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.

You Are Not Alone!

So Thankful!

Do you ever feel like you are in this world all alone?  Are you ever faced with choices and you just don’t know where to turn?  Do you wish that there was someone who would walk with you and help you through the challenges of life?

I’ve got good news!  You are not alone.  There is somewhere to turn.  And there is someone to walk with you and help you through the challenges of life.  Your Creator cares for you and has an amazing plan for your life.

He loves you so much that He made the way for relationship by giving you what you could not give yourself – the Savior.  God in the flesh paid the price by giving his life in the place of your life, so that you could have abundant and everlasting life.

When Jesus was here on the earth he said:  “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”  John 14:16-17

If you know Jesus, then you know the Spirit.  The Spirit of truth that helps you to see, know and understand spiritually.  He is with you and lives in you, so that you will never ever have to be alone again.

Take some time today to think and thank!  Think about the amazing blessing of not being alone, having somewhere to turn and having someone to walk with you and help you face the challenges of life – how incredibly awesome is that?  Thank your Creator for all of His blessings by living a life of surrendered service that gives Him glory.  You will be glad you did!

Trinity Power And Blessing!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit!

I love my Bible.  I read it everyday.  I think about what it says and how it challenges me.  I have so much to learn, so many changes to make, steps to take and instructions to follow.  I trust and obey, but I can trust and obey better.  The closer I get and the more I understand, the more I realize that I have so much work to do.

There was a time in my life, when I thought I was just about there, but then the Lord brought me to a place of decision.  I could be satisfied and stay or be challenged and changed.  I have to confess – for a while I was satisfied and stayed, but then one day that was made up of a few months of days, the Spirit began to challenge me and as I began to accept the challenge, the challenge began to change me.

The change helped me to realize that there was and is still so much room for improvement and growth in my life.  It’s not about earning or deserving my way.  It’s about my believing that God made the way through His Son and the Holy Spirit guides my steps on this amazing journey of relationship.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading about the birth of Jesus and this verse caught my attention:  “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”  Luke 1:35

This promise from the Angel to Mary is a promise to you and me.  When we surrender to God’s will for our lives – the Holy Spirit comes upon us, the power of the Most High overshadows us and the Son of God saves us!  God, help me to surrender!  G3!

How To Make An Unproductive Day – Productive Before Bedtime!

Making It Count!

Do you ever have one of those days when you don’t really accomplish any of the things you set out to accomplish?  One of those days when you don’t feel like you really accomplished anything?  You know one of those days where you feel like you moved backwards, instead of forward?

What do you do with a day like that?  You can let it take and keep you down in the dumps, or you can decide to do something about it, by turning it around and making it count while it is still today.

Here are three things you can do to make every day a productive day, even and especially the days that feel non-productive:

1.)  Look for encouragement!  Read something encouraging like the Bible, motivational quotes or something special that you’ve saved from a family member or friend.  Listen to motivational messages or watch something uplifting on tv or video.  Now with some encouragement under your belt, move to step number two.

2.)  Share the encouragement!  Believe it or not, you are not the only one out there that had this kind of day.  Take a few moment to write a note, post a message or make a call and share an encouraging thought with at least three other people.  Be intentional and on purpose – make this count.

3.)  Realize the encouragement!  You went and got some encouragement for yourself and then you shared encouragement with someone else.  If you did nothing else today – it has been a good and productive day!  Realize and appreciate the opportunity you have been blessed with.

BTW…  Just because you think it was an unproductive day does not mean that it was.  You often accomplish more than you realize and when you really begin to realize the encouragement, you will also begin to see that you accomplished more than you originally realized!  Blessings!