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.

Looking For What Matters!

“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” -1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV)

Let me give you something to carry with you today.

The Bible doesn’t say, “Seek success.”

It doesn’t say, “Seek applause.”

It doesn’t even say, “Seek relief.”

It says, “Seek the Lord and his strength.”

That tells me something. There are going to be moments when mine isn’t enough.

There are days when your body feels tired, your mind feels stretched, and your heart feels heavy. And in those moments, the answer isn’t to push harder — it’s to lean deeper.

David wrote this during a season of celebration, but he understood something powerful: victories don’t remove our need for God. If anything, they remind us of it.

Notice the wording:

Seek His strength. Seek His face continually.

Not occasionally. Not when you’re desperate. Continually.

That means in the quiet mornings with coffee in your hand.

That means in the middle of a busy afternoon.

That means when the news isn’t good and when the news is better than expected.

You don’t just seek His hand for what He can give.

You seek His face because you want Him.

And here’s the beautiful truth:

When you seek His face, you find His strength.

When you draw near to Him, He steadies you.

So today, don’t try to muscle through life on your own.

Slow down. Lift your eyes. Whisper His name.

Seek the Lord.

And you’ll find the strength you didn’t know you had — because it was never yours to begin with.

The Way Home!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” -John 14:6

Let me give you a front-porch thought this morning.

We live in a world with a thousand voices telling us which road to take. Turn here. Try this. Follow your heart. Trust yourself. And if we’re not careful, we can end up spiritually exhausted, standing at a crossroads, wondering which direction actually leads home.

Then Jesus speaks — not with confusion, not with options, but with clarity.

“I am the way.”

Not a way. Not one of many paths winding up the same mountain. He didn’t hand us a map. He handed us Himself.

When you don’t know what to do next, you follow Him.

When culture shifts, opinions change, and truth feels negotiable, He says, “I am the truth.”

When you feel drained, worn thin, and spiritually empty, He says, “I am the life.”

Friend, your peace isn’t found in figuring everything out. It’s found in following the One who already has.

If you’ll walk with Jesus today — trust Him, lean into Him, stay close to Him — you’re not wandering. You’re not lost. You’re not guessing.

You’re on the Way.

And the Way always leads home.

Run Your Race!

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” -Acts 20:24

Now that’s not a man talking from a recliner. That’s the apostle Paul speaking after shipwrecks, beatings, sleepless nights, and more opposition than most of us will ever see. And yet he says, “None of these things move me.”

Paul understood something we have to learn again and again: when you know your purpose, problems lose their power to paralyze you.

He didn’t say the trials weren’t real. He didn’t pretend the danger wasn’t there. He just decided that finishing his course with joy mattered more than protecting his comfort.

And friend, that’s the word for us today.

You have a course. God has given you a ministry. It may not be a pulpit or a platform. It may be a classroom, a job site, a kitchen table, a hospital room, or a front porch. But it is sacred.

Don’t let criticism move you.

Don’t let fear move you.

Don’t let temporary trouble move you.

Keep your eyes on the finish line. Live for something bigger than yourself. And when you do, you won’t just finish — you’ll finish with joy.

And there is no greater testimony than a life that runs its race faithful to the grace of God.