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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Christ In Me!

I am a Christian!  I am a follower of Christ!  I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and paid the price that I could not pay, so that I might have a forever and always relationship with God!  Colossians 3 says that I have been raised with Christ!  Because of all that Jesus has done for me – I am going to do my best to set my heart on things above, where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God.  Every time I set my heart on something here on earth, I end up getting frustrated and disappointed!  I am going to do my best to set my mind on things above and not on earthly things.  I can do this, because when I accepted Jesus, I died to my old self and old way of living and my life is not hidden in and with Christ!  When Jesus appears in glory – I will appear with Him!  So my life that I am living – I make the choice to live it in Christ – Who lives in me!

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YOU ARE HERE!

 

     Have you ever seen one of those maps at the rest areas that has a big arrow pointing to your location that says:  “You Are Here”?  This is exactly what God wants us to be as a church!  God desires for us to be a reference point for upstate South Carolina and the rest of the world!  God has taken me on a very interesting journey over the past several months, that has brought me right back to that “You Are Here!” spot.  This month we are going to be taking a look at some very important questions and answers that God has provided for us as a church.  Questions like:

WHO ARE WE?  We are the place and people of RIGHT DIRECTION!  We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to pursue and share “RIGHT DIRECTION” living.  We acknowledge that RIGHT DIRECTION is given to us by God through His WORD and helps us to live blessed, fulfilled and growing lives!

WHAT ARE WE DOING?  We are helping people to find RIGHT DIRECTION in life!  We are doing this by being a church that is:

· A point of reference for upstate South Carolina. 

· A community of faith that provides direction in love. 

· A ministry of equipping people to fulfill God’s purpose.

WHERE ARE WE GOING?  We are going outside of ourselves to reach inside of others!  We have a COMMISSION to share Jesus and the difference a relationship with Him can make!  We have COMMUNION and can experience God in real and relevant ways!  We have CHARACTER and are growing through obedience to God’s Word!  We have COMMUNITY in which we develop caring relationships that help to get us through life on this earth.  We have CONNECTION and enjoying giving of ourselves to make life better for everyone!

We Believe:  The Bible is God’s Word to us and is the foundation upon which we build and grow our lives!  Jesus is the only hope for a lost, broken and hurting world!  The Church is God’s agent for redemptive change, growth and fulfillment!  Every Christian is called and gifted by God to fulfill the Great Commission!  There is a RIGHT DIRECTION and it will change your life! 

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Prophetic!

Today was a great day in the life and ministry of Northwood.  The Lord had us take a look at a very sensetive subject and provided us with some great insight into what our response as a church and as Christians needs to be!  We were taking a look at God’s command to not commit adultery!  God’s commands are provided to give us boundaries, so that we will know what, where, when, how and why to live our lives.  God’s command to not commit adultery is a command to practice faithfulness!  God wants us to be faithful in all of our relationships!

We need to make sure that we are faithful to God by living a surrendered and yielded life to Him and His will.  We need to make sure that we are faithful to our families by being committed to our spouse above all others and committed to loving our families with a love that is always looking out for the best according to God.  We need to make sure that we are faithful to our friends by being an honest and available friend.

When I finished the second service today, I really felt that the messages that I delivered today, while they were not easy to deliver, they were prophetic, in that – we as a Church and as Christians had better get busy talking about the things that really matter.  God deserves glory, the Chruch was created to grow and our lives are open books for blessing.  We have a lot to get right and with God’s help we are going to get more and more of it right in the days ahead!