Joe Barnett

He saw the disciples straining at the oars.                                  —Mark 6:48 Their boat was being tossed like a toy by vicious wind and waves. Jesus had agreed to join them, but evening came, and he was nowhere to be seen. […]

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?                                  —Mark 8:36                                  When he died in 1885, William Henry Vanderbilt had a fortune of more than $200 million ($6.5 billion in today’s money). Shortly

How many loaves do you have?              —Matthew 15:34 It was a big crowd—4,000 men, besides women and children. Jesus decided to feed them, while his disciples considered supper impossible. “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven.” “That will do.” You know the rest of the story. Do

How majestic is your name in all the earth.                                —Psalm 8:9 Sir Christopher Wren designed and built the renowned St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. He is buried there, and the Latin epitaph on his tomb (translated into English) reads: “If

The Spirit helps us in our weakness.                    —Romans 8:26 All the Frey children had assigned chores on the family’s farm. Bill’s was to grub out the stumps of pine trees where the land had been cleared for planting. One day, his dad watched from a distance

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.                           —Mark 4:9 President Franklin Roosevelt loathed formal reception lines at the White House. “All show, no substance. People don’t hear a word you say,” he complained. One day, his mischievous side took over.

The wind died down and it was completely calm.             —Mark 4:39 Miami. Bob Forcum asked if I wanted to go deep-sea fishing. I said, “Sure.” By 10 o’clock the next morning, I had discovered it’s a great sport if you don’t mind being sunburned and seasick. I didn’t feed

Your sins are forgiven.            —Mark 2:5 Word on the street was that Jesus was back in town and that he was healing people. So, four compassionate friends loaded their paraplegic pal on a stretcher, and off they went. They wanted Jesus to heal their friend. Jesus would do that, but

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her.           —Luke 7:13 Jesus saw people: their circumstances, their hurts, their needs. He saw a harshly judged adulterous woman, chased away her accusers, and said, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (Jn 8:3–11). He saw a woman who

[God] delights in people who are trustworthy.                               —Proverbs 12:22 A plaque on Harry Truman’s desk in the Oval Office was inscribed: “The buck stops here.” President Truman wanted to be clear that he understood his responsibility as the nation’s chief