Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  I am going to take today to share some personal things on my mind.  Maybe this is a download or just rambling.  But it is the beginning of the week and the first e-devotion of a busy week. First, today is my wife’s birthday.  Julie is a very special lady.  School teacher.  Wife.  Mother.  Grandmother.  She is so much more, but most of all she is my best friend and partner in life.  That makes her a gift from God.  I am grateful for her. Proverbs 18:22  NLT   The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. As you know I returned from Cuba about a week ago, and I have had some time to reflect on what God did in their past trip and how He is working in this country and ministry that I love.  Obviously I will return, and my heart is heavy for our friends and partners, my Cuba family, that deal with so many concerns and struggles each and every day.  I am grateful for the work they do...

  It was over 222 years ago that I first had the opportunity to serve with the Raceway Ministries Martinsville team, and it is an incredible opportunity.  Since then I have had the honor of serving with Raceway Ministries in various ways.  It is an honor to share Jesus with race fans at the speedway.   This stuff happens at races all over the world.  There are men and women giving their time to serve the racing community.  They offer worship services, counseling, refreshments, Jesus conversations and more.  I have met so many people committed to making a difference in a place where few others will go.     In Martinsville our team offers several different things, and it is also a blessing to work along side the leaders and team of Martinsville Speedway.  Sunday morning before the race this weekend there will be a worship service for race fans.  We will have a team of cart drivers helping fans w...

Raceway Ministry tent at Martinsville Speedway Twice a year the world comes to our city through the world of NASCAR racing, and it is an honor to be part of this event through Raceway Ministries.   Almost 100 volunteers from several churches come together to serve race fans and have conversations about Jesus. I’d like to share with you a portion of a devotion I wrote in the spring of 2008.   I pray that God will help each one of us stay in the race of life and find the abundance God offers… 43 drivers started the race, but only one of them was the winner.  Does that mean that 42 of them lost?  You have to answer that for yourself.  Yet I have some thoughts for you as the race traffic heads toward Martinsville, Virginia. Hebrews 12:1  nlt Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run ...

This winter season has gone on and on, and this email comes your way we are recovering from another snow that dropped almost 5 inches of snow in Collinsville.  It really is time for us to spring forward. Sunday is the beginning of Daylight Savings time which means we are to  change our clocks  Saturday night by turning them forward one hour.  That's right.  We gain an hour of sunshine each evening.  We are ready for spring and for winter to be gone.  Pass the word so you and others are not late for church Sunday morning at 10:10am. Yes.  We have had snow, but we will be having our  2nd Saturday FREE Community Meal and Clothes closet  tomorrow from 9am until noon.  Volunteers arrive at 8:30, and extra volunteers are needed as some of our regulars won't be able to help due to weather concerns.  Our REACH Ministry will also have the Saturday  FREE MEAL  at the Martinsville Hotel at 5pm as we do every Saturday.  S...

It is that time again.  Twice a year the world comes to our town to smell burning racing fuel and rubber laid down on concrete.  Yes, I am talking about the half mile, left turn only, paper clip track known as Martinsville Speedway. But here’s the kicker: I don’t go to the track for the races or to watch the girls or to watch all the different kinds of people that NASCAR draws.  The reason I go to the track is to have conversations with all those different people.  My prayer is that our team of volunteers with Raceway Ministries will have lots of conversations about Jesus. Acts 20:24  (nlt) But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Take a look at a website that Frances Chan has pointed people to.  It is called " Just Stop and Think " and is a 15 minute video presentation of the gospel....