by Garris Elkins | Nov 13, 2013 | Church, Faith, Father, Future, Hope, Leadership, Transition
In October of 2014, I will complete a transition out of the Senior Pastor role at Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon. The man God is raising up to fill that role is Ryan Rhoden. Ryan is a good and godly man with a vision for the future. We have...
by Garris Elkins | Nov 8, 2013 | Discipline, Family, Father, Forgiveness, Future, Hope, Humility, Repentance
Each morning I walk into our kitchen and do three things. I feed the dog; I start the coffee maker and I take my vitamins while drinking a large glass of water. This morning, I noticed that I first splashed a bit of water into my glass and then poured it...
by Garris Elkins | Oct 26, 2013 | Family, Father, Healing, Honor, Hope, Sacrifice
In high school, I took an English class from a teacher named, Mr. Bobbitt. Mr. Bobbitt seemed “old” to me – he must have been about 50 when I was one of his students. In class, Mr. Bobbitt would never let us use the word, “good”, to describe anything. He...
by Garris Elkins | Oct 24, 2013 | Family, Father, Giving, Love, Sacrifice
Growing up in the home of a self-employed contractor helped me see the seasonal nature of the construction business. Without fail, each approaching winter would put dad’s business on hold until the warm spring days returned along with new construction contracts....
by Garris Elkins | Oct 24, 2013 | Faith, Family, Father, Giving, Trust
As a boy, I enjoyed getting into my father’s Chevy pickup truck and driving into town. During these trips I would watch my father and learn about life. Most of these trips would involve a lunch where we sat at a counter on stools laughing and talking. On one of...