Joe Barnett

Gossip is so tasty— how we love to swallow it!    —Proverbs 18:8 TEV In a Reader’s Digest essay, William Arthur Ward wrote: “British surgeons recently removed two spoons, four coins, several pieces of wire, and a bed spring from the stomach of a 37-year-old Irishman.” Now there’s a man with an appetite for the […]

Watch out for false prophets.             —Matthew 7:15 War introduced us to camouflage. Battleships, harassed by elusive submarines, hid behind screens of smoke—camouflage. Guns were veiled in bushes, soldiers were covered with twigs and hay, vehicles were painted with designs to disguise their identity—camouflage. But camouflage is older than war.

Be made new in the attitude of your minds.                            —Ephesians 4:23 Everybody knows that an exemplary Christian must be pure in speech and conduct. Dirt under the fingernails in word or walk is fatal to Christian influence. Spoiler alert! Some who are

Teach us to number our days.               —Psalm 90:12 He thought he knew better than I how I should use my time. Perceiving my reluctance to dive into something he wanted me to do, he asked, “Do you have anything on your schedule more important than this?” “Yes, I

Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.      —Matthew 10:16 The serpent is the logo of the evil spirit; the dove is the logo of the Holy Spirit. Strange as it seems, each has something that we’re to copy. Ancients considered the serpent the wisest critter around. There may be something

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.              —Deuteronomy 32:7 Here’s a small sampling of the honors bestowed on legendary contralto Marian Anderson: 1955 – The first African American to sing with the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York. 1957 – Sang at the inauguration of President

Do not be quickly provoked.        —Ecclesiastes 7:9 Traffic jams Long lines Stuck zippers Interruptions Dead batteries Loudmouth cell phone conversations in public places ­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________ _______________ The last two spaces are left blank for you to mentally fill with a couple of things that irritate you. I saw this plaque on a secretary’s

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.             —Psalm 118:24 You’ve heard the advice. Don’t quit. Hang in there. Stay alert, alive, determined, unbeaten. Keep learning and growing. Ralph Waldo Emerson experienced a life of grief and loss. He lost his

Choose for [yourself] this day whom you will serve.    —Joshua 24:15 There’s an invisible line between youth and adulthood, where we say, “He’s on his own now.” Is it true? Yes and No. As Christians, we are a part of the body, the church (Rom 12:3–8). We are responsible to each other and for