by Garris Elkins | Dec 19, 2017 | Faith, Honor, Integrity, Kingdom of God, Love, Wisdom
There is a gruesome parasite called Cymothoa Exigua. It is a louse parasite that enters a fish through its gills. Once inside, it severs the blood vessels to the tongue of the host fish, causing its tongue to die and eventually fall off. After consuming the dead...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 15, 2017 | Discipline, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Future, Identity, Kingdom of God, Mercy, Peace, Redemption, Spiritual Warfare, Transition, Trust, Vision., Wisdom
Albania was one of the most isolated and inaccessible nations in Eastern Europe during the years of Communist oppression. When the borders finally opened an outside world stepped across its border to discover a culture trapped in time. On my first visit to Albania, a...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 14, 2017 | Change, Discipleship, Discipline, Evangelism, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, Future, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, Kingdom of God, Peace, Promotion, Reformation, Spiritual Warfare, Truth, Wisdom
I grew up in a construction family. My father built houses. Most of my summers were spent on the end of a shovel. My brother and I were human backhoes. Many times our father would say, “Give me a ditch three feet deep from here to the house. See you at lunch.” It was...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 9, 2017 | Change, Courage, Discipleship, Five-Fold Ministry, Gifts, Justice, Kingdom of God, Mercy, Pride, Teaching, Wisdom
The most significant piece of advice I ever received on how to preach, and for that matter, how to handle most of life, was given to me by my pastor, Roy Hicks. Jr. He said when you prepare to preach you are not yet ready until you can answer three questions. 1....
by Garris Elkins | Dec 5, 2017 | Courage, Discipleship, Faith, Father, Five-Fold Ministry, Freedom, Future, Honor, Identity, Leadership, Love, Peace, Promise, Relationships, Teaching, Wisdom
One of my childhood dreams was to learn to fly. As a young 20-something, I began working in a job that afforded me enough extra income to start taking lessons toward the goal of obtaining a Private Pilot’s license. After 10 hours of dual instruction, I felt I was...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 3, 2017 | Destiny, Discipleship, Father, God, Honor, Hope, Jesus, Joy, Peace, Provision, Rest, Revelation, Teaching, Trust, Wisdom
As a little boy, I usually slept like a rock. But one winter night I woke up and walked into the living room. I was about 6 or 7 years old. My stirring also awakened my father. While standing in front of our fireplace staring at the remaining embers of a fire from the...
