Michael Harrison's e-devotion

" Envy will eat you up ." -- Ed Young Jr   Heard that at the conference I was attending, and God began to pour into me some more thoughts about what envy really is.   This morning I turned on the computer and began to read my favorite blogs, and I found THIS video from Scott Williams .  Go watch the video HERE .   It's kind of like God wants me to deal with this subject, learn as much as I can, talk about it and envy grow through it.  What do you think?  Envy often time consumes us.  It consumes our thoughts, our money, our relationships, ours jobs, our marriages and families and even our churches.  Yes, that is true.   We are continuing the HOW TO BE RICH series at The Community Fellowship talking about how money and possessions often are deceiving or will take our thoughts and our lives in a direction we might not want to go.  Envy is that way.  When we allow envy is stick around in our lives, we will be in trouble.  Ask yourself (as I am), w

As my kids get older (our oldest girl turns 12 next week), I am not too comfortable with talking about sex with them.  I ran across this blog post from Scott Williams , www.lifechurch.tv campus pastor, and had to share it with you.  HERE is the link.  Below I've copied the article:   7 Methods To Talk To My Son About Sex…   Last year I had written a blog post in which I talked about it not being time to talk to my then 8 year old son about sex, in a post titled Let's Talk About Sex .  Well it's been over a year and my son will turn 10 years old on May 12th and between now and then I will officially sit down and talk to my son about the birds and the bees. It's becoming more evident that it's time to have "The Talk"  as he's beginning to share conversations that his friends are having, in addition to asking questions like: "What does  it mean to have a girlfriend?"  I plan on our conversation to happen during a fellas night out with ju

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   ED YOUNG JR   - the church should be the most innovative thing in the universe   10.5 commandment of creativity   1. ask the creative questions (ASK --- always seeking knowledge)   - asking questions will keep your passion hot and keep you in the right path you began in from God. - beautiful rhythm when you are in talks, communication sharing with others - show me someone who is asking questions, - 4 kinds of questions: what does it confirm, what should I cancel, what can I copy from you, what should I innovate or creat   2. though shall speak to the chairs   - the empty chair: someone not there yet, don't know God yet - the high chair: baby in Christ - the 3 rd chair: those mature in Christ - what do I need to say AND what should I tell the people in the chairs to do? Ask these before you speak - 40% information, 60% application   3. its all about the we

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   JOE CHAMPION   - you are celebrity because you are as important as anyone out here. (word from a golf caddy, Willy McRae who ha caddied for presidents and great stars) - you are writing a story and God has an awesome plan for your life.   KEEPING IT SWEET   - how can we love planting churches and doing ministry - Paul started the church at Philippi (most scholars believe this was Paul's favorite church) - Paul said every time I think of you I pray for joy.   I love you (chapter 1) - I want to keep the innocence that I began with   ACTS 16:9-   1. you have got to dream it … keep dreaming   - the dream came thru much time and God speaking.   God compelled Paul to stop many times.   That is when God spoke and changed his life. - be careful that the vision is not something you created and not from God - sometimes we become foolish when we compare ourselves with othe

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   RICK BEZET   - God called me to encourage people. - ARC is about partnership that helps start churches thru support and tools. - With the mistakes your gonna make you need friends. - You don't have to do ministry alone.   Galatians 5:1   - God has destined us to be free. - Don't go back to that slavery you once had. - Mercy will only take you so far.   Grace will take you the rest of the way.   A LIFE GIVING CHURCH   How do you keep a life giving church?   1. keep the innocence   - illustrated by the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve did what God asked them not to do - lets read the word of God not because we want to know good from evil but because we love God and He wants to speak into our lives. - if you stay in the tree, where there is no innocence, you will keep eating and living from that tree.   2. don't be authoritative   - abuse hurts

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   ED YOUNG - greatest thing in the world is the local church. - the church is BRUTIFUL --- combination of Brutal and Beautiful   BETRAYAL   - strange thing my enemies can't betray me. only those I allow in. - there are 3 categories of people dealing with betrayal: (1) those getting ready to go through betrayal, (2) those in betrayal, and (3) coming out of betrayal.   1. Betrayal occurs during crucial situations.   - Genesis 37:3 talks about Joseph - Joseph was the favorite son of his father, Jacob, and he shared his dreams with his brothers way too early.   2. Betrayal comes from those closet to you .   - 3 types of people in ministry: (1) those who are with you, (2) those are for you which are just fans, and (3) those who will use you.   3. Betrayal is fueled by envy and jealousy.   - these people are close enough to you to kiss you but diss you. - Genesis 37:4 - NOTE: they alw

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   CHRIS HODGES - you cannot have successful ministry by just having the right outside and not inside (speaking about out lives) - God is more interested in and it is more important to focus on what we are becoming rather what we do. - Having the right inner motivation is vital - its easier to have the external right stuff or to look like you have all the right stuff together - God wants us not just to "Love" or be "faithful" but to be "loving" and be faithful.  The difference is living inside out.  Changed first on the inside.   Daniel 6:3   Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.   - focus more on what you are becoming rather than what you are doing.  HOW?   1. loving life   - enjoy today, not despising the moment you are in now - dreaming

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   GREG SURRATT 1 Corinthians 15:58  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.   (message based on entire chapter)   1. base your preaching on the simplicity of the Gospel (verse 1)   - on that Gospel we will take our stand - stand on anything else and that messes things up. - some people have an agenda. Don't take on their agenda as yours or your churches. - if you take a stand on something other than the Gospel, it shrinks the target of the people you can reach - there are two phrases that will help you: "You might be right" AND "You don't have to agree with me" - political issues are the wrong place to stand - the Holy Spirit calls us to fish, but sometimes we want to clean the fish before they are dead. - by chosing plotics, we limit our re

Notes taken from ARC's All Access Conference at C3 Church , April 27-29   DINO RIZZO Isaiah 58:10 Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.  Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.   - Develope a culture of serving! - If you want to finish your desting strong, you have to make choices.  - Its one thing to get the vision.  Its another to ride the vision to the end.  - Longevity means durable, lasting thry different seasons.  Can we maintain?  - Its not my ability or talent but about my surrender and folloing God.   Read Acts 5:1-22 (story of Annanias & Saphira)   - They lied about their offering and were struck dead for lieing to God (they lied and died).  - Strange that their names mean grace and beauty.  - Their imatation of another person was not genuine.  If that is true of us, it will get us in trouble.  - What would the story have been like if they were honest?   - Transparency is a hug

Proverbs 28: 27 (GW) ---   Whoever gives to the poor lacks nothing.Whoever ignores the poor receives many curses.   Something outside of the norm.  Beyond who I am so often.  We rarely see things from a new view unless we stop and a make a consious effort to see things from a different perspective.  Why is that?  It is because we are consumed by things.  Some good.  Some bad.  It is time for Christians to be consumed by a new view.  It is a view that I am hit with often.   As our leadership team met last night at The Community I looked on the things that we wrote about our past and present, but what really took my breathe was what God told us about the future.  Those came through hopes and dreams.  We wrote them down.  We shared them.  Almost everyone was about life change.  Lives changed by the goodness and work of God through others.   When we get outside of ourselves things will happen.  I believe that God is calling and may be calling you to reach out to t

Some of you don't like that title.  Well, give me a minute to explain.  What I am excited about today is the weekend we have just come through.  On Saturday we trained Financial Coaches that can help people begin a written budget and begin to win with the money they have.  Yesterday we had a great session of learning how to begin the budget process (15 coaches trained and 50 people completed the budgeting session).   Here is what I mean by 'winning may not mean you come in first.'  Winning with your money means you make a plan and then make your plan work.  Julie and I have been doing this now since November and we have seen God do some incredible things with our marriage and with our money (because much of marital stress has to do with money).  No, we don't have a bunch of money in the bank, but we do have a plan that leaves us with a cushion or margin at the end of each money.  Emergencies don't have to mean that everything, including yourself,

The devoiton below from James Robison and http://www.lifetoday.org .  Francis Chan is one of my favorite preachers who always gives me much to think about and helps me grow spiritually.  Chan is on Robison's TV show today.  Here is a devotion about the book, Crazy Love , that Francis Chan wrote:   God's "Crazy" Love with Francis Chan "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—       the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them,       human beings that you should care for them?" (Psalm 8:3-4)   (Francis Chan is a pastor and author of the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God.) There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around and none of us is immune. No matter how many fascinating details we learn about God's creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still forget. Most of us know we're suppo