Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  It is important to know the culture situation of the people around you, but often it is not always easy to understand.  We can often overlook things or even ignore facts that are obvious.   I just returned last week from Cuba, and this truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  Yet it is the people that are the most beautiful part.  Understanding the setting is much different than where I live is important.   James 1:5  NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.   We need God’s help to understand the things around us and even to understand ourselves.  He knows all because He is the creator as well as the keeper of life and the giver of purpose.  I really want to see people through His eyes.   Cuba is a very different culture from where I live.  It is a country of great poverty and one that works in far different ways than we are used to. ...

Just why?  That is a good question that we don’t ask too often.  It is an important question too because we need to understand why we are alive.  Let me work on some examples. One husband asked his wife why she cuts the turkey in a certain way before cooking it on Thanksgiving.  She said she didn’t know but would ask her mom.  After calling her mom she was told that was the way her grand mother prepared the turkey.  When the mom called grandma, grandma said she cut the turkey like that because years ago the pan she had to bake the turkey was too small for the entire turkey.  Interesting and insightful. Have you ever wondered, if you have been in church for any length of time, why they cover the serving table before the Lord’s supper or communion?  You know, they used something that looks like a big sheet that covers the bread, the juice and the entire table.  Upon checking in to why someone discovered that the reason the table is covered is b...

One of the most important things to know when you are working with people is the culture around you, but it is not always easy to understand.  We can often overlook things that are right in front of us or even ignore facts that are obvious because they are difficult or dealing with them might be risky. Cuba is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but the most beautiful part really is the people.  Understanding the setting is much different than where I live is important. James 1:5  NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. We need God’s help to understand all things around us and even to understand ourselves.  He knows all because He is the creator as well as the keeper of life and the giver of purpose.  I really want to see people through His eyes. Cuba is a very different culture from where I live.  Let me put some of my thoughts together, and my hope is that this will help y...

There is power in prayer.  We know that or at least we have shared that understanding.  I believe it is time for those of us who follow Christ to reconsider our commitments to prayer. Prayer connects us to God. Situations in life allow us to connect others to God through prayer. What we believe about God determines the power of our prayers. How we respond to situations is impacted by our commitment to pray. Ephesians 3:14-19  NLT When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the lov...

There are times in life where we have a hard time understanding what God is doing.  We started a new series yesterday at The Community called “questions”.  We began by dealing with a question that the prophet Jeremiah asked.  You and I have asked the same question before. Why do bad people prosper?  See Jeremiah 12.  What we do know is that the faith of this prophet was struggling because He thought God was taking it easy on the people who were chosen by God.  They were being hypocrites by talking about God and not being close to God. Always be careful to let God speak to your heart and about your heart.  Listen.  Take notes. Let God work. Psalm 139:23-24  NASB Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. After you have heard and learned and seen God through yo...