All posts by mjharvell

Welcome, friend—I’m glad you’ve pulled up a chair on the front porch of my little corner of the internet. My name is Michael Joe Harvell, and I live my life with one simple mission: to glorify God, encourage people, and leave this world a little better than I found it. I’m a husband, father, pastor, writer, Jeep enthusiast, and front-porch thinker who believes that life is best lived on purpose. I serve as pastor of Eureka Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina, where I get the joy of preaching, teaching, and walking with people through the ups and downs of everyday life. Over the years, I’ve discovered that faith isn’t just about Sunday mornings—it’s about living every single day in the presence and power of God. I’m also an author. My books—including The Grace Exchange: How Forgiven People Forgive People and The Word Works—grow out of the sermons, stories, and lessons I’ve learned on this journey. I write in a style that’s conversational, a little front-porch-rocking-chair, and full of stories, quotes, and Scripture that point us back to the goodness of God’s Word. When I’m not writing or preaching, you might find me sitting outside with my Bible and journal, cruising the backroads in my Jeep Gladiator, or sharing a meal and some laughs with the good folks God has put in my life. I love helping people find peace in their spirit, strength in their body, and encouragement in their soul. This blog is simply an extension of that mission. Here you’ll find devotions, encouragement, reflections, and practical insights for living a life of purpose, peace, and joy. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a rocking chair, and stay awhile—I’d be honored to walk this road of faith with you.
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The Renewed Mind!

Our minds are continually being bombarded with all kinds of different messages.  We can begin the day by putting the message in that we want to be there and thirty minutes later, we lose our precious message somewhere in the deluge of all the other stuff.  Often times this is the same ole tired stuff that we get day after day.  The stuff that discourages us with negativity that keeps us from moving forward in a positive and meaningful way.

This is why the Spirit wants to “renew our mind”.  Renewing the mind is an ongoing process, whereby the Spirit helps us to take on our normal way of thinking thoughts.  When our thoughts are allowed to flow freely, they have a tendency to flow in the direction of problems.  (Remember:  It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!)  As we think about and often dwell on our problems, there always seems to be one that will take our focus captive.  Once our problem has our focus, it is hard to shake lose.

Our focus being held captive by our problems creates another set of problems, mainly that our energy is drained and we tend to get stuck in a rut of negative thinking.  The real problem is that our focus is on our problem, instead of on our Spirit, who came to set us free.

The “renewed mind” is focused on the here and now.  The “renewed mind” knows, appreciates and makes the choice to live in the now moment.  When We train our mind to seek the Spirit in every moment and situation, we begin to see how the world was put together and this clarity leads us to a place of solution, which opens up our lives to the miraculous.

Remember:  You have to choice which allows you to decide where you mind is going to go and what your mind is going to do.  Let the Spirit renew your mind and you will enjoy life, because you will have discovered how to live blessed!

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Learning Something New!

It is hard to learn something new, when you think you already know everything.  We hear and learn exactly what we want based on our very own values, beliefs, prejudices and personal history.  We wonder why we never grow and why we seem to be our own worst enemy?  A teachable spirit is an open invitation to a changed life.  A changed life is a growing life and and growing life gives glory to the Creator as it shares blessings with all around.  You Creator wants you to be happy and healthy, but allows you to make choices for yourself.  Life is about learning to make the right choices.

Do you really want to walk closer to your Creator?  Do you long to walk close, so that you may hear His chuckles and sighs.  Do you want to learn to see and experience the newness of life that only He can bring.  Do you know that you must let go of your old tired ways?   Do you know this is so hard to do, but not impossible?  To know His will, you must know Him, to know Him, you must let go of some things, so that you can grab hold of others.

We must learn to seek His face with an open heart and clear mind, knowing and trusting that as we journey forward with Him that He will bring about the transformation of our lives by the renewing of our minds.  The work that we need to have done in our lives, is not a work that we do, it is a work that we invite Him to do, by doing the work of faith that invites Him to come in and do His thing.

I challenge you to step away from the distractions and become totally focused on your Creator and the stuff of His creation.  He wants you to understand Him and as you seek to  understand Him and His ways, you will live according to the path that He has marked out for you.

Embrace Him and His will and be satisfied with nothing else and you will live blessed!

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Week In Review!

Hello Friends,

It’s hard to believe it, but March winds have blown February away and we are well on our way into this new year.  Maybe you had some resolutions or goals and you find that you have not made the progress that you would like to have made toward their accomplishment.  If that is the case, then I want to encourage you to stick with me over the next couple of weeks, as we seek to get back on track with the great things that we were created for.

This has been a great week for me and I just want to shout out a few praises about some of the special things that touched me and ministered in my life.  So here goes:

Grace Place Even When Closed Is Open For Ministry!  It always amazes me to watch the faithfulness of our “Graceteers”.  They show up day after day, week after week and month after month to help share grace with people from all walks of life.  This past week was our “Restock” week and our “Graceteers” showed up in full force to help make sure that the job of getting the store ready for the first full week of March was accomplished.  The amazing thing is watching how they minister to each other and to others that happen by the campus.  Even when there is not any shopping taking place at Grace Place Store, there is still lots of ministry going on for God’s glory and people’s blessing.

Love Wednesday Evening Bible Study And Fellowship!  Everyone needs to recharge and Wednesday evenings provide just that.  God has blessed us with a great group of men and women that love growing together and the Spirit continues to provide just what we need from the Word to face the rest of the week.  Our children and youth also have a blast and amaze me at how they keep growing.  Thanks to each of you that help to make this such a special time.

Unplanned Blessings From A Funeral!  This week I had the honor of ministering to a very special group of family and friends of a very special and gifted young man that passed from this life into Eternity.  I did not know most of the family or the friends and they did not know me, but after it was all said and done, I believe we all got to know each other a lot better.  It was a real blessing for me to be able to share God’s grace and comfort and I walked away with the blessing of knowing myself a little bit better!

Brothers & Sisters From Another Mother!  What an exciting time this morning to go and have church with some of my spiritual family from Bible Way Temple on Prince Street in Sunny Side.  They certainly know how to praise God and bless His servant.  My fire was lit when I got there and it was blazing when I left.  I may have skipped 2nd and 3rd gear, but no one seemed to mind.  Breakfast with these folks was another amazing blessing and the fried bologna had to be the highlight of the party.  Can’t wait to have even more fellowship together!

My week is filled with all kinds of activity and I literally am heading in three directions at one time, most of the time, but God still manages to use it all for His glory and our blessing and for that I am grateful.  In fact, if there was one word I would use to express how I feel about this past week, that word would be GRATEFUL.  Thank You Lord!

Thanks for letting me share with you and thanks for continuing to remember me and the ministry I give leadership to in prayer.  So thankful to have each of you in my life!

Live Blessed,

Michael Joe