Joe Barnett

Come, follow me.   —Matthew 4:19 Jesus recruited his first disciples with three words, “Come, follow me.” It was an abrupt career interruption: a call to four fishermen to abandon their boats—and to one tax collector to give up his lucrative position. Jesus’ life was a three-year marathon of planned ministry—frequently interrupted: “My little daughter […]

[God] frustrates what people intend to do.                                —Psalm 33:10 The first thing I see when I turn on my computer each morning is my schedule for the day. The second thing I see is a list of emails, some calling

There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.                            —Ecclesiastes 4:8 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Heb 13:5). How do we pull that off?

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.                                —Proverbs 12:22 John Adams was the second president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was the third. They died on the same day, July 4, 1826, the last two living signers of

Teach us to number our days.                 —Psalm 90:12 When I asked an octogenarian how he was feeling, he said, “I feel good, except for the parts that hurt.” As we grow older and realize that this machine we live in has a lot of miles on it,

Do you love me?   —John 21:16 Nearly a century has passed since Roy Riegels scooped up a Georgia Tech fumble in the 1929 Rose Bowl and ran sixty-five disoriented yards toward his own goal. For the rest of his life, he was saddled with the nametag “Wrong Way Riegels.” I suspect that if you

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.                   —Psalm 46:1 When the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile collapsed on August 5, 2010, thirty-three miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground, seemingly doomed to slow death. But on October 13, sixty-nine days

Search me, O God, and know my heart. —Psalm 139:23 Lord God, Stand between me and any obstacle that will interfere with my walk with you. Deliver me from any word or act that you cannot bless, that I may live for you without disgrace or guilt. Motivate me to seek your guidance in every

We love him because he first loved us.                              —1 John 4:19 Loving Father, Keep my vision centered on Jesus: on the cradle of his birth, the garden of his agony, the cross of his suffering, the tomb of his resurrection, the

Let us come before him with thanksgiving.                                —Psalm 95:2 Most generous Father, Accept my thanks for the measure of health I enjoy, the sheltering comfort of home, the sufficiency of food and clothing, the continuance of mental alertness, the blessings