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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When I Am Weak – He Is Strong!

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“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

We often see weakness as a bad thing, but weakness is not always bad, if it causes us to have the right kind of dependence and trust.  The only power that weakness has over you, is the power that you give it!

Human weakness is not a surprise to God.  He knows all about our weakness and that is why He offers us His grace.  Weakness in our lives is an opportunity for His strength and power to be made perfect in our lives, because it’s get our dependence upon ourselves and our strength out-of-the-way, so that we can truly exercise faith and have trust in God!

Don’t beat up on yourself because of weakness, instead think about what God can and will do with and through your weakness as you learn to trust in and yield to Him!

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What’s The Point?

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Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 says:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.  “Utterly meaningless!   Everything is meaningless.” (Do you ever feel this way?  Some days for sure!)

3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? (We work and work and work and what do we really have to show for it?

4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. (People live and people die and the earth keeps on spinning!)

5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. (Days come and days go!)

6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. (The wind blows here, there and everywhere!)

7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.  To the place the streams come from, there they return again. (The rain comes down ,fills the streams, flows through the rivers and into the seas only to return to the Heavens and repeat the process again and again!)

8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say.  The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. (We just can’t seem to be satisfied!)

9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Life is just one big repeat of the same ole stuff – nothing new!)

10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”?  It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. (There is nothing new and if you think there is, then you are fooling yourself!)

11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. (Even the great accomplishments of life will be forgotten!)

So – what’s the point?

There is a point and even though life does not always seem to reveal the point to us in a clear and understanding way, it does not mean that the point does not exist!

When it does not make any sense and there is not an easy answer, remember:  God’s thoughts and ways are higher than anything that we could dream or imagine.  And even when it does not make sense and we cant figure out the point – our best bet is always faith – trusting HIM!