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.
As children of the Most High God, we are blessed and highly favored. The favor of God operates and functions in our lives in amazing ways. His favor surrounds us as a shield. His favor goes before us and prepares the way. His favor opens doors of blessing and offer us incredible opportunity.
Wherever we go and whatever we do, God’s favor is with and on the child of God. God’s favor is at work in every area of our lives. We have favor with our family, on our job and in all of our relationships. Whatever we do is blessed and experiences prosperity.
This blessing of favor is new every morning, so that whatever we set our hand to, we expect success. God’s favor brings promotion and increase into our lives and fills us with the great gifts of God – blessing, peace, joy, fulfillment and abundance.
The best way to thank God is by living a life of faith which says “thank you!” Claim His favor today and share the hope of a real and right relationship with Him everywhere you go!
Grace Place has done a lot of things for me! One of the most amazing things that it has done for me, is teach me. Grace place has taught me many different lessons and it still continues to do so on an almost daily basis. One of the things that Grace Place has taught me, is that I have often taken a lot for granted. One of the things that I take for granted is having something to eat. I have never been wasteful, my Mom taught me better than that! And I am always thankful, my family instilled that in me when I was growing up, but I rarely take the time to really think about the blessing of food on the shelf, in the fridge and on the table.
The fact is – I don’t really remember a time when there has not been food of some sort around for me to enjoy and get nourishment from. My Mom tells me that there was a time when it was just the two of us, when I was very young, but I was to young to remember or she kept it hidden from me, so that it never bothered me.
We have people in our communities that come upon rough times and it is amazing what a box of groceries can mean to them. Simple things like tuna, green beans, soup, corn, spaghetti and just about anything else that you can imagine – mean more than you can imagine to folks who are having a hard time and who have very little to nothing.
In our world today, there are a lot of people having a hard time. People that used to not have a hard time, are now finding themselves having a hard time. It could be you and me, before we know it.
Our church along with other ministries in our community, try to help people who are having a hard time, by helping to provide some staples that will help to get them along.
This month we are collecting cans to help three ministries in our community that help people who are having a challenge in the food area. All the cans that we are collecting will go to Greer Community, Greer Relief and Grace Place!
To have a little fun with the whole thing, we have decided to try to build Mr. Potato Head. Someone in New York did it and we thought it might be a fun way to accomplish a very good thing.
I hope you will join us and bring your cans to Northwood as we build Mr. Potato Head to help others and as we learn to appreciate even the simple things of life! God Bless, Press On And G3!
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
God has come to us and it is now our turn to come to God. The Scripture says that we can approach His throne of grace with confidence! We can approach with confidence because it is the throne of grace.
God sits on the throne and it is not just any throne, but the throne that has been established, maintained and victorious because of the work of Jesus our Savior! It is a throne of grace. We do not deserve to approach that throne, but we can because it is a throne of grace. We have not earned the right to approach the throne, but we can because it is a throne of grace!
And not only can we approach the throne of grace, but we can approach the throne of grace with confidence! Our confidence is not in ourselves, our power or ability, but in the One Who sits on the throne! We will find mercy and receive grace in our time of need, because that is Who God is and that is what God does!
If you have not been there lately, take a journey to God’s throne of grace and experience what only He can do for you!
Michael Joe Harvell 