by Garris Elkins | Feb 2, 2018 | Courage, Deliverance, Forgivness, Future, Hope, Love, Peace, Promotion, Restoration, Spiritual Warfare, Wisdom, Worship
I remember the first time I experienced the power of a worship flag being used outside a corporate worship service. It was ten years ago. I was lying on the floor of the Alabaster Prayer House at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Beautiful music filled the room....
by Garris Elkins | Jan 18, 2018 | Courage, Discipleship, Faith, Five-Fold Ministry, Freedom, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Reformation, Revelation, Teaching, Truth, Wisdom
It can make some theologians nervous to say that good theology is formed from experience. The pages of Scripture are a story of God interacting with people, not a hard and cold set of impersonal facts about God. I formed my theology about God’s goodness at 2:00 am...
by Garris Elkins | Jan 16, 2018 | Courage, Faithfulness, Justice, Kingdom of God
Martin Luther King, Jr. has always been a man I admired both as a statesman and a fellow pastor. He was a man of courage who made choices many of us would hesitate to make. I want to pause and remember his life and sacrifice on this day when we as a nation honor his...
by Garris Elkins | Jan 12, 2018 | Change, Courage, Deliverance, Faith
I watched a video of a motorcycle cop riding his bike through a set of narrowly spaced cones in a riding competition. It was amazing to see his balance, discipline, and timing. He was trained to do these maneuvers. It did not come naturally. When you train to...
by Garris Elkins | Jan 11, 2018 | Courage, Creativity, Deliverance, Faith, Fear, Future
I have walked up the trail and past the tree depicted in this picture for the last 15 years. On the day I took this photo, I had stopped to catch my breath and noticed the nail in the tree for the first time. It looks like a small sheetrock nail, and from its...
by Garris Elkins | Jan 5, 2018 | Change, Courage, Deliverance
If you have ever stood on the seashore when a wave crashed and ran up the beach past your ankles you experienced what can happen when you looked down at your feet as the wave reversed course and rushed back down the beach. You got dizzy and disoriented and felt like...