Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Yesterday was the beginning of what many Christians celebrate as the season of Lent leading up to Easter.  It is often called “Ash Wednesday” which has been signified in church services with a pastor places ashes in the form of a cross on someone’s forehead. Many Christian traditions celebrate this in a humble way.  Some spend a great deal of time fasting and praying.  You might have heard people say that they are giving up something as their sacrifice or fast for lent.  It might be a time of literally fasting from food, from social media has been mentioned recently, or simply a choice to spend more time with the Lord. Easter is most definitely the greatest of Christian holidays.  Why is that?  Christmas is important but is mute without the truth of Jesus’ death that we honor at Easter.  Any other spiritual service or event don’t compare to the beauty and depth of the Easter holiday. I share this with you for several reasons, but the biggest is that we cannot leave behi

If you are anything like me, you have a tough time watching people hurt.  The economy, job lose, personal trauma, drug addiction and so much more are all around us.  Seems to be an epidemic.  Yet I think there is something else of even far greater epidemic proportions: selfishness. Hear me out.  Don't turn me off, at least not yet.  The only way you turn your selfishness around is by doing something for someone else.  Stop talking about who hurt you, what happened to you, the pain you are in or how bad things are.  Those things may be true, but God is still God and has still blessed you.  Turn things around.  Give it a try. Leviticus 19:18    HCSB Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself.    That verse hits me hard.  What part of myself do I put in front of helping others or doing things for other people?  It could be the people that I come across through ministry at church, those I pass by at the s

Here is a devotion from Henri Nouwen that spoke to me big time.  As you read this I pray that we believe the fact that we belong to God. You Belong to God At issue here is the question: “To whom do I belong? God or to the world?” Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me. . . . As long as we belong to this world, we will remain subject to its competitive ways and ex

We began a new series yesterday at The Community on the book of James.  Some verses that I began to understand as a teen were our focus.  My aunt had given me a tape of one of her Pastor’s sermons.  It was from the same Scripture.  It has run through my mind and heart ever since. The concepts aren’t easy because it asks us to be full of joy when we struggle.  That doesn’t seem right.  It is foreign or is it?  Humanly speaking having joy when things are bad isn’t reality.  From God’s perspective it is right on and very possible. James 1:2-4  NLT Dear brothers and sisters,   when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.   So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. When trouble comes your way, choose joy. When your faith is tested, let it work in your life. When you find yoursel

Proverbs 16:9  NASB The mind of   man   plans his way, But the   Lord  directs his steps. I sit and wonder often about the impact of our ministry and church.  Then out of nowhere some information comes at me almost like a ton of bricks. When God shows up, He does more in one minute than I can do in a lifetime.  His desire for you and me is simply to be part of His plan to change the world, and that change begins with what God is doing in our own lives.  He is at work to do so much more than we know. Look back over your journey.  For me that is 49 years of life and almost 34 years as a follower of Christ.  There have been mountain top experiences and lots of valleys or lows.  I wouldn’t give up any of them, and many of those I hold very close to my heart.  Some of those memories I have not or have rarely shared with any one. God is working in my heart still.  Listen, we are never to old or to young to be used my God.  We are never to poor or without resources becau

Isn’t it amazing how we can find our way using telephone?  Put in an address one mile away or 3,000 miles away and whatever GPS application you use will guide you to the place you have set. Year’s ago I remember going online and printing out turn-by-turn directions that made our trip much easier.  When you made a wrong turn, it was hard to get back to the right route.  Those pages where like a treasure found by the greatest searcher. As a teenager traveling with my family and even when I was in college I remember those maps that my dad bought me at Sam’s Club.  Spiral bound, thick and colorful paper with double page spread of each state.  It even had some cool other maps to places everyone wanted to go. We need something to direct us.  After going somewhere a few times I don’t use a map or GPS any longer, but at first something had to guide me. The Christian life or really life itself needs direction.  God offers us help and truth that guide our steps and our thinki