Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Today is an important day for children every where as Halloween is celebrated.  I am not going to share the wickedness of the holiday or the comparison of the day. What I will do is encourage you and others to focus on what really matters.  The truth is simple.  The one who provides for us is so many things that we can lift up and shout about.  Jesus is life.  God is peace.  You are loved by God.  He is not just willing to help and be with us, but it is His nature to make our lives stronger and better.   Remember who you are.  Forgiven.  Remember that focusing on the good and on God will change almost every situation, will remove your shame, will encourage others to live in peace and not fear, and allows us to share the love of God as it has been shared with us. Enjoy the day.  Enjoy the candy and the fun.  But most of all enjoy life!  Now, share that with others. Romans 5:1  NLT   Therefore, since we have been m...

Over the next serval days I will get to serve with a great team at Martinsville Speedway as NASCAR is in town.  Three races.  Lots of fans.  So many snacks and cups of coffee.  Helping ADA fans.  And so much more. Why do we do this?  Why do we volunteer our times, energy and efforts?  Thanks for asking. Serving them Galatians 5:13  NLT   For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. The best way to let someone know that God loves them is to serve them.  The greatest way to find your passion in life is to serve others.  That is why we serve! Sharing with them 1 Thessalonians 2:8  NLT   We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. Good news.  The best news of all is that God loves people, and we serve and share so that people will come ...

People need Jesus.  We need Jesus.  We began this week with, who brought you to Jesus, and who are you bringing to Jesus.  Those are important questions. What is telling and even more important can be found in our church’s theme for 2022.  HE>i…  Literally it means God is bigger, is more important, is thought of more and is the focus of one’s life.   Further, that is a process.  It doesn’t happen over night.  We need to and can strive to see that God is more important than we are.  We can seek Him so that He is more than anything else in our lives.  Yet that is not the norm, it is not what the world expects or what our enemy wants. I will make it a point for me and for my family, for our church and how I lead to make sure that God increases… John 3:30  NLT   He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. That is the theme verse as well.  In fact the passage and story I shared on Sunday of people br...

Here is a part of a newsletter / article from one of my mentors, Blaine Bartel (you can find his stuff at www.blainebartel.com).  This was originally titled How to Handle the Haters.  This is a long article, but take some time.  Read on… “To the Haters: Take a number. The line is long, but it moves quickly.”  I remember furiously composing this tweet about eight years ago.   A long-time friend and former colleague in ministry had just posted a hateful and derogatory comment about me online.  In the moment, it hurt.  It spitefully targeted past failures in my life that I had repented of and quite honestly, I was still crawling out of the ashes of all the repercussions. This friend had never reached out to me to have a conversation of any kind.  At the time, I didn’t know how to handle hate.  I allowed the poisonous arrows of shame to go straight to my heart. I had imaginations of revenge. I found bitter feelings taking up preciou...

Yesterday I shared a message with our church about the people who brought their friend to Jesus.  They had to cut a hole in the roof of a house to get him to Jesus.  And that one act, bringing their friend to Jesus, changed so many things. In the message I asked two questions.  These might be very good questions for you to answer and to think about a little deeper… Who brought you to Jesus? Who are you bringing to Jesus? We all need Jesus.  First it is salvation.  That changes us forever and ever.  But we also need Jesus every day. It might be that we can bring people to Jesus when they are struggling, when they need healing, or when we need a dose of hope and help.  Jesus is the one who gives what we can’t give, and what He gives last a lot longer than anything we can give. Think of the reasons you would bring people to Jesus.  It ought to be many reasons.  And praise God that He gave us His son to come to. 1 Peter 5:7  NLT   Give ...

Ephesians 6:19  NLT   May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. We’ve only just begun.  Yes, that is part of a song.  I remember from my childhood, and there are are so many truths in that short phrase.   So many things we deal with in life take a lifetime or a long time to make happen.  It takes years for a human to grow up.  It takes time for a broken bone to mend.  It takes time for a broken heart to heal.  It takes time to learn a new language or to build a house. Some things take longer than others, and you may very well be like me and have very little patience.  Waiting is often hard.  But our God is always working even when the process is taking some time to be completed. In the middle of waiting someone is saying “we’ve only just begun”, and maybe God is saying “we’ve only just begun”.  Lo...

It is a very special day.  My sweet wife and my friend and the most precious gift to our children, Julie celebrates her birthday today.  We have done this together almost 30 times, and each one is just as special and important. I am truly blessed to have this lady in my life.  Julie is more than my partner.  She really has turned in to so much more as we have gone through the valleys and enjoyed the mountain tops.  We have been through some very difficult times, and together we have been in some great and excellent times. Plus, there is much more to come.  I am excited about the future and excited to enjoy the future with my sweet Julie. Let me declare a few things on this day. Proverbs 18:22  NLT   The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. Julie is a treasure.  This is true for me and our children.   Proverbs 31:28-30  NLT   Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 29...

There are so many verses that stick out to me in Romans 8.  That is why the last few days we have been looking at the beginning of the chapter pointing to some of the things God is doing in the lives of those who are pursuing Him. Yes, we are going the same direction another day, but this one will be a little more on the surface.  Just the facts, as the guy from that old police show would say.   Here are some of the verses from Romans 8, the entire chapter, that are important to me.  Since I am just sharing the verses that mean much to me I will challenge you to go read the entire chapter.  Mark the verses that stick out to you.  Then, go share them with the people you meet today or later this week.  You might even go deeper and study the ones that mean the most to you. The verses I cling to, quote often, and need the most are these… Romans 8… and go: Romans 8  NLT   1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ...

  We spend another day in Romans 8 looking at a few of the aspects of what faith in God does to and through our lives.  These truths are life changing.  That is life changing for us and for those we encounter and share our faith with. Take a few minutes today to dig in, to take note of what God says to you, and apply the truth to your heart and life. Romans 8:5-6  NLT   Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  Today’s verses from Romans 8 are a comparison between following the Spirit of God and our flesh.  Many passages in the New Testament deal with the same and give us more insight in to the life a Christian can be living.  It will also give us the reasons why we may struggle each day to fo...

  The next few days we will examine some of Romans 8 and how God gives us the truth of how He has changed out lives.  These verses dig in deep. Deep in to our conviction fueling our confidence.  Deep in to our minds removing the lies and distractions from our enemy.  Deep in to our futures with what God has already settled for each of us who know Him. Read on and note what sticks out for you. Romans 8:1-2  NLT   So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.  Condemnation is something that we have to deal with.  Just living in and out of each day we will come across the struggles and even the battles that leave us scared and beaten down by condemnation.  So how is it gone or thrown out? It is by the grace and goodness of God that we are forgiven of our sins and destined for real freedom....

It is the end of the week.  Maybe you have had a great week or maybe it has been challenging.  Could be that you, like me, have had a week packed with stuff and you are ready for a break. Let me take some time to run to something fun called “the top five”.  Maybe it is like the David Letterman show when he did the top ten.  Or maybe it is like some cool article you have read that gives you ideas on a topic or opinion. This top five is a bit of the overflow of this week where I have been, what I have experienced and more precisely what has encouraged me.  Listen or read on. Number 5.  Catch that verse that sticks out. You have heard some share a verse.  Maybe it is one that you have heard many, many times, but this time it has more meaning.  It could come across as literally a word from God meant just for you. 1 Thessalonians 1:8  NLT   And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Ac...

The game.  That is kind of what started the entire thing. I have been able to be part of events in our local schools this week that are hosted by Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).  Olympic gold medalist Leah O’Brien Amico has been sharing her story about faith and the game she has accomplished so much through. Watching these students be drawn in to her story has been incredible.  She has talked about finish purpose and living with strength.  So many student athletes have spent a few minutes of one on one time getting encouragement and insight in how to better their game and prepare for what is ahead. Leah has shared so many things that go way past the game.  She has shared what will help each of us be better people, to accomplish more and even to contribute enormous blessings to the things we are involved in. But what has touched me most is how this lady loves people and uses her story to share about how Jesus has made a difference in her life, influenced ...

  One of my favorite writers is Henri Nouwen.  I read devotions from him most days, and today’s hit in an area I want to be stronger in.  Gratitude.  Read on and may God help each of us as we decide to be grateful. Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an “accident,” but a divine choice.  It is important to realize how often we have had chances to be grateful and have not used them.  When someone is kind to us, when an event turns out well, when a problem is solved, a relationship restored, a wound healed, there are very concrete reasons to offer thanks: be it with words, with flowers, with a letter, a card, a phone call, or just a gesture of affection. . . . Every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for.  Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love. RUTH 4:14a, 15 (NIV)  The women said to Naomi, "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not lef...

Often we need the reminders.  None of us are perfect.  None of us have arrived. What I do know is that is we have all been in some difficult places.  Situations are often out of our control where we have to choose to move forward or step aside.  It can be a difficult decision. Some of those times we think we are stuck, being in desperate places or even trapped by something or someone. The good news is we have a God who cares and loves us, rescues and restores. From Psalm 3 I find some of those truths that we need to take to heart, hold tightly to and to share with others.  Read on… Psalms 3  NLT   O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2  So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4  I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was wat...

We continue our series called the 3 Circles at The Community Fellowship.  It talks about an easy way to share our faith. God has a plan that He put in motion almost from the beginning of time.  Well, actually from the beginning of us humans messing up with what we know as sin.  God’s design is for us to know purpose and life and love and even abundance.   When sin gets in the way, there is a break in the possibility of us experiencing God and His best for us.  That is why we have to trust God, look to God and share our findings with as many people as possible.  Follow me. Matthew 28:19-20  NLT   Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God gave us a mission.  We have a story to tell.  How are we doing? Acts...