Joe Barnett

He . . . brings out the wind from his storehouses.                          —Psalm 135:7 Biosphere 2, the world’s largest closed ecological system, debuted on September 26, 1991, in Oracle, Arizona, with a crew of eight. It was initially meant to test the viability of […]

God is love. —1 John 4:8 The words of Mia’s father cut deep: “You’re a total failure, an embarrassment to our family.” Compared to her talented siblings, Mia’s dad viewed her as an underachieving disgrace. She excelled in composition and communication, but her father’s censure made her feel worthless. In a rehab center, after Mia’s

[H]e still speaks, even though he is dead.                      —Hebrews 11:4 An elder at a church where I had been invited to speak, shook my hand and said, “Your father had a big influence on me.” He told me he was only three-years-old when my dad,

Generations come and generations go.          —Ecclesiastes 1:4  On March 29, 1974, a party of Chinese farmers made a stunning discovery while drilling a water well in Shaanxi province in northwest China. They uncovered what became known as the Terracotta Army—life-size clay models of more than 8,000 soldiers, 150 cavalry horses, and

[I]n Christ we who are many form one body.                           —Romans 12:5 John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, was insistent on team play. “There’s a reason basketball is played with five men on the court,” he said. “One man does not make

Trust in God; trust also in me.                  —John 14:1 I have no helpful—or satisfactory—answers to the “Why?” questions. Why were twenty first-graders killed in a senseless shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? Why did Ellicott City, Maryland, get hammered by a town-destroying flood, while

Aaron and Hur held his hands up.                 —Exodus 17:12 When the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites at Rephidim, Moses went to the top of a hill. But he didn’t go alone. He took Aaron and Hur with him. Hur? We know a lot about Moses and Aaron,

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   —Romans 5:8 Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Mt 11:19). He proved that to be fact: he said, “The greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13 TLB). And he did just that—laid down his life

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.                       —Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Two are better than one,” wrote Solomon. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:9, 12). In Old Testament days, combat

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?                              —Job 12:12 “As you grow, you learn more,” said Morrie Schwartz, in Tuesdays with Morrie. “If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were