by Garris Elkins | Aug 9, 2017 | Church, Courage, Culture, Freedom, Future, Hope, Kingdom of God, Mercy, Promise, Spiritual Warfare
When life takes a dangerous turn people do not want a Barney Fife of Mayberry version of a police department, a spineless government or friends who turn their backs on them in a time of threat or impending conflict. The right for people to live a peaceful and...
by Garris Elkins | Aug 4, 2017 | Hope, Rest, Trust
This morning as Jan and I took communion, a phrase was spoken during our prayers, “May we be fruitful in rest”. That one sentence became the core of our time together. Fruitfulness is different than productivity. Fruitfulness produces a harvest from a...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 30, 2017 | Change, Courage, Eternity, Hope, Intimacy, Jesus, Obedience, Peace, Prayer, Promise, Spiritual Warfare, Transition
When Jan and I lived in Europe we traveled by car when air and rail travel was not an option. Driving across the Alps and entering a tunnel that is several miles long was a very strange and unnerving experience. Most of the tunnels in the United States are short – you...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 27, 2017 | Discipline, Eternity, Forgivness, Future, Hope
My wife, Jan, said something if understood and lived out would offer us tremendous freedom and peace of mind. Jan said, “We are only promised this moment and eternity”. Understanding the reality of that simple statement would remove much of the fear and angst we carry...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 23, 2017 | Change, Courage, Death, Eternity, Family, Father, Hope, Marriage, Relationships, Resurrection
I am waiting for youin the glory.They are all here, those who left before us, the ones we loved. I look so much different now than you could ever imagine. Whatever that perfect age was in the Earth-life I am there and more. I am forever young in an eternal way perfect...
by Garris Elkins | Jul 21, 2017 | Faith, Hope, Vision.
In my 50th year, a friend invited me to climb the tallest mountain overlooking our region. Mount McLoughlin stands 9,499 feet. For the last almost 8,000 years it has held prominence in our area. Before that, it lived in the shadow of the volcanic peak known as Mount...