Joe Barnett

To Timothy, my dear son. 2 Timothy 1:2 Today my scheduled daily Bible reading put me in the pages of 2 Timothy. When I visit here, it’s always with a sense of sadness, because it was Paul’s last letter. His writings have been transformative in my life; so when he signs off and lays aside […]

On his law he meditates day and night.                           —Psalm 1:2 I got a belly laugh out of a publicist’s defense of a politician whose knowledge of Scripture was dubious. “He knows his Bible,” he said. “He’s read it all the way through.

Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.                  —Leviticus 19:11 Ken Stegall, an admired preacher friend, wrote about a man who had a small grocery store in Sheridan, Arkansas in the 1940s. A customer told him she needed a large chicken. He reached into the ice bin,

In his hand is the life of every creature. —Job 12:10 Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures. They weigh less than one ounce; consume one-half of their weight in sugar daily; have a heart rate of more than 1,200 beats per minute; take 250 breaths per minute. Then there’s this fact that I’m struggling to wrap my

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.                   —Proverbs 3:5 Habakkuk was frustrated. “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Hb 1:2). The prophet gives voice to our disappointment with God’s silence. It’s hard to harmonize our heartache with

Great is his love toward us.       —Psalm 117:2 Here’s a bit of trivia for you. The shortest chapter in the Bible is separated by only one chapter from the longest. The longest chapter is Psalm 119, which has 176 verses; 2,426 words. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117, which has only two

Always be humble, gentle, and patient.                —Ephesians 4:2 Do you remember the tale about the guy who came to work out of sorts? His secretary asked, “Did you wake up grouchy this morning?” He said, “No, I let her sleep.” Consider these two lists: Cranky                            Pleasant Critical 

Let the little children come to me.            —Mark 10:14 Vince Gerhardy tells about a Sunday school teacher who introduced her little ankle biters to Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . .” The following week she asked if anyone could quote Psalm 23. A

Comfort, comfort my people.            —Isaiah 40:1 I received word recently that a Christian brother has stage four pancreatic cancer that has metastasized to his liver and stomach. I sent his grieving wife a note; then fired off another to a dear lady who had experienced a similar ordeal a few