Tag Archives: love

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Seven Steps To Experience Divine Repair!

Here are the seven steps that we each need to take, so that the Spirit can begin the process of “Divine Repair” upon our lives…

1.) Face Your Problem!  We all have problems,  Figure out what your problem is and then face it.  This is the first and most important step.  Stop pretending that you don’t have any problems.  Once you face your problems, you will begin to see what you need to do about it, now do it!

2.) Accept Responsibility!  While there may be others that contributed to the problems that you are facing, it is still your problem and you must bear the responsibility.  This is not necessarily easy, but it is right.  If things are going to be better, then it is because you have decided they are going to be better.

3.)  Ask Yourself If You Really Want Healing?  They say “misery loves company” and I guess that this is true for a great many people.  But why be miserable, when you can be happy, strong and fulfilled?  You have to decide if you really want to be happy and if you do, then you have to go all in and go for it!

4.) Forgive Yourself!  Stop beating yourself up with the same club over and over again. We all make mistakes and we all screw up at this thing called life.  If we learn from our screw ups, then they are not screw ups, they are education.  So you messed up, learn from it, let it go and move on.

5.) Forgive Others!  You can live in the prison of unforgiveness or you can live in the freedom of holding no grudges, it is up to you.  Just know this:  If you stay imprisoned, it is because you have made the choice to not claim your freedom by withholding forgiveness that sets everyone free.

6.) Ask For The Spirit’s Help!  You are not supposed to do this alone, because you can’t do this alone, so ask the Spirit to help you.  The Spirit will speak to you, guide you and grow you to a place that you cannot take yourself.  You need the Spirits help!

7.) Don’t Give Up!  If it was easy, then everyone would do it.  It’s not easy, but it is possible and with the possibility comes a new and better life.  Step out in faith and claim your better and blessed life today, you will be glad you did!

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Undeserved Love!

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.  Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me,  Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so!”

“Jesus Loves Me” is so much more than just a sweet children’s song.  It is a reality of eternity and it needs to be more than just a concept that we have been taught.  Most of us believe it, but I often wonder, if we have really allowed ourselves to experience it?  What I mean is:  It’s in our heads, but is it really in our hearts?  And if it is in our hearts, shouldn’t that change things?

The truth is that it is hard to understand God’s love.  I mean it really is pretty amazing that God can love someone like you and me, with all of our faults and failures.  But He does love us and with the most amazing and incredible love that we could ever be loved with.  I was watching the movie “October Baby” last week and there is a scene where the daughter is moving into college and as she is walking off from her Dad, she turns and goes running back into his arms and says:  “Thank you for wanting me!”  That line grabbed me and would not let go, because isn’t that really what we all want – to be wanted?

My understanding of love has grown and is growing.  In no way am I an expert or guru, but when I became a Dad, I gained a whole new understanding and insight into love.  Becoming a Dad, allowed love to take on a whole new meaning for me.  Matthew 7:9-12 puts it this way:  9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I believe that a very big part of love is trust.  When you realize that your Creator really loves you and wants what is best for you, then it is easier to trust Him.  When you trust someone, you believe they will do what is best on your behalf, even without you there to guide or direct them.  When you trust someone, really trust them, you want to spend time with them.  Time with your Creator is not a “have to”, it’s a “get to!”  Matthew 22:36-38 teaches us about what is really important:  36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

God’s love for you and me is amazing!  The fact that He “wants” us, still blows me away and challenges me to ask myself some hard questions.  Questions like:  Do you want more of God?  Because if you really want more of God, then you can have more of God, but you have to be willing to do your part.

Recovery programs often begin with accepting of reality and being honest about our challenges.  So let me start by saying:  “Hello, my name is Michael Joe and I am a sinner saved by Grace!”  I have learned the truth of Isaiah 64:6 which teaches that my righteous works are as filthy rags, next to the righteous perfection of my Almighty Creator and King.  

He does not have to love me, I do not deserved to be loved by Him and I cannot even on my best day do anything to earn His love, but He does love me and I need Him and His love, if I am going to make it through another day.

Think about your life for just a moment:  What’s missing?  I mean, really think about and answer the question, because the answer is your first step in the right direction.  Now ask yourself this follow up question:  “What can I do about it?”  What can you do?  What will you do?  When will you get started?  What are you waiting on?  Make a commitment to do what you can and do it.  Why?  Because God, your Creator loves you and that is more than enough reason!  Live blessed – it’s what you were created for!

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Simple Man!

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Simple Man – That’s A Good Thing!

My Dad, David Harvell celebrated his 70th Birthday yesterday.  The following is a little something I wrote to share a little of what is in my heart for this man who God blessed my life with:

He was raised out in the country of Cheddar and there is no shame in that, because it is where he learned the basics that make him a kind, gentle and simple man. He was taught and learned the value of hard work and if a job is worth doing, then it’s worth doing right. This is more than a philosophy to him, it has been and is his creed – his way of living life right.

He does not just believe in God, He loves God with all of his heart and while he does not put on big displays of affection for others to see. He knows in his heart that God sees and God knows and that is more than enough.

He may seem kind of quiet at first, but if you listen, then you can hear his mind turning and churning all of the information that a life time allows a man to amass. He listens and he hears and he forms his own opinions, because that is what he was taught to do. And then he acts on behalf of what is best for all involved.

He is gentle in Spirit and firm in resolve. His goal is to do what is right in the sight of God and man will just have to live with that. He is a faithful husband, doing what most men never could or would by lovingly holding the guiding reins on the heart of one of those Davenport Girls. He is a loving Father to a son and a daughter. He taught them more through example than words, an example that always spoke so much louder than any words could have. He is a proud Grandpa or Pops as we like to call him and Grace, Hope and Will put a sparkle in his eyes and a dent in his after dinner naps.

He loves his community and serves it better than well. Most do not understand what they have in this man, who stands in the gap on their behalf. He is not a politician and was probably better at running from the law in his younger days with a fast car, than running for office, which so many want to make just a game. But he cares. He really does care about doing what is right and best, so he steps out of his comfort zone and does what needs to be done, bringing stability over the past several years to what could have been very unstable times.

Today we celebrate his seventy years upon this earth. Years full of challenge and blessing. Years full of growth and accomplishment. Years full of meaningful and on purpose living. Years full of glory for our Creator and Sustainer.

He is one of the greatest men I know and I have lived under the same roof with him and can tell you that the man on the street is the same man under the roof. A simple man – yes! And that is what makes him so special to all of us. Happy 70th Birthday Pops – we love you!