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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It’s Friday – Here’s Your Video!

This is the third video in a series of four by Community Christian!  What really makes you a Christian?  It’s not the clothes you wear or the music you jam to!  The real question is this:  Are you following Christ?

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How Old Are You?

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David's been crying because I never mention him in a blog - so here ya go!
David's been crying because I never mention him in a blog - so here ya go!

Last night we talked about “What’s The Big Deal About Age?” We are working our way through 1 Samuel 3 and we were taking a look at old Eli and Young Samuel and discovered that there are some things that we need to learn wherever we are in our journey!

The Problem With Getting Old! Getting old does not have to be a bad thing.  In fact getting old can be a good thing, if we will learn to age with Grace!  But for a lot of people, the problem with getting old comes when you get to a point where you stop learning.  Eli was loosing his physical vision and had already lost most of his spiritual vision.  He was more than likely loosing his ability to hear physically and he had certainly already lost his ability to hear spiritually.  There came a point in his growing older that he stopped learning.  There came a point when he just stopped seeing and hearing the things of God!  What a tragedy!

As we get older – we begin to lose our physical senses! As we lose our physical senses, we need to enhance and grow our spiritual senses.  As the physical dies – the spiritual should grow.  As the flesh grows old, the spirit should grow strong!  Getting old does not have to be a bad thing.  You just need to learn to make the switch from physical to spiritual.  This is what we ought to spend our lives doing any way!

As we all get older and begin to lose our physical senses – let’s make sure that we are working to grow, develop and strengthen our spiritual senses, so that we can hear, see and respond to the awesome stuff of God!

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Get Some Rest!

My Dad Getting Some Rest!
My Dad Getting Some Rest!

Luke 23:56 says “On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment!”

We live in a 24/7 world, where activity is taking place on top of activity! Many people are in the process of doing three or more things all at the same time. We think that the more busy we get, the more important we are.  Our big problem is often a lot of activity, but very little result!  We stir up a lot of dust, but when the dust settles – what is there to show for it?

I think this is one of the reasons why God commanded a Sabbath! We need to take a break from all that we are doing, so that we can remember Who and what we are doing it for.  There are a lot of benefits to taking a Sabbath Rest!  Our mind, body and spirit get a much needed break from the often punishing routines of life.  Our life gets a chance to restructure and reorganize for better service that really makes a difference.  And we gain a clarity that can only come from taking a little time to survey the scene from a place of rest.

Genesis 2 says:  “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” Who are we to think that we should not rest, when our Creator took the time to rest?

Make sure that you are taking some time to rest, so that you can give God your very best! In your time of rest make sure to take some time to think about God’s plans for you and your life and make sure that you take some time to thank God for your life and all that He has given and done to make it blessed!