Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Every one is going through something.  Often we are unaware of what that might be, and that is why we should be kind, lookout for our neighbor and pray for one another. Maybe it is you that is going through something that is tough, big and out of your control.  Simply put you are looking for help.  Here is an invitation from God. Matthew 11:28-30  NLT “ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” ” That is big.  In this invitation is an offer we cannot miss and shouldn’t ignore.  Yet we do put it off and ignore the promises of God.  He promises help with our burdens.  He promises rest.  He promises life that has more meaning and strength for the days. In our series at church, Road to recover...

  This week we are taking a look at the various struggles that go on around our lives.  Yesterday we talked about the spiritual struggle comes with our enemy.  That struggle is one we cannot see, and it can be easily missed. The struggle is real.   One of the struggles that has been so real in my life is the struggle of worry.  You might call is anxiety or doubt or uncertainty.  There are plenty of other words that come to mind, but it really is plainly marked as worry. Philippians 4:6-7  NLT   Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Last week we took a deep through Philippians 4 which is where those two verses come from.  But I return to it in thinking about worry. Worry is one of those things that kills our...

There are so many things that cross our minds on the weekend.  It is almost like the flood gates are opened.  Depending on the time of the year, the weather forecast and so much more as to what is coming your direction. Yet the challenge is answering the question of how we will use our time and energy.  I’d like to suggest several opportunities that have crossed my path and where they might lead me. Ephesians 5:16  NASB   making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Because of what I do there are often opportunities or events that I get to be part of.  It might be a wedding, a church event, a retreat or a number of other things.  To take time from family I have to decide to spend my energy on what is most important. That can be a hard decision, but we all have to make important decisions and often.  Use what you have in the best ways you can. 2 Timothy 3:1  NASB  But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will co...

Time is moving by as it is the start of the 4th week of my sabbatical.  It has been a great time.  We returned from Hawaii the middle of last week, and now Julie is with her family in Georgia.  I will be focusing on growing, resting and learning.  It has been a great time.   Yesterday was Father’s Day.  I am blessed to the father of three awesome children.  Furthermore, my earthly father, Richard Harrison is an awesome man.  He has made my life stronger as I learn from him and follow his example. I continue reading Don Wilton’s Saturday’s With Billy and Dean Inserra’s The Unsaved Christian .  Should finish both this week and begin two more including Joe Sangl’s 50/50 Money .  More observations from what I am reading in the weeks ahead. Hawaii was amazing.  The best parts included time with Rebecca and Colman, but the island of Oahu was simply beautiful.  Hope you follow me on Facebook and Instagram so you can see the photos I ...

When we get tired, we have a hard time standing up.  If you are really tired, we might not be able to sit up or even lean.  That is why we need to commit to self-care even before we care for others.   Let me out it another way: when you have nothing to give, you cannot help yourself or anyone else for that matter.  Make sure you take a Sabbath.  That is the day that God calls us to rest and reflect on life while we worship Him. Make sure you care for yourself.   Let me define just one way we care for ourselves.  That is by understanding the battle going on around us and even inside of us.  There are many battles going on, but we cannot let that battle get the best or the most of us.   Galatians 6:10-13  NASB Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devi...

Jeremiah 6:16  NLT This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’   Some things really are important.  Struggles are a reality in the mix of life.  We connect with so many other things but often not with who is most important.   Resting really is not easy.  In fact rest of something few people get enough of.  God offers us rest.  He offers His children refreshing and strengthening as we lean on and listen to Him.   Hebrews 4:9-11 NLT  So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest…    It is a choice to rest.  It is a choice to accept what God offers us.  It does no...

We plan to return.  This Sunday is the plan.  The reason has nothing to do with politics or with making people happy.  The reason is because God has called us to be the church. The church is not where or how we meet.  The church is the people whom our God inhabits and loves and leads and uses to impact others.  We are the church when we leave the building and serve others.  We are the church when we are driving or sitting in nature or at home with the family.   Yet the thing we have not been able to do for the last two months has consumed our thinking and our desires.  It is time to return to an in-person service.  Please pray for us, The Community Fellowship, and for all churches seeking to make the hard decisions in front of us. Hebrews 10:25  NASB not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. We have been meeting....

When we get tired, we have a hard time standing up.  If you are really tired, we might not be a able to sit up or even lean.  That is why we need to commit to self-care even before we care for others. Let me out it another way: when you have nothing to give, you cannot help yourself or anyone else for that matter.  Make sure you take a Sabbath.  That is the day that God calls us to rest and reflect on life while we worship Him. Make sure you care for yourself. Let me define just one way we care for ourselves.  That is by understanding the battle going on around us and even inside of us.  There are many battles going on, but we cannot let that battle get the best or the most of us. Galatians 6:10-13  NASB Finally,   be strong in the Lord and in   the strength of His might.   11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the   schemes of ...

Do you ever get tired?  I am not talking about the kind of tired that is taken care of with a good night’s sleep.  This is the kind that needs days of rest and extra strengthening. Often we humans get that way.  Life seems to overwhelm us.  There is too much going on.  Maybe our emotions have been running in different directions, and we find ourselves in need of rest.  The fact is, God offers rest and encouragement.   Here are just a few thoughts about allowing God to give us rest and courage! Matthew 11:29  NLT Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find   rest for your   souls. God never intended for us to live and do life alone.  Follow His lead.  Surround yourself with people who care and who help!  Psalm 116:7  NLT Let my   soul   be at   rest   again,...