Michael Harrison's e-devotion

I have met a lot of heroes in my life, but some of them aren’t the people you think they might be.  Some heroes wear uniforms of various kinds.  Some heroes have an extra special talents.  But I want to tell you about some other heroes that I know very well. 1 Peter 4:10  NLT   God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. It is back2school week for so many of our locations, and this week on several days our heroes will be gathering.  Would you like to join in? One place they will gather is at our future campus, 700 Commerce Court in Martinsville, to pack a couple thousand backpacks.  Tuesday at 6pm is the place to be and time to be part of. Another time that heroes will gather is Saturday when the big back2school event is happening.  Also Friday afternoon at our church in Collinsville, we will be serving students in each location.   The Dictionary.com website says a hero is a ...

We continue our series #HopeHeroes at The Community and talked yesterday about about using our voices to help others.  We become a hero and give hope to others as we help someone else. Proverbs 31:8-9  NLT Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. 9  Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. That is a direct word for each of us.  Our voices have power.  Our truth, or God’s truth that we share, is able to change things for so many people.  That is why God calls us to speak up for others, for those who sometimes can speak for themselves.  Speak up for those who cannot give you anything in return. 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 yours...

We began a new series called #HopeHeroes at church on Sunday talking about people who made a difference in their world.  There are people all around us who qualify for this title.   Be careful.  We often make heroes of people who we think are extra ordinary or uncommon when in fact most really are common.  People like David.  When he was anointed king, his father was the last one he thought about.  How about Gideon?  He was hiding from everyone, not just God, and when he finally was willing to do what God asked, he thought he needed a huge army.  God dwindled that down to a few hundred to defeat thousands.  How about Paul?  The most unlikely to be a picture of faith because of his anti-faith stance and work.  Eve think about Moses. God takes the people who seem the most common and will use them to do uncommon things.  God takes what is ordinary and uses it or them to do the extra ordinary.  Remember that. Matthew 19:26...

Ashes remind us of death and repentance in the tradition of those who follow Jesus.  It is not pretty, or at least it is not meant to be.  Honestly, this ought to be an act of humility as we prepare ourselves for Easter and the understanding that Jesus gave His life for ours.  Literally there was an exchange. We aren’t worthy, but Jesus made us worthy.  Ashes remind us that we have been forgiven and enter a new life by the act and sacrifice of the only savior.  Jesus is the savior, our friend, God in the flesh and so much more. He is a hero to say the least.  He was common we are told.  Many verses in the Bible before his before and after let us know that Jesus came from a common home and led somewhat of a common life until His ministry began. Hero is not a term we use for Jesus.  But He was just that.  Or Jesus is just that.  Hero. Hebrews 10:10  NLT For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Ch...

The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt. --- Bono, lead singer of U2 It amazes me that people finally get it. No, I am not talking about the man I have just quoted. What I am talking about is the world in crisis turning to Jesus. Mark it down, check the history. Every time something significant and painful hurts us we turn toward God as a people and as a nation. That is not different. It is a fact. Many times it has happened, yet each time there is a turning toward God and a turning away. Honestly, I love the take that Bono has on this. Watch him in the media and when he is given an opportunity to make a difference. No matter the situation, something is going to be positive about God and to help people. We are watching a celebrity who is radical for stuff that is anti God. We hear stuff that is from God and about God and moral all over the place. Ephesians 5:16 (nlt) --...

Proverbs 16:9 (nlt) --- We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Luke 11:28 (nlt) --- ...blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. My precious wife and I were blessed with tickets to see Michael W. Smith in concert this past Friday in Lynchburg. It was good. For 1/4 of a century this man has impacted lives and talked about Jesus in places few of us will have the opportunity to lead from. People talk about Smitty (his nickname) in all kinds of directions. I say this gentleman who loves God is a great worship leader and is authentic. He is a leader to those in the music community and in many other ways. His length of time in the music business and doing it all in the name of Jesus is a mark of true success. Would you agree? The time we keep on keeping on says much about our character and about how much we will give toward our success. God blesses our commitments when He is lifted high. Cudos to Michael W. Smith, and thank you for the awesome m...

Saw Spiderman 3 with the family yesterday afternoon. It was pretty good. Not sure which of the trilogy is the best yet. There were some things in the movie over the tip and some just over done, yet there were some really good points that I want to draw your attention to in this e-devotion. In this movie Spiderman got to see both sides of himself, the good and the bad, the hero and the villan. Notice that the villan became self absorbed and arrogant pretty fast. He began to look out for what felt-good and what made him look good. That characteristic was present before but was not too noticeable until it was over the top. Matthew 16:24 (nlt) --- Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me." A hero is one who will always touch the lives of other people and make a difference. A villan is looking to get rich or increase their power. Philippians 2:3-4 (nasb) --- Do nothing...

Man, are there lots of thoughts about what a Hero is. I keep digging in to learn the contrast between a Hero in the world's eye and the Hero of God's heart. There is a huge difference. Here are some definitions (or at least part of some): person of exceptional courage and nobility and strength, champion: someone who fights for a cause, able to perform acts that others cannot, central character in a play or movie, a sandwich of some type Oh well, we have to define Hero for ourselves. Here is where I want us to go: A Hero is NOT someone able to do the extraordinary things but believes and leads others to live faith filled lives. This is a person of huge faith and encourages others live by faith. A savior of sorts who fills lives and communities with hope and refreshment. Who is a Hero? We will go there later. I have been reading some sermons I wrote over 14 years ago that came from Hebrews 11. Some good stuff, I don't say so myself. Here are a couple thoughts I ran a...

Psalm 16:3 (nlt) --- The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! John 15:13 (nlt) --- There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. We started our series called HEROES at The Community Fellowship yesterday, and I am more excited about this series than ever before. We talked about how people in Hebrews 11 became Heroes for people back then and for us today. The verse that stuck out for me, is this: Hebrews 11:38 (nasb) --- men of whom the world was not worthy... How is it that they were not worthy? They went beyond the call. They had vision that got them through tough times. They knew that God's word and their Messiah or Savior would be worth any pain or sacrifice. The question I left our folks with and I leave you with is this: What does it take to be hero today? 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (nlt) --- When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to fi...

Who are our heroes? Superman, Michael Jordan, Jeff Gordon, Peyton Manning, Gene Simmons, Michael Jackson, Sipderman? (Just a reminder that the Spiderman 3 movie comes out today!) Some are heroes. Some are not. We need to ask ourselves what a hero really is? We will get all kinds of answers and thoughts about heroes. But it is always plain to see that a hero is someone who does something or is able to do something extra ordinary. I've been keeping up with the TV series Heroes and enjoying every episode. In fact, we start at new series at church this Sunday called Heroes where we will look at what it takes to be a hero. They are all around us. Yep. Sitting next to you at school. Driving next to you on the road. Across the room at McDonals and everywhere you go. There are heroes. Maybe even starring at you in the mirror Heroes are people who have great faith and lead others to have great faith. One of my favorite verses about heroes is this one: Acts 15:26 (nlt) --- who have risked t...