Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Psalm 37:4  CSB   Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. What has your attention?  Take a close, up close look at all the things that distract you, the things that make you mad, the stuff that makes you glad and anything that keeps your gaze and your mind for more than just a few seconds. I listened to a message this week from an incredible preacher that talked about how our phones have completely grabbed our attention.  And he talked about many other things to.   But what caught my attention (did you hear that) the most was the importance of letting God be who gets and takes your attention.  The verse above is a promise.  Delight in God, and He fulfills your desires. How can that be true?  It is.  Whatever we look at longing and lovingly we become like. In his message Andrew Forrest reminded us that choosing to put our mind on God does make a difference.  Further, he shared somethings that should hel...

  One of the best questions you can ask others is “how can I pray for you?”  It might catch someone off guard, like they aren’t prepared for it.  But the conversations after are always telling and important. I have found that people appreciate being prayed for.  People are touched when you you show that you care.  And yes, the most important part is that someone knows Jesus, and I find that prayer can be a great connector. God calls us to pray.  He challenges us to pray for ourselves and others.  Prayer reminds us all of who us really in control.  So, today try this if you haven’t before.  Ask the waitress, the cashier, your co-worker, your neighbor, or that person you happen to be with “how can I pray for you?”  Then follow through with the conversation.  It might be simply to listen, but make sure to pray for that person and what they share. James 5:16 NASB Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one an...

  What do you do when you can’t sleep?  When you wake up early and try to go back to sleep, what do you do? The older I get the more the answer to that question is to pray.  Just pray.  What do I pray for?  I pray for the people who come to my mind, and the more I pray the more people come to my mind. It is the interaction with the one who cares for us the most that makes the most difference in our lives.  This could be when we are at our lowest and struggling.  This could even be when everything is going well.  Just spend that time with God and praying. Praying has several parts that you don’t want to miss.  The two biggest are speaking and listening.  Too often our prayers are just pouring out to God.  Stop and listen.  Listen to what seems to be in your mind and heart.  Hear the things that God puts in your heart.  Even go to Scripture and pray the verses you are reading back to God.  Let Him speak.  He i...

  In an old song, actually a Christian, the question is asked “do you see what I see?”  Great question, and what I want to do today is ask it another way. Do we see what Jesus saw? Mark 6:34  CSB  When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things. Matthew 14:14  CSB   When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When Jesus saw the needs of the people, He was moved inside with compassion.  But it was just feeling sorry for people.  He did something about it.  At one point He fed them.  At another He healed the sick.  At another time He taught them. Do we see what Jesus saw and do something about it? 1 John 3:17  CSB   If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? Do something about w...

Hey Community Family, I love you all and excited about what God has ahead of us as a church family celebrating our 20th year. Be   watching   for more   opportunities . Also,   thank you   to all who helped make back2school a powerful outreach. Here is something   heavy   on my heart. Like many of you, we have watched Virginia move closer to becoming a state where abortion is available on demand, even late in pregnancy. This November, Virginians are expected to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would place abortion protections directly into the Virginia Constitution. The proposed language reads: “The Commonwealth may regulate the provision of abortion care in the third trimester, provided that in no circumstance shall the Commonwealth prohibit an abortion that in the professional judgment of a physician is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.” ...

  My oldest brother and I continue to read through James this year.  Our intention is to memorize much of the book as well as let the truth of it sink in as much as possible.  James is maybe the one of the most practical books of the Bible next to Proverbs in my opinion. As a teen I listened to one serve from James 1:2-4 that my aunt had given to me from her pastor.  That pastor sounded a lot like God, or so I thought.  His voice was easy to listen to and made me want to dig even deeper.  You know the voice.  Deep, confident and drawing from the Scripture would characterize the message and His voice. So, in our reading today we come back to the start of the book of James and those verses.  Could not be at a much more needed time.   Do you ever deal with the unknown that can be a little unsettling?  Do you ever feel pushed and struggling?  James issues the challenge or the courage to keep on and do not quit.  There is a reason t...