Personalized Christian Devotional Returns with a Story of Grief and Renewal

Jim Barnes reads He Calls You By Name, a devotional that personalizes Scripture to remind readers they are known and loved by name.

After caregiving and personal loss, Jim Barnes restores a devotional that personalizes Scripture and offers hope during grief.

TULSA, OK, UNITED STATES, February 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After nearly a decade away, a personalized Christian devotional is returning with a story shaped by loss, caregiving, and renewed purpose. He Calls You By Name, a devotional that places the reader’s name directly into Scripture, is being revived by Tulsa resident Jim Barnes following years of grief and reflection.

The devotional first entered Barnes’ life in 1999 when his mother gave him a small stand-up book of personalized Scriptures. He had received many devotionals before, but this one was different.

“When I opened it and saw Scripture written with my name in it, it hit my heart immediately,” Barnes said. “It felt as if God was speaking directly to me.”

He began giving copies as gifts. When he contacted the original creators in Tuttle, Oklahoma, he learned they were preparing to stop production. Within days, Barnes purchased the business and began mailing devotionals across the United States and internationally. What started as a simple gesture of encouragement grew into a small publishing effort that reached thousands.

Years later, life shifted.

Between 2012 and 2016, Barnes stepped away from the business to care for his wife during a prolonged illness. Eventually, he closed the company. His wife passed away in 2022. His mother, who first introduced him to the devotional, passed away the following year.

For a time, He Calls You By Name felt like a finished chapter.

Then a conversation changed that.

A woman from Barnes’ church asked if the devotional was still available. When he told her it was not, she shared how it had helped her through the loss of her son and reminded her that God had not forgotten her.
“That stopped me,” Barnes said. “I realized it was not just meaningful to me. It had carried other people through grief.”

Around the same time, during grief counseling, Barnes was asked what had brought him contentment when his wife was alive. His answer was immediate. The business they had built together.

That question reopened the door.

Over the past several months, Barnes has worked on a revised edition of He Calls You By Name, restoring it with clarity and intention. Each page incorporates the reader’s name into carefully selected Scripture passages, allowing the verses to be read in a deeply personal way.

“To this day, seeing my name in Scripture still pierces my heart,” Barnes said. “Knowing that God loved me by name changes everything.”
His hope is simple. The devotional reminds readers they are seen, known, and personally loved, especially during seasons of grief, doubt, caregiving, or transition.

“God still speaks,” he said. “And He still speaks by name."

About He Calls You By Name
He Calls You By Name is a personalized Christian devotional that integrates the reader’s name directly into a curated collection of Scripture passages. Originally launched in the early 2000s, the devotional has been shared across the United States and internationally as a meaningful faith-based gift of encouragement.

The newly revised edition continues its mission of helping readers experience Scripture as a personal encounter, offering comfort during grief, loss, and life transitions.

Jim Barnes
He Calls You By Name Publishing
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Jim Barnes and the origin story of He Calls You by Name - A personalized christian devotional

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