Category Archives: Growing

Blogroll, Growing, life, Personal, Uncategorized

Hello, My Name Is…

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Hello, My Name is Michael Joe Harvell and I decided to try something a little different on my blog this month. I am going to try to write everyday, using pre planned prompts for the month. That means that everyday, I will try to come to this page and write about whatever my prompt is prompting me to write about.

Today, I want to introduce myself and tell you a little about me. I am pretty much an ordinary guy. I get up most mornings around 5 AM and get ready for my day. I like to begin my day with a cup of coffee, outside in a rocking chair, where I will spend a few moments reading Scripture, meditating and then walking around the yard enjoying a little prayer conversation with my Creator.

I am a husband of a beautiful wife, who is a K-5 Teacher, a father to two beautiful and successful daughters. One who is working, pregnant and and about to bless us with our first grandchild. The other who is still in high school and liviing her best life. I am a son of very special parents, who are a blessing and sometimes a challenge. I am a brother to my favorite sister, who has blessed me with two incredible nephews, who I consider my own. I am a friend to anyone who is willing to open their life to me and I do my best to be an open book and sometimes I am probably more open than I need to be.

I am a Minister, so I spend part of my day studying and preparing messages to encourage folks in their spiritual journy. I am a teacher, so I spend part of my day at school working with high school students trying to help them succeed toward the goal of graduating and earning their high school diploma. I am a Master Coach, so I spend time communicating with clients trying to encourage them and keep them accountable to their goals. And I am a Mentor, so I work hard on myself to try to succeed myself so I can be someone worth looking to for advice and counsel.

I have made more than my fair share of mistakes in this life, and I thank God that His grace is more than sufficient. One of the greatest lessons I have learned and try to teach in life is that if we learn from our mistakes, they were an education, but if we fail to learn, they were a waste.

I believe that God is love and that we are created in His image, which means that as we receive His love, we are to return it to Him and one of the best ways we can do that is by loving one another.

At this age and stage of my life, I consider myself very blessed and I am grateful for all that life has allowed me to experience…

Blogroll, emotions, Growing, Healing, journey, life, Uncategorized

What To Do When Life Gets You Down!

I love alone time, just sitting by myself, having time to think through the things I am facing. Slowing down and being by myself takes time and is sometimes very hard work. It’s good work, because it grows me so that I may grow through whatever life happens to throw my way.

I’ve noticed that every now and then, life throws me a curve and no matter how many positive practices I’ve put into place, sometimes it all just tends to get to me. Those negative emotions begin to flow in and start taking up space in my head, heart and life.

The negative emotions of sadness, shame, guilt anger, fear, regret and hate come flooding in and battle for control. When the negativity begns to overwhelm me and I find that my mind by itself is not strong enough to overcome and give me my freedom, then I have to resort to other discipliines.

I can analize my depression all day long and if I am not careful, I will just dig the hole even deeper. Sometimes I need more than positive affirmations, encouraging words and “attaboys” to pick myself up off the floor and get back to this thing called life.

Sometimes I need God to pick me up, dust me off, hold me close and wisper in my ear that everything is going to be okay. I need God to brush my hair out of my eyes, wipe away my tears and breathe His courage and strength into me.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10

While I do my best to avoid these times of negativity, there are days that they cannot be avoided. They just have to be lived through faced, learned from and dealt with. I have discovered a few disciplines that assist me in getting my life into alignment with God’s Spirit and help me recover, learn and grow at a greater pace.

1. Take And Make Time To Write! When I write, I think through things, I look at things from different perspectives and I work my way through to the best place. Writing is release! Sometimes I write, draw, paint, craft or plant. All of these are forms of self expression which help me to get in touch with who and what I am. Release is a powerful and beautiful thing, but it does not happen my accident.

2. Serve Others! When I do something for someone else, it helps me to take my eyes off of myself, which actually helps me to see things from a much clearer perspective, which helps me to get real with myself and others. It may be writing a hand written note of encouragement, giving something special to someone to let them know I am thinking about them or just lending a helping hand…

3. Practice Gratitude! This one tends to end up on every list, because it really is a great big difference maker. Take time to make a list of all the things that you have to be grateful for. If you do this right, then you will have a very big list, because even when life is though, we are still a very blessed people. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves of how blessed we are…

You have a greater power than you realize and when life gets tough, you just have to take the steps to remind yourself of just how powerful you are. You’ve got this, because He’s got you…

Blogroll, emotions, faith, Growing, life, purpose, Uncategorized

Hands Down!

Have you ever been unfairly attacked? Have you ever had untrue rumors circulated around about you? Have you ever had those that you thought were your friends turn on you?

Live long enough and it probably in some way, shape or form happens to most of us. The real issue is not what others do or say, but how we respond to it.

There was a time in my life when I found myself at what was prehaps the most terrible time I’ve ever gone through, but it did not kill me, even though there were moments that I wanted it to. It did without doubt make me stronger and I think maybe a little wiser in the process…

Many years ago, I had a story to tell but chose to listen to the Spirit and keep it to myself. Many times since, I have been tempted to share my side, but have chosen again and again to listen instead to the Spirit. It was hard at first, not defending myself, not confronting the lies, not revealing the hypocrisy, but over time, I began to learn that my life is a work in progress and that learning from my mistakes, sins, and failures are the most important thing I can do with my time and the greatest way for me to give God glory and others hope.

I have never been a perfect person, but I am in a far better place today than I have ever been and it is because I have a God, Who loves me, family that walk with me, and friends who stand by me. I am not the past that others created and I am not the past of my own creation. Today I am who and what God created me to be at this time and place and so the best thing I can do, is learn from my past, enjoy my present and grow toward my future.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

My life today is full of blessing, peace, love, learning, laughter and grace. I still have such a long way to go and I am enjoying the journey more than ever before. I share this with you, because I want you to know that with God all things are possible, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. Keep your focus on Him, your heart connected with His and your life will unfold to reveal amazing blessings…