Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  The word partner brings lots of different thoughts.  But the best thing that it brings to mind are people.  Like Eric in south Texas.  Like Robert who lives in the next town over.  Like Teresa or Dave that lives and works near our church.  Like the church across town that has similar ministries that we support.  Like the pastor and church a couple states away that encourages me and works hard to help all of us be stronger. We need great partners.  Are you one of those to the people you encounter? Colossians 2:2  NLT I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.   We need partners who have a passion and willings to follow the call of God on our lives.  To lift up Jesus is the biggest difference we can make.   I think about the people who our church and who I have been bl...

Yesterday I was able to be part of a prayer summit.  It was full of encouragement, Scripture and prayer.  Very encouraging to say the least.  Today I would like to unload some notes that I took.  May God inspire us to pray and connect with Him. 1 Timothy 2:8  NLT In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. Read on… here are some of my notes! — When we pray at church together, ask yourself is this what Jesus had in mind when Jesus said he wants his house to be a “house of prayer”. — Too often we just repeat what we have heard.  Be a great example of prayer for others.  Connect with God in praise and more. — Whoever starts the conversation, guides the conversation. — Scripture led prayer is transferable and is life changing.  Use Scripture in prayer and to lead prayer. — Open your Bible to have a conversation with the Author so He transforms your life. — Seek His face and not just ...

Who are they? There are so many people who come through our lives that leave a mark on us.  Some will stick around for a long time while others seem to come in and out as fast as they possibly can.  What is true is that people matter and people leave a lasting impression or mark on our lives. Meet the dreamer. This is the person that almost never keeps their feet on the ground.  They think big and think long.  They have plans that are what many would call “over the top” or simply out there somewhere.  People have told them for a long time to be more realistic or to stop wasting their time. But God made the dreamer.  He has put in their hearts dreams and passion to accomplish things that no one else can.  Maybe you are a dreamer.  Then dream.  Maybe you know a dreamer or two.  Encourage them to dream and dream big I’d say that I am a dreamer, and this is something that I cherish and am grateful for.  Ask God to fill and fuel your dre...

Cuba ahead. Next Tuesday I break the fast.  Well, what I mean is I get to return to Cuba for the first time in 29 months.  I am excited and nervous and ready and praying for great impact. Isaiah 43:19  NLT For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. It is something new but in a place where we have been able to serve in the past.  Yesterday I asked that you pray for this trip and the FCA ministry in Cuba.  These are incredible and gifted people serving as God opens doors. Let me give you just a small picture of why this work and others means so much to me.  It is clear, and it is important. One of my mentors told me years ago, “the light that shines the farthest must necessarily shine brightest at home.”  That is from Herb Hodges. In other words we should not travel to a far destination to do some ministry that we a...

Why Cuba? In just a few days I get to return to Cuba after 29 months away.  It is an honor to serve the Lord with a group of people that love others, serve with all their heart and have a passion to see lives change. I ask that you pray for the work in Cuba and for this trip.  Let me know if you would like to help further.  Donations of medicines and hygiene products as well as money are needed with the trip.   Much of this work is with a team that serves athletes and coaches and is connected to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or FCA.  Alex and his team continue to serve, to share the Gospel and meet so many needs.  In Covid has allowed doors to be open for the meeting of back needs such as food, clothing, medicine and so much more. Our team of people here in the United States has had great opportunity to find new ways to help our team in Cuba, and that has become a great blessing.  It is still a challenge, but it is happening. For this trip I wil...

This Sunday we do one of the things that is most important and exciting about being part of a New Testament church.  Baptism is a big deal for several reasons, and I want to invite you, if you have never been baptized, to join us. Baptism is the next step after accepting Jesus as your Savior.  In fact if you read Acts 8 and the story about Phillip and the Ethiopian you get this picture lived out. Acts 8:36  NIV   As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” A change was happening in the Ethiopian’s life, and he was ready to keep walking with Jesus.  Is that true of you? From our church new member class you will find this: Christian baptism by immersion is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Chris...

The following e-devotion was first shared in August of 2009.  I ran across it again, and this really is part of my heart.  Oh that we would be caught being kind, being like Jesus! … We are never more alive than when we are connected to God.  Let me take it a step further.  We are never more alive than when we are serving God by serving others.  I get excited when I read that someone or some church is going off the deep end serving outside of their comfort zone and doing things that are not the status quo. Why does that stuff get to me the way it does?  It is because God has worked in my heart.  Yep, I've known God all my life and been his child since May of 1986, and I haven't gotten over it.  My prayer is that I will be more excited about God and serving others today than I ever have been before.  My objective is to lead others to be more excited than ever about God and serving others.  What do you think? Staying connected to God isn't ...

  What makes a difference? That is a subjective question as the answers could be all over the place and very different for each person.  But if I can for this e-devotion point you to just a few things that make a difference in my life. Family.  Make much of the people who mean the most to you because it is easy to overlook the ones who are the closest.  The older I get the more these people mean to me and I desire to make my time with them count. Joshua 24:15  NASB …as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Friends.  I am not sure how big your circle is, but my circle isn’t getting bigger.  It might be getting smaller.  Fewer people are able to sit in the these that are most important, but I desire to have people who really care and who share similar values and passion with me.  These people make me better. Proverbs 17:17  NASB A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Faith.  Always be ready to share ...

He is so much more than Easter.  That is why we focus on Him as risen.  Think about the things you have learned about Jesus.  How has He influenced your reality and your life?  He is… King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The almighty, Alpha and Omega, The Amen, Bread from Heaven and the bread of Life, Our Shepherd , Christ, Deliverer, Immanuel, Faithful witness and friend, Gate, God and good, Holy and Righteous One, the I am, King of the Jews, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Lord of all, King of Glory, Master, Mediator and Messiah, Passover lamb, Prince of Peace, Savior, son of Man, son of God, Way, truth and the life, Word, the door and so much more.  He is… Resurrection and the life! That is why we find ourselves in the greatest of places thinking about the empty tomb.  It is the close of Holy Week and a lot happened in just seven days.  From being praised as king to be crucified as a criminal.  Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or He is Lord....

1 Corinthians 15:57  NLT But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Good Friday. Those two words seem to not go together, maybe even an oxymoron (when two words are put together but not alike).  What was good about that Friday? Fridays are most people’s favorite day of the week.  It is the end of the school or work week.  It is the day when the fun begins or the weekend.  Numerous reasons make Fridays a special day that have been exciting and look forward to forever. But not this Friday.  We are talking about the Friday of Easter when Jesus died.   This day was the end of of a era where so many lives were changed, miracles happened, people followed more every day, and there was Jesus in the middle.  Larger than like might describe Jesus. He was not set to be a king but was.  A different kind of king.  A savior king describes the part Jesus was given by His father. But it is the pain of this Frida...

Thursday of Holy Week was one of the most important.  It holds the beginning of an important part of our faith journey we know as communion or the Lord’s Supper.  That happened during the Passover meal that Jesus had with those closest to Him.  The other part of Thursday was the arrest of Jesus and what took place in the Garden that night. It is known at Maundy Thursday which relates to the latin word for command speaking to the instruction Jesus gave His disciples during the last supper.  It is also called Holy Thursday.  Let’s pull it in to the two happenings and watch how they unfold. Matthew 26:26-29  NLT   As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenan...

Hello Community Family and Friends, Yes.  It is Easter week or also known as Holy Week.  So much changed in the last week of Jesus' light.  From the triumphant entry with all praising Jesus, to the death and horrible pain of the cross, to the empty tomb found on Sunday.  We celebrate Jesus.  He is alive! Be encouraged to join us this Sunday, Easter Sunday, for a special time of worship.  Yes we do meet each week, but this Sunday we will spend a special time together celebrating, remembering, honoring and even praying.  There is a place for you and others at The Community Fellowship this Sunday. INVITE some people to come to church with you.  You can share our Facebook posts.  You can text or phone a friend.  You can invite someone you see at the store or restaurant.  You can make a special effort to share an invite and some love with the people you care about that are not usually in church.  Easter is a great time to ask some people to join you because on this holiday or holy day p...

Holy Week It is holy week as we move toward Easter this coming weekend.  The day after Palm Sunday, the triumphant entry, where Jesus was celebrated as king as told of through prophecy.  All this points leads us to see the passion of this hero.   Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week week finds Jesus teaching important lessons.  I share part of the story that sticks out for me.   Jesus was and is God, but Jesus was also human.  That is what made him stand out.  Can you imagine the heaviness of the week?  Can you imagine being fully God knowing that the coming days were going to be incredibly hard.  Jesus kept on following the Father’s direction and helping others find faith.   On Monday Jesus went to the temple.    Matthew 21:12-13  NLT Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13...

We continued our series called MY KING yesterday focusing on the fact that Jesus is our forever king.  It is also Palm Sunday.   Jesus is the one who came in to Jerusalem on that special day as the people were celebrating Passover.  So many people had experienced something out of the ordinary as they followed Jesus.  Many were simply curious about Jesus.  That is where we find the people celebrating Jesus as more than a man.  he is the God man, sent from the Father.   This begins what we know as Holy Week.  It began with Palm Sunday and moves through several different scenes cumulating in Jesus on the cross and ending with the surprise and excitement of the empty tomb.  Jesus was and is resurrected. Jesus is the king who came to town on that first Palm Sunday. He is Jesus Christ, sent from the Father, He is Lord and Savior, the blessed and only Sovereign, king of kings and Lord of lords, He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end...