by Garris Elkins | Oct 12, 2018 | Courage, Death, Deliverance, Discipleship, Discipline, Family, Father, Fear, Freedom, Leadership, Love, Marriage, Mercy, Revelation, Trust
All my life, I have been a protector. I once protected my little brother from a neighborhood bully. In the 6th grade, I got in a fight defending a Native American friend who was surrounded by mocking white kids who were issuing racial slurs. When I married Jan, I have...
by Garris Elkins | Oct 4, 2018 | Dreams, Eternity, Family, Father, Fear, Freedom, Future, Hope, Justice, Marriage, Prayer, Promotion, Relationships, Restoration, Spiritual Warfare, Trust
Recently, during worship at a large gathering of pastors, I looked across the sanctuary and saw a friend. He is about my age, and I know he is processing his legacy. He and his wife have a beautiful family and have become grandparents. As the worship deepened, the...
by Garris Elkins | Sep 12, 2018 | Change, Creavity, Discipleship, Family, Freedom, Pride, Restoration, Transtion, Trust
It’s been almost 50 years since Woodstock took place on Yasgur’s farm on a grassy hillside in Bethel, New York. 400,000 people showed up to listen to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and many others. It was an iconic moment in American history. I read a...
by Garris Elkins | Sep 5, 2018 | Creativity, Dreams, Family, Fear, Freedom, Future, Holiness, Humility, Intimacy, Marriage, Mercy
Yesterday, a song from 1970 began to play on my Pandora account while Jan and I sat in our living room working on our computers. The song was, Wild World by Cat Stevens. When the song started, we both smiled and turned to look at each other. The song sparked a journey...
by Garris Elkins | Aug 29, 2018 | Courage, Culture, Death, Deliverance, Discipline, Family, Humility, Peace, Relationships, Wisdom
We are living in a very tense moment spiritually. If we who represent Jesus Christ on Earth are not careful, we could make an undisciplined emotional response to these complex situations and bring unnecessary death to relationships and ministry opportunities. ...
by Garris Elkins | Aug 25, 2018 | Faithfulness, Family, Identity, Marriage, Mercy, Peace, Relationships, Women
I remember the day when I was four years old and said to my mother, “Are you from outer space?” I was a serious four-year-old asking a serious question. I actually remember that morning in our kitchen when I asked the question, and my mom smiled and said,...