Joe Barnett

[I]n Christ we who are many form one body.                           —Romans 12:5 John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, was insistent on team play. “There’s a reason basketball is played with five men on the court,” he said. “One man does not make […]

Trust in God; trust also in me.                  —John 14:1 I have no helpful—or satisfactory—answers to the “Why?” questions. Why were twenty first-graders killed in a senseless shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? Why did Ellicott City, Maryland, get hammered by a town-destroying flood, while

Aaron and Hur held his hands up.                 —Exodus 17:12 When the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites at Rephidim, Moses went to the top of a hill. But he didn’t go alone. He took Aaron and Hur with him. Hur? We know a lot about Moses and Aaron,

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   —Romans 5:8 Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Mt 11:19). He proved that to be fact: he said, “The greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13 TLB). And he did just that—laid down his life

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.                       —Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Two are better than one,” wrote Solomon. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:9, 12). In Old Testament days, combat

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?                              —Job 12:12 “As you grow, you learn more,” said Morrie Schwartz, in Tuesdays with Morrie. “If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were

Live as children of light.     —Ephesians 5:8 Most of us are not beacons, just small lights: not playing on the big stage, but filling an important, though unheralded, role on a small platform. Whatever the part, someone saw something in us, believed in us, encouraged us. For me, it was parents, friends—and other

[L]et us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.         —Hebrews 10:24 A common ingredient in the lives of people who have lived up to their potential is the gift of encouragement. Someone believed in them, supported them, ignited the fire. For John Wesley, it was

As iron sharpens iron,so one man sharpens another.                              —Proverbs 27:17 You might never have heard of the apostle Paul if Barnabas hadn’t run interference for him. He stood up for him in Jerusalem, where church leaders wanted nothing to do with

A student is not above his teacher.          —Matthew 10:24 John Glenn: astronaut and four-term U.S. Senator. American flags were flown at half-staff for nine days following John Glenn’s death on December 8, 2016. His history of accomplishment is on display at Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. One