Joe Barnett

A fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.      —Philippians 4:18 Out for my morning jog, I knew a family was—or soon would be—at the breakfast table, because the aroma of bacon was in the air. The sense of smell is one of God’s great gifts. I get caught up in remembrance of […]

You had [him] killed by hanging him on a tree.         —Acts 5:30 A large window in my mother’s kitchen framed a beautiful oak tree. She had breakfast every morning watching the sun do its magic on her tree. Mother loved that tree. It started me thinking about some other trees. There

See how very much our Father loves us.                             —1 John 3:1 Nineteenth-century British cleric Joseph Parker was asked why Jesus chose Judas to be a disciple. He pondered the question, but said he kept running into a more baffling one: “Why

The people living in darkness have seen a great light.     —Matthew 4:16 An abnormally high percentage of the 3,400 residents of Rjukan, Norway, have suffered from mental depression. They blame it on living in the dark. Surrounded by high mountains, Rjukan receives no sunlight for six months a year. It’s one of the

A good name is more desirable than great riches.         —Proverbs 22:1 Charles Ponzi’s fraudulent investment ploy became known as a “Ponzi scheme.” Investor money snowballed on Ponzi’s promise of a 100 percent profit within ninety days. He used money from new investors to pay previous ones. When the ruse collapsed, victims

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”                     —Galatians 4:6 Members of President John Kennedy’s cabinet were seated around his desk, discussing weighty matters. A photographer’s camera caught the image of two-year-old John-John crawling under the desk at his

What can mere mortals do to me?                   —Hebrews 13:6 On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and world heavyweight champion George Foreman stepped into the ring in Kanshasa, Zaire, for the fight dubbed “Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman’s strategy was to come on fast and take Ali

What joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven.         —Romans 4:7 In Billy Buckner’s twenty-two season major league baseball career, he put up impressive stats: 174 home runs, career batting average of .289, and near-perfect .991 fielding percentage. But the one thing Buckner is remembered for is letting a grounder roll between

If we have food and clothes, that should be enough.        —1 Timothy 6:8 Authors Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five) and Joseph Heller (Catch-22) were guests at a high-dollar party at the palatial New York home of a billionaire host. Vonnegut began to needle Heller. “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that