Subscribe to receive Barney’s weekly blog posts in your mailbox…
Diocletian. His name must have struck terror in the hearts of fourth-century Christians. In 303 A.D. this Roman Emperor launched a brutal assault aimed at obliterating Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Diocletian’s attack was not the first against believers, but certainly the most ruthless.
Read MoreHerb Jackson served as a missionary in a developing nation for several years. His mission agency provided him a car, but after a short time, it wouldn't start. For two years, he push-started the vehicle each morning by "borrowing" some boys from the local school to give it a shove. Then he made his rounds for the day, always parking on a hill or leaving the engine running.
Read MoreVery few people are aware that I am a Scottish lord. That’s absolutely true. Well … at least technically. Here’s the story. A few years ago my sister must have figured I needed to rise a little higher in life. She discovered a company that sells tiny plots of land in Scotland. We’re talking really tiny—one foot by five feet to be exact. She purchased a tract for me, which made me a landowner in Scotland, and technically qualified me to be a Scottish lord. Try not to be too impressed. My dining room table is twice that size. I tried to
Read MoreOther than a paper route, my first job was digging postholes on a ranch. After day one, every muscle in my anatomy ached, and despite wearing gloves, my palms sported blisters on top of blisters.
I wonder if that’s how Christ’s disciples felt? After Jesus supernaturally fed 5000 people, they headed home across the Sea of Galilee. The gospel of Mark reports that in the midst of their voyage, his followers encountered rough waters, and were “straining at the oars”—all night long. The text states, that “shortly before dawn” they saw Jesus walking on the water, and terrified, thought he was a ghost. Makes sense. What would most folks think, seeing a being wearing a sheet, floating on a lake in a storm?
Read MoreThe Major League baseball season has concluded, and now the playoffs are underway. Shortly before the regular season ended, a few teams had such good records that they had already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Even if they lost all their remaining games, they had mathematically qualified. Those games had no effect on the outcome of their regular season. Their spot was secure, and they could not lose it. Imagine how it would feel to be on one of those teams. You could relax and play the remaining games the way baseball was intended, simply for the love of the game, instead of the fear of losing. As followers of Jesus, that’s where we are. We’ve already won.
Read MoreI woke up this morning thinking of Linda. One year ago today, she died. For the past week, I’ve felt as if a dark cloud was hanging over me, dreading this day. But now that it’s here, my heart overflows with joy. I miss Linda terribly, especially at night. I miss having someone to come home to, someone to bounce ideas off, someone to snuggle with. But I’m slowly healing, and life is good.
Read MoreIn September of 2021, the citizens of Denton, North Carolina found themselves without electricity. The cause wasn’t a storm or a transformer malfunction. The power outage resulted from a snake that slithered into a Duke Energy substation. Somehow the reptile created an electrical connection, causing sparks to fly, starting a fire, and shutting down everyone’s power. The culprit was fried in the process. (https://www.newsweek.com/entire-town-nearly-left-without-power-after-snake-started-electrical-fire-1629986)
Read MoreOne year ago, as Linda was approaching the end of her life on earth, I penned this article, which I’ve adapted for this week. It’s one of my most popular blogs.
During the time when Linda struggled with her health, I poured my energy into serving her. At times I grew weary. Bone weary. One night, as I was pouring out my heart to God, he met me with a comforting word. I didn’t hear an audible voice, but he spoke just as clearly to my heart, as if a heavenly megaphone had belted out his words. “Serving your wife is the most important thing you’ve ever done.” That certainly gave me pause. Then he continued, “More important than helping baptize 400 people in Ethiopia. More important than preaching in dozens of villages in India. More important than the work you’ve done in recovery programs.”
I found this thought hard to accept.
Read More
