Blog
In the massive and diverse flow of opinions about life and how we should live, the only way to live a right and honorable life is to align our response to those opinions with God’s word. Only then will we be aligned with truth, even if the moment of our obedience...
When we read about Balaam and his talking donkey, we tend to focus on the miracle of an animal speaking to a human. But there is more to the story than that miracle. Balak was the king of the Moabites. He saw the approaching Israelites and wanted Balaam to curse...
God is preparing His people by placing the hidden and broken things in our lives out in the open in plain view. He is doing this, not to punish us, but to remove the old inhibiting ways of living from our lives so we can finish the race of faith intact. Godly exposure...
TimelineAboutFriends3,249PhotosMore Update Profile Picture Garris ElkinsTimeline Recent Status Photo / Video Life Event Status Photo / Video Life Event News Feed Garris Elkins Just now · Medford, OR · Edited · Nepal has been hit by two devastating earthquakes. On...
Some of you are feeling a tremendous amount of internal pressure. This pressure is not the result of a build up of personal frustration or the challenges you face in an unstable culture. Something else is taking place. It would be easy to misinterpret the real...
This morning, I read Proverbs 31. Mother’s Day is approaching. I have the significant women in my life on my mind - my wife, Jan and my daughter, Anna. Years ago, Jan and I had a conversation where I asked her how she wanted to live her life and express her gifts and...
When I wrote my first book, Prayers From The Throne of God, Dr. Jack Hayford honored me by writing the foreword. During a phone conversation with Pastor Jack, I mentioned I was worried about the book having grammatical mistakes. Jack said, "All books have mistakes....
I am more and more convinced the way forward for the Church in the coming season will not be discovered by traveling a known course predicted and planned by our logic and reasoning. The way forward will be discovered within the wind of the Spirit. Near our...
Only God is able to pen the final definition for any person, group or culture. Resist allowing other people, special interest groups or governments to define your outlook on life. The only definition you can trust is one written from the dictionary of God's heart and...
This morning, I stood in front of a dumpster where I had just put my old chair. It had finally worn out. This was a chair I bought in Germany twenty years ago and it followed me back home in 1999. For the last twenty years this chair has supported me...
A friend of mine works with mentally challenged people. Some of his clients have severe disabilities. His work is really a ministry. His commitment is humbling. This week we had breakfast together. In the course of our conversation he described...
This morning, as I prepared a message on the section of scripture in John 8 describing the woman caught in adultery, I was struck by something. As the Pharisees brought the woman and put her in front of Jesus they wanted to stone her to death for her sin. ...
I remember being a young pastor and trying to counsel couples who were going through a difficult time in their marriage. I tried to give them tasks to do to help them deepen their commitment to each other. After a few years, I realized this wasn’t working. ...
How can we blame a culture for their anger and distrust of religious institutions if somewhere along the way we began to think we could displace the merciful voice of God and begin telling people how to live? Paul said, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge...
In the hills above my home grows a rare flower from the Lily family of plants called the Gentner’s Fritillaria. This plant was first identified in 1942 in a young woman’s bouquet of flowers. It only lives on earth in this part of Southern Oregon. It is...