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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Sweeping Your Porch!

Aside

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Romans 12:18

My Granny used to say:  “Sweep off your own back porch before you go trying to sweep off someone else’s.”  Her point was simple:  If you take the time to deal with your stuff, then you won’t have time to be messing with someone else’s stuff.

In our world today, everyone has an opinion and most of us have gone broke from fulfilling the need of giving our two cents worth.  I am learning after a lot of really hard life lessons that I am responsible for me, and as far as it is depends on me, I am to live at peace with everyone.

I think a good way for me to do that is to take my Granny’s advice and sweep off around my own porch, so I want to offer everyone a deal:  I will expect you to be perfect, when I become perfect myself!  By the way:  I don’t think you have anything to worry about anytime soon.

I am praying that we will all experience the personal growth that encourages us to walk in peace with one another, so that we can continue to live blessed!

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I’m Back!

I have taken a little bit of a break from blogging for several weeks, because I have been incredibly busy and I am just not as young as I used to be.  A year ago, I set out on an incredible journey by stepping out of my comfort zone and into the unknown.  There is still much that I do not know, but I have to say that I have learned much during this past year.

I am looking forward to this next year and I am very thankful for all of the family, friends, encouragers and supporters that I have met along the way.  I hope to resume my normal blogging schedule next week and would like to say thank you to all of you that have missed me and took the time to let me know it.

I love my extended family and am excited about some of the things that I am going to get to share with you over the next several weeks.  May each of you continue to enjoy the journey that our Maker has you on and may you always live blessed!

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FOREVER?

Have you ever stopped to think about “forever” and what it really means?  Forever has no beginning or end, it has just always been and will always be.  You cannot see it, smell it, taste it, hear it our touch it, but you know that it exist and that you are a part of it.

All that has ever been, all that is, all that ever will be is the result of the unfolding of forever.  We cannot understand forever in the physical, because the physical is limited by time and space.

To grow from some understanding of forever, we must learn to yield to our Spirit, so that we can see without eyes and hear without ears.  The Spirit is life and it is important to learn the difference between living and existing.

Learning to step out of the flesh and into the Spirit is one of the most important faith steps in our unfolding journey.  In order to take this step, we must abandon our ego, which continually attempts to anchor us to the things of the flesh with possessions and achievements.

I am so much more than the man staring back at me from the mirror.  I do not need more information, I need inspiration.  Inspiration that flows from the Spirit to me and through me. Life in the Spirit allows me to go to places that most people never go, because most or too lazy to step out of the flesh.  This laziness causes us to miss the real joy of the moment, because we have never learned the value of forever.

Think about forever and as you travel inward, let go of the flesh and yield to the Spirit,  Now – pay attention, because there are amazing things to learn on this journey.  As you actually begin to see and hear spiritually, the unfolding of forever, you will begin to live in a new space, a space where time and place do not matter so much.

You will find yourself coming into alignment with your created purpose, which will bring balance to your life and living, which will begin to restore to your life the amazing gifts of love, joy and peace.

Enjoy the journey and live blessed!