Michael Harrison's e-devotion

“Most good things have already been said far too many times and just need to be lived.” ― Shane Claiborne We all know people that talk a lot more than they act.   This can be characterized by the old saying, “their bark is worse than their bite.”   For years I have been told that the church, any church, is full of hypocrites, and I believe that is true. That is where I find the quote we began with comes to life.   Some things have been said thousands of times, but there are few people following through.   In fact I have noted in our community, and in others, that there are many Christians who say the right thing and do nothing about it. This is clearly seen with the people who acknowledge the needs of their community, but they do little to nothing about it.   We know there are countless single teenage moms, but nothing gets done to help.   We know there is a problem with prescription medicine, but not much is done to battle the miss use of ...

It was 13 years ago that I first had the opportunity to serve with the Raceway Ministries team in Martinsville, and it is has been an incredible time.   Since then I have had the honor of serving on the national Raceway Ministries board and helping our group grow in various ways.   It really is an honor to share Jesus with race fans at the speedway. This stuff happens at racetracks all around the world.   I mean there are men and women around the world volunteering their time to serve in the racing community.   They offer worship services, counseling, sharing refreshments and much more.   I have met so many people that are committed to making a difference in a place where few others will step.   In Martinsville our team offers several different things, and it is a blessing to be able to work along side the employees of Martinsville Speedway.   Sunday morning before the race this weekend there will be worship services in two locations. ...

Colossians 1:6  NLT This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace. The truth changes lives.  It changes us, and then it begins to change the lives of the people we come in contact with.   I have seen it in vivid, living color.  One of the things I live for, have passion for and am doing ministry for, is to see Jesus change lives of people who have no hope until they connect with Him. Yet even many of us who know Jesus chose not to live in truth.  When we chose not to live in truth, we become weak.  There is faith in us.  The God of power, faith and love is in us, but His ways and character and strength can't been seen coming out of our lives. The last part of Ecclesiastes 9 shares about a man who is poor but wise.  I think of him ...

Some of my family had the privilege of seeing the new movie God’s Not Dead last evening.   It was a great story, well done and worth going to see.   Consider that a nudge or a recommendation if you need it. The storyline is of a college student challenged by a professor to prove that God exists.   I have said many times over the years that we need to know what we believe about our faith and about God.   That does not mean you have to become a scholar or a genius.   It does mean that we should be able to give a reason for following Jesus and believing in God. 1 Peter 3:15   NASB but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always be ing ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; God changed my life and continues to change my life, my family and those I get to share life with.   Last night our church leaders spend some time talking about how we c...

1 Peter 4:8   NLT Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Experts and every day folks agree that the characteristic of love is a great part of life.   If you don’t love, don’t feel or give love, then your life is missing something.   We can maximize how we love.   Yet we have to make sure our love is pure and strong. Last year I wrote a post about the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.   That post can be found at THIS LINK .   This book never stops to be talked about in counseling sessions that I lead.   In fact in pre-marital counseling I ask couples to read this book, and I believe that this book coupled with an online assessment I use (the Prepare/Enrich inventory of relationships) are the best tools to prepare people for godly and strong marriages. Due to that fact I want to point you to this book.   Google it.   Go to your local bookstore or t...

Last night brought some cool things my direction.   You know that I love my job, and all around there are opportunities to serve people who are living life in various directions and in very different stages.   Over the last 24 hours I have dealt with couples preparing for marriage, people battling cancer or preparing for surgery, a person so deep in depression that they are dealing with suicidal thoughts and more. But the piece that I would like to share with you has to do with a group of people.   We hosted an evening at our church called “Sunday Night @ The Community” where we seek to help our people dig in to God’s word and become part of our community groups. I love listening to people talk about what they learn in the Bible.   There were people in all stages of life sharing thoughts, reading the Bible and finding how the verses we were studying apply to our church and our lives.   The passion that people shared with was incredible and inspiring....

One of the biggest things we do at The Community Fellowship is to create community by interacting with people every day, not just during worship.  Our lives, both words and actions should literally demonstrate the love of God to our community as we live.   I walk out of the building we use now and even think about our future campus all the while asking God to fill me with big vision and His dreams.  It happens again.  God gives us more and more pieces.  We have been blessed with more resources to bless more people and to honor God. I hate saying no.  I love saying yes.  I am talking about all we get to do in regards to serving people and meeting their needs.  We live in tough, tough times.  Job lose continues to be a daily issue.  There are needs on top of needs that we see each day.   Do you know what else is a daily issue?  God is still God, and He is still offering His best and giving real hope to any one who will ac...

Several places I go have these huge toolboxes that amaze me.   Walk through Lowe’s, and you see them.   They are taller than me and just big.   They have lots of doors, storage and even some surprises.   Another place I see even bigger toolboxes is at NASCAR races.   Their toolboxes not only have tools, but several people can sit on the canopy covered top and watch the flat screen TV’s that are attached to them. That brings me to a question: what is in your tool box?   Before I give you a spiritual answer, you might want to know that I use a couple draws in an old cabinet for my toolbox.   I also use a couple of old fishing lure boxes to hold little things.   Truth is I am not much of a tool guy, but that is a side note. As we talk spiritually there ought to be lots of great things in our spiritual toolbox that will help us live on purpose and deal proactively with the people we are around.   Here are some verses with a few of the...

Today’s post is simply a word study or a trek through the Bible looking for the word “remember”.   Each verse to come uses the same word in the same way, but the context of each is very different.   Read, learn and share what God says to you. Exodus 2:24   NLT God heard their groaning, and he remember ed his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God doesn’t forget.   His promises come true always. Deuteronomy 8:2   NLT Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. We need to remember where we came from and that God was with us all the way. Nehemiah 4:14   NLT Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy!   Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for you...

There are places that encourage your socks off.   Because we are connected to God and have a relationship with Him, we see things differently.   Further, there are things that excite us.   That is what happens when we see God at work in the lives of the people around us.   Especially when the people we see are those that we have a stake in their lives and care about them.   That seems to be where this passage has us. 2 John 1:4-8   NLT How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.   5  I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another.   This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6  Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.   7  I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world.   They de...

picture from a NIKE advertisement Moses was one of the most powerful people in the entire Bible.   He experienced moves of God that we still celebrate today.   His life is marked by the protection and provision of God.   Yet when Moses was gone God put in place Joshua who learned from Moses.   It isn’t easy to be second in command or to follow a great leader, but Joshua had something going for him that we need to remember and hold on to.   Joshua was chosen by God to lead God’s people. Joshua 3:7   NLT The Lord told Joshua , “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites.   They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. Some people have great ability.   Some people learn or work on their leadership abilities.   Joshua had both, but on top of that God was at work in Joshua’s life.   He was made great as God’s hand was on His life in the same way that Moses had the hand ...