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 8, 2018 | Deliverance, Discipleship, Discipline, Forgiveness, Humility, Identity, Trust, Worship
God’s acquittals are far more powerful than hell’s accusations. When your character and reputation are under attack, and it seems as if you are about to be found guilty of an unrighteous charge, never forget that God has already adjudicated your case in Jesus Christ....
by Garris Elkins | Oct 5, 2018 | Creativity, Culture, Death, Deliverance, Discipleship, Fear, Freedom, Healing, Intimacy, Jesus, Love, Relationships, Trust, Truth, Worship
When I was on the football team at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, our coach asked if any members of the team could help a friend. The coach’s friend was a doctor who lived in the northern panhandle of Idaho. He was a sheep rancher. In the winter of 1969,...
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 30, 2018 | Grace, Relationships, Revelation, Trust, Truth
We are standing on a cultural boundary line entertaining the possibility of two very different futures. A new direction is being determined. The rule of law, right and trusted as it has been despite our human failings, has proven it cannot be the guarantor of our...
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...
