Joe Barnett

I will not neglect your word.        —Psalm 119:16 Dear Abby told about a boy in a wealthy family who expected to receive his dream car as a graduation gift. Instead, his father gave him a gift-wrapped box, in which he found a Bible. Angrily throwing it down, he stormed out of the […]

The words of a wise person are gracious.                  —Ecclesiastes 10:12 The manager of the shoe department at my nearby Dillard’s advises salespeople: “Never tell a lady, your foot is too big for this shoe; instead, tell her, I’m sorry, but this shoe is just a little too

Be generous and willing to share.              —1 Timothy 6:18 A restaurant manager told me he has a hard time getting a full crew to serve tables on Sundays. “My waitpeople had rather work ’til closing on Friday and Saturday nights than noon and dinner shifts on Sunday.” “Why?” I

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.     —Psalm 55:22 Are you facing into tornadic winds of anxiety or grief? Trying to cope when there seems to be no hope? Simplistic, epigrammatic counsel, however well-meaning, doesn’t help. H.L. Mencken wrote: “There’s always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible,

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely.                            —Proverbs 10:9 On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you grade your integrity on these four character traits? Truthful Trustworthy Honorable Reliable How would others grade you? Bottom line, self-assessment is your only option:

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.                       —1 Corinthians 15:20 (I’m devoting today’s space to words from the apostle Paul.) If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our

Let us not give up meeting together . . . but let us encourage one another.               —Hebrews 10:25 There’s a hole in our church family, on row five; the space where Sonny sat for twenty-five years. Sonny left our church house for his Father’s house on June 3.

Honor your father and your mother.                   —Exodus 20:12 I was born in the fourth year of the Great Depression. But because of my father, I didn’t worry about things like income taxes, car payments, or mortgages. Those items landed on his desk. The bills got paid,

My son, pay attention to my wisdom.                             —Proverbs 5:1 One more batch of lessons I learned from my dad. I learned that . . . I can’t choose where I came from, but I can choose where I am going. The

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment.                                   —Proverbs 3:21 A few more lessons I learned from my dad. I learned that . . . I shouldn’t let the attitudes and actions of others govern my behavior. My best