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 14, 2018 | Hope, Intimacy, Relationships, Trust, Worship
There are moments in every relationship when we can allow ourselves to be motivated by the fear of loss. In these situations, we find ourselves trying to preserve a relationship that actually needs to die before it can live. Attempting to hold onto the status quo of...
by Garris Elkins | Aug 23, 2018 | Change, Courage, Death, Deliverance, Faith, Fear, Future, Hope, Marriage, Peace, Prayer, Relationships
As I sat in my writing chair a bit after 4:00 am this morning, I had the window open listening to the sounds of the night. Off in the distance, I heard the wail of a siren responding to someone who had called for help. The sound of the siren was piercing the darkness...
by Garris Elkins | Aug 7, 2018 | Change, Death, Eternity, Family, Favor, Fear, Freedom, Honor, Hope, Marriage
The older I become, the more I am able to shed a quick tear over a country ballad. I find myself holding a special attachment to a pair of old weathered boots on their third resole. The memories of a faithful dog now gone and of friends whose relationship I hope...
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...
