Joe Barnett

A friend loves at all times.      —Proverbs 17:17 No birth certificate is issued when a friendship is born. But when it is forged life takes on new meaning: pleasure is increased; pain is diminished; life is enriched. Our friends are always there for us, even when we’re separated by miles. They accept us […]

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.     —John 10:10 “Can I help you find something?” “Yes, thank you. I need a carton of kindness, a package of peace, a sack of self-control . . . and a supply of gentleness.” You won’t find these on Walmart’s

The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.          —Mark 4:27 Paul pictures a farmer who scatters seeds, but is stumped about what makes them grow. Here’s something to think about: Every watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Every orange has an even number of

In love he predestined us to be adopted.                   —Ephesians 1:5 The adoption agency called and said they finally had a baby for the childless couple. When the mother-to-be goes to pick up the infant, imagine her asking the Social Worker these questions: Will this child always

This day the Lord will hand you over to me.                              —1 Samuel 17:46 If David had known that for thousands of years he would be praised as a hero for his skirmish with Goliath, he would have protested—because the way he

Approach the throne of grace with confidence.                           —Hebrews 4:16 Esther was the queen—the king’s wife. But when she decided to appeal to him for mercy on behalf of the Jews who had been sentenced to annihilation, she was terrified. Why? Because approaching

Even the wind and the waves obey him.                            —Mark 4:41 Mothers dry tears. Mechanics fix stuff. Surgeons repair things. But weather? Meteorologists predict it. Cities prepare for it. Everybody talks about it. But only God controls it. Jesus’ disciples saw him cast

Remember me when you come into your kingdom.        —Luke 23:42 Jesus gave his disciples the bread to eat and the cup to drink: “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said (1 Cor 11:24, 25). From that time on the Lord’s Supper would be a relevant ritual of remembrance. Confessing that he

Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.          —Hebrews 9:27 According to a well-worn story, when William Gladstone was prime minister of Great Britain, a young man approached him for advice. Gladstone asked him what his immediate plans were. “I’m going to complete my studies at Oxford,”

Well done, good and faithful servant!                  —Matthew 25:21 The day Frederick Buechner graduated from Princeton, he and his classmates were decked out in caps and gowns, ready to march to their commencement seats. A fellow-graduate strolled the line and asked each of them, “What are you going