Joe Barnett

This week we’re considering Five Life-Changing Questions (2) Is This Worth Worrying About? Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.    —John 14:27 Worry saps stamina, triggers health problems, torpedoes optimism, impairs judgment, and smothers gratitude. Worry doubles your trouble: if what you’re worrying about doesn’t happen, you’ve lived through […]

This week let’s consider Five Life-Changing Questions (1) Is This In My Control? Search me, O God . . . and know my anxious thoughts.            —Psalm 139:23 You can save yourself a lot of agitation by sorting out what is in your control and what isn’t. Your actions, words, and

Do not be afraid or discouraged . . . For the battle is not yours, but God’s. —2 Chronicles 20:15 You’re strong. But the problems just keep coming until you have a backpack full. The load seems unbearable. Jehoshaphat, Judah’s fourth king, would understand. He was minding his own business when the Moabites decided to

Because I live, you also will live.                 —John 14:19 Grieving women trudged to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, only to find the tomb empty. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” an angel asked. “He is not here; he has risen!”

Death has been swallowed up in victory.               —1 Corinthians 15:54 A car crash on I-45 between The Woodlands and Conroe, Texas, left a victim with such severe injuries his chance of survival was slim. Thankfully, skillful surgeons saved his life. The downside is that he has brain damage

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”    —John 11:43 Mary Magdalene—one of the last at the cross and first at the tomb—stood outside the sepulcher weeping. Angels appeared and asked why she was crying. Because “[t]hey have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.               —Matthew 16:18 When Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it,” he was pointing to his resurrection. He would soon be crucified, and the gates of

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.       —Philippians 4:11 If you are defined by your possessions, you’ll feel great when you have a lot, and lousy when you don’t. A new car, a new house, a new smart phone, a stout 401(k), a healthy bank balance. O joy! But the

Do not fret. —Psalm 37:1 When things seem to be spinning out of control and evil seems to be winning Psalm 37 serves up this advice: Keep your eyes on the Lord; trust him and wait patiently for him to act . . . Trust in the Lord (v. 3); Delight in the Lord (v.

He changes times and seasons.                 —Daniel 2:21 My friend, minister/author Gene Shelburne, reminds us that in the 1970s the scariest threat we faced was what the Washington Post called a “new ice age.” According to Time magazine, Shelburne says, “the earth had been cooling at an unprecedented