Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Grace is not an easy word to understand and to live out.  I’ve met some ladies named grace, but that is not what I am talking about.  I’ve met many people who talk about the grace of God and offering people grace, yet their lives seem to miss what grace really is. Maybe the issue or reality of grace is one that eludes us and is hard to find.  The church talks it up, praises God for His grace and spreads the wonders of it all the time.  But do we really live by grace?  That is, do we receive and give grace freely to others that we encounter each day?  This would include people in our home, the workplace, our school and the people we meet on the street. It is hard to be full of grace and give grace when we are full of self.  It is hard to give grace to others when we don’t have grace for ourselves or forgive ourselves for our own mistakes. "Never forget that grace takes guts, risk and a dash of crazy." Mike Foster Giving 2nd chances ...

One of my favorite people in the world is Pastor Matthew Barnett from the Los Angeles Dream Center .   We have learned many things in our visits to LA and continue to plan implementation through our local Dream Center. The biggest parts that stand out to me in the inspiration I have gotten through following, listening to and learning from Matthew and many of the people he works with.   I believe you would encouraged by his passion to serve hurting people and the messages he shares. This past fall he published his most recent book Misfits Welcome .   Again, much of what I have consumed (and underlined) from the book hits close to home.   Today I share some of these with you… “your feelings of inadequacy are actually a qualification of usefulness … we can often identify with people’s failures even more than their success.”   (page 3) “One of my greatest fears for Christian people is that we will start valuing safety over danger … the prevent l...

Proverbs 3:5-6   NASB Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.   In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. God has a plan.   God wants to walk in our lives and give us the best possible path.   We will miss His best and His blessings if we don’t lean on Him and go His way.   Let’s add in another fact.   We must learn from the stories of the Bible.   God didn’t give us this book to simply add to our lives.   He gave us the Bible to guide and found our lives on.   These stories and facts of faith are intended to shape us. Daniel 3:17 -18   NASB If it be so , our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.   But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” What we...

James 1:2-4   NLT Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,   knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.   And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. That verse has been part of my Christian walk for as long as I been a Christian.   That is well over 27 years by now.   The first sermon I heard on these verses was powerful and one I listened to many times.   It has stuck with me. Turn the tables and learn how to apply it in the face of pain and sorrow is another thing.   In my work in the church and community I have seen lots and lots of pain and heartache.   Those things have made these verses come to life.   Joy is so needed.   Trials will come, have come and will keep on coming.   Joy is what will give us some perspective. I’ve walked with several people in the last couple decades who have taught me what joy l...

Yesterday I shared the story of a man named Naaman, and it was the last message in our back in the day series at The Community Fellowship.   During this series we have been looking at various stories in the Bible.   Please read the story for yourself (the verses below) and take a few minutes to think through a couple of observations at the end.   My prayer is that we will see and seize the miracles that God has for each of us: 2 Kings 5:1-19 MSG 1-3  Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in the highest esteem because it was by him that God had given victory to Aram: a truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin disease. It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman’s wife. One day she said to her mistress, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria, he would be healed of his skin disease.” ...

Hello Community Family and Friends - Our policy is to have worship service every Sunday, but we encourage every one to take the most caution possible in getting to church.  We will have our regular worship time at 10:10am Sunday morning and invite you and others to join us if possible. We also ask that you take some extra time to serve others impacted by the winter weather.  By serving others we are demonstrating the love of God to our community .  Please pass this info on to others. Have a great weekend.  Stay safe and warm, and may God bless you big time! With GOD as my guide, Pastor Michael Harrison -- James 1:5 PS - the Martinsville Winter / Warming Shelter at the Salvation Army is not open tonight (Saturday, February 20th) as the temperature is supposed to be over 32 degrees.  The shelter is to be open Sunday night and the following nights as the temperatures are at or below freezing.  Pray for those who do not have a place to stay and especially those who have been served by the ...

This week has allowed me to take a renewed look at some things I have written in the past.   We have had some great time with snow days, and the kids have not been in school all week.   Sitting and thinking.   Doing a little reading. I’ve also had a few conversations about happiness and joy that have led me to share something I wrote a couple years ago.   Let me first say that we must chose joy.   Happiness is not the promise of God, but joy is God’s promise as we dwell on and live in Him.   Read on and may God refresh, renew and restore our joy in Him! Lamentations 5:21   NLT Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!  Give us back the joys we once had! Let me give us some ways to keep our joy fresh.  I understand that we aren’t always going to be happy and excited.  We can put in place truth that will let us see through situations.  The same is true for us.  Here are 5 ways to keep your joy....

This is a great event that helps our youth accomplish one of their goals.  Come out this Friday evening, February 20th, for 31 BINGO .  Doors open at 6pm, and the games begin at 6:30! Come play Thirty-One Bingo for a chance to win some AMAZING Thirty-One Products! 22 chances to win!! 20 regular bingo games, one "special" (ING) game, one coverall game. $25 for adults 18 and up, $10 for ages 5-17. Door prizes, 50/50 raffle, concessions.  Please pass the word that this event is still on.  It might be cold outside, but we are ready to have a great time and support our youth ministry at The Community Fellowship. Also, this is the last weekend for our series "Back In the Day", and it is 90's weekend.  Dress up, and you might win a prize.  It all begins at 10:10am.  Bring someone with you to church.  We will be looking back at a Bible story that will encourage us to seek God and serve others. We hope to see you soon! [ to learn more about The Community Fellowship or Dr...

Hebrews 6:19   NLT This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Yesterday I talked about being a “broker of hope”, and today I want to continue the conversation.   Let’s walk in a little different direction where hope continues to be what is needed and what will make a huge difference. This world needs more hope.   We would all agree that our world is twisted and in deep trouble.   Without the greatness of God and the grace that only God can offer, there is little to no reason to go on.   But we have hope.   This is not a hope to win the lottery or hope to get a better job.   This is hope that takes us places we cannot take ourselves to. Psalm 145:15   NLT The eyes of all look to you in hope ; you give them their food as they need it. The biggest place we need hope is when we feel we are hopeless and helpless.   When sin gets a dangerous hold...

This week’s volunteer of the week at The Community Fellowship is Danny and Kathy Wilson!!!   Danny and Kathy Wilson live in the Brosville area and have been part of The Community Fellowship family for a year.   During the week they often volunteer at the church and have helped with unloading donations, greeting our visitors, sorting and numbering Christmas gifts for foster children in our community and providing much appreciated support to staff members.   Danny provides security at the church and has been a vital help during our B2S (back2school) event where children hear about Christ and have their feet washed by one of our volunteer team members and receive new shoes, socks, book bags, haircuts and clothes each fall to begin the new school year.   Kathy is our “fill in” Receptionist when needed and was a tremendous help during the church Yard Sale in July, the annual ...

Several years ago I catch a phrase from a pastor that I respected because of his work with hurting people.   He said, “I am a broker of hope.”   That small phrase has continued to ring in my heart even though the pastor who I heard it from passed away a few years back. Hope has not gone away.   The work he did and the lives he has touched continues.   It is amazing to hear stories of how someone made a difference because they took some time to share and care for another person.   What they did may have been big or may have been small.   But what sticks out is that they did something.   They saw a need or a person with potential and spoke in to that person’s life. Job 11:18   NLT Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. I have been watching a growing story.   A pastor in Florida has been posting in social media (Facebook and twitter) his time with a man in his community that recently...