Blog
Last week, I had three unique encounters with different people. The first happened as I was walking through our small town, and a vehicle pulled alongside. A young man rolled down his window and asked, "Are you Garris Elkins?" I said, "Yes, I am." The young man told...
Your trust will be tested in the coming days. Some of those you thought would remain faithful will not. You don't need to pray for protection from your betrayers. Pray for your heart's attitude when you experience the pain of betrayal. This time of testing will...
When we slowly eliminate the truth of God's word from our lives and accept human opinion as truth, we will experience a form of self-induced torture that resembles something called lingchi. Lingchi is a form of Chinese torture, meaning "death by a thousand cuts." The...
We are living in a time like none that I have seen in my life. Wisdom and the word of God will be needed to navigate what is coming. A naïve “Que sera sera” attitude will become a dangerous stumbling block for many people of faith if certain precautions are not set in...
Recently, I wrote about the intersection of history we have entered where spiritual deception, emotional instability, and mental illness are colliding with truth. The unresolved issues creating these collisions are being celebrated in the news and within the social...
While the devil is a hungry devourer “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (I Peter 5:8), something far more profound is taking place. People who are living in prisons of deception and despair who are easy prey for the devil have been...
Increasingly, while looking up information to make a purchase, after reading the promotional material provided by the seller, I go to the comment section. It is there I can discover a customers real life experience and opinion about a product. I experienced this...
I once talked with a close friend battling an aggressive form of cancer. He had a loving wife and together they raised wonderful kids. Whatever happened in this life never robbed him of his love for God and family. What I noticed about my friend was his faith. It...
Yesterday, I went looking for a car for my son while he was at work. The few cars he could afford had already been purchased before I saw the ads on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. One twenty-year-old Buick had low miles and the right price, but it was sold...
I just listened to an impassioned video by Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in the movie, The Passion of the Christ. The video struck a chord in me. He is a straight-up follower of the Lord in real life, not just on the screen. You could hear the dismay in...
My great uncle several times removed was Daniel Boone the American frontiersman. As the Applegate Wagon Train moved through western Oregon in the winter of 1846 one of the wagons was occupied by his grandson, Alphonso Boone. In the same winter snowstorm that trapped...
Several years ago, I wrote a small book titled, Thoughts to Leave Behind. It was a compilation of small essays I wanted to leave behind for my church staff who would assume the leadership role of our church once I transitioned away from pastoring to a ministry of...
“Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (Psalm 105:19). The more impactful the fulfillment of a dream will be the more intense the testing of our character will become as God moves us forward toward a time and place of...
Yesterday, I failed at something the Lord has been working on in my life. I felt horrible that I made such a foolish choice, again. I knew better. This morning, as I was reading the Psalms, I came to Psalm 106 which opens by describing the faithful love of God. In the...
If the truth sets us free, then half-truths and outright lies will keep us in bondage. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8: 31-32). Knowing the truth is what helps us...