Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Proverbs 16:9 GWT A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps . I am excited about the plans that God continues to show us for The Community Dream Center we will be opening.  We have been given these two homes, and the wheels are turning to get them in shape to be used.  Be listening for an opportunity to serve on Saturday, November the 6th. Yet as God brings the increase and the plans are rolling forward, and God is giving the direction.  Some of it I see and understand.  Other pieces, I don't understand.  But you can see God's fingers and hear His voice the entire time. Trusting God is not always easy.  I am a planner.  Some even say that I am a control freak.  I may very well be.  That means that faith and trusting God are that much more real and often not so easy. Acts 27:25 GWT So have courage, men! I trust God that everything will turn out as he told me. Trusting God each step will mean that this...

Proverbs 21:31  NLT The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. I have met some great warriors in my time.  Some of them have been men prepared by the US Marines for combat.  Some have been warriors on the field of business and have become very successful.  Some have even been little old ladies who go into their prayer closet and do spiritual battle in big ways. The thing that I have come to understand is that we are in a constant battle.  Some of our battles count and some of them don't.  The fact is when we set our attention and direction on God, we set ourselves up for battle with a real enemy.  His name is Satan. 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. He is sly and he is a liar.  Yet there are times when our enemy sets himself up as very attractive and seemingly wonderful opportunities.  Nothing could be further f...

Matthew 23:11  NLT The greatest among you must be a servant. Mark 9:35  NLT He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." Matthew 20:28  NLT For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Have you ever checked out www.iamsecond.com ?  It is a power place where you will find testimonies of celebrities as well as people just like you and me.  Each one ends with the person saying "I am ___________ (insert their name), and I am second."   Why would they say "I am second"?  It is because that is the place God asks us to take.  Jesus is the one that have first place in our lives.  Nothing else can satisfy us, no one else can give us hope, nothing will touch us like only Jesus can.  Are you allowing God to be first in your life? When Jesus came into my life, t...

I want to close out this week's devotions by sharing with you some of the thoughts that I have been wrestling with.  We are part of Raceway Ministries work at the Martinsville Speedway this weekend which is one of my favorite things to do.  Mostly that is because of the conversations we get to have with people about Jesus.   Jesus conversations is where we are able to point people to something bigger, better, stronger and more sustaining than anything else in world.  Yet I fear that in me and maybe inside you we are not having enough Jesus conversations in our lives.  In our hearts.  With ourselves.  Even with God.   Are we having those conversations?  They will change our lives.  Here are some I am having:   Colossians 3:2 
NASB Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.   John 12:32 
NLT And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.   "whoever shows up the most in peoples lives is going to win...

Proverbs 18:22  NLT The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. Today is my Julie's birthday.  We have been married 17 years, and that means we have celebrated 17 of her birthdays.  She is an incredible woman.  And I am so blessed to have married far above what I deserve. The verse above fits.  I have found favor with God for sure.  Julie completes me.  I don't say that to be sappy.  She is such a PROVERBS 31 woman.  Not only can I trust her, but she has my back.  She protects and builds me.  Behind closed doors, she often teaches me and event puts me in my place.  I need that.  But I must say this ... Proverbs 31:11  NLT Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. I thought I would use today's devotion not to make Julie look good or make you think I am good husband but to let the world know that my wife is a huge blessings.  If you know her, you know that.  She enriches my life.  I am blesse...

REPORT from Pete Wilson's blog  http://withoutwax.tv/2010/10/20/money-lies/ Ever wonder what money would say if it could talk? Well, I think money whispers all kinds of lies to us. Lies like… "If you get more of me you'll finally be satisfied." "If you make a few more of me you'll finally have that peace that's been eluding you all these years." But one of the biggest lies I think money tells us in our culture today is, "If you make more of me you'll be more generous." What a crock! This is one huge lie and yet some of you have totally bought it. You think the only reason you're not generous is because things are too tight right now. You think "When I make more money than I'm going to give more." No you're not. One of the most reliable financial statistics that exists year after year is that lower income people give a higher percentage of their income away. The more you get the harder it is for you to be ...

These are incredible days.  Inside all of the distractions that come in life, God is always working.  We are seeing that in vivid color.  When God opens up and blesses, you never know the sweetness that will follow. Psalm 34:8  (NLT) Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Those blessings and the goodness of God make life so good.  I have been reading Nehemiah , and in chapter 3 the list is given for many of the workers on the wall.  Take a look: 3  The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. 8 Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes.  17  Next to him, repairs were made by a group of Levites working under the supervision of Rehum son of Bani. Then came Hashabiah, the leader of half the district of Keilah, who supervised the building of the...

Proverbs 19:17  (NLT) If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you! For sometime our church family has known that God was going to use us to open a homeless shelter here in our community.  We have sought God, prayed and kept our eyes open.  We have seen need after need arise in front of us, and our hearts have been heavy. I have to tell you today that I have seen the birth of a dream.  Right in front of me today God opened up and blessed us.  He gave us the use of 2 houses in Martinsville.  This has been our prayer, and God did it right. I have been meeting with a distinguished elderly lady who has a heart to minister to ex-offenders.  Not long ago she shared with some of our team about 2 houses she has and wants to use to serve men who are in need.  We began praying then.  Earlier this week I asked one of our volunteer to call this lady and ask to have lunch with her today.  We did and God moved. One of the houses is an old board...

Last night was a bit surreal, and I am changing the subject.  My phone rang way after 10pm which is not typical.  Calling was a dear friend from Louisiana, Cullen Saucier.  Cullen told me that another of our friends, Dave Ohlerking, had passed away.  I was and most likely still am in shock. Dave is a giant in faith and vision and leading.  He and his wife, Jean, founded Children's Cup International Relief several year ago and are ministering to orphan and AIDS children in a few countries in Africa and in some other nations.  Dave's passion and drive to bring people into the kingdom is incredible.  His organization ministers daily to thousands of kids daily. Dave and Jean visited us last fall, and that was an great time.  One of the things that really touched my heart was when my little boy, Ryan, darted out of the room and brought Ms. Jean some money.  He asked her to use that money to buy the kids in Africa some candy.  WOW.  Both Dave and Jean said that we are rai...

This week started out with some huge blessings that I will never ever forget.  Sunday we celebrated on 10/10/10 at The Community all God has done in the past and reflected forward on what God is going to do in the future.  It was an honor to baptize 6 people at the end of the service, and one of those baptized was my 7 year old son.  I can not tell you how honoring and awesome that was. Ryan accepted Jesus into his heart a year or so ago, but it has not been till the last few months that it was evident that he gets it.  In fact, Saturday afternoon my boy and I went on a long walk just to talk.  Sweet time.  Ryan understands what it is to know Jesus and why we are baptized.   I know that I am a pastor, and you expect me to lead people to Jesus.  But I am convinced that as a parent I am responsible for my children knowing God and serving Him.  Humbling.  Precious.  Awesome.  I was blessed. Proverbs 22:6  (NASB) Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when h...

Exodus 20:3  NLT You must not have any other god but me. What is in the way of you serving and seeing God?  It could be many different things from material possessions to relationships or even pride or anger.  But those things that keep us from God is just what that verse said.   One thing that is difficult is the fast that even good things can become bad things when they get in the way of your relationship with God.  In our culture we get so busy and put ourselves in so many situations that we can't even see what God is doing or spend time with God.  There is no time, no energy and maybe even no desire because you have nothing else to give. God has given us great opportunity.  Yet God has been edged out of our lives.  He is still on the back burner, but we miss the great things that God wants to bless us with. Philippians 2:5  NLT You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Jesus was God.  Plain and simple.  What are the things that we ha...

Proverbs 3:27  (NLT) Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. One of my favorite things to do at the LA Dream Center is to be part of is the ministry of Under the Bridge.  This ministry feeds people in various parts of the city.  Some of the meals are hot and some of them are more like a bag the lunch.  The people UTB serves are mostly homeless.  Many of the people come week after week and some even will ride one of the Dream Center buses to church. Food is not the main this.  Food is the key that opens the door.  It is the switch that turns on conversations that lead people to hear about and hope to talk about Jesus. Twice today I watched this ministry's leader, Matthew, have conversations with hurting people who seem to be seeking God.  One was a black man that I have seen before, and the other was an asian gentleman who was genuinely open to talking about more. My job for the day was standing at the front o...

James 3:17  (NLT) But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. My wife and I had one of those moments that you will cherish and remember for a long time.  We woke this morning to more rain in Los Angeles.  It doesn't rain here very often, but it has here for the past 3 days.  Yet our trip has not been dampened by the weather.  This morning we had an appointment to meet with the pastoral care leader and associate pastor of the Dream Center, Pastor Clarence Olsson.   Clarence is a kind and gentle man from Sweden.  His accent is one of those you love to listen to.  He is also Pastor Matthew Barnett's father-in-law.  He and I began talking several months ago about the beginning of The Community Dream Center in our town.  Clarence opened the door for our team to visit about a month ago and for Julie and I...

Are you ready for an incredible celebration of all God has done and for a preview of what God is going to do? Then you need to join The Community Fellowship church family this Sunday … the date is  10-10-10 here is what will happen 9am breakfast for eveyone 10:10 baptism and worship Pass the word. Invite people to come with you. By the way, do you want to be baptized? If you do, there is still room. Call the church at 276-647-8231 or send us an email to  info@thecommunityfellowship.org  and we will get you ready to go. This Saturday is our 2nd Saturday Clothes Closet ministry and 2nd Saturday feeding the hungry (watch for more details coming tomorrow). See you this weekend. Don't miss this  Sunday 10-10-10 at 10:10  as we begin a new sermon series (can you guess what it is called?) "The Perfect 10". See ya soon!!!

Isaiah 58:10  (NLT) 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. If you can't feed a thousand, feed one. --- Mother Teresa Whoever shows up the most in someone's life wins the battle of influence. --- Matthew Barnett Today was an incredible day for Julie, my wife, and I.  We are spending time this week at the Dream Center in Los Angeles, California.  What a great ministry takes places here each day of the year.  In fact The Community Fellowship is gearing up to open our own.  It will be called The Community Dream Center and be in Collinsville, VA, right in the middle of Henry County.  Here in LA they feed around 2,000 people a day. The two ministries we served with were "Project Prevention" that helps families stay together and keep kids from going into foster care by providing food, other items and support to families.  We visited 4 families this mornin...

Isaiah 58:10  (NLT) 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. If you can't feed a thousand, feed one. --- Mother Teresa Whoever shows up the most in someone's life wins the battle of influence. --- Matthew Barnett Today was an incredible day for Julie, my wife, and I.  We are spending time this week at the Dream Center in Los Angeles, California.  What a great ministry takes places here each day of the year.  In fact The Community Fellowship is gearing up to open our own.  It will be called The Community Dream Center and be in Collinsville, VA, right in the middle of Henry County.  Here in LA they feed around 2,000 people a day. The two ministries we served with were "Project Prevention" that helps families stay together and keep kids from going into foster care by providing food, other items and support to families.  We visited 4 families this mornin...

My wife and I are back in Los Angeles serving at the Dream Center.  This has already turning into a great week, but there is more to come. Saturday we were part of Adopt-a-Block in the Pueblos of South Central LA.  Visiting with these people, praying for them and serving them is something extra special.  The kids are so much fun.  They will run you ragged playing.  Sitting with some of these older folks and hearing their prayer requests and just talk about life, especially spiritual life is a blessing. One of the leaders at this site asked Julie and I to go with her to pray with a special lady who is in a wheelchair.  As we talked, her kids and grandkids came it.  It got loud.  But one of the girls began to tell us her story.  She first said, "my story isn't over."  How true that is.  In the next few minutes this girl who has been raised in the gang and drug infested community talked about how God has come into her life and begun changing her life.  This was so g...