Blog
The Church can become numb to the reality of hell’s power to imitate works of God in an attempt to deceive God's people. Hell can also do signs and wonders, but only to a point. The devil will use everything at his disposal to deceive us, even using the power of magic...
Thirty-five years ago, I discovered the meaning of our family name, “Elkins.” It means “Jehovah is God.” Our family name can be traced back to the Hebrew name “Elijah.” Discovering the origin of our family name had a significant impact on my life. There is a greater...
The irrational argument that the Church should not affect change in a nation must be put to rest. During Church history, influential spiritual voices like Martin Luther, William Wilberforce, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, all leaders within the Church, spoke up for truth....
A couple of years ago, I wrote something that angered a pastor. He wrote me privately and voiced his concern. He said since I was no longer a pastor, I should back off writing things that might encourage people in his church to consider a perspective that differed...
The photo depicts the last of Mr. Froggy. Mr. Froggy was a puppy play toy we bought for our dog, Ladybug when she was only 9 weeks old. What you are seeing is the surviving toe of a frog foot. We brought Mr. Froggy home two years ago and he was an immediate favorite...
God measures truth by a different standard than the world. The world measures truth by economic, academic, and social standards none of which are evil by themselves. Those interpretive standards can become evil if they are used to dismantle truth and offer the Church...
This week, I was reminded of a book I read 25 years ago by Tom Clancy titled Debt of Honor. In the book, Clancy describes a deteriorating relationship between Japan and the United States. As the book plot came to mind, I recalled the most dramatic scene in the book...
As I scrolled through a friend's Facebook page, I noticed we had several mutual friends. While looking at that handful of mutual friends, I saw the image of someone who doesn’t care much for my views on the Church or God’s Kingdom. He has let me know in no uncertain...
In 2020, an immense superwave struck the coast of British Columbia. It was the largest recorded wave in history. Researchers described it as a 1,300-year wave, one that only appears once every 1,300 years. The wave was the height of a four-story building. It would...
Most of the people in the Church are busy trying to live a good life. They go to work, try to raise good kids, save for retirement, and live an honorable life. The uncomfortable truth is that all the things I just mentioned can be accomplished without the presence of...
In the last couple of years, we all have had our emotions thinned out a bit. Issues have risen to the surface that might have been held in check in previous seasons. As a result, a lot of people have become touchy. They are touchy about a wide variety of subjects, but...
If you are facing something that causes concern, or even fear, look at it. Don’t turn away trying to ignore its presence. The first act of faith is to look at something that produces fear and anxiety just as the Israelites did when they were told to look at the...
I recently read the last words of the pilot of a cargo jet as it plummeted out of control toward earth crashing and killing the pilot and his copilot. It was chilling to hear him say a moment before impact, “Lord, you have my soul.” When I heard the pilot’s last...
In Medford, Oregon we have an iconic statue positioned on one of the busiest streets in the city. It is not a statue of a war hero or notable historic figure. It is a 29-foot-tall crow-like bird constructed over 50 years ago to draw the attention of passersby to what...
The garments of dishonor and disobedience are beginning to fall to the ground. These are not just the garments worn by corrupted governments or the moguls of industry and media. They include the garments we as followers of Christ have worn that have presented a broken...