Joe Barnett

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

Those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.          —Matthew 19:30 What was the kid’s name who shared his snack and with wide-eyed wonder saw a multitude fed from his lunch pail? What was the guy’s name who loaned Jesus his donkey for his final ride into Jerusalem? What

Call upon me in the day of trouble.                    —Psalm 50:15 Homeownership isn’t an unmixed blessing. Something always needs to be repainted, repaired, or replaced. The paint peels, the toilet backs up, the AC gives out, the roof springs a leak. If you’re a homeowner, it hasn’t