Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Why back2school?  That is a great question, and I would like to challenge you and bless you today if that would be possible. Matthew 19:14  NLT   But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” For the children!  That is the first and most important answer to the reason of why  we do back2school.  Each student that is part of this outreach will receive a new backpack with school supplies, new shoes and socks as well as hear the Gospel.  We cannot and must not miss the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. Job 11:18  NLT   Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. For the families!  That is the next reason and just as important as the first.  You have learned this if you are a parent… if you bless my children, you bless me.  When we make an effort to share hope and life with others it goes way beyond the one you share with.  It goes to the people that are aro

  I am ready for the best back2school outreach ever.  What will make it better?  Answer that and join in. How can you help?  First,   pray for those who will be served and for those who are serving.  I challenge you to volunteer at one of this year’s locations, give to support the events, be part of the big event, AND finally, help celebrate by sharing and continuing to serve! Matthew 18:20  NLT For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. It is incredible to get together with hundreds of people for a common cause.  One of my favorite happenings of #back2school is when we come together to put the school supplies in backpacks.  That will be this coming Tuesday evening at 6pm.  A couple hundred volunteers will fill about 3,000 backpacks.  I cannot even come up with the right words for what this piece of back2school does to me. It is for the children.  It is for their families.  When they receive their backpack and shoes, we bless each of the students an

It is easy to get side tracked from our mission.  Further we often get pushed away from our real purpose.  It takes God and some great people to keep us on track.  What is the reason you are on earth? Each of us has a God given call.  That begins with our salvation.  We know and believe that God loves people.  Because of sin and separation from God something had to happen, and Jesus is what happened.  God sent His son to take our place, to pay for our sin and to give us purpose. John 3:16  NLT   For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. We know that.  We have even seen the signs about this all over the place.  Some guys even paint that verse on themselves and go to bank games in the middle of winter.  But it is true.  God loves you.  God gives us life through His son, Jesus. God also has given us a purpose to live.  I want to know and fulfill my God given purpose.  That gives me a reaso

  Do you struggle with your decisions?  I often do.  I think many do as well. Yesterday we talked about the power of our decisions as it applies to being consistent.  I just have be get real and say that I battle so many things, yet turning to God, leaning on God and trusting God changes every thing. The last two weeks have been tough but have also brought peace in many ways.  I will trust God.  That is a decision I have made in the past that is directing my future.  It is the best decision of all. I was completing Sunday’s sermon and going over again the passage from Romans 7 that I was relating and connecting the message to.  In this passage we heard Paul say some things that are tough.  Listen in for a minute… 15  I don’t really understand myself... I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…  25  Thank God!  the answer is Jesus… That is real.  That is close to home. I find comfort in the

As I was preparing for the Sunday morning sermon something hit me pretty hard.  We are in a series titled PRE-DECIDE, and the message was about the power and character trait of being consistent.   What hit me was that my dad is a great example of being consistent.  This past couple weeks has been a whirlwind of emotions.  Fact is there is more to come in so many ways.  Some of this I do not look forward to while other parts are very comforting and helpful. Consistency has great potential not only to impact the direction of my life but for the lives of the people I influence.  It is the key to our spiritual strength.  It is the key to your ministry Impact.  I have learned personally and see in others that this quality is the key to your physical health, key to great Relationships, to financial success and even the key to accomplishing goals.  It is not about our appearance or background or even our Education.  It’s our choice to be consistent that will impact our entire life and so much

This week will have a few, sporadic e-devotions.  I do thank you for understanding and giving me some personal time with family.  I hope to share some things with you a few times if possible. Psalm 116:15  NASB   Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones. As you may know last Wednesday Julie and I boarded a plane to go to Oklahoma to spend time with my dad and my family.  Over the last week my dad had been sick.  This trip was quickly planned as until Monday of that week it seemed my dad was improving.  That was not the case. I spent most of two days after we arrived with my dad, during the day and night, at what we affectionately refer to as the “pink palace” or St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Covid and pneumonia as well as problems with his kidneys seemed to be the culprit that was holding on and not letting go. My dad is a great man and stubborn as well.  For as long as I can remember he has said that he never wanted drastic or heroic measures to pro

Why back2school?  Well, thank you for asking.  That is one of the first questions I asked myself 17 or 18 years ago when missionary to the mountain areas of Appalachia Bill Barker spoke to our church. I was almost mesmerized by his testimony of how some so simple and so easy made such a huge difference in the lives of kids living in places of poverty.  It was one year or so later that our church, The Community Fellowship, began.  That first summer, right before a new school year began, we served students helping them prepare for a school. It was flat our incredible  The first year we served about 75 students.  The next year we served 500 students.  The next year we went to 1,000 students.  It started with just school supplies.  Then we added backpacks.  Later we added new shoes and socks.   And the rest is history, as the old saying goes.  Since that humble beginning in 2007 we have served for 16 years and over 32,000 students.  This year’s goal is to serve in 15 locations and about 4,

Simple prayers.  I just wanted to make sure you know that we need to whisper simple prayers often.  God isn’t looking or listening for big words and lots of talk.  It is our hearts that He is wanted and holding in for. 1 Thessalonians 5:17  NASB   pray without ceasing, That is why we need to pray.  It is a constant conversation or literally a constant connection with the one who made us, loves us and has the best plan for our lives.  Prayer is the way we connect.  It is also part of the greatest gift that God has given us, His children. Genuine and simple prayers, our voice and heart directly to God, form us and inform others. One simple prayer was from Hannah who desperately wanted a child.  1 Samuel 2:2  NASB   There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. That was just part of her prayer. Another simple prayer we find is from a man we know very little about.  His name was Jabez and this is what he said: 1 Chronicles 4:10

John 10:10  NLT   The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. There are givers and takers.  God is a giver, and our enemy is a taker. But how about you?  Which are you?  My full desire is to be a giver so much more than I am a taker.  One of the ways I see this coming alive is in the way we believe what the verse above says. Yesterday we talked about being alert and looking for where our enemy is working, and why are we looking for him?  Because we know He is working, and I must be ready to deal with the enemy, His plan and the problem we humans have when we do things on our own. One of my favorite reminders as of late is the song that I want to share with you today.  It is North Point Worship and titled Death Was Arrested .  The truth of this song points to the eternal giver we know as Jesus.  He is trust worthy. Read on and see how God speaks in your life. Alone in my sorrow and dead in my sin Lost without hope with no

Maybe you need some redirecting as I do at times.  I need it, and I am grateful that God continues, through His word, to help me see Him, His character and His path for me. Take some time each day in His word to hear His heart and even to adjust your following of Him.  It might make a bigger difference than you know. Here is a Psalm that gives us some strong truth about God.  I believe it will echo your experience as well as reassure us of how God works is and through our lives.  Not the things that stand out.  Praise Him for those and apply even more what God says to you. Psalm 91  NLT Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2  This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3  For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4  He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protecti

  We continue our series Pre-Decide at The Community Fellowship, and Sunday we talked about how we deal with temptation that comes our way.  Based on the fact that w e may have good intentions, but we do not always make good decisions.  Our decisions won’t be based on what feels good in the moment but on who you want to be for the rest of your life.  Decisions must be based on our values. 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Be ready because the enemy is coming.  We have to choose to be ready.  Jesus told His disciples something very similar that we ought to learn from. Matthew 26:41  NLT   Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  That is a fact for us humans.  We must pre-decide that we are going to be ready.  Our guard is up.  We are watching.  We are watching and praying.  Why be Ready?  Be ready because the

  There is more to the Bible than just prose and poetry and trite stories meant to inspire.  I believe that our Bible is completely inspire and filled by God for our good and His glory. It literally is profitable for you and for me.  I heard a pastor in a meeting say that his life changed when He got more in the Word of God, but I believe that the change was actually when the Word of God got in to him. The Bible is the book we connect with so we connect in a deeper way with God and His truth.  The reason this truth is so powerful is this… 2 Timothy 3:16-17  NLT   All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. We hold to the truth that God wrote and inspired the Word of God, and it is intended to teach and correct, to guide us in the right direction.  God works through His wo

As I was running yesterday I saw a lady outside of a local business wearing a shirt that caught my attention.  On her shirt I read these words… Every Addict Matters.  I was caught by and held on to that statement. This past year I met a man who speaks around the country that shares a message he calls “You Matter”.  That man is Bobby Petrocelli.  That statement has stuck with me since that last fall. Another reason why that lady’s statement caught my attention is because of our commitment to serve people who are battling addiction.  Our transitional homes for homeless men offer help for those in addiction.  Our church has hosted recovery ministry for many years.  Currently that is Celebrate Recovery that meets on Tuesday’s at 7pm. Recently one of the men we have been serving passed away due to a relapse of addiction.  His death hit me hard as do the tough times that so many we are close to have hit.  Addiction is a very difficult and a very real thing. God has called our church to remin

Some prayers that often come to mind.  You know we all go through tough times, but have you noticed that some situations bring to mind Scriptures you have learned or heard in the past?  Happens to me a lot.   These verses stick out for several reasons.  I hope as you read through them you might be encouraged to use them today or some day… Psalms 19:14  NASB   May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Ephesians 1:18  NASB   I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Those two prayers have helped me connect to or receive from God so that my reactions and understanding would grow and be more like His best for me. 1 Chronicles 4:10  NASB  Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would greatly bless me and extend my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and th

We started a new series at church on Sunday.  It is called “Pre-Decide” and is built on the understanding that we ought to be making better choices and can do just that.  But the only way is to let truth, preferably God’s truth, and our faith guide our decisions before emotions and feelings guide our decisions. Joshua 24:15  NLT   But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua made that decision.  It was pretty clear for him as it is for me.  I choose now, no matter what happens or how I feel, to trust God and lean on Him for wisdom and guidance. What is the difference between those who are really making a difference and the rest of the world?  It boils down to our decisions.  Our decisions are incredibly and indescribably important. In fact, we would say it this