Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Psalm 146:8  NLT The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. For the next few days I am serving with the Men On A Mission team.  Each year, other than during Covid, this team gathers on Memorial Day week to help build or rebuild a church or community.  Twice this group has been with us at our new campus, and these are incredible people. Typically it is a team of 60 to 80 men with all kinds of skills who are ready to hit the ground running.  This week there are about 25 men who are helping rebuild homes in the tornado torn area around Dawson Springs, Kentucky.   I drove through the area today, and I was torn deep inside seeing the devastation that the tornados of last December did to this region.  It really is huge.  Actually this area reminds me of my Oklahoma home during my childhood and the many storms that came near us and did lots of damage. Today there are places that look like wide...

I shared much of the following e-devotion in May of 2013.  We must honor those who gave their all for our nation’s freedom! I remember hearing my grandfather mention being in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  He wouldn’t share much, but you could tell he was proud of his service to our nation.  Another grand father, the one I am named after, served in the Army, and I had two other uncles that were in the military, one who was a U.S. Air Force jet pilot.  He was my idol for lots of years (he also had a corvette).  Being in the military was an honor, or at least I remember people holding those who have served in great esteem.  We should continue to do the same today.  Men and women through the years have fought for our freedom.  Many have lost their lives.  Many have returned home to share stories, but all for the same reason. I listened to a preacher talk about the reason America is a great country.  He quoted a leader from a country aw...

  How do we respond to tragedy?  Be careful how you answer that because we are not always sure how we will respond. In this e-devotion closing out the week I challenge us to look at how we respond to tragedy and horrific happenings that are close to us and those that are far from us, those that touch our lives and those that seem to be of no impact on us. We are thousands of miles from Uvalde, Texas where a teenager with a gun killed so many elementary students and a few adults this week.  We live thousands and thousands of miles from Ukraine where fighting continues. Yet I was less than one mile from the hotel that recently exploded due to a gas leak in Cuba.  I was close by when a friend’s daughter passed away a few months ago and one of the first people at their home.   And the list goes on and on.  Some tragedies we are close to and some we are not.  But wait… some people are close to all places where bad things happen.  I mean close.  Th...

The following devotion is from Pastor Robert Morris.  Check out this devotion from the series “first” … 2 Corinthians 5:14 MSG His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Picture that perfect moment in your life. That time in your life so wonderful you wouldn’t change a single thing about it. A time when you said, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” Maybe it was your wedding day. Or it might have been after you received the job promotion you were fasting and praying about. It could have been a time when you were hanging out with close friends and having fun. Or maybe it was simply a quiet evening spent at home with your family and loved ones. No matter how wonderful that moment was, it doesn’t even begin to compare to what God has in store for us. The final book of the Bible gives us a tiny peek into what He has planned: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making His home with men and women! They’re His people, He’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear fr...

  Today I come to you with a heavy heart for so many reasons.  Compassion is something that Jesus had for the people He met who were hurting and living without direction.  He did something about the hurting around Him, and we must do the same. Proverbs 3:25-26  NASB Do not be afraid of sudden danger, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26  For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. Yesterday there was a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.  Such a sad tragedy in so many ways.  Many students and a few adults lost their lives in this event, and it breaks my heart.   Pray for those impacted by the shooting.  Pray for those who touched by tragedy and who are victims of things outside their control.  Ask God to protect the innocent and to have mercy and justice on those who have responsibility.   My heart is heavy due to a report given to my denomination earlier this week abou...

Sunday our church had an appreciation day for First Responders.  I shared a message about living with purpose.  The following is part of that message: There is more to this life than just getting by. Few people choose to live with great purpose, yet most of you have made some pretty clear choices.  Don’t live just for yourself.  Live to help and serve others. Philippians 2:3-5 NASB Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, The thought of being selfish might not live in your character.  I pray it doesn’t.  And I also pray that our look and action match the purpose God has put in our hearts.  There is more to this life than being served. Galatians 5:13 NASB For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do...

Last week was spent doing a lot of thinking and catching up.  But one of the things that sticks out to me most is what God was teaching me about myself.  Who am I?  That is a great and important question. I heard this from a preacher I listen to, “God cares more about the dreamer than he does the dream.  God cares more about our character than He does what we do.” 1 Peter 2:25  NIV   For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. When things get hard or confusing or stressing, simply return.  Listen to God.  See what His plan is and how much He loves you.  A shepherd was there for the sheep to guide and protect, to provide and to give peace.  That is where the greatest amount of our growth will happen. Be at peace.  Know you are protected and provided for by the one who loves you most.  That is why spending time with God and allowing Him to build our character is so...

  Wins might seem different for each and every person.  For an athlete a win is crossing the finish line first or scoring the most points in the important game.  For a parent a win might look like a kid’s first steps or graduation from a particular grade or even their first grand child born.  Wins take on all different shapes and sizes as our lives encounter the journeys we are on. In relation to my recent trip to Cuba I would like to end this week and sharing about the trip with sharing what I saw as the biggest wins.  There were many, and I will not share all of them.  yet I do want to point you to the places where I saw God work and believe that He will continue to do the same. Psalm 34:5  NLT Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. After walking away from the carousel and retrieving my checked bag at the Havana Airport I walked through the “nothing to declare” check point.  And this ...

Proverbs 16:9  NLT We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Goal setting is an incredible thing.  I remember a statement I heard many years ago that rings in my head and heart when I start to set a plan in place.  “If you aim for nothing, you will hit it every time.” To set a goal is a good thing.  In fact when we know where we are headed somethings will change and we will know what is ahead of us. I believe God is in the plans.  The plan for my trip for Cuba came together very fast.  There were several weeks that I wasn’t sure that this trip was to happen.  I had prayed and sought God, but there wasn’t direction for some time. Then I was in a meeting with several people who are committed to the sports ministry in Cuba.  It was during that meeting that God spoke to my heart.  There were several things that came across my mind as we talked, and it seemed that God not only told me that I should go but the things that needed to ...

I continue to share from my time in Cuba the last two weeks, but I also want to ask you to pray for something special going on at The Community Fellowship. This Sunday we are hosting a First Responder Appreciation Day for all police, fire, EMS and 911 workers.  Please help us share this opportunity.  Also, we will be starting Cop Church, a Bible study for first responders that will take place the first Monday and third Wednesday of each month.  Pray for the impact on these special people. Back to Cuba.  As I have shared already one of the best parts of the trip was the time I spent with the leaders of the sports ministry.  These are incredible people who have taken the call of God to serve and disciple athletes.  The opportunities in their ministry really are huge and various. What does it take to have a great team?  I am asking from a spiritual point of view.  How would God desire that we act and live toward our team?  During our time togeth...

One of the most important things to know when you are working with people is the culture around you, but it is not always easy to understand.  We can often overlook things that are right in front of us or even ignore facts that are obvious because they are difficult or dealing with them might be risky. Cuba is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but the most beautiful part really is the people.  Understanding the setting is much different than where I live is important. James 1:5  NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. We need God’s help to understand all things around us and even to understand ourselves.  He knows all because He is the creator as well as the keeper of life and the giver of purpose.  I really want to see people through His eyes. Cuba is a very different culture from where I live.  Let me put some of my thoughts together, and my hope is that this will help y...

Over the next few days I am going to share from my time in Cuba this month.  I am still reeling from the joy and connection that this trip gave me.  God provided.  He set us with time with the FCA (sports ministry) leaders, and the outcome seems to be much deeper and longer than we might know. These people are committed to making a difference in the lives of others because Jesus made a difference in their lives.  One of the things I got to do on this trip was teach some leaders lessons as I encouraged them to go to the next level in the way they deal with each other, the way they lead others and the way they make themselves stronger leaders who are walking with Jesus. Here are some notes from one of those sessions.  These come from a session taught years ago by Bill Hybels about living with a legacy mindset.  Read on! Leaders are visionaries by nature. We see pictures of the future that produce passion.  Great leaders understand that God treasures peop...

It is good to be home!  And I would like to share so many great things that happened on my Cuba trip, but I will save those for a little while.  I’d rather use this e-devotion to tell you a couple things that are very important to me.   Proverbs 11:25  NLT The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. So many people helped make this nine day Cuban excursion with purpose a reality.  I will be reaching out to each person to give a report and say thank you. But what really sticks out is the reality that none of us are ever alone.  We need each other.  Others refresh us.  Others build us up.  Others make us better and stronger.  Others fill in the gaps where we can’t.  Others are vital.  I am so grateful for the others in my life.  And you know who you are! I am reading a book by Pastor Benny Tate, Defy the Odds, and in this book he commends the reader to stop and say thank as well as honor...