So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 […]
Author Archives: kenbarnes
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. Jonah 1:1-3a NLT Even God’s discipline […]
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalms 56: 8 NLT) In times of our greatest need, God can appear to be distant. But he is always there. He is taking note of our sufferings, collecting our tears in […]
19
Aug
Aug
So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. Ruth 2:3 NLT If Ruth had not found herself in Boaz’s field, as it happened, the whole story of Ruth would not have happened. […]
05
Aug
Aug
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31 NLT) It is undoubtedly true that we should […]
26
Jul
Jul
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. Psalms 84:10b NLT In the Kingdom of God, it is possible to be very small but accomplish big things. I visited a large cathedral in Montreal, Canada, many years back on […]
17
Jul
Jul
and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. Matthew 6:12 NLT When we pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we enter into a covenant with God. When you break a covenant, there are always consequences. First, this verse is not referring to salvation. The Bible clearly states that […]
10
Jul
Jul
So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Joshua 9:14 NLT Our Scripture is part of a section where the Gibeonites deceived Israel because they did not seek guidance from the Lord (Joshua 9:1-21 NLT). I learned this lesson the hard way when I did not seek God first. […]
Common Sense: Wisdom is just a keen sense of the obvious
The Golden Age of the Automobile in Brownsville
07
Jul
Jul
My brother, Allen, would round the corner a half block from our house in his 1968 Pontiac GTO. His dual muffler pack would announce its arrival before him getting there. We called it the Golden GTO (Goat). We grew up in Brownsville, PA., in the 50s and 60s. It was often said in earlier days […]
02
Jul
Jul
Again, the Devil *took Him along to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9 NASB Temptation always comes to us in the form of an alternative […]