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.
My office is filled with books – I would not even venture a guess as to how many. One of the questions that I am frequently ask by visitors is: “Have you read all of these books?” To which I reply – “I have read some of most of them!” At any given time you can catch me reading about five books. I have books located all around the house, so that I can pick one up and get in a few pages. I am not a great reader of books. I enjoy reading, but the truth is – reading is something that I have to make myself do!
I was thinking about all of the books that God has blessed me with and it got me to thinking about the saying: “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover!” The fact is: You can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but many people do! We take one look at the outside and make a determination without giving any regard to what is on the inside! I am not sure why we do this – I think it is probably laziness on our part, or maybe just the fact that judging someone else as inferior causes us to feel a little more important than we really are! Whatever it is – we need to stop judging and start reading – we might just learn something!
By the way – I’m not really talking about books here, and if you thought I was, you mis-judged me! Read, change and grow this week and just enjoy what God can do to and through you!
It is amazing to think about how much God loves us! When you take just a moment to really stop and think about the Christmas story and how God out of His great love for us sent His Son to be born into this world, so that we could have a Savior and be restored to right relationship and blessing – it is just an amazing thought! God loves me! I don’t deserve it and I never could! I can’t earn it, not even on my best day. God just loves me, because He is God and God is love! God’s love compels Him to give me the gift of life – everlasting and abundant! He does not have to give me life and love – He has made the choice to bless me with these amazing gifts!
This Christmas as we give and receive gifts, let’s make sure and take the time to appreciate the greatest gift of all – a relationship with God through our Savior Jesus Christ!
Someone said that simplicity is living according to a set of values that reduce our dependency upon the world and increase our dependency upon God! I am finding that as I experience more and more of life, this statement is right on the mark! When I try to live my life according to a set of values that have been set up or influenced by the world, I am constantly making adjustments to try and find just the right fit and I get frustrated at the complication, but when I live my life according to the values that grow out of my depending on and trusting in Christ – life just seems to work an I am blessed with peace and fulfillment!
My problem is staying with the right set of values! I love God and I want to live for Him. It is the desire of my life to bring glory to His name and growth to His Kingdom! I Just sometimes get sidetracked by all of the other stuff. The influnces of people and what they think or say will sometimes cause me to step right out of God’s values that lead to peace and into man’s values that lead to frustration! I like to think that I am making life more simple, but what I am really doing is complicating things!
God has a plan – it is the best plan! When I am in the right state of mind – I choose these good things of God and life is really simple and blessed!
Michael Joe Harvell 