Blog
Two days ago, I shared a word about surprises coming in both the political and financial realms. ( https://garriselkins.com/surprises-are-coming-2/ ). As the assassination attempt took place against President Trump, I knew that event was the beginning of those...
Every life has a turning point that will change how we interpret our suffering. That point turns our thinking toward a place of hope even if the evidence of hope is not yet present. It is a point where we recognize God’s mercy is present and will appear in our place...
I appreciate a principled life. But if we are driven only by principles and not by compassion, the principle will fall flat and become a hard and loveless response to those who are suffering. After listening to Bildad’s insensitive words as to why Job was suffering,...
God’s acquittals are far more powerful than hell’s accusations. When your character and reputation are under attack, and it seems as if you are about to be found guilty of an unrighteous charge, never forget that God has already adjudicated your case in Jesus Christ....
The Lord wants to heal the Church of an event addiction. We have filled arenas and stadiums at great expense. We have heard the word of the Lord and worshipped with great freedom, and yet our culture has remained largely unchanged. God is inviting His event addicts...
This is a photo I took of a steel grate that covers a hole a dug by a prospector during the southern Oregon gold rush of the 1850’s. The pit is deep. At the bottom, an old antique car rests in a dirt tomb along with various discarded articles like an old miner’s stove...
When I was on the football team at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, our coach asked if any members of the team could help a friend. The coach’s friend was a doctor who lived in the northern panhandle of Idaho. He was a sheep rancher. In the winter of 1969,...
Recently, during worship at a large gathering of pastors, I looked across the sanctuary and saw a friend. He is about my age, and I know he is processing his legacy. He and his wife have a beautiful family and have become grandparents. As the worship deepened, the...
These two books have sat on the shelves of my library for over 30 years. One book is filled with John Wesley’s sermon notes published in 1847, and the other contains Charles Spurgeon’s sermons published in 1855. I pulled them off our bookshelf and held them in my...
A few weeks ago, I was hiking on a freshly cut trail in the hills above our home. When I got to the end of the trail, I entered a new development of high-end homes. A few weeks later I went hiking on the same trail and discovered a “No Trespassing” sign had been put...
Capturing an image or a sound bite of a person’s moral disgust will always be misunderstood and misinterpreted by those who have no morals. There is something called righteous anger. This kind of anger must be disciplined when it arrives or it will take you to places...
We are standing on a cultural boundary line entertaining the possibility of two very different futures. A new direction is being determined. The rule of law, right and trusted as it has been despite our human failings, has proven it cannot be the guarantor of our...
Living in silence during critical moments of our national history can become a threat to the effectiveness of the Church, an assault on our credibility, and a sorrow in the heart of God. As long as our voice remains safely cloistered behind the walls of a church...
I was hiking along a deer trail away from roads and civilization. The trail led me through an open prairie where I came across an old foundation. Upon inspection, I found it to be stable and strong. It was covered with moss, but other than the moss and its apparent...
Our life-momentum must be frequently discerned to make sure we are moving forward with the empowerment of God’s Spirit, not our need for recognition or affirmation. We can discern the quality and substance of our momentum by asking this question, “What generated...