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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Bummer Day!

The way I Feel!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything starts out good and then it takes a left turn and heads down hill?  That was my day today!  I got up early, had a good time with God and then went to the hospital to try and be a blessing by trying to bring a little peace and comfort to a lady that was having surgery.  Then a headache hit and started to grow and made me totally useless for the rest of the day.  (Have not had one of those suckers for such a long time!)

I can’t stand days like today, because I get almost nothing accomplished on my to-do list.  Which means that tomorrow I have twice as much to get done.  I don’t like it, because it makes me feel useless.  As if the headache did not make me feel bad enough, I then start to beat up on myself because of an unproductive day. And then it hit me!  The reminder of what I already knew!

My day being productive is not based on my to-do list!  My day being productive is based on God’s to-do list!  At the end of the day we may have everything checked off of our to-do list, but if we have not accomplished what God created us for, then that is when we really have a productivity problem.

A to-do list is a good thing!  The most important thing to have on your list is what God wants and has for you to do!  So, the next time you are having an unproductive day, just make sure that you take the time to think about what it is that God has for you to do.  When you discover what God has for you to do, then do it and you will watch unproductive day become productive!

Before I go to bed – I’ve got a few things to do!

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Get Ready For Sunday!

Join Us Sunday!

Looking Forward! I am really looking forward to Sunday!  “Crazy In Love!” has been a great series!  In preparation for Sunday I just want to challenge you to read Matthew 7:7-11 and take a little time to think about how much GOD loves YOU!

Experience Love! God does love us and while most of us have knowledge of this love, we could all use greater experience!  God loving us and our loving God is about so much more than a list of do’s and don’ts!  He is about you and your life and it making a difference.  He is about you experiencing acceptance, fulfillment and satisfaction of the most amazing kind.  He is about you growing to become the very special creation that He created you to become!

Our Goal! You can know God in a greater way!  And our goal this coming Sunday is to help you know Him in a greater way.  Trust me – this has the potential to change your life and take you to a brand new place of understand and purpose.

Open The Door! Make sure that you are here and make sure that you have invited some others to join you!  It is going to be a great day that has the potential to open the door to many other great days that will be packed full of the blessing of God!

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Funerals!

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Live Like You Were Dying!

Funerals! I have attended a lot of funerals lately.  It is an almost continual reminder to me that we are always headed out of this life and into the next, which the Bible teaches is eternal!  A few weeks ago, I was reading “Crazy Love!” by Francis Chan and he hit me with this thought:  Have you ever noticed how really good and special the dead are made to sound at most funerals.

Preacher Talk! We preachers get up and focus on their positive qualities and if we are honest, sometimes accentuate and even puff up the positive, while ignoring  the negative.  We usually end up making people sound much better than they really were!  The funerals that I love to share at, are the ones where I just get to tell it like it is and it is all positive, because the person had experienced God’s love and it changed their life and so they were able to express that love back to God and others with a life that had been changed from the inside – out!

It all got me to thinking about that poem by Linda Ellis – How Do You Live Your Dash!

“I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.  He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning… to the end.  He noted that first came her date of birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. (1934-1998)

For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth…  and now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.  For it matters not, how much we won; the cars…the house…the cash, what matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.. are there things you’d like to change?  For you never know how much time is left, that can still be rearranged.  If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real, and always try to understand the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never done before.  If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile.  Remembering that this special dash might only last a while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read with your life’s actions to rehash…  would you be proud of the things they said about how you spent your dash?”

A Different Life! How would our lives be different – if we really got up every day determined to make our dash count?  How would our lives be different – if we worked to live a life that made the job of the preacher of our funeral easy?  I don’t want anyone to have to make up anything or exaggerate at my funeral!  I want to live a life that honors and brings glory to God!  I want to love the One Who love me!  I want to experience His crazy and amazing love and I want to express His crazy and amazing love through the living of my life!  I’ve got some work to do!  See ya!