Joe Barnett

When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.                          —Joshua 3:8 The image on my monitor is an ad that consists of nothing but words. In large letters across the top of the page is just one […]

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.              —Romans 8:37 When the young servant saw the enemy army’s horses and chariots surrounding the city, he cried, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered, “those who are with us are more than those

I will trust and not be afraid.              —Isaiah 12:2 Have you ever been upgraded from Coach to First Class on a flight? It happened to me once. Corinthian Leather seats, crystal service, linen napkins, spoiled-rotten attention. Nice. Dwight Moody used to say he was headed to heaven First Class:

How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?            —Psalm 116:12 God is so good / God is so good / God is so good / He’s so good to me. So go the opening lyrics of Velna Ledin’s hymn. Question: How can I repay God for

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.                    —Psalm 107:29 It had been a long day for Jesus—non-stop teaching and healing. He needed a break. “Let’s go to the other side of the lake,” he said to his disciples. “So

You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you.              —Isaiah 26:3 There is nothing we desire more than peace. And nothing we find more elusive. Why? Perhaps because we look for it in the wrong places, kneeling at the altars of the wrong gods. We worship the

We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.                   —1 Timothy 6:7 In Act III of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the Stage Manager takes us through Grover’s Corners cemetery, speaking as we stroll: “There are some things we all know, but

Do not worry about your life.             —Matthew 6:25 Jesus was good at answering questions. He was also good at asking them. Here’s one for you: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Mt 6:27). In other words, what does worry accomplish? Answer: Nothing.

Who are you to judge your neighbor?                           —James 4:12 Leviticus 19 lists more than a dozen “do nots.” One of them is, “Do not pervert justice . . . but judge your neighbor fairly,” followed by, “Do not go about spreading slander.”

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.                        —2 Timothy 1:7 God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.