by Garris Elkins | Jan 12, 2019 | Deliverance, Discipline, Faith, Future, Joy, Marriage, Restoration, Trust, Vision.
This morning, I got down on our living room floor to do a plank workout. I do this every day to strengthen my core. When I do planks, I use the stopwatch function on my iPhone to measure the duration for each plank I perform. Today, I went to set my stopwatch and...
by Garris Elkins | Oct 24, 2018 | Courage, Creativity, Destiny, Faith, Freedom, Future, Gifts, God, Love, Marriage, Relationships, Restoration, Revelation, Women
Each morning, Jan walks into our living room where I sit in my writing chair. As a ritual, I rise and hug her, my face pressed into the right side of her neck. I kiss her and take in her fragrance. We always linger in our embrace. It seems to reset our life before the...
by Garris Elkins | Oct 18, 2018 | Apostle, Discipleship, Father, Freedom, Future, Kingdom of God, Marriage, Relationships, Transition, Trust, Wisdom, Women
A spiritual father or mother must be secure enough in their calling to let their offspring play unsupervised in the real world. This release will reveal if what the parent placed in their children by wise counsel and a loving parenting presence will actually work when...
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 11, 2018 | Faith, Father, Fathers, Fear, Gifts, Giving, Honor, Marriage, Provision, Relationships, Trust, Wisdom
One of the most unique and fulfilling seasons in life is when we become spiritual fathers and mothers. This happens at about age 50 or so. That number is not absolute, but this assignment in life does require the accumulation of years. By this time, hopefully, we...