Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  With the new year came a new annual theme for our church, The Community Fellowship.  The theme is “A New Thing”.  Each month I have encouraged our church family to do some specific things to focus more on God. I know there is only about a week left in February, but what our church has been challenged with revolved around the number 2.  I give you that same challenge. Over the next week and until the beginning of March choose these things, or 2 each of these things that I will share. Choose 2 meals.  Choose to forgo, to fast from, two meals in the coming week, and spend time when not eating to focus on God.  Read Scripture.  Pray.  Spend time worshipping. Philippians 2:5-6  NLT  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Choose 2 times.  This might be 10 minutes or half an hour.  Choose 2 times during the week to focus solely...

  The unknown is what we all fear, but if we have hope and faith in God, the unknown is not something to be feared.  We know who is in control.  But the world is in crisis, in so many places.  Struggle seems to be all around.  Yet we have hope.   We know that the author of chaos and confusion is our enemy, Satan.  We know that our only hope in our Savior, the encourager, Jesus.  Which one are we going to believe?   What we believe about God guides our view.  Literally real hope gives us perspective.  Having hope that is based on someone bigger thank us gives perspective.  With hope we see further, can go further and we deal with lots less chaos.   Hebrews 6:19  NLT This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.   Hope is strong.  Hope is anchor for us.  Hope is from Jesus.  We need that anchor to keep us stranding.  Conti...

  It is time to start planning our largest outreach of the year, and it is our 20th year of the church and of back2school.  That makes it even sweet.  So, why back2school?  That is a great question.  I challenge you to listen and step in to this blessing with me.   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.”   It is for the kids!  That is the first and obvious answer for back2school.  Each student twill receive a new backpack with school supplies, new shoes and socks as well as hear the Gospel.  We cannot wait to wash each students feet and tell them about Jesus.   Job 11:18  NLT   Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.   It is for the families of each student!  This is just as important.  If you are a parent you know that blessing my children, ...

  We have just come through the love holiday.  I mean Valentine’s Day.  I do not want to miss an opportunity to remind us of what is most important.  You have heard this before.  1 Corinthians 13:3-7,13  NLT   If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance… 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. That is what love looks like.  We have seen in.  We have lived it.  We have most likely even allowed this true kind of ...

Monday 1-6pm at The Community Fellowship is the American Red Cross blood drive. Your help is needed. Sign up through the blood donor app, by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or online by going to www.redcrossblood.org and searching 24078.

  Earlier this week I shared some things about Proverbs, and I love how God uses Scripture in our lives.  So, let’s go in that same vein.  This is so good. Can you imagine how Paul fought the good fight of faith?  Just use the books that he wrote to see some of that great truth to change our lives, to re-enforce what God has done.  It is amazing to follow and hold on to this stuff. So let’s walk through some of those verses. Romans 1:16-17  NLT   For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Ephesians 2:10  NLT   For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 3:20...

  It is Valentine’s Day week, and I have a very important question for you.  What happens when we love the wrong things?  The answer is clear.  That is if you check out what God says, and my premise is this: whatever we look at longingly and lovingly we will become like and love more.   1 John 2:15  NLT Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.   Another thing about loving the wrong thing is that we will know less and less of what real love is.  We won’t have God’s love.  We won’t demonstrate the love of God.  We will forget that we are loved.  Why?  It is because we have left unconditional love for something that feels good.   1 John 4:10  NLT This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away...

  For the past month or so I have been listening to and enjoying music from my childhood.  Specifically early Christian music. Some of the songs have brought back memories, many brought smiles, some even brought tears, but each one reminds me where I came from and even how blessed I have been.  Music does shape and encourage us.   One song came across today, and I have to share with you.  It is called “We Are the Reason” by David Meece.  Check out some of the words from this song. As little children, we would dream of Christmas morn And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find But we never realized a baby born one blessed night Gave us the greatest gift of our lives… As the years went by, we learned more about gifts And giving of ourselves And what that means On a dark and cloudy day A man hung crying in the rain Because of love, because of love I finally found a reason for living It's in giving every part of my heart to Him In all that I do, every word tha...