Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Gary Lamb sharing some insightful stuff in his blog post Position or Vision?  (take a look.  Read carefully and fill in where God is working in your life).   --  MICHAEL

This Sunday @ 5 pm The Community Fellowship and House of Prayer church families will gather for a picnic and some fun.  Please bring food for your family and for others.  It is pot-luck.  Anything is great food wise!   See attached flyer.   Kids bring your bikes and trikes.  Adults get ready to walk (see flyer).  Ladies will do battle for a gift certificate to Indulgence Day Spa (in honor of Mother's Day) and the men will have some prizes as well.   Get more information by calling 276-732-7749 or by e-mail at info@thecommunityfellowship.org

This past weekend I shared a message with The Community about mistakes.  I have made some in my 37 years of living.  Yet I have found that we serve an awesome and forgiving God.  Can you high five me on that one?  God is good.   One of the things that we don't do very well, as Christians, is realize that much of our daily battle is spiritual.  It is true.  Satan wants to distract us, and he does a darn good job at it.  He wants to either make sure we never get saved, or if we are saved, he wants our attention off of God.  Have you experienced that?  I have.   Let's set some thoughts on this subject:   Ephesians 6:12  (nlt) --- For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.   Ephesians 6:13  (nlt) --- Therefore, put on every ...

What is wrong with this picture?   SHHHH.  I enjoy Microsoft Office.  I put up with Adobe stuff.  But I've love a Mac.  What are we hearing from others????   Just a thought

Carolos Whitaker, worship pastor at Buckhead Church in Altanta, was on LA Ink. Enjoy the show...check out his blog, too. It is http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com

We had a great leadership team meeting last night, and God keeps doing some awesome things at The Community Fellowship .  On Mother's Day not only are we having a big event for moms in our area and hope to have lots of guests, but we will be announcing our next huge step for the church family.  Don't miss it!!!   Philippians 4:9  (nlt) --- Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.   Pretty much every day I am so amazed by the people that God has brought our way.  For their benefit and for my growth, I read and search for leadership growth every day.  One sure fire way I have found to lock in creativity and be stretched is through the blogs of incredible people.  Carolos Whitaker is just such a person.  His blog is Ragamiffin Soul , and Los is a worship leader @ Buckhead Church in Atlanta.   This week h...

What do these three things (tooth fairy, the Holy Spirit and bald men) have in common?  They are the highlights of my weekend (perspective counts for a whole lot).   Before getting in the bed last night, my wife and I had to see that one of our parental obligations was met.  It is the role of tooth fairy.  Bad thing, mama got caught.  Busted.  Yet we accomplished the task.  Our middle child got her dollar bill (by the way, don't let one of your church leaders convince your kids that each tooth is worth $5 or $10 as one of our people did).  I love my kids!!!   Sunday morning kicked off with a bang.  I was and still am excited about what God led me to share.  One of our core values is authenticity, and the series Confessions of a Pastor has taken that to a new level.  As I was preparing for the day, a text message hit my phone from the first 'bald man' (my oldest brother ).  He is an awesome ...

COMING MAY 22 ...   Not only is the day for The Whiteboard Sessions conference I am attending in Reston, Virginia, but (drumroll, please) the new INDIANA JONES movie hits theaters.  WOW.  It is Indiana Jones and the Kindgom of the Crystal Skull .   Maybe you don't know it, but I like Indiana Jones.  If I could only be like.....you get it.

"My Feet Are Off The Ground" From Tyler Perry ( writer and actor) This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I'm dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth and start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me about a year ago. I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I'm ashamed to say this but I thought, "I don't feel like being hustled today." Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen. As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, "Here goes the sales pitch". She said "Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?" My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aba...

 

 

Forgive me for this devotion coming so late in the day, but I have to tell you that this week has been one for the books.  God kicked off the week in rare fashion with a message from one of our leaders who heard from God.  Then, God closed the week by confirming more of His direction for The Community Fellowship .  But be careful:   1 Peter 5:8  (nlt) --- Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.   When we choose God, Satan is on our case.  His desire is to get our minds off of God, our attitudes wrong and our actions way out of line with what God says and with what God is doing.  Satan is not only like a lion, but he acts like he has it all together.  I mean there are times that Christians, including myself, think we are headed in the right direction and doing the right thing only to realize Satan has taken our focus and direction off of God....

Walking in to First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas when I began Bible College I had the awesome opportunity to meet and hear for the first time Zig Ziglar . Since Thanksgiving his health has declining due to a fall, but this week after a medical procedure, Zig is iomproving. He will have another procedure tomorrow. You can learn about Zig's health condition at this site . This man's legacy for motivating others is huge, and he loves Jesus.

Last night was the DOVE awards and here are the winners (as posted on www.gospelmusicchannel.com ):   2008 WINNERS Song of the Year "East to West"; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms; My Refuge Music (BMI), Club Zoo Music (BMI), SWECS Music (BMI), Word Music LLC (ASCAP), Banahana Tunes (ASCAP) Songwriter of the Year Cindy Morgan Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Tomlin Female Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant Artist of the Year tobyMac Group of the Year Casting Crowns Producer of the Year Ian Eskelin New Artist of the Year Brandon Heath Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year "Everything Glorious"; Remedy; David Crowder*Band; David Crowder*Band; Sparrow Records, sixstepsrecords Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year "Name Droppin'"; Bone-Appetit Servin" Up Tha Hits; T-Bone; Rene F. Sotomayor, Teak Underdue, Dee Underdue; Flicker Records Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year "By His Wounds"; Glory Revealed; Steven Curti...

Sometimes I am shocked by who jumps on and who jumps off.  I am talking leadership and the people who join us on the journey.  As The Community Fellowship became a reality and has been around for almost 20 months, we have seen some changes in who gets excited and gets involved.  I believe that it is the job of church leaders to help people 'plug in' where they fit best.  What do you think?   Last week I had a conversation with a leader from another church about expectations.  We agreed that the typical church allows people to get by with doing as little as possible.  I have said this, "If you are not going to get active, you might want to find another place."  No, that was not said because I am angry or bitter.  I said it because I believe that church is not a place just to get your needs met.  It is a place God has called us to serve the world through.    S...

I love old buildings.  When I went to school in New Orleans, I enjoyed visiting the French Quarter and seeing the beauty of the old buildings that were so new to me.  Charlestone is another place I enjoyed.  After living in Georgia for about a decade, I really enjoyed visiting Savannah and the communities along the coast.  My favorite was St. Simons Island, and my favorite landmark was in a cemetery.  You heard me right.  It was outside an old, old church.  The sign and landmark told of how John Wesley preached on that spot.  I was stunned, convicted, impressed and ignited all at the same time.   Landmarks and historical markers are cool.  We need to stop and read them.  Learn from them and be encouraged by them.   In fact, have you noticed that God gives you landmarks or spiritual markers in your life?  Henry Blackaby was the first to point this out in my life through his book Experiencing God .   ...

Joshua 1:7  (nlt) --- Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.   The sign reads (as does the old saying), "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."   The past week or so has been full of dreaming, re-thinking and examining with lots of vision who I am, what it is I do and who are the people that I am blessed to lead.  God is so gracious, yet life is not easy.  Have you been there?   Staying in one place doesn't cut it.  Not seeking to make what you do the best is wrong.  Living the status quo doesn't get the job done.  What do you think?   Ben Arment said it this way in a recent blog post :  If you are executing the same creative ideas you did last year because they worked, you are already on the decline.   We CAN...

Great thoughts from a great dude. Gary Lamb says some things about leaders that I need, we need to hear. We MUST empower people to do what God has gifted them to do! Ministry is good.... GARY SAID: GaryLamb.org Start of the week Mondays are the day where I am beat down tired. Today was different. After being on the road so much, I was ready to get back into the routine. We shuffled a few things off my plate and today was the first day with those things changed. Long term it is going to be awesome, but it is a weird feeling not having my hand in everything. There were a couple of times I was walking around the office and I was hearing conversations taking place about ministry and I wanted to jump right in and give my 2 cents, but I didn't. We have a great team and they are in place because they can do their jobs better than I can, I just have to let them. The last hour of the day we had a young guy (man, that made me sound old) from town stop in. I've known the guy since ...

Do you think that people of faith have a tendency to play it safe?  I do, and it ticks me off.  There.  I said it.   Far too often God reveals His best to us and give us wide open opportunities to live for Him, to stretch and live our faith.  What do we do?  We end up playing it safe.  Someone says, "I am just not sure about it."  Another chimes in, "It doesn't feel comfortable."  Someone else, "That's not reasonable."   Ok.  Let's stop there and consider what it means to play it safe.  Could it mean you don't take any risks?  Yes.  Could it mean that you do nothing unless you understand it or it seems reasonable?  Most likely.  Could playing it safe mean that you miss God most of the time?  Yep.  Definitely.  So what are you going to do about it?   Playing it safe is not something I suggest for people who want to see God mov...

I was sitting in my office (Sunday afternoon about 2:30) and hear what seems like an aweful rain storm.  A bit later I exit the building to head home, and there is ice every where (see pictures).  A hail storm.  It looked like winter in April.  I eamn ice in April 2 inches thick on the top of my vehicle and on the parking lot.  Coming home after dark last night there were still mounds of ice from the hail storm in a few places around town.   Got to be honest with you.  I thought to myself, was my sermon so good Sunday morning that heaven and hell had that big of a fight?  Wow.  Just a thought   Ice in April.  What a story!

Check out CHURCH RELEVANCE blog.  I have found lots of awesome insight and great encouragement from there.  The blog comes from Kent Shafer of Bombay Creative .  Just found out this week that my brother goes to church with Kent at the Tulsa Campus of Lifechurch.tv . 

I don't get to experience this a lot, but my wife and kids have left the state. They left Thursday for Georgia to spend time with my wife's great family. Already they are having a good time. And tonight (and I mad about this) my wife and our girls are at a Reba McEntire concert. Just wrong to go without me. (You might not know this, but I watch her TV show every chance I get.) But I am so glad they get to do this. Pray for their sfae travel home. I honestly cannot wait to hear how the concert went. PLUS, I can not wait to preach and worship @ The Community in the morning. Pretty good to get some alone time. (God has been sweet). More to come....

In the past few days (as well the past 19 months) I have been spending extra time and effort thinking and rethinking my vision.  Not an easy thing.  Then comes another post from Perry Noble ...   How Do You Know If Your Vision Is From God? Great question…here are a few suggestions… If you feel confident that you can accomplish what is in front of you with no problem at all…then you didn't hear from God. If no one is angry at you…then you didn't hear from God. If you don't have to ask anyone to sacrifice to make the vision come true…then you didn't hear from God. If religious people are not steaming at you, blogging about you and/or leaving your church…then you didn't hear from God. If you have the money in the bank to do what God has asked you church to do…then you didn't hear from God. If every step is perfectly designed and nothing happens to totally throw you off along the way…then you didn't hear from God. If someone doesn't try to talk ...

Have you ever seen a fight among Christian people?  One of the biggest is inside of Christian institutions or churches when people try to control other people and the happenings they don't like.   Are you ever shocked by what some churches do and call ministry or do in trying to reach people for Jesus?  I have heard of Easter EGG DROPS from helicopters, sky divers landing on the church parking lot, giving away money to the community and this week I heard of a church that gave away books of stamps at the post office on tax day.   I am down with that.  Whatever it takes.  Think about it.  We have to get creative in order to tell people about Jesus.  Whatever it takes.   Colossians 3:17  (nlt) --- And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.   1 Corinthians 9:22  (nlt) --- When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for...

10:10 this Sunday @ The Community Fellowship  

Matthew Murphy is a church planter in Roanoke.  He and his wife Tasha are precious people and so gifted.  A couple weeks ago Tasha had a major stroke.  By the way, Tasha is in her mid-thirties.  Below is a note from Matthew that is very encouraging that I thought we all needed to read.  Enjoy.  Hear Jesus and Be blessed!   Pastor Michael Harrison ---------- Forwarded message ----------   Praise the Lord! My wife, Tasha has made it home. It has been a long, tiresome few weeks since she has had her stroke. She got home this early this afternoon. She is still having headaches and cannot see out of her right eye, but God has been answering prayer! ... Please continue to pray for restoration of not only her sight but of her memory and cognative skills, although she is doing MUCH better, she still has a way to go & we know a lot of the healing will just take time. In reflection...let me encourage you to slow down. Life is so short and...

Guarding Against Culture Drift Post by Craig Groeschel  of www.Lifechurch.tv   Once the culture is healthy, you'll want to guard against what I call "culture drift." Organizations don't typically stay healthy without intentionality. Some suggestions for guarding against culture drift include: Design systems to highlight and reward living the culture. (What is measured typically gets done. Set appropriate goals in the direction of your values.) Publicly applaud when people live out the values. Celebrate the wins! Program toward your ministry values. Work hard on training new staff members and volunteers to serve Christ within the values and culture of your ministry. Privately correct those who step outside the culture. Renew the vision regularly.

Colossians 3:12  (nlt) --- So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;   Jay needs our prayers.  Jay is an elderly gentleman that lives in rural south Georgia.  He has cancer.  He is lost.  Not long ago Jay admitted that he was headed to hell.  He also said that was fine.   I cannot tell you what that statement does to me.  It hurts deep inside.  To know that a person doesn't know Jesus rips at my heart, especially when I have seen their face.  Jay is my sister-in-law's dad.  Not too many years ago his precious wife passed away.  She knew Jesus.  Yet Jay has lived a tough life, and maybe his view of God is just not what we have seen.   Pray for Jay.  For his salvation.  For him to see God.   When is the last time you hurt over a lost person or over someone who was in the middle of...

Sons I was watching John Eldredge's webcast today from his Walking With God speaking tour going-on across the country and he showed a video of his teenage son telling a story about hearing God speak. A few months ago, I was watching Kerry Shook's TV broadcast, and he premiered a short film directed by his son for a national audience. The other week, I was hanging out in Erwin McManus' house and watched his son completely engaged with the leadership conversations around him. This past Sunday, I caught a few minutes of Jonathan Falwell preaching in his dad's stead... I can't accuse any of these guys of nepotism . There is nothing more powerful in me than my desire to expose my sons to great opportunities and great experiences in ministry... to dream big... and to pursue the impossible. Ben Arment wrote this post. On May 22 I am headed to Whiteboard Sessions (WiBo) that Ben is putting on. He is a creative dude that really encourages me as a leader, a father a...

Just some leadership thoughts...   Wanting MORE and having VISION are part of good leader's DNA.  The issue of "buying in" through being a part (thus giving of yourself and everything else) is what stewardship is all about.  I get that, and the people who are "in" make life and ministry that much sweeter.  Getting others "in" is God's work and my need at church.   This VISION for The Community Fellowship is so clear in my mind.  In fact, I see some things that I cannot even share as of yet.  Some is still a ways away.  That is tough and I am still learning.  One of those is a step of faith.  I understand that the church will only go as far as I have gone or am willing to go.  Once again, that is the point where the enemy loves to kick me or keep me back.  I want MORE and I mean MORE of God and MORE impact in this community of ours.  I say that I am willing to do w...

Where Do You Get Your Vision? One of the questions that is often asked of me by pastors and church leaders is, "Where do you get your vision?" My answer usually seems to frustrate them because…well…it's simple. Leadership (and vision) is as easy as listening to God. Vision does not come through a committee. Good ideas may come that way. Much needed discussion may come out of a meeting like that…but not vision. Vision does not come through a conference. You may get INSPIRATION…but not REVELATION. I think of of the sad things in conference world today is pastors will attend a conference, go home & then try to be EVERYTHING except for what God called them to be. Vision does not come out of books. Once again–excellent ideas do. Wisdom comes from reading. You can seriously be challenged and stretched by reading…but vision isn't in the pages of the next best seller. Vision does not come from trying to repeat what has been successful in the past…that's not vision, th...

It was a year ago this morning that I was sitting in the video production room with another dude working and listening to his rescue squad radio.  Strange calls were going out.  It was on a frequency or channel that we would not regularly hear from.  Before long we saw on the news that something terrible was taking place just 60 miles from where we were sitting.  What unfolded that morning has left scars on many, many lives.   The phone began to ring and e-mails started being sent.  We had several friends and family members on the campus at Virginia Tech where over 30 people had been killed.  The nation was drawn to that campus and the blood shed that one student caused.  Things would never be the same.  (I will post a video or a link to a video on my blog today @ http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com/ )   Proverbs 3:25  (nlt) --- Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; ...

Pray for the families and college students and the nation touched by the events of April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech.   Tomorrow is a day to remember and pray.

Simple thoughts...late in the day.   Some people fear this day like some might fear Friday the 13th.  Yet is that fear OK?  I am not talking about the person who works in the financial industry doing taxes and finishing up the work, but I am talking about the person who dreads what has to be.  Jesus said it this way:   Matthew 22:21  (nlt) ---  ... "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God."   My dad always said, "two things in life are certain: death and taxes."  They just have to happen, and we have to continue to praise the Lord that we live in a nation where we are free and religion and worship are part of our special freedom.  Even when things are sour or going south, God is still blessing those who are seeking Him.  Think about it.   Tomorrow we are going to take a look at the events of April 16, 2007 on the Virginia Tech campus.  I ask that y...

1 Peter 3:8  (nlt) ---  Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.   Last evening some of our Community family was part of worship at the House of Prayer church in Martinsville.  It was a sweet time as we revisited some of our Chase the Lion   series and talked about facing our fears.  Yesterday morning we continued our series Confessions of a Pastor with a discussion of the fact that we just don't like some Christians.   Thus, I come this morning knowing that God is working on us and making us more and more like Jesus.  Think about it.  Are we letting God live through us, or are we acting like our old selves?  Does that make sense?  God's desire is for us to become like Christ.   I get around people that make me mad and that often give Jesus a bad name.  Then I get aro...