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.
One good thought can change your moment, which can change your day, which can change your life! One bad thought can change your moment, which can change your day, which can change your life! Your thoughts belong to you and while it is hard to keep yourself from having a thought, it is very possible to choose which thoughts you will believe and dwell on!
I want to encourage you to think about your thoughts today! Seriously, take the time to think about what you are thinking! Are you thinking thoughts that build up and advance the good stuff of life or are you thinking thoughts that tear down and get you stuck in a rut?
The thinking of the thought is not the big issue! The big issue is the continued thinking of the thought. We have got to learn to throw the negative, defeating thoughts away by learning what ever we need to learn and then quickly moving on. We need to learn to hold onto and milk the positive thoughts for everything that they have for us!
The right thought at the right time, thought on in just the right way can change everything in amazing and powerful ways! This is one of the reasons that I read the Bible every day! The Bible seems to always fill me with positive thoughts that help to make my life and it’s living better!
Here’s a thought – get rid of the bad, fill your life with the good and share that good with everyone, in every way that you can! G3!
I know this is going to be hard for a lot of you to believe, but some days, I just don’t have a lot to say. Today is one of those days. I don’t have any stories to tell, any jokes to crack, any points to make, any motivation to share or any message to give. I have been thinking all morning about what I should blog about and I have nothing!
The crazy thing is, even with nothing, I want to talk to you! I really do care about my friends who stop by to read this blog and I hope that you find it to be a source of encouragement and blessing. While I don’t have any grand message to lay out for you today, I do want you to know that I am glad that we get to do life together and I pray that you are having a blessed Monday! See you tomorrow! G3!
I am an extremely active person! I almost always have multiple irons in the fire and I am often working on two to three things at the same time. I start early in the morning and continue late into the night. If I were to begin listing for you all of the things that I do in a typical day, it would make your head spin. Add to all of this the surprises that being in ministry is guaranteed to bring across your plate.
People who know me and what I do, have often commented to me that they don’t know how I do it all and manage to keep a smile on my face most of the time. The truth is: On most days, I will find myself feeling overwhelmed and I can tell you from my own personal experience that this is not a good feeling, but I have made a discovery that might just help you, if you ever face this feeling of taking on too much!
All of the stuff that I have committed to is not the problem. My full schedule and lack of time to get it all done is not the problem. Other people asking me to do something else is not the problem. The problem is the feeling of despair, frustration and helplessness that flows out of feeling overwhelmed.
When I feel overwhelmed, it throws everything off. My attitude gets warped, my relationships get tense, my focus gets divided, my energy gets sapped and my fire to make life better gets doused with a big ole bucket of doubt, frustration and negativity! My real problem is not all that I have to do, but my letting all that I have to do – overwhelm me!
Do we just have to live with this feeling? Do we have to let it rob us of the joy of being involved in things that we really love being involved in? Do we just have to lock ourselves in our rooms, turn up the music and shout “No! No! No! No!”?
Is there anything that we can do about this feeling of being overwhelmed? Anyway to turn this bad thing around, so that it can be used for good? You bet there is! Below you find seven steps that I take to help myself out of the darkness of despair and into the bright light of hope!
1.) Step Back! When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I have to take a step back and out of what ever it is that is overwhelming me. This step back allows me to get real with myself about what I have to do and how I am going to do it! Sometimes I take a step back by going outside and walking around. Sometimes I take a step back by kneeling and taking some time to pray. Sometimes I take a step back by calling a very trusted friend. Sometimes I take a step back by doing all three, but every time that I take the step back – it make a big difference!
2.) List Everything! Take out a pen and paper and list everything that you have to do! Get it out in front of you, so that you can see it and begin to think about the best way to get it accomplished. I have discovered many times in this process that I make a lot of things much bigger in my mind. Putting it on paper allows me to see it as it really is and helps me to begin to put together the strategy for accomplishment, success and victory – which builds momentum and excitement!
3.) Seek God’s Help! We often leave this out all together. You do not have to do life alone. God created you and gave you the abilities, talents and skills that you have and He wants to help you use them for His glory and everyone’s blessing. If you are living for and loving Him, then He will not allow you to have more than you can handle and He will help you to handle what you do have in an amazing way!
4.) Make A Plan! What do you need to do? Who do you need to talk to and who can help you? When does it have to be done and when will you do what steps? Why does it matter? Where are you going from here? How will you do this? Answer these questions a an action plan will begin to develop!
5.) Work It! Now that you have your plan, you just have to start working it! You can do this! You were born for this! Get this stuff done and realize that at the end of it all, you and others are going to be better for it! There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment. Accomplishment breeds the desire for greater accomplishment, which opens the door for greater successes, sweeter victories and shared blessings!
6.) Learn & Grow! Life is about learning and growing and when you stop learning and growing, you start dying! Whatever you are facing and having to work on and through right now, has the purpose of teaching you and growing you, so that you can be a better you!
7.) Enjoy! Most of the things that we commit to, we would not commit to, if we did not think that we were going to enjoy them. So don’t miss the enjoyment because you allow yourself to get distracted by overwhelming feelings of challenge. Enjoy the journey – it really is an amazing thing!
I hope this helps you as you face and overcome the frustrations of being overwhelmed! G3!
Michael Joe Harvell 