by Garris Elkins | Jul 14, 2017 | Courage, Discipleship, Forgivenss, Freedom, Humility, Kingdom of God, Mercy, Peace, Pride, Reconciliation, Restoration, Revelation, Teaching, Truth
When we pile on a perceived error the truth gets buried. This piling on can resemble a football game where the ball is in the hands of one of the players at the bottom of the heap. The officials referring the game must remove each person from the pile to find the...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 9, 2017 | Courage, Discipleship, Family, Fear, Freedom, Joy, Peace, Pride, Relationships
Earlier this week, Jan and I had dinner with friends at a nice restaurant. Shortly after being seated, a young family sat at the table next to us with three young kids. Our child-rearing years took place decades ago. We smiled as the parents tried to herd cats and eat...
by Garris Elkins | Jun 20, 2017 | Discipleship, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Honor, Humility, Promise
I remember when I wrote my first book, Prayers from the Throne of God. I was a nervous first-time author. I felt the Lord nudge me to ask Jack Hayford to write the foreword. Each time I had been with Pastor Jack over the previous thirty years, he was gracious and...
by Garris Elkins | Jun 18, 2017 | Freedom, Jesus, Obedience, Rest, Trust
I was sitting in the early morning light with my dog, Abby, reading the hard copy proof for my new book. I love this time of year when the mornings are cool yet warm enough for shorts and bare feet on the grass. As I continued to read, a bird flew past me and through...
by Garris Elkins | Jun 13, 2017 | Death, Eternity, Father, Freedom, God, Hope, Jesus, Marriage, Peace, Relationships, Transition, Worship
A friend of mine was talking with Jack Hayford a few weeks ago. Jack’s lovely wife, Anna, had passed away after they shared 62 years of marriage and 60 years together in ministry. My friend posted a single sentence on his Facebook wall from that meeting with Jack. The...
by Garris Elkins | Jun 12, 2017 | Courage, Discipline, Faith, Freedom, Humility, Obedience, Relationships, Restoration
Many of you know I like to cook, especially BBQ. One of my favorites is shredded pork. To begin the cooking process, I select a pork shoulder or tenderloin and slow cook it in hickory smoke. When it is done, I take the meat out of the fire and place it on a large...