Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Psalm 122:8  NLT For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, "May you have peace." It has been a HUGE blessing the last week to spend time with my family in Oklahoma.  Living so far away from my parents and my brothers has never been easy, but it makes out time together that much more important.  I will cherish these days and the memories that we have made for a long time. Another part of this that is a blessing is the opportunity to be here.  Our church family, The Community Fellowship, continues to support and encourages us and allows for this kind of visit.  I've got to say thank you all those who filled the gaps while I was gone.  Again, this has been so good. The people I have connected with have made a difference in my life.  I've learned so much from these people through the years.  Each evening I've tried to take a few minutes to think back, to hold on to and remember the lessons that came today and that have come through the ye...

Dear Community Family -   Let me first say MERRY CHRISTMAS to each of you as we are away this holiday weekend.  Our family has really enjoyed time in Oklahoma with lots of our family.  Christmas has been incredible to say the least.  Thank you for allowing us to be away.   Julie has been asking for a white Christmas for 4 decades.  We leave town, and BOOM there is the snow.  Lots of it as well.  I have been praying for safety even as we miss the beauty of the winter scene.  Please be extra safe AND serve other people around you today and this week.   2011 is set to be a great year for our church family as we press forward.   Next Sunday we will begin a new sermon series titled "reBuilding Broken Lives" as we go through the book of Nehemiah.  Please pray for this series and this time for our church.  We are headed up hill as God has set us up to serve more people than ever before through the life of our churc...

Hello Community family – We will have Sunday worship December 26th at 10:10am. It our policy to always provide an opportunity for worship on Sundy. We also know that it may be very dangerous for you to travel or leave home at all. Please be extra cautious, and we encourage you to stay at home if you have any question about safety. There will be some of our leaders at church to share, pray and worship together. Remember to serve the people around you today and this week. May God use us to demonstate the love of God to our community in huge ways. And, Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! It is all about Jesus… With GOD as my guide, Pastor Michael James 1:5

When you get good news who do you tell?   Do you call your wife, or your mom, or your neighbor, or your best friend?  Who is it? In the Christmas story the first people to hear about Jesus being born were the shepherds.  That is not the normal birth announcement for a king or anybody of influence.  Maybe that would be more like the announcement of "hey, I just took a bath" or something like "dudes, I think one of my sheep is pregnant" and not "the son of God was just born".  You might miss my point here.  But keep listening if you will. Read the Christmas story, especially the part where the shepherds hear about Jesus.  I am amazed at the words that ring in my head after I let them settle in just a bit.  Something about peace and God sending us a gift.  It goes deeper than that.  Listen in: Luke 2:8-15 NLT That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  9  Suddenly, an angel of the...

We are getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday. That's Christmas! Yet we all know that there are hurting and hungry people all around. Pray for and reach out to those in need. On Christmas Day there is a free community meal taking place. Here are some details: _________________ Community  Christmas   Dinner Place  -   First  Baptist  Church  of  Martinsville (Corner  of  Starling  Ave  and  Mulberry) Date  -   December  25,  2010  Christmas  Day Time  -   10am  -   2pm Meals  will  be  served  at  the  church  from   10am  -   2pm AND  meals  will  be  delivered  to  city  and  county  residents  beginning  at  10am. Come  to  the  church  to  receive  a  meal  or  if  you  need  a   meal  delivered  to  you  call  276- 656- 4182  to  schedule  a delivery.     Volunteers  are  needed  to  help  prepare  the  meal,  serve  and  deliver  meals   on  Christmas  Day.    If  you  are  interested  in  volunteering  contact  Scott   Norman  at  276 618- 0631.     ...

Names are important.  When you hear name, you may get a perception of what a person is like.  I do that.  At Christmas time we have several names that come up telling us about Jesus.  These are incredible: Isaiah 9:6  NLT For a child is born to us,a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Matthew 1:21  NLT And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:23  NLT "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!She will give birth to a son,and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" He is my Jesus.  Plain and simple truth.  He became my Savior in May of 1986.  He continues to be my friend.  He is my guide and my comfort.  He blesses with peace and direction so often.  He is my God. Who is Jesus to you?  Think about it.  Fill in the bla...

2 Corinthians 8:3  NASB For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, Earlier this week I wrote about being overwhelmed with the needs that have come to us in the last few days.  They have continued, and there are more people who have huge needs this Christmas season.  I pray for the resources to help as well as for more people to help these precious people that God cares about. But let me tell you what else I am overwhelmed by.  People, businesses and others have stepped forward to help others.  The calls and emails from these folks and some others who I have talked to in passing.   Yeah, it is Christmas when people want to give.  Yet I never get tired of watching God's people step up to meet needs in the name of Jesus.  We make a difference in giving time, encouragement and our money or gifts. Who are you going to bless between now and Christmas?  Ask you church or pastor who might have a need....

Do you ever get overwhelmed?  I do.  This week is one of those times.  It is not really a bad thing, yet around us during this Christmas season we are hearing many people who have needs.  Families who don't have enough to provide for their kids.  A mom who is about to lose her home.  Another couple has been laid off of work.  And the list goes on to reveal needs. I honestly want to meet them all, but we have only a few ways to meet needs and to help.  What do you do when your resources have dried up?  You begin to beg.  This is a good begging. God has taught us, his kids, to trust Him and to ask Him for what we need.  Verse after verse tells us not just to trust God but to expect God to move and respond and to touch situations.  We can beg God for what we need.  He has endless resources, and God also knows our needs. Try this: Luke 11:5-13  NLT ..."Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You sa...

James 1:6-8 NIV But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. I love the story of how Nehemiah heard the state of his home town and his relatives back home.  Actually, I am preparing to preach through this awesome book of the Bible in January talking about how god is a rebuilding of hope, dreams and lives.  Nehemiah was a giant. He was a servant of the king, and Nehemiah has a healthy respect for the king.  So when the opportunity to share this need with the king came up, Nehemiah was a bit scared.  Yet God came through in a bit way.  God provided what Nehemiah asked for.  God provided through the king and through God's leading even more than Nehemiah expected. Do we expect God to work like that?  Look at the verse above.  Do we believe God...

John 1:14 NLT So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. Isaiah 9:6 NLT For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. I've spent much time thinking about Christmas and how we celebrate this holiday.  It is so important that we live what we believe.  Give gifts that impact lives ... think more about others than you think of yourself ... make someone's Christmas brighter by sharing of what you have. God still changes lives.  Take a few minutes to think about this normal Christmas season verse with the twist that The Message gives it: Isaiah 9:7 MSG His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He'll rule from the historic D...

For more than a week I have had some questions that have not been able to leave my mind.  These are huge.  They make lots of sense as I get honest about how they ask them.  You can read the original post HERE . Mike Foster wrote the post that hit my heart.  How many of us will admit that these have come across our minds?  Now, read the questions: What will people think if I take my cheating spouse back? What will people think if I forgive the person that took advantage of me? What will people think if I move on from my mistakes and find happiness again? What will people think if I admit I'm addicted to pain killers? What will people think if I walk down the aisle of a church and surrender my life to God? The fact is that these questions, the truth behind them will kill the work of God and His grace in our lives.  For a long time we have lied to ourselves and to others that things are OK.  We have no problems.  Yet in each of us there is trouble we...

When we have problems with our eyes, there are all kinds of issues that come with it.  You have trouble doing almost anything from driving to eating and even balance and more.  This kind of health problem makes us realize how much we take seeing for granted. Ephesians 1:18  NASB I pray that the  eyes  of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, It's in times and seasons like Christmas that I often pray that God would open my eyes and open the eyes of my family and my church family. God, open my eyes to ... TO SEE YOU, GOD.  How many people have not or can not see God?  Every day we are blessed in big ways by God.  Yet our thoughts and even our hearts won't allow us to acknowledge God.  No, we have not seen Him in flesh and blood.  But we can and must see what he does and what His goodness places around us.  Notice God today, and I pray that...

We are continuing our "Be Generous" series at The Community Fellowship this week, and the question that hit me hard this past Sunday was this: what do I already have that God would have me to bless others with?  Think with me.  This is not always about money.  Often we bless people with our time, simple conversation, a letter or email or even a smile or an act of kindness.  That one thing we do that seems insignificant to us might be what brings another person joy or encouragement. Last week I made a phone call to a friend that has gone through a tough time.  Several days later I heard from another of their family members that my call made a difference in their day and week.  I got a call from one of our precious late last week, and he just wanted to tell me how a card he received made a big difference in his attitude and week.  What is it that we can do to make someone else's day brighter or easier? Hebrews 10:24 
NLT Let us think of ways to moti...

Matthew 1:21  NLT And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Hebrews 10:20  NLT By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. My family is excited.  This afternoon we are headed out to a friend's Christmas Tree lot to by a fresh tree for our house.  After that the evening is gonna be full of decorating, Christmas music and family fun.  I love this time of the year. We were getting ready for bed and our family devotion last night as I checked my email for the last time, and I noticed a simple note from middle daughter on facebook.  She wrote: "today was good im tired like always!!! Cant wait for christmas! Some people forget what Christmas is really about. It was the day Jesus was born. Christmas should be about GIVING not GETTING. Jesus gave us the best gift we could ever get! =)" I love it.  My kids are get...

Proverbs 11:25  NLT The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.   There is something about giving that not only makes me feel good but gives me more purpose.  Generosity is not something that comes natural to everyone.  It is often caught, and it must also be taught.   Last week, I read the following blog from Mark Driscoll about leading our families to be generous:   " Leading Your Family in Stewardship "   Teach your kids about Jesus and their need for his grace.   Generosity stems from Jesus. We may be excellent money managers, able to instruct our children in the way of financial planning, but if neither our children nor we understand the gospel, then all the financial knowledge in the world amounts to nothing.   Invite your kids into the conversation.   Too often we parents go about our day, doing chores, paying bills, running errands, and forgetting to invite our kids to participate and learn about thi...