Today’s Walk in the Word

Jesus’ Family Tree

By Joe Barnett / December 12, 2017 / Comments Off on Jesus’ Family Tree

A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.                     —Matthew 1:1 In the first seventeen verses of the Gospel of Matthew, we’re introduced to representatives of more than forty generations of Jesus’ ancestors, spanning roughly 2,000 years. Some were heroes and well-known: Abraham, Ruth, David. Some […]

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Weather Report

By Joe Barnett / December 11, 2017 / Comments Off on Weather Report

He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.                      —Jeremiah 10:13 Opened in 1965, Houston’s Astrodome was the world’s first domed sports stadium. Dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” it brought climate-controlled 72-degree comfort to sports fans who had […]

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You’re Important to Somebody

By Joe Barnett / December 8, 2017 / Comments Off on You’re Important to Somebody

[L]et your light shine.    —Matthew 5:16 Melissa O’Connor was giving her grade schoolers in Sunrise, Florida, instructions for a writing assignment: “write about a person you admire, someone who is important to you—like moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas.” As they began writing, the kid who was Melissa’s biggest challenge, raised his hand. She […]

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Leave Your Problems Outside

By Joe Barnett / December 7, 2017 / Comments Off on Leave Your Problems Outside

An anxious heart weighs a man down.                  —Proverbs 12:25 For years Gregg Teears saw his dad touch a branch of the bush near their front door every day when he came home from work. One day he asked him why he did it. “I try to hang […]

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Biting Judgment Bites Back

By Joe Barnett / December 6, 2017 / Comments Off on Biting Judgment Bites Back

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.                           —Matthew 7:1 Ninety-year-old Mama Marshall never uttered an unkind word about anyone. When someone was harshly judgmental of another, she always gently said, “Maybe she’s going through a hard period of hurt.” After […]

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Third and a Mile

By Joe Barnett / December 5, 2017 / Comments Off on Third and a Mile

[H]e gives [gifts] to each one, just as he determines.                               —1 Corinthians 12:11 Bum Phillips, known for his trademark cowboy hat and quick quips, coached the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1980. He had a punishing runner in Hall of […]

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Matching Tattoos

By Joe Barnett / December 4, 2017 / Comments Off on Matching Tattoos

I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.                             —Isaiah 49:16 In Hindu traditions, married women display a sindoor (a red dot) at the parting line of their hair to declare their wedded commitment. In our part of the world, […]

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Are You Using All Your Strength?

By Joe Barnett / December 1, 2017 / Comments Off on Are You Using All Your Strength?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.        —Psalm 121:2 One of twelve-year-old Bill Frey’s chores was to scout the family’s Georgia farm for stumps of pine trees that had been cut down, grub them out and chop them into kindling. He was struggling with a stubborn one […]

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Here’s Something to Boast About

By Joe Barnett / November 30, 2017 / Comments Off on Here’s Something to Boast About

Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.              —1 Corinthians 1:31 Solomon tried on lots of hats in pursuit of happiness. He had a boatload of wealth and wisdom. “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired,” he said. The result? “[E]verything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccl […]

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No One Knows Us and Loves Us Like God Does

By Joe Barnett / November 29, 2017 / Comments Off on No One Knows Us and Loves Us Like God Does

I have loved you with an everlasting love.                    —Jeremiah 31:3 There isn’t anything about us that God doesn’t know. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” God told Jeremiah; “before you were born I set you apart” (Jer 1:5). Paul said ditto for […]

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