Why I Brought He Calls You By Name Back

After years of grief, caregiving, and loss, Jim Barnes thought He Calls You By Name was a closed chapter. Then one woman’s story reminded him why this name-woven devotional still mattered.

Watch Jim share the story

In this video, Jim shares the deeper story behind He Calls You By Name, the grief that shaped his journey, and why he felt called to bring this name-woven devotional back with renewed purpose.

A gift I never forgot

There are some gifts you never forget.

For me, one of those gifts came from my mother in 1999.

She gave me a small stand-up devotional filled with personalized Scriptures. I had read Scripture many times before, but this felt different. When I opened it and saw my own name placed inside the verses, it stopped me.

It felt as if God was speaking directly to me.

That moment stayed with me. It touched something deep in my heart. I began giving the devotional to other people because I wanted them to experience the same thing.

How He Calls You By Name began

When I reached out to the original creators in Tuttle, Oklahoma, I learned they were preparing to stop making it. Within days, I purchased the business and began mailing devotionals across the country and even overseas.

What started as a simple act of encouragement became a full publishing effort.

Each devotional was prepared with the reader’s name woven into Scripture. That is why I now describe it as a name-woven devotional. It is not just a book with someone’s name printed on the cover. The name is placed throughout the verses so the reader can experience Scripture in a personal and meaningful way.

For many years, He Calls You By Name brought encouragement to people in many different seasons of life.

The season that changed everything

Then life took a difficult turn.

Between 2012 and 2016, I stepped away from the business to care for my wife during a long illness. She needed me, and that became my priority. Over time, the demands of caregiving made it harder to continue the business, and eventually I had to let it go.

My wife passed away in 2022. The following year, my mother passed away too. She was the one who first introduced me to the devotional.

For a while, He Calls You By Name felt like a closed chapter in my life.

The conversation that reopened the door

Then one conversation changed everything.

A woman from my church asked me if the devotional was still being made. I told her it was not. Then she shared her story with me.

She told me how the devotional helped carry her through the loss of her son. In one of the darkest seasons of her life, those personalized Scriptures reminded her that God had not forgotten her.

That stopped me.

I realized this devotional was not only meaningful to me. God had used it to help other people through grief, pain, and difficult seasons I knew nothing about.

A question I could not ignore

Around that same time, I was in grief counseling. I was asked a simple question.

What brought you contentment when your wife was alive?

My answer came right away.

It was this business. It was the ministry my wife and I had shared together. It was preparing these devotionals and knowing they could encourage someone who needed to hear from God in a personal way.

That question, along with the woman’s story, reopened the door.

If you would like to understand more about the heart and history of this ministry, you can learn more about the story behind He Calls You By Name.

Why this name-woven devotional still matters

Over the past several months, I have been working to bring He Calls You By Name back with care, clarity, and renewed purpose.

This newly revised edition continues the heart of the original devotional. Each one includes 101 Scripture cards prepared with the reader’s name woven into God’s Word. The verses are paraphrased into personal, conversational language and include biblical references so readers can look up the original passages for themselves.

To this day, seeing my name in Scripture still pierces my heart.

It reminds me that God does not love us from a distance. He knows us personally. He sees us. He calls us by name.

For those looking for a meaningful Christian gift, this devotional can be given for holidays, weddings, graduations, encouragement, grief, or spiritual renewal. You can also explore meaningful Christian gift ideas for different seasons of life.

My hope for every person who receives one

My hope is simple.

I want this devotional to remind people that they are seen, known, and personally loved by God. Especially those walking through grief, doubt, loneliness, transition, or a season where God may feel far away.

I also hope it becomes a meaningful gift people can give to someone they love. A gift for a graduate beginning a new chapter. A gift for a couple starting a marriage. A gift for someone grieving. A gift for a friend who needs encouragement. A gift for anyone who needs to be reminded that God has not forgotten them.

He Calls You By Name is more than a devotional to me.

It is part of my story. It is part of my healing. And I believe it can still be part of someone else’s encounter with God.

If this story encouraged you, I invite you to order a personalized name-woven devotional for yourself or someone you love.

If God has used He Calls You By Name in your life, we would love for you to share your story with us.

God still speaks.

And He still speaks by name.