Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Here is another BLOG entry about pastors.   It is funny and cutting at the same time.   Read it …especially those of you who are passionate about being men of the book!  

Many times I run across articles and thoughts that light my fire.   Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church has done that several times the last couple of months.   Below is an article from Perry on leadership that hit home with me.   Click here to go to the original post. Creating A Leadership Environment I have an incredible team around me.  It has taken well over six years–but I believe we have created an incredible leadership environment here at NewSpring…here are just a few of the things that the Lord has led me to do… #1 - Do Not Put People On Your Team Who Are Just Like You!   I get e-mails from time to time from people telling me they don’t like me…and many times I agree with them, I don’t like me either!  (WOW–that’s going to upset Joel Osteen!!!) I looked around our lead team meeting this past Monday and it is safe to say that out of the 11 people in the room…none of them were just like me.  I could not work with someone like me…I am amazed that the team I serv

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."    Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) There is a big difference between vision and tradition.   Some church leaders would have lots of trouble distinguishing the two.   Why is that?   I believe it is because we far too often fear leaving tradition more than we fear missing God's best for our lives and for His church. That is why I am committed to sharing what God says and leading His church to see what He has shown me.   It is not easy.   It is of utmost importance.   Sometimes this creates conflict.   Often it creates excitement.   But most often vision and casting your vision is missed by leaders of the church. As leaders we must do what it takes to share the vision God has given us.   We must speak the language of the people, share that vision in creative ways and do our very best to be where Jesus is. So how do we help people see the vision God has given us? Prayer.   Be a prayer wa

NOTE: our internet service has been down all week.   That means e-devotions have to be sent in special ways.   Hope all will be back to normal by the end of the week or first of next week. Last week I share with you some notes from Rick Warren and an article he wrote about members and guests feeling special.   Today I am going to use the big ideas and tie some scripture to them to help us see and hear from God as to how we are to fit into God's family and create ways for other people to become part of the family at church.   Did that make sense? God has big things in store FOR THE PEOPLE who choose to follow His lead! Be intentional on building NEW relationships... "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.   If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God.   And other people will approve of you, too.   So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to b

It is not always easy to celebrate when everything around you tells you to do something else.   You could be under the weather with health issues or behind the eight ball financially.   Or, maybe you are run down by criticism or crushed by the weight of stress. No matter the issues of life, God has a desire for His kids to celebrate even when the storms are at their height.   Can you do that?   It often requires perspective and spiritual motivation that can only come from God. Lets kick the tires of this "power to celebrate" mode a little this morning: Think God's thoughts and listen to His guidance ..."When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy."    Proverbs 29:18 (NLT) Remember, God's plans are awesome for you and me ... "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."     Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Hey Folks - I have been away from my lovely wife, Julie, and our three precious little ones, Rebecca, Ruth and Ryan, the last two weeks and miss them so very much. I just want to praise the Lord openly and shout "Praise the Lord" for these four gifts from God. He is so good...

Before I slipped off into sleepy land last night I read Rick Warren's most recent Ministry newsletter, and I got excited. In today's devotion I am going to share with you pieces from that newsletter. It can be found in its entirety here. The following comes to you and to me with a strong conviction that church leaders need to be the best we can at putting our team together. Here is a summary of Warren wrote: "Helping your members feel special" by Rick Warren Joining the church does not automatically cause people to feel that they "belong." They need to feel welcomed and wanted once they’ve joined your church. They need to be recognized, affirmed and celebrated by your congregation. They need to feel special...you will need to create some initiation rituals that say publicly: "You are now one of us!" (Rick shares some of the things that Saddleback does to help people feel special: ) ...baptism for the new believers is an event that o

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven."    Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) 1st day of summer.   Yes, it has finally arrived, and our families and our communities are well into it already.   The local pool is full of water and people.   The flocks are flocking to the beach.   The sun bathers are soaking up the rays.   Life continues and life is good. What is different about this season compared to any other?   We have opportunities are not normally afforded.   The Orchard begins Vacation Bible School on Sunday (pray for the events and those involved especially for lost children), and there are countless things we can do to draw families closer together as well as get the attention of the students who are out of school.   Think with me about our motivation.   Better yet, think with me about our plans.   Is it about me or about serving others. I love this verse (used it at 2 weddings this past weekend): "Husbands, go all out in your love

I just read a post from a pastor that I must share.   It blessed me, and it ought to bless our youth dude, I mean pastor, Chris Moore.   You can find the post here .   And the text follows: What Every Youth Pastor Wishes Their Senior Pastor Knew OK…so I have been on a youth ministry kick the past week…I can’t help it.  This past week was one of the most amazing weeks of my life.  The ONLY thing that would have made it better would have been to have Lucretia with me…she’s AWESOME! I did some reflecting this past weekend of the time I spent in youth ministry…and the success and failures that I experienced.  I have came up with the following list of things that I believe every youth pastor wishes they could tell their senior pastor–here we go… #1 - Pray For Me…And Tell Me That You Are Doing So! There is something about a senior pastor that will pray over the area of youth ministry in the church that he serves.  And there is something INCREDIBLE when a youth pastor is told by

I love gadgets.   Don’t have an iPod as of yet, but I am learning about pod casting and enjoying some of my favorite preachers that offer that service already. Ran across a cool site today for those of you who can not live without your iPod.   Use it in Christ kind of style.   Take a look here .  

Again, from Erwin McManus: "The church isn't here for us.   We are the church and we are here for the world," McManus said.   "We need to become prophets of the unknown God.   We must be the ones who say, 'We have seen the invisible, we have experienced the unimaginable and we are here to tell you that what you do not know can be known.' . . . God is the unknown God, but He is not the unknowable God." Ever wondered why companies change their logo or remodel or use a new slogan?   It is to get the attention of the customer.   Ever noticed that the church is often the last one to make any changes?   Fact is that people in our churches cannot control the world around them (family, job, feelings, money, etc) so they find something they can control or think they can control.   That sometimes becomes the church as members seek to put a stop to change and in so doing put a stop to creativity, growth, evangelism and even people being saved. Yeah, I said

Coming off the high of being at the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor's Conference is awesome.   I keep running some of the images, stories and celebration through my mind only to find more stuff that gets my motor going.   No, I am not talking about the controversies or tough business.   I am talking about the stuff that makes being part of a group of like minded people so exciting. We choose to be a part of the group because we can accomplish more together than we can alone.   I believe the greatest impact of the convention was the pressing forward of our method of supporting missions, the Cooperative Program (learn more at www.cpmissions.net). I don't want to bore you with other stuff, but I do want to give you some stuff to think about.   This year's Pastor's Conference was 'off the hook'.   That means awesome.   This event takes place every year.   I have been to 10 or so of them, and this one was by far the best. In today's e-devotion I wa

Hey I know. It is the day after Father’s day and anything sappy or noteworthy about fathers should have gone out at least by Yesterday. But here is mine. Live with it ‘ cause I mean it. Yesterday morning I shared in my message to The Orchard church about how I believe God gave my dad back to me in early 1980’s. It was just before his birthday in May of that year that we were all at a softball game (dad loved to get thrown out those games…HA, HA) when he had a massive heart attack. That event changed my dad, my family and my reality of God. What do I mean? Thanks for asking. Things changed because we stopped living life in one direction and began to be led by God. It is evident. I can see it more now than ever before. My dad has wisdom coming at me so often, and I am grateful. In fact, he is even reading some of the same stuff I read. That sends this son to the moon. I want to thank God for giving me a dad who is mentor and friend. He is much more now than I th

Speed of Sound.   Speed of Light.   Speed of NASCAR.   Speed of a Turtle.   Speed of God. In the line above which one is out of place being the fastest and most exciting.   Guess God or you are wrong!   God is working.   Watch Him.   Be a part.   And get excited. I cannot tell you how excited I am coming off my time at the Southern Baptist Convention this week.   Sunday and Monday I heard some of the greatest preachers of our day.   Tuesday and Wednesday I heard reports and met people who are seeing lives change, churches start and seeing God work in great ways.   It is always encouraging to be around people that God is using. As the week ends I want to share with you some of the message that Rick Warren gave last Sunday night.    Author of "The Purpose Driven Life" and pastor of Saddlbeback Church which is a Southern Baptist congregation in silicon valley , Warren shared how we are to live in godliess, directed by God.   Here are his nine points, and I pray they w

The following is a post from Mark Batterson and encouraged me as I know it will you. Read on…the original post is located at http://www.evotional.com/2006/06/ten-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-i.html Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Pastoring I just got an email from a pastor asking my advice: what are the top 3 things every person should know before they senior pastor their first church ? I haven't done a top ten list lately so here goes. Here are a few of my off the top of my head thoughts about pastoring: #1 Be Yourself --even more important than being a pastor is being yourself . Be authentic. Be real. Share your weaknesses and struggles. Remind your congregation that you are a work in progress just like they are. Be true to the unique passions and giftings God has given you. Develop core values and core convictions. #2 Put Your Family First --I limit my church-related meetings to one evening per week . Establish those boundaries early on. If there is ever a conflict

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him... "   2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) That statements floors me.   You see, we often miss the very best of God because our hearts are turned in the wrong direction.   We may not be looking in the right direction.   More likely, we have chosen stuff that keeps our eyes, minds and hearts away from God. God is willing.   He wants to see people know Him more.   That begins with me, but it doesn't end with me.   In fact, the truth is that we are tied to others who need to know Him.   What God wants to bless is our lives with purpose and joy so that we will give it away.   How are you giving away or spreading your purpose and your joy? The eyes...ever noticed that this is the part of the body that seems to tell what is going on with a person?   When someone is sick, their eyes look bad.   When they are mad, their eyes are a certain ways.   When they are upset or

Today's devotion comes from a fellow I just met this week, and I am copying a bit of an article he wrote.   This is much different that any of my earlier e-devotions, yet I want you to think some of the thoughts I have been dealing with.   Read on, and I be back on the normal path tomorrow after The Southern Baptist Convention is over...be blessed! What missional churches look like What, then, do missional churches look like? They are more than the things listed below, but certainly they are: Incarnational : Missional churches are deeply connected to the community. The church is not focused on its facility, but is focused on living, demonstrating, and offering biblical community to a lost world. I am excited that Danny Preston, who was mentioned in the Index story, has become a part of the biker community that he is trying to reach by working at a motorcycle store while planting Logos Church in Little Five Points in partnership with First Baptist of Atlanta. He is an i