Author archive for Pastor Bob Barnett

A man had been born blind, forced to spend his life begging for his livelihood. Then one day Jesus put clay on his eyes, sent him to wash, and he saw. (John 9: 1-38)

   I wonder why nobody —-nobody at all — praised God…

Faith is vision plus valor.

Habakkuk shouted God’s praises when he beheld the vines without fruit, the fields burned and bare, the stalls without herds…

I remember reading a little fable that had great meaning in my life. It had to do with how birds got their wings.

“Birds were first made  without wings…

“Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” Colossians 4:6

Here is a great story of the conversion of John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrims Progress. He was not a believer; he was actually a blasphemer, he says. And he went around from place to place fixing pots and pans; he was what was known as a tinker. He was in a kitchen one day and he overheard four neighborhood women, and they were talking. They did not know that he was listening, but they were talking. And do you know what they were talking about? They were talking about the glories of God’s salvation through grace in Jesus Christ. That was the topic of their conversation and also how unworthy they were in their sin and the pleasures of heaven and how they could not wait to be there. Bunyan wrote, “They spake as if joy did make their heart speak.” Joy was moving them to talk. Now, if they had been gossiping about a neighbor, do you think that Bunyan would have come to faith in Christ that day? He did come to faith in Christ that day. If they had been gossiping about a neighbor, what would have happened? It would have been just four women gossiping. What if they had been complaining about the high price of eggs? That would have been four women complaining. But instead they let their conversation be “full of grace, seasoned with salt”, and someone was saved. And his work transformed more lives than just about anyone of his generation, John Bunyan. “Let your conversation be full of grace.”…