Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Hey Community family!!! it is one of my favorite events.  This Sunday we will be baptizing several of our peeps at church.  And you need to be to see, experience and to celebrate this awesome event.  God has and continues to change lives, one at a time.  The stories I have heard from the people being baptized are incredible.  You will hear some of them. First each one of these folks has had a personal encounter with Jesus.  They asked Jesus into their heart at some point, and baptism is their next step of faith and following Jesus.  Have you ever been baptized?  There is still time. If you want to take a step of faith and be baptized, email the church at info@thecommunityfellowship.org .  One of our leaders will return your email and set up a time to talk with you before Sunday. This is the last week of our START series.  Don't miss this great day in the life of our church family.  Yep.  The baptistry is set up and almost ready for lots of people to express their love f

“Honesty is the best policy.”  Have you heard that phrase before?  Real friends and confident people appreciate honesty.  I appreciate honesty as well, but some of those conversations aren’t easy.  It is hard to hear what some people need to share. I’d like to talk to you about what it ought to be like to share the truth with people you care about even when the truth is hard to say or hard to hear.  Proverbs 27:17   NLT As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. We are called to make each other better.  As we care about the people in our lives we will want to make them better by sharing truth, but often it is really like iron sharpening iron.  It is rough, grinding, difficult but important.  Ephesians 4:32   NLT Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Kindness goes a long way.  When people know you care, they are more apt to hear what you have to say. 

Romans 16:4   NLT In fact, they once risked their lives for me.  I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Every day there are challenges that we face.  Some we chose to take.  Some we step around or avoid.  The challenges often demonstrate the character of the person who takes them.  Challenges come in all kinds of sizes and packages.  Some take great effort on our part while others take only slight adjustments.  The fact is that challenges are part of life, and when we make an effort to accept them no matter what the challenge requires of us, we will leave stronger and ready for more. I crave challenges.  Do you?  I am not talking about challenges such as sky diving or driving your car over 100 miles an hour.  I am talking about challenges like a mission trip, being part of an extended fast or taking a leadership position in the organization you volunteer with.  Some of the challenges that God allows to come into our lives come wit

Psalm 69:32   NLT The humble will see their God at work and be glad.  Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. I love stories.  But the best stories are the true ones that speak of life and real situations.  That’s why people love reality TV.  Can’t get enough of it.  Yet what I am talking about is people sharing what God is doing in their lives.  We hear about people accepting Jesus and their lives being changes.  We hear about healing as people battle health issues and become well.  We hear about God opening doors for work or help and a number of other things.  God is still in the miracle business.  Some of those miracles are big, and some are small.  Let me ask you a simple question: do we miss the small miracles that God does?  It is the answers to answer that are off our mental radar.  This could be the answer of help with a test at the doctor’s office or the test at school.  It could be the prayer for your child to not be sick again or to be a

Living as an encouraged person is living in the truth or living by a standard higher than many people chose to live.  If the way you chose to live is based solely on what you can do or what you can provide, you will fail.  If you haven’t yet, you will.  Listen carefully.  I did not say you are a failure, yet there are ways we live that make us fail. God made us for success.  He also made us for relationships.  That is to connect with people.  We aren’t to live life alone.  Remember, no man is an island as John Donne said.  We aren’t out here seeking to survive or find success without connection to God.  Again that is a choice we can make but not a good one. In the scripture before us is the continuation of the application of faith or Christian teaching.  Godly or changed living is possible by the grace of God.  But along the way there are some hang-ups.  There are trouble spots or icy patches.  It is better to plan how to deal with those now rather than