Joe Barnett

In [Christ] we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.     —Colossians 1:14 After the American Civil War, Major General Lew Wallace served a stint as governor of New Mexico Territory, where he encountered Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett. The Civil War and the Wild West convinced Wallace that reconciliation and redemption could […]

God will help me; the Lord will support me.        —Psalm 54:4 The little shaver slipped away from his parents, traipsed onto the stage where the renowned Ignacy Paderewski would be playing tonight, sat at the grand piano, and started playing chopsticks. As Paderewski walked from the wings, the tense audience held its

Today you will be with me in paradise.                            —Luke 23:43 An elderly lady, who lived in a remote area of Scotland, had to make a government-mandated visit to Edinburgh. She worried herself into weariness prior to the trip, because she feared the

I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin.                                                        —Psalm 39:1                                                    On November 10, 2016, Daniel Fitzpatrick, 13, of Staten Island, NY, wrote a heartbreaking letter

I rejoice in your word like one who finds a great treasure. —Psalm 119:162 In 1932, archaeologist Alfonso Caso discovered Tomb Seven at Monte Alban, Oaxaca, where he found more than 400 frescoes, figurines, and ornate pieces of jewelry. The only place you can view these artifacts is at the Regional Museum of Oaxaca. In

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.          —Isaiah 40:31 When you’re in the dumps, it’s time to remember that God hasn’t abandoned you—so talk back to yourself. In Psalm 42, the psalmist was feeling blue: “My tears have been my food day and night” (v. 3). Then he

He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.           —Psalm 91:2 Do you talk to yourself? Me too. When I’m writing these devotionals, I often think out loud. Sometimes when I’m dressing, I talk to myself about which shirt goes with which pants. Sometimes someone

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?                  —John 11:40 Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. Lazarus’s sisters didn’t understand why Jesus hadn’t dropped everything and come running when he got their message that Lazarus was ill. “If you had been

Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.                              —John 10:41 John the Baptist had been dead for two years, but his influence was alive and well. He wasn’t remembered for his miracles, for

Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.              —John 6:66 Jesus had some fair-weather followers who were gung ho for his healing and feeding, but not for his teaching. His miracles enthralled them, but his words galled them. What he offered they would not accept; what