I am back! I had a computer crash and have been trying to get things back up and running! Fortunately, I had backed up all of the important information, but seemed to have lost some pics and music! Just a week before the big crash, I had thought to myself, that I needed to backup my whole computer on one of those external hard drives, but never got around to going and buying one! The result: I did not lose everything, but, I did lose some things!
The whole process got me to thinking about how we know what we ought to do, but often never get around to doing it. Like we know that we should back up our lives by reading, studying and applying God’s Word. We hear the sermons, but how often do we really take the time to back up our lives by applying what we are hearing?
Take some time today think about some of the areas of your life that God could improve – and think about how some of what you are hearing and reading applies. Back up your daily living with the good stuff of God and you will be amazed at how much sweeter life can be!
Was it cold to you this morning? I got a chill that I could not seem to get rid of! I need to go outside and work on setting up for Sweet Treat, but I am not sure that I want to go out there again – at least not until it warms up a little! Feeling the cold and feeling it in such a major way got me to thinking about how much we don’t feel. When life is working as usual and everything is going the way that we like for it to go – we tend to feel very little. But let something change, even just a little bit and watch out – there are all kinds of feeling and our thoughts are shared freely.
I have not felt the cold in a while and so I have gotton used to the warmth and it has become comfortable to me. Now the cold comes and attempts to mess with and take away my comfort! My first thought is: “I can’t stand this cold!” My second thought is: “I am going to do all that I can to avoid it!” But wait just a minute – I like the cold weather! It puts a spring in my step, I seem to breath easier and I get to wear cloths that have been hanging in my closet looking lonely all summer long!
My problem is not what I feel! My problem is that I have not felt what I am feeling for a while and so I am not used to it and I am tempted to avoid and miss it, when I need to embrace and enjoy it! Our spiritual life is very much the same! We have an expereince that is not what we are used to and we are tempted to go to pieces, but when we stop for just a momnet and think about it, things are not near as bad as we might think! In fact, they might be better than we realize!
So – whatever is going on in your life today = embrace it and look forward to the journey that God has you on!
I am back after an amazing weekend journey back down memory lane. This past week I finally took a Sunday off from the Northwood pulpit to return to my first church pastorate – Shamrock Bapitst Church in Bethune, South Carolina. Shamrock was celebrating their 100th Anniversary and invited me back to deliver the “Homecoming” message. Joy and I had a blast showing the girls were we used to live and remembering some of the funny stories of our beginning days of ministry and marriage. It was really great to see everyone and I was amazed at how so many of the folks had not really changed a bit.
It is amazing to be gone from a place for over twelve years and get the opportunity to go back and feel as if you never really left. The love, lessons and life that Joy and I were blessed with in our ministry to that first church family is something that words cannot even come close to explaining. The most exciting part for me is seeing that a church that I had the joy of serving is continuing to grow and be effective for God’s glory! I thank God for that congregation of Believers and for all that they have meant to so many, especially to me! Every where I go, I will always take some of Shamrock with me!
It is great to be back at Northwood! It is nice to get away and enjoy memory lane, but I sure do miss the family of Believers and community of challenge that God has given me to pastor in Greer. I love living, teaching, sharing, growing and becoming together. God has some amazing things in store for us and I can’t wait to see Him accomplish some of the things that He has put in my heart and head. So with that said – I’ve got lots of work to do, so I’ll get busy and talk with you folks later! May continue to bless, as we keep it real!
Michael Joe Harvell 