Michael Harrison's e-devotion

John 8:12  NLT Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the  light  of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to  walk  in  darkness , because you will have the  light  that leads to life." I am not scared of the dark, but I would rather walk around in the light.  That is true in the physical world and the spiritual.  Often we chose to walk in darkness just because the light exposes so much.  Listen up, when we walk with Jesus and in His light there is a very different flow and path that God gives us. This week I have finished reading through (and slowly for that matter) the book of Joshua.  And the verses that struck me greatest were in the first and last chapters.  Remember Joshua said, "chose who you will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve God."  That was the dividing line in a big way for those people, and it is a dividing line for us.  Do we care more about following God or about being comfortable. ...

PRESS RELEASE Immediate Media Release, April 27, 2011     HENRY COUNTY, VA.    ---   The Community Dream Center (TCDC) board of directors announces we will be hosting three community meetings in the month of May to share information about us and about the work we will be doing to assist hurting people in and around Henry County.   The first meeting we are hosting will be this coming Sunday, May 1 st , at Bassett High School beginning at 3:30pm.   Other community meetings will be announced in the coming days and weeks.   Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.   TCDC is a brand new local organization modeled closely after the highly successful Los Angeles Dream Center.   The Dream Center model has assisted in lowering the crime rate in the areas it has been located and in seeing the lives of those it serves greatly changed.   We seek to fill the gaps in services here in our community with the largest of those being a residence for homeless men.     "For ...

There are a couple of things that have to be in line before we can move forward knowing we are doing what God wants us to do.  I remember walking down the hallway of our church about 20 years ago talking to my pastor.  He shared a simple story with me ... In some port city there is a narrow harbor.  For ships that want to come into the harbor when it is foggy or dark, they devised a system that allowed the ships to safely enter the port.  There were 3 large lights installed.  Only when those 3 lights were aligned into 1 light could that ship safely make it's way into the harbor. My pastor shared that there are 3 similar lights that we have to follow in order to know we are doing what God called us to do.  The first is to seek the Bible and make sure that we are following Scripture.  The second is listening to the Holy Spirit, the voice of God deep inside of us that gives us guidance.  The third is the voice of spiritually wise people around us.  Lining up those 3 ligh...

Easter is the most important holiday for the people who follow Jesus.  Without the resurrection, our belief and faith are empty.  Without the death of Jesus, there is no forgiveness of sin.    We need God.  Some call Him a "higher power".  Others call their god by all kinds of other names.  But you need to hear today that there is only one God, and that God loves you.  His plan is perfect.   He's not some "cosmic killjoy" just waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you.  No God is the one who left heaven and split time through His Son's life.  Think about it.   John 1:14 NASB And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.   This God is full of hope and strength.  He is ready to fill our lives with stuff that will change us.  God is in to life change.  He wants to change us and empower us to do more, see more and be more than any of us h...

Why is it called Good Friday anyway?  The day is NOT just another day.  It depicts the death of the most incredible person that ever lived, Jesus Christ.  Death doesn't sound good to me.  In fact the details surrounding His death were as far from good as you can get.  It was painful.  It was humiliating.  Yet, It was destined by our always faithful God which makes this Friday good. Think about it with me for a few minutes.  I am not taking you to history for a lesson or even to the theological perspective of Jesus' death on the cross at Calvary.  I am taking you to the person who forever holds the hope that the world and I so desperately need.  Without Jesus' death, there is no hope.  Without Jesus' death, there is no resurrection.  Without Jesus' death, there is no payment for our sins.  Without Jesus' death, there is no way of abundant life. That makes this Friday good.  That means we can have a great GOOD FRIDAY.  Celebrate the cross of Christ a...

From homeless worker   ...  Sitting at a table at the local homeless shelters park, a mother with 3 children asked for prayer.  After praying one of her sons came over to me, he looked looked me in the eyes and asked me "are you a daddy?"  I answered yes. His next words touched deep in to my soul.  He asked me if i could love hug  him like a daddy would?  I looked to the mother and she had tears she nodded yes.  I reached out and placed him in front of me on my lap and wrapped my arms around him. I can't tell you any more of a reason why I am a minister, I too remember that daddy's come to the park and give love hugs. Bruce Aspgren                       Caldwell, Texas     www.rockingaministry.com

Today's devotion is a personal note about our family and the joy we have living life together following Jesus! Psalm 127:3 NLT Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. I am spending the rest of this week with our oldest child, Rebecca, celebrating her 13th year of life.  She is a precious girl, the apple of her dad's eye and a blessing to her mom. The past 12 months have brought some special things that only she got to do.  There were some books we read together and some things she got to do.  But this week is a special trip that we will spend together enjoying life and talking about God as well as the future. My prayer is that on trips like this and in my time with each of my kids when they are 13 that we will continue to shape them to be strong people of faith who are convinced of God's truth and able to live it out.  We can't take our kids for granted.  That is why my wife and I planned to do something ...

John 11:25 NLT Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." Easter is almost here.  Without the cross that Jesus died on, we would not have the empty tomb and the resurrection.  Can you imagine what it must have been like the last week of Jesus' life?  You go from celebration on Sunday, to the last supper Jesus had with His disciples and on to Jesus' death and His coming back to life.  Those were crazy days for the followers of Jesus. Jesus had been talking about dieing and coming back to life.  That seemed so outrageous and impossible.  But it wasn't.  They were about to see it happen right before their eyes.  In the verse above Jesus said that if you believe you will live even if you die.  Those are crazy words and hard to understand. 1 Peter 2:24 NLT He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for w...

We serve the God of 2nd chances as I shared last week in the devotion.  This weekend I shared a message from Luke 8:40-56 about Jairus and his daughter who was verse sick.  In today's devotion I want to share a very simple truth ... When we believe God, take Him at His word, things will chance.  We will get 2nd chances and help others get the same. In Jairus' case (go read that scripture) we find a man who went to find Jesus and beg his help.  While on the way back to his house with Jesus, someone else was healed in an awesome turn of events.  Then he learned that his daughter died.  Incredible as it was, Jairus and Jesus continued on to his house where the girl was completely healed.  Big story because we serve an awesome God. What is incredible is that Jairus believed that Jesus was able from the first time he fell at Jesus' feet until and after his daughter was healed.  Do we believe God like that?  We should. Mark 11:24 
NLT I tell...

Congrats to Lee Orr from The Community Fellowship as he was named teacher of the year from Carver Elementary School here in Henry County, Virginia. We are proud of Mr. Orr who is making a big difference in the lives of students and every day doing what our church family has been commissioned to do .... demonstrating the love of God to our community!

Luke 15 20   "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21   His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'  22   "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.   23   And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,   24   for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. The story of the prodigal son is awesome.  I love the story.  In my quiet time this morning I read this passage again, and the verses above struck me in a big way. As I close the day, lets make some parallels come alive from these verses: 1 ---- the father ra...

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. Each day there are countless opportunities to bless the people we come in contact with.  Are we using those times to encourage and bless others? All through Scripture God gave blessings to His people.  The prophets of the Old Testament told the people they led to follow God and with the following would come extreme blessings.  The Apostles and writers of the New Testament constantly pointed people to the goodness and blessings of God. We can do the same for the people that come across our path.  One of the ways that I enjoy doing that is through writing cards.  I used to do this much more.  But each week I try to write at least one card a day and bless someone. This also happens in the way that we deal with people face to face.  Are we rude or kind?  Are we patient?  The way we react can also issues blessi...

Below is information about "The Community Dream Center" and the work we are so excited about. Please continue to pray for the opening of our homeless shelter and discipleship program. The Community Dream Center The Need Southwestern Virginia has been hit hard with the economic issues that plague our country. In Martinsville and Henry County, poverty has become commonplace, drug/alcohol addiction is rampant and gangs are more violent and prevalent. These factors help create a moral decay and result in a rising homeless population. Martinsville has an official unemployment rate hovering around 20% and existing resources are being rapidly depleted. More and more people are finding themselves in dire need of help with no resources available. A small Martinsville shelter serves women and children, leaving husbands and fathers with nowhere to turn. Men of all walks of life are finding themselves homeless or on the edge of homelessness in Martinsville and Henry County. This nee...

Joshua 2:11 NLT No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. That verse comes from the story of Rahab, who was a harlot, and she hid the spies that Joshua had sent to see about Jericho for the first time.  There were several things going on in this situation that are so awesome. First, the people of God, Israel, knew that God has granted them this land.  It was their land, and all they had to do was act in that direction.  Not so easy because that included removing the people who are already there.  But God was on the side of His people. Second, these spies were in a tough place as they could be killed as they were the enemy of Jericho at this point.  They still knew what God said, but this was a covert operation to say the least. Third, Rahab is not one of the most innocent people in the world.  She's p...