Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Moving forward. Not always an easy task for us. Really that is true for everyone. Moving forward may take huge effort for many reasons, yet moving forward is part of life. It is part of God's plan and His best for all His kids. That is us! Last week I began to challenge our folks at The Community Fellowship to explore Spiritural disciplines and the stuff will help a Christian to grow as God designed us to do. One of those, and most likely the biggest, is getting the Bible into our lives. I love the 'hand illustration' from the Navigators . It shares 5 ways that we put the word of God into our lives. Those 5 ways are: hear the word ( Romans 10:17 ), read the word ( Revelation 1:3 ), study the word ( Acts 17:11 ), memoriaze the word ( Psalms 119:9,11 ), and meditate on the word ( Psalms 1:2-3 ). Each one can and will make a huge difference in our thought patterns, in our actions and in what we share. God so designed us to need His word and designed His word to be an im...

The truth is that Christians need relationships to grow. We don't grow in isolation from others. We develop in the context of fellowship. Over and over again in the New Testament we find this basic truth: Believers need relationships with each other to grow! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, " Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another ..." God intends for us to grow up in a family. --- Rick Warren (quoted from an article in his newsletter of 1/10/07 ) This past Sunday I shared a message with our church family (and on our Community TV program yesterday) about accepted people just as we accepted by God. We are sharing each Sunday each of our core values. Each of them seems to lead back to these point: we need each other and we want to be together! Growth happens, spiritually speaking, when we get together for God stuff. That is cool. The church is...

Robert Frost said that home was a place where, "when you have to go there, they have to take you in." Today's devotion is short, you may say very short. But I want to share with you a couple verses and a thought just like the quote above. Church is a place that is not to be avoided. It is to be a welcoming place that is fresh and exciting and always about the lord's business. What does it mean to be a member or a partner in a church? We are completing our first time of study about this new church we are part of, and many people have expressed a desire to be part of the church. That excites, but it is not something I take lightly. I ask and our leadership team ask people to think seriously and to search for the place God is calling them to. Think with me about the common 5 functions of the church. The 5 functions of the church have already been mentioned in our time together, yet we need to see that everything we do is to be linked to these functions. They a...

John 15:5,16 (nlt) --- Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ...You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit... Fruit that only God can bring into our lives can be described as as strange. It is much like a vineyard or a garden, yet this kind of fruit lasts a long time and only comes through the plan and work in our lives as we allow God to work. If we desire God kind of fruit, we desire God's pruning which is no easy process. It comes with great results and with blessing. Are we willing to let God work, to allow Him to prune our lives so that we will be part of seeing His kingdom grow like we have yet to see around us. Remember that we are reminded in Luke 9:23 to loose ourselves in God. Here are some notes from Rick Warren's weekly newsletter to ministers about this subject: The question is: How do we get these character qua...

Psalms 57:10-11 (nlt) --- For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. I cannot get over the fact that when we need Him, God shows us with big arms to throw around us a God-hug that will change the direction of our day. His love is real. His faithfulness is to be shouted about. Tell somebody what God has done. In our church's membership class last night, one of our leaders shared how God showed up in her husand's life to lift and encoruage him. What an awesome testimony to hear? Watching God work is awesome. Let's praise Him and watch Him work. This morning I was reading some of the daily insight from the kingdom of Blogs and ran across a note from Perry Noble . Someone had blasted him and his church. Perry's response and the response of others of his church leadership hit me, and I want to respond to what I read... Great Job!...

James 1:5 (nasb) --- But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. For over 15 years I been using this verse when I sign my name or share a thought. It has become 2nd nature and a habit. Yet it doesn't come lightly or as some casual reference. God intends to put His wisdom to work in and through our lives. To allow God's work and His wisdom in our minds and hearts will teach us the things of God and direct our thoughts and actions to be more God like. It will make our witnessing more powerful, our life example shine and will give us the words to say when we need to say them or the push to be quiet when we need to be silent. This pastor is excited. Any time a church leader or pastor sees His people walking with Jesus, there is joy running over, a dance to dance, praise to give God, people to hug and to celebrate. I have seen this, and I am on top of the world! 3 John 1:4 (nlt) --- I could...

Today was a difficult day for me as my precious 'pastor mobile' hit the mile stone of 100,000 miles. This is my very first vehicle with that many miles. How blessed we are, and how I enjoy my ride. Take a look. You won't see it again on this vehicle. On we go seeking the Lord, sharing with others and packing people into the Tahoe as often as possible. Be blessed!

From our thoughts lately, mainly from my personal reading, and from the challenges our new church has faced, we have talked much about fear. Sometimes fear is wrapped in stuff that looks OK. It may be something that is the status quo or that keeps us in a rut like we talked about yesterday. That fear could even be the comfort that we find by being just who we are and nothing more. Fear is not what God has given us. In fact the only healthy fear is the one that keeps us close to God. I have found in my life that fear often keeps me trapped in a place where God is at times not allowed to work. Think about it. Proverbs 29:25 (nlt) --- Fearing people is a dangerous trap,but trusting the Lord means safety. 2 Timothy 1:7 (nlt) --- For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. God loves us so much, and His desire is for our best and for our success. Often that means challenges and adventure, but it also means leaving human fear and c...

Finally, we have seen a bit of winter weather here where I live. That brings a couple of thoughts to my mind that may hit us right where we are thinking and living. Be encouraged by how the Lord is greatly, and I mean in big ways, encouraging me. I read several blogs each day from church planters and from leaders pastors. One led me to a thought from a church marketing website that ought to catch us, touch us and give us fuel and fire for our journey. Read on: Salt-Seasoning for a Full House When our success at communicating is measured against the contemporary, creative, and controversial, we're missing it. Like a dieter eating Milk Duds on a treadmill, we must not forget why we're communicating this greatest story ever told in the first place. Not to be contemporary for the sake of relevance. Not to be creative for the sake of recognition. Not to be controversial for the sake of climax. May we be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of the earth ( Matthew 5:13...

Proverbs 18:4,10,15 (nlt) --- Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook...The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe...Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. At Christmas my family had the honor of visiting one of my mentors and one of the godliest men I know, Dr. Michael Guido who is The Sower from Metter, Georgia. This man has prayed for me and counseled man more times than I can count, and what what I remember most of Him was our first visit. As a 21 year old preacher boy, I sat in Dr. Guido's garden office and began to ask questions and to listen. This man served with HA Ironside at Moody Church in Chicago. He has seen thousands upon thousands of people saved through his media ministry. Hundreds of huge prayer requests have been answered that came across his desk. No, Dr. Guido is not an angel, but he is a faithful and humble servant of the Lord. Just outside...

Psalms 48:12-14 (nlt) --- Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die. There is nothing like telling the stories of the past to inspire the future. We might sit for hours talking about what the town used to be like or hearing about the horror of the war or about the beauty of that Hawaiian vacation. Meant to inspire and draw people, stories must be seen as gifts from God to those around us. For thousands of years, God has used stories to touch lives. Some cultures or people groups have no written language and pass on their rich history through their elders telling their stories. Jesus used stories we call parables. Why stories? It is because people are touched and inspired when life comes alive. Notice the verses above from Psalms 48. We can app...

"We think evangelism is telling people what they need to know instead of getting them where they need to go." --- Erwin McManus ( Mosaic Church ) Are we more worried about people feeling welcome or people going to hell? Are we more concerned with our own trouble or pain than we are with those who desperately need Jesus? Yes, I know those are preacher kind of questions in need of Sunday School kind of answers, yet it is so very important that Christians, those who want to follow God and love Him in big ways, do what pleases God. Choices are every where. The old and roten path and comfortable way has changed very little. But it does provide comfort and little to no stir in our lives. Listen, people who want to seek adventure do big things. They climb unclimbable mountains. They build unflyable planes or do any number of things we can name. They don't just do those things for the fun of it. It is always a calling and a huge price that comes with the calling. Follow...

Ever get the feeling that God is just not on your side? Well, it happens, and we feel that. Some of the things matter, but some of those things don’t matter a hill of beans. Just one such thing is so petty, but I have to mention it. My homeland, Oklahoma, is once again experiencing winter. You may ask, what is that? Well, those of us here in Virginia on the Eastern coast of this great country of ours don’t know winter as of late. They have had two winter storms, and we have had … none. But that is not the heart issue for today. It is just a rant I had to share. On we go. Proverbs 15 (nlt) 13 A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. 15-16 For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. 30-31 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. If you listen to constructive criticism, you will...

What keeps us from following Jesus with everything we have and with everything that we are? It could be fear. How about preconcieved ideas? Many things could be the reason we lack obedience. To obey God is not only an honor but the responsibility of each beleiver. Obedience often calls for risk or adventure. Are we willing? Acts 14:26 (niv) --- men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of God's people through the years have taken risk that has taken their lives. That verses point to people who were willing to go further than the norm. Are we too wrapped up in what people think about us or what people percieve about the world around them? Seems to me that it is more important to what God desires. Acts 5:29 (msg) --- Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to ...

Hebrews 11:6 (nlt) --- And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Fear and faith seem to be at the opposite ends of the Christian’s life, yet we can find them tied together and even fighting. Fear can be seen greater when faith is absent. Faith is real and strong when fear is greatly dealt with God. 1 Timothy 1:7 (nlt) --- For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. As I continue to read Mark Batterson’s new book and grasp the challenges he talks about I challenged to see faith in some different lights. I am often challenged by worry or distrust or other self induced characteristics when all along God desires to fill the places where fear lives with living faith. We will never have a total absence of fear, but we must move in that direction. For faith to be real and strong, fear has to be removed, and that is som...

Yesterday we talked about being real. In my reading today, there are some verses continue to lead me in that direction. So, take a look at Proverbs 10 and what God says: 9 --- People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. 11 --- The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. 13,14 --- Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding, but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod. Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster. 27-29 --- Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked. I pray that the Lord will make us real to others and use us in big ways to impact our world for Christ.

“God is causing people to recognize the need for orthodox Christian doctrine coupled with an honest, heartfelt relationship with the Lord. Churches all across North America have vibrant, culturally relevant worship combined with a strong emphasis on theology. I see this so frequently as I travel that I can not help but recognize this is not just a coincidence. God is working in a powerful and sovereign way in His Church.” (quote from Tom Kraeuter, worship leader, http://www.training-resources.org ) I have heard many people say in the last three months that our style of worship at the new church is refreshing and encouraging. For a long, long time I have been reading some of the best people in the field of worship to see what trends work and to gain ideas to use in the church. The article I quoted above is just one place I have heard some of the same things. People are looking for folks who are real. One of our core values at The Community Fellowship is authenticity and it speaks to ...

It is all about God. First and formost. Finally, when all is said and done. It is all about God. Scripture tells us that He was from the beginning before anything else. It says in Revelation that He is the 'Alpha and Omega' which means beginning and end. An old and horrible saying is this: "when all else fails try ...." It ought to be that we trust God no matter what. In today's devotion, I want to give you the big thought from my time with the Father today. That was to 'loose myself in Jesus'. Think about that for a minute. John 3:30 (nasb) --- He must increase, but I must decrease. Galatians 2:20 (nlt) --- My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I was reading from Proverbs and Psalms again this monring, typical morning reading for me, and God made that Psalm (chapter 39) come alive. Here are some of D...

LeadingSmart: 8 Similarities of Growing Churches This is an awesome article about churches that are growing. Lets press on to not only grow but to greatly the world like Jesus did. Read on and share....

For the last four months we have been gearing up for this weekend, but all along the way we have been ‘taking care of business’. I am talking about the launch of The Community Fellowship, a brand new church that I have the honor of being their pastor. Much like the giants and gurus we watch at NASA in Houston and the Cape, people have been doing every thing possible to have us ready to Launch a church that is willing and able to impact our community and beyond for Christ. As an act of faith and in obedience to God, this was a step we are honored to take. But it seems we are already in place and doing what we are supposed to be doing. You are right, if that is your observation. Yet this weekend is D-Day (stepping it up to demonstrate the love of God to our community) and this is the time for us to expect God to work as we commit to be and do what God wants. As I look toward this weekend, I want to lay the ground work spiritually speaking for what the Lord has birthed in my heart. H...

The new year and our new church bring with them many challenges. Some are big and some are small. Yet each thing we face is an opportunity to see God, hear God and watch God work. I recently said in an e-devotion that God ought to get bigger and better each day we walk with Him. To limit God is far from what we can, should and need to be doing? David had an awesome relationship with God. I try to start each day with reading from Proverbs and some times I add Psalms. Today’s Psalm was eye opening for me. We find David in a tough place in life. We’ve all been there. He feels alone and even separated from God who seems to be silent. What we have to understand is that God is not being silent. He is working in His ways in our lives. This Psalm together with the book I reading is opening my mind and heart to the stuff that only God can do. He is able, yet we limit God. Can you see that in your prayers or in your thoughts about God? We won’t pray the big dreams or expect miracle...

As a teenager I remember being asked to be part of the core group of my youth group. That was awesome. It wasn’t about being something special or part of the in-crowd. For me it was about being part of leading others to see the reality of God. Many of that core group are now in ministry thanks to Phil Dietz, our mentor and friend and youth pastor. I learned much from that group, or community, and what I cherish most is learning what a core is all about. Think with me about the core of what we believe and who we are. At the new church, we are sharing our core values and the stuff that all we do will be built on. That is what I want to share with you today because these 7 things have been a huge part of my thinking, praying and studying the past months. Lets take a look: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” John 3:30 (NLT) “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 (NLT) 1. We seek to create a...

How did you celebrate 2007’s birth and beginning? We are all different. God made you just the way you are, and there is no one else like you. In fact, those differences are seen in the way we celebrate the New Year. It’s a fact. One of my children was asleep long before 10. Another was gone within a few more minutes. My wife slipped off to bed about 12:01. Our oldest child didn’t want to go to sleep at all…there I was ready for the night to just begin. Our teens at church prayed in the New Year and had a blast together until early in the morning. No matter how you celebrated, you were you. And that is great. “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) But what God did the same for us is who He is and how awesome He is. We continue to move toward ...