommate this week.  Our bedroom also is 9×9.  It is, shallContinueContinue reading “400 square foot house … Good to go!”

Here in Mazatlan I am having a hard enough time with my very limited Spanish.  This week I am hanging out with my Vineyard Church missionary friends Kyle and Ellen Benefield. Today, wouldn't you know it?  On the north side of Mazatlan. Kyle and I run into Ginger's horses who, naturally, are bilingual.  But, please.ContinueContinue reading “Bilingual Horses … Sigh!”

After our morning walk, Kyle Benefield proceeded to show me how to shave.  Here he is putting on lather with a shaving brush.  I think he got it from my grandfather's stash.  Until recently the brush had been in a box of shaving supplies for 30 years.  And then Kyle is shown scraping his face withContinueContinue reading “Saturday morning in Mazatlan…”