Michael Harrison's e-devotion

This has been a strange but good few weeks for ministry.   I love, really love the people that I get to work with.   They are from every walk of life and on every level or path or planet that you can imagine. I am dealing with several couples whose marriages are really struggling and for many different reasons.   God is working and drawing some people closer to him in sweet ways.   There is a lady battling severe medical issues.   Several people continue to struggle with mental health issues.   Late Tuesday night during a horrible rainstorm I was honored to meet some new friends that are homeless.   This weekend I will have the honor of officiating a wedding at one of the local country clubs.   From counseling to hospital visits to benevolence and working with the homeless, this has and is a time that I really love. Every day is full of surprises.   My schedule is often changed due to crisis or pain or tears or a number ...

If you have been a Christian for very long, you have realized that the church and it’s people are often known for what they are against rather than what they are for.   We are characterized and indicted as a group of people who are judgmental, pious and often uncaring.   Another part that I have realized for a long time is that people often see following God as a life with a list of do’s and don’t.   Yet that is not what I have come to learn.   Years ago I was given a book to read that answered some of these questions.   The name of the book was “ How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious ”.   To take in what I learned took me to some places that were new.   But it also reminded me to put emphasis on my relationship with Jesus rather than my religious acts. Being religious isn’t a bad thing, but being religious cannot take the place of being in a close relationship with God.   Stop making your walk with God about what you...

I finished the series called LABELS this past Sunday at The Community Fellowship.   We took a different point of view from the normal “stop believing lies” and moved to ask questions about the words we say.   Do we ever use our words to give people wrong labels?   The answer is yes. One of the passages of Scripture I used is something I want to share with you today.   It is about marriage and how a husband and wife deal with each other.   But this also applies to in other ways.   The Message says it best, I believe.   Read on… Ephesians 5:23-28 MSG The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. 25-28  Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's l...

Arlington National Cemetery, June 2011 Judges 9:17 (NASB) for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian; It is Memorial Day weekend here in the United States, and this is a time to remember those who have fought for our freedom and served our nation.   Many of those lost their lives in the coarse of battle.   Many carry the marks of battle on their body or their mind. I want to say thank you to each person who has helped our nation maintain our freedom and to give us the ability to live and worship as we chose.   It is my understanding that God makes a nation great, and that is why I am grateful for America and am calling others to stand up for what is right. Growing up I heard stories, a few of them, of my grandfather who served in World War II.   Another of my grandfathers was in Vietnam when I was born.   One was in the Navy and the other was in the Army.   One of my uncles also...

Matthew 7:1 (NLT) Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Opening my email inbox often leads to some interesting thoughts and conversations.   Today was one of those, and I’d like to share a bit of the conversation with you.   This friend of mine was sharing with me about the struggle of watching Christians judge others and act self-righteous.   Please understand that I am not seeking to condemn or condone such action.   What I would like to do is ask us to make sure that people know that God loves people, forgives sin and still changes lives as he has done since the beginning. Here is some of what I shared: God is good, working and inspiring us as you see happening around you.  It is comforting to know that God doesn’t give up on His kids, you and me. As to the judgmental stuff you talked about, this is a tough issue in many ways and especially in the church.  For 100's of years the church and Christians ha...