by Garris Elkins | Jul 31, 2018 | Courage, Death, Deliverance, Discipleship, Faith, Kingdom of God, Leadership, Peace, Spiritual Warfare, Trust, Vision.
When I was a cop, I had to disarm people who wanted to kill an innocent bystander or me. As a Hostage Negotiator, I disarmed people using words crafted from proven negotiation tactics. When I worked as a street cop and later as a SWAT officer, I disarmed people at the...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 29, 2018 | Faith, Hope, Joy, Supernatural, Trust, Worship
Yesterday afternoon, I walked by clusters of grapes hanging from one of the vines on our property. Grapes grow well in this region. For the early French settlers, our valley reminded them of the south of France. We have excellent soil and a climate able to produce...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 25, 2018 | Courage, Creativity, Faith, Family, Fear, Future, Hope, Kingdom of God, Leadership, Restoration, Revelation, Transition, Trust, Worship
It is interesting to experience the tug in our heart when we visit a place that holds significance in our personal history. In 1981 as a young couple with two little kids and a couple of cats, Jan and I left a known life in Oregon to embrace a new and unfamiliar life...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 19, 2018 | Courage, Culture, Discipline, Faith, Fear, Trust
Not every dream we have makes sense. Some dreams can be inspired by the Spirit of God or by a work of hell. Still, others can be the result of an over-active imagination or too much pizza right before bed. We need discernment to understand what is taking place in our...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 18, 2018 | Church, Faith, Family, Freedom, Humility, Identity, Kingdom of God, Power, Restoration, Revelation, Spiritual Warfare, Worship
As I travel and minister, I have the opportunity to visit many different expressions of the Church. I was recently in a gathering populated by tremendous thinkers and theologians. In that mix were differing opinions on major topics of theology and God’s Kingdom. The...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 13, 2018 | Apostle, Courage, Deliverance, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Future, Integrity, Leadership, Obedience, Peace
This morning, I saw two robins flying erratically around a tree just outside a sliding glass door. A few moments later, I heard a loud thump as one of the birds collided with the window. The window was reflecting a false reality of blue skies and freedom that...
