by Garris Elkins | Dec 17, 2017 | Courage, Discipline, Forgivness, Freedom, Humility, Mercy, Miracles, Obedience, Power, Pride, Promotion, Trust, Truth
A few weeks ago someone on Facebook posted something that was insightful, yet troubling because it was painfully true. I impulsively went to hit the “like” button but remembered this person rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like the content of his life or...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 16, 2017 | Courage, Death, Deliverance, Discipline, Family, Father, Fathers, God, Justice, Marriage, Mercy, Obedience, Peace, Power, Spiritual Warfare, Trust
When I was a street cop, I wore a bulletproof vest, also known as body armor. My vest was made by a company called Second Chance. It had two panels. One panel covered my chest and the other panel covered my back. I never hit the streets in uniform without wearing my...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 15, 2017 | Discipline, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Future, Identity, Kingdom of God, Mercy, Peace, Redemption, Spiritual Warfare, Transition, Trust, Vision., Wisdom
Albania was one of the most isolated and inaccessible nations in Eastern Europe during the years of Communist oppression. When the borders finally opened an outside world stepped across its border to discover a culture trapped in time. On my first visit to Albania, a...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 14, 2017 | Change, Discipleship, Discipline, Evangelism, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, Future, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, Kingdom of God, Peace, Promotion, Reformation, Spiritual Warfare, Truth, Wisdom
I grew up in a construction family. My father built houses. Most of my summers were spent on the end of a shovel. My brother and I were human backhoes. Many times our father would say, “Give me a ditch three feet deep from here to the house. See you at lunch.” It was...
by Garris Elkins | Nov 30, 2017 | Courage, Deliverance, Discipline, Family, Fear, Freedom, Future, Hope, Love, Marriage, Obedience, Peace, Power, Prayer, Promise, Reconciliation, Relationships, Revelation, Spiritual Warfare, Vision.
I was sitting in my writing chair listening to some beautiful instrumental Christmas music. It was a piano solo. As the pianist continued to play a soft melody, in the distance, I heard the wailing song of a siren clearing the way in route to an unknown trauma. The...
by Garris Elkins | Nov 22, 2017 | Creativity, Discipline, Family, Freedom, Giving, Honor, Intimacy, Love, Marriage, Ministry, Obedience, Peace, Relationships, Wisdom
My pastor, Roy Hicks, Jr., told a humorous story about how his wife Kay got his attention late one night. After many years pastoring the Eugene Faith Center, Roy became the Director of Missions for the Foursquare Church. It was a demanding job. Roy spent many...
