Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Proverbs 15:22  (NLT) ---  Plans go wrong for lack of advice;many advisers bring success. Want to spend a little time in today's devotion talking about partnerships.  Where would we be without partners?  These are the people who build us up, help with products and so much more.  Life is not much fun when we are alone.  Plus, I believe that God made us to enjoy, encourage and to do life with other people. Here are some of the partners that our ministry at The Community Fellowship is excited about (and this is only a few of them): SBCV This past Sunday I was standing near the door greeting people as we moved toward time for Community Worship.  Jack Noble walked in the door.  He is one of our SBCV missionaries and a great friend.  He has helped us and encouraged us many times in our 3 years.  SBCV is now one of our huge partners in FEEDING THE HUNGRY.  They first helped us link to All Nations Church in Roanoke where we helped them and learned for a year in th...

" What our world needs more than anything is grace.  Not more talk about grace - but grace that seeks out lost people like God does.  Grace with skin on it - because people are born to run from God without it."  -- John Burke, No Perfect People Allowed , page 90 I wrote about grace yesterday and how we need to run to grace.  Today I have these two quotes: one above and another below.  I just ask that you spends some time thinking about what grace is and how you give that grace to other people. It is by the shear grace of God that we have been saved.  It is God's grace that keeps us close to Him, and it is God's grace that we must be giving away.  My prayer is that we will be more and more like Jesus as we become givers of grace. "When we live in the light, not denying our sins and struggles but letting the light of Christ illuminate them and cleanse us from them, the result is that we have deep community and connection with one another."  -...

How much does it take to convince you that God is full of grace?  For me it takes seeing grace in action through someone's life and them giving grace to someone else.  Lots of people talk about the grace of God and the goodness of God, yet few people seem to really give grace. Giving grace has everything to do with living the way God intends and letting Jesus live through us.  That may be said as "Jesus with skin" or many other ways. I sat down early this morning to read and pray.  Much of what I read in finishing the book of Joel, in reading Proverbs and in reading John Burke's book No Perfect People Allowed  I heard God screaming at me about His grace.  No, His voice was deep in my heart.  His voice was preparing me to share His grace with others.  There are plenty of opportunities. A few minutes later a guy sits down in my office.  We have history.  He is a neat fellow, but his story breaks my heart.  After lots of pain and heartache and tough ti...

We live in a messed up world where we need to hear often what God is doing.  In my reading this morning I came across this: When disaster strikes, understanding of God is at risk.  Unexpected illness or death, national catastrophe, social disruption, personal loss, plague or epidemic, devastation by flood or drought, turn men and women who haven't given God a second thought in years in instant theologians.  Rumors fly: "God is absent" ... "God is angry" ... "God is playing favorites, and I'm not the favorite" ... "God is ineffectual" ... "God is holding a grudge from a long time ago, and now we're paying for it" ... It is the task of the prophet to stand up at such moments of catastrophe and clarify who God is and how he acts.  If the prophet is good - that is accurate and true - the disaster becomes a lever for prying people's lives loose from their sins and setting them free for God.  Joel (speaking of the ...

This week has been one of those weeks where God worked in my heart as I watched and interacted with hurting people.  Some of those people we have never met before.  As I have been preparing for Sunday, The Community' s core values have become even more real.   I will share some of this in the message tomorrow, but here are some thoughts about helping people where they are and to become who God wants them to be. "reach the people nobody wants you'll start seeing the people everybody wants" -- Matthew Barnett Do I see the people that no one else wants to deal with?  Do I really care about the people that few other people care for?  All our churches are looking for more people, but often the people we want are the ones who look like, act like and think like us.  Yet I have prayed since The Community began that 1 out of every 10 would have the means to support the ministry and that the other 9 would be those hurting and in need of God's hope. I...

As I drove through parts of our town that I am rarely in yesterday, I began to pray for God to open my eyes to see what I have not seen and even to be able to dream the dreams that He has for me.  What I saw was amazing. I had just had lunch with one of our ladies who is passionate about helping the homeless and hurting.  We also were with a man we recently met.  Not long has he been out of prison.  His mind is sharp, but this dude has had little hope.  Not many people have poured hope into his life.  It was awesome to celebrate with him about his new apartment that he is moving into today.  Through The Community we are able to offer the hope of Jesus in tangible ways and see lives change.  Like this man (pray for him). Back to my prayer ... I remembered this: Proverbs 29:18  (KJV) ---  Where there is no vision, the people perish... Without vision, people die.  Without people offering the hope that only comes from knowing Jesus, people will have no hope and be left t...

You might not believe it. But the proof is is the picture. Biggest day we've ever had at The Community. God is up to something. He's changing lives. We are seeing that almost daily. Maybe I should wear a teddy more often. What do you think?

This past Sunday was Valentine's Day and we had a record crowd of 262 people at The Community Fellowship for worship.  Truly this is the year of "Dreams Come True".  We are seeing God do things that only He can do and touch lives that only He can change.  I'm praying for greater days, bigger doors to open and hundreds of lives to be changed by the work of God.  We ain't seen nothing yet!

Luke 6:36 (NLT) --- You must be   compassion ate, just as your Father is   compassion ate.   Compassion is a character trait that the people around Jesus saw often.  One of the great things that draws people to God is knowing that Jesus is always compassionate.   Here is the passage that I shared with our folks at The Community on Sunday:   PSALMS 78:35-39 (NASB) --- And they remembered that God was their   rock, And the Most High God their   Redeemer. But they   deceived Him with their mouth And   lied to Him with their tongue.  For their heart was not   steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.   But He (GOD), being   compassionate,   forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He   restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.     Thus   He remembered that they were but   flesh, A   wind that passes and does not return.   Notice that the people remembered God, but for some reason they did their own...

Broken people call His name Helpless children praise the King Nothing brings Him greater fame When broken people call His name -- from the song Lift High by Fee Band I meet broken people all the time.  People who have been hurt by others, crushed by disease or poverty.  People who are in the midst of a great deal of pain.  Who do you know that is broken?  Have you ever been broken? That song is one we use at The Community .  From the first time I heard it my heart melted because of the broken people who are in need to meeting Jesus and allowing real hope to take hold of their lives.  There are broken people around us.  AND when we get honest about our own brokenness, other broken people will find healing.  Yet as I read in this morning, the church and Christians have tendency to look the other way, to forget where we have been and to not help those in need because that can be messy. But we live in a day where broken people are everywhere.  Look at Haiti and the...

I got a tweet from Leo , a friend in South Carolina, the other day.  He said my kids will remember this winter forever.  Why is that?  We have had 3 large snow falls that have equaled more than a total of 30 inches of snow.  We had a terrible rain storm that flooded our basement, and they have been a record number of days of school because of the weather. With all of those things happening and after this note from my friend, I had to stop and look at how my kids are looking at life and looking at their dad.  Interested review came in. Last night was precious.  I was tired.  Real tired after working hard in helping feed the hundreds of people who came to our community to restore electricity.  But we sat down to dinner (we had BBQ baked potatoes which is one of my favorites).  From time to time we will have our family devotion time earlier than bed time and at the dinner table.  That is what we did.  What followed lit my fire. Our middle daughter asked me if she could r...

Have you missed Sunday morning worship lately? The weather has made it a challenge for folks to get to service these last few weeks. As a church family, it is important to spend time together as we worship God. That's why we are having a Wednesday night 7pm service at here The Community Fellowship. Come join us in celebration of an awesome God and the community we share in Him and with each other.

  Wednesday service     Sent to: Entire Church at The Community Fellowship Have you missed Sunday morning worship lately? The weather has made it a challenge for folks to get to service these last few weeks. As a church family, it is important to spend time together as we worship God. That's why we are having a Wednesday night 7pm service at here at The Community Fellowship. Come join us in celebration of an awesome God and the community we share in Him and with each other. ...

I shared a message with our church this past Sunday that talked about the fact that each of us been through some tough times, and those tough times allow us to help other people.  But first we have to get it straight.  Be honest.  Admit that you aren't perfect (I'm not either).  We've made mistakes.  We've had struggles.   When we admit the truth and begin to live as God intended, we will help others.  That life is one of freedom because God has forgiven us ad helps us move forward.  We will make a difference when we live that way and share where we have been.   "Only a church full of imperfect people, acting as His body, can bring the hope and healing needed to change our postmodern world for the better – one life at a time." ( John Burke , No Perfect People Allowed , page 9)   Here is what we will be able to do with we get honest and help others as God has helped us:   We will be able to comfort those who mourn.   Isaiah 61:2  (NA...

We have been asked to help feed the workers that are here in our community trying to restore electrical power. 350 workers are being fed dinner tonight at Bassett High School. They will feed meals for the next couple of days at least. Workers are need to help prepare and serve food beginning this evening. Help is needed from 5 until 10pm. Will you help? Show up at school this evening and go to one of the cafeterias. You can also reply to this email or call me for further info. I just spoke with Dean Randall, Principal at Bassett High, who is coordinating this effort. Any help that can be given would be a blessing. Thanks for your help as we further "demonstrate the love of God to our community". Pastor Michael Harrison (James 1:5)

we ARE having CHURCH on Sunday   Message from: Michael Harrison Sent to: Entire Church at The Community Fellowship Be careful as you travel. Stay home if you need to. But we are having community worship tomorrow morning at 10:10am. Several of our church members are still without power. Check on your friends and neighbors and serve them! CATCH THIS: we will have a special worship service next Wednesday evening at 7pm. More info on Sunday. Here are some prayer needs: Please pray for Frances Johnson and her family. Her father, Frank Harris, passed away early Friday morning. She is staying with her mom and is answering her ce...

Be careful as you travel. Stay home if you need to. But we are having community worship tomorrow morning at 10:10am. Several of our church members are still without power. Check on your friends and neighbors and serve them! CATCH THIS: we will have a special worship service next Wednesday evening at 7pm. More info on Sunday. Here are some prayer needs: Please pray for Frances Johnson and her family. Her father, Frank Harris, passed away early Friday morning. She is staying with her mom and is answering her cell phone. Her address is 2631 John Baker Road, Fieldale, VA 24089. Chester Rumley's father, James Armstrong, funeral has been moved to Monday at 11am at Oak Hill in Bassett. Visitation is at 10 that morning. Chester is the short, slim black man who comes to The Community every Sunday. His address is 41 Ruth Ct., Collinsville, VA 24078. Jim Fulcher has been on my mind much this week. He hasn't been to church in a while. Please pray for him and contact him. His a...

I am fascinated by angels.  Here is a work that opens up what God has to share with us about these divine beings.  In this book the many scripture references to angels are searched and Dr. Jeremiah clears up the misconceptions that many of us have had.  What I have come to understand is that Angels are part of God's plan and work on earth.  Angels have many rolls to plan from warriors and protectors to messengers and even fallen angels known as demons. Where do your thoughts and beliefs about angels come from?  Are you simply an on looker who likes to collect little angel figurines to remind you to think about these creators?  Or do you have a healthier belief knowing that angels are part of every day life in the spiritual world?  Every Christian needs a good understanding of angels. Here is an easy to understand and vivid picture of angels.  Pick up a copy of the book and see for yourself. About the Book Much of what people believe today about angels are based myths. Dr. Jere...

From time to time I get a note from a friend or family that leaves me speechless.  Thanks mom!  Today I share with you a story that my mom sent me that helped me to shed a few tears and to get ready to leave the office a bit early.  I need these reminders.  How about you? Read the story.  I'll leave you a comment at the end. A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood...