by Garris Elkins | Dec 20, 2017 | Courage, Death, Deliverance, Faith, Future, Hope, Marriage, Relationships, Restoration, Resurrection, Revelation, Spiritual Warfare, Trust
It has been almost 40 years since I wore a police uniform. The 9 years I worked as a cop brought me in contact with the most heart-wrenching of situations. One night, I got a call to conduct a welfare check. A landlord became concerned at the non-stop crying of a...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 19, 2017 | Faith, Honor, Integrity, Kingdom of God, Love, Wisdom
There is a gruesome parasite called Cymothoa Exigua. It is a louse parasite that enters a fish through its gills. Once inside, it severs the blood vessels to the tongue of the host fish, causing its tongue to die and eventually fall off. After consuming the dead...
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 | Dec 13, 2017 | Change, Death, Faith, Freedom, Future, Love, Thankfulness, Worship
It has been two weeks since my dog died. Abby was an Australian Shepherd who lived as a member of our family for 15 wonderful years from puppyhood to her dying day. She was a good friend. For all 15 years of her life, Abby went in and out of her doggie door to...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 10, 2017 | Discipleship, Faith, Family, Father, Honor, Identity, Intimacy, Relationships, Restoration, Revelation, Teaching, Word
I was looking at a photo of one of my nieces. She is a beautiful young lady. As I looked at her picture, I saw the eyes of my mother staring back at me. The DNA of a family line is strong. What is even stronger is our spiritual DNA. Our spiritual DNA does...
