Stephen R Harrison
-
Signage is important. Disregarding a sign can lead to getting lost and encountering much trouble. Several years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our son, we were at a checkup appointment with her doctor. I needed to use the restroom, and the nurse said, “Let me show you the way because it’s pretty confusing, as there are…
-
Standing your ground may sometimes be necessary, so ensure you are on solid ground. I loved playing paintball in college. One game we played was “Capture the Flag.” Each team would have to protect its flag from being seized by the opposing team. I liked being the guy who would stand my ground near the flag and “pick…
-
When I was a kid, my dad and I would go fishing religiously twice a year for a solid week (Spring and Fall Break). We loved catching crappie and catfish. It seemed those were the best for frying. My dad would set trotlines to catch giant catfish and would use baitfish like skipjack and shad to catch them. I…
-
When facing death, Paul felt his earthly work and ministry were unfinished. His desire for heaven was evident (v. 23). His conviction to stay on the earth was for the Philippian believers’ benefit, not his own. Heaven was assured because of his faith in Christ. His desire to remain wasn’t driven by the uncertainty of his eternity but…
-
Philippians 1:22-23 reveals Paul’s efforts to advance the gospel and his desire to be in heaven. These verses also resolve his dilemma of staying alive to advance the gospel on earth or dying and being in heaven with Jesus. He knew the continuation of his life would result in fruit. While Paul would bear personal…
-
A missionary once challenged me with an interesting question. After sharing a short devotional about “living for Christ,” he asked me, “Would you be ready to die for Christ?” I had not thought about that at all in preparation for my devotional. My initial response was, “I thought He died for me?” The missionary served in…
-
I love being a father. God’s gift of our three children is one of His best, along with salvation and marriage to my wife. I had a great father. He and my mother adopted my sister and me, and he modeled how to be loving, patient, gentle, and so much more. He showed me how…
-
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus preached and taught the basics of Christianity, with prayer being one of the foundational teachings. Jesus showed prayer was not a suggestion but a necessity. He said, “When you pray”, not “if you pray.” Prayer is vital to our Christian faith. It is how we communicate…
-
The book of Joel in the Bible is about Judah’s experience with a severe locust plague. It is so brutal that Joel 1:4 tells us, “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten. What the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten. What the young locusts have left other locusts…
-
Every sport with a ball has a goal, even if it isn’t called a “goal”, and is used to score points. Football has goal posts. Basketball has a goal. So does soccer. Each player works to achieve victory by placing their ball strategically into the goal. A player suits up, steps onto the playing field,…
stephen R Harrison 