Author Archives: John Harrell

Spirituality, Uncategorized

Lead Me

Our world needs strong leaders. The kind of leadership I’m talking about are people who are moral, ethical, and they do what’s right. And those types of people are rare.

It has always fascinated me when I see the actions of cult leaders. Jim Jones enticed and forced over 900 people to drink liquid laced with cyanide. Three hundred of them were children. Everyone died from the poison except Jones, who died from a single bullet to his head.

The kind of leadership we desperately need is found in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” In other words, dedicate your life to serving God and follow His guidance in everything. It’s difficult, but possible.

Keep your focus on things above. You will not be led astray…

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Spirituality

A Moment

Thank you for taking a moment to read this piece. We all have the same 168 hours each week, and you chose to spend some of your time with me. I’m grateful.

This crazy world we are living in keeps us busy. Every time something is invented that saves us a minute, we find something to engage our minds. People are overloaded and overwhelmed. We need more peace in our lives, not more busyness.

My encouragement to you is to take a moment every day just being quiet. Turn everything off and sit in the moment. No distractions. No emails. Just you and the quiet. Calm your mind. If doing this makes you uncomfortable, sit with the discomfort. It will pass. I speak from experience.

The busy world will be waiting for you when you re-engage. You won’t have missed a thing. You will have gained some much needed peace in your life. And that’s a good thing…

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Spirituality

A Message of Peace

Today is Christmas Day. For Christians, this is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. There is no one like him.

Jesus’s ministry on earth only lasted for about three years. Yet during that short period of time he transformed the lives of countless people. The disciples recorded some of Jesus’s miracles, but according to John, if they wrote all of them down they would “fill all the volumes in the world.”

During Jesus’s era, the Israelites were living under Roman rule, but the citizens were being oppressed by their own religious leaders. Jesus changed everything, yet he never sinned. He shook things up, and they killed him for it.

Jesus rose on the third day. He left a legacy that has lasted over 2,000 years. If he was a fraud, as some say, he was the best fraud ever.

Jesus was a peacemaker. Let’s follow his lead and bring peace, too…

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Spirituality

Late Night Entertainment

When I was growing up, The Tonight Show was the show to watch late at night. Johnny Carson hosted with Ed McMahon as his sidekick. Doc Severinson led the band. Carson was a unique talent in comedy and wit. He got his start in entertainment as a magician.

The late night talk shows of today are staid and boring. They operate in one lane: who can tell the next best Trump joke. It’s too bad because people tune in to get away from politics. We are bombarded with it 24/7. Carson picked on many politicians, but did so in a gentlemanly way.

Stephen Colbert used to be hilarious. His “The Colbert Show” on Comedy Central had great guests. Colbert has a quick wit that seems lost today. He still has the talent inside of him and I hope he finds it again.

Entertainers of today believe they need to weigh in on politics. They, like the rest of the population, have an opinion but that’s it. And I have never heard anyone say, “I was watching “The View” and thought those ladies made a lot of sense.

Our world needs to laugh. We are becoming a society that takes itself too serious. Lighten up, world. Laughter is good for you…

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Spirituality

Strength Through Pain

Are you experiencing a difficult time in your life? If not now, the odds are that you will sometime in the future. I want to encourage you to flip the script on it when it happens.

Life can be very hard sometimes. God didn’t promise us an easy path. But He did give us a way through. Translation: rely more on God and less on ourselves during the dark times.

Resilience is built in the darkness. We learn that we can bounce back from the troughs of life. Our pain turns into strength. We might not like it at the time, but it can be used for good.

No matter how much social media wants us to believe that everyone has a perfect life, we know the truth. See pain as opportunity. Don’t dread it. Welcome it because better days are ahead…

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Spirituality

The Least

A few years ago I was interviewing a Pastor for my podcast. I was gently challenging him on religious rules, which he answered in the most eloquent way I had ever witnessed. Then he started talking about where the faith communities fail. His words stuck.

“We get ourselves cleaned up for church, sit in our favorite pews, praise the Lord and move on,” he said. “But we walk by the drug addict on the street corner, never inviting him in. We don’t want to get our hands dirty.” His words stuck.

It’s important to remember that in God’s eyes, the addict is as important as we are. He created us equally. When you connect your head to your heart on this, you begin to see your fellow man through a different, bigger lens.

God cares about everyone. We won’t give an accounting of our net worth or our zip code when we arrive in eternity. No. God will ask us what we did with what He gave us. Did we use our gifts or squander them? It’s something we all must consider.

There are a lot of hurting people in this world. Help them when you can. Perhaps a prayer is called for. Everyone can help someone…

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Spirituality

Built to Last

In today’s society, customer service is an oxymoron. Postal service and efficiency? It doesn’t exist. Consumers remain frustrated. Personally, I will avoid calling AT&T as long as I can.

But God built us to last for 80-100 years on earth. In eternity we will live forever. As the artist Prince said, “forever is a mighty long time.”

We must make the most of our time here. It’s preparing us for the next life. We aren’t meant to work a little and then just watch television, existing until the weekend arrives. There’s more, much more if we’re willing to go after it.

Find your purpose and start living it. No excuses. Just do it. And keep going on no matter what. Be relentless…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Lost

Somewhere along the road of life people lose their identity. Instead of focusing on who they are, they try to make their career their identity. That is only what we do.

When my children grew up and left home, I lost a bit of my purpose. For such a long time I had been dad, the guy they could rely on. The truth was, I was still dad, just in a different sense. I had to let them grow up and learn to fly solo.

Do you ever feel like you aren’t sure who you are? Perhaps you are struggling to find your way. It happens. It’s normal. When the moment arrives that you know why you are here, you have reconnected with yourself.

If this is where you are in life right now, I encourage you to pray about it. Ask God for guidance. Then you must believe that He will answer. It might not come immediately, but it will come.

Take inventory of what you love to do. Ask yourself why you love certain aspects and why you have those gifts. You will find your purpose if you keep moving forward…

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Spirituality

Books

When I was a child, I developed a love of reading. We didn’t have the internet so I used my imagination to create images of what I was reading. This love affair with books continues to this day.

Do you want to learn about history? Real history? Read books written by the people who lived through it. Here’s a great one: “Up From Slavery: An Autobiography” written by Booker T. Washington.

Are you interested in learning about a man who didn’t have indoor plumbing until he was six years old? Read “My Grandfather’s Son” by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The only time I put this book aside was when I needed to pee! It’s that good.

There’s a faction that is trying to rewrite history to suit their agenda. Don’t fall for it. Learn from those who lived it.

Most of the time I’m reading 4-5 books at the same time. I like a variety of genres from novels to inspiration. And as I’m reading, my imagination continues to grow.

My encouragement to you is to read a little more than you watch television. Then go make your own history…

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Spirituality

A Gentle Reminder

I have spent the first three days of this week speaking in prisons. This is some of the volunteer work I do, and it’s very fulfilling.

This week has been all about the inmates. Most are living with pain they keep inside, in the dark places. Sometimes they will start talking about their struggles. Opening up about painful memories is the first step toward healing. I’m always encouraged when this happens.

Today’s message is a gentle reminder to be kind to everyone. We don’t know what lies beneath the surface. And while you’re being kind to others, be kind to yourself as well…

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