Personalized Christian Devotional Returns with Intimate Story of Grief and Renewal

A press release dated Feb. 16, 2026 announced that He Calls You By Name, a personalized Christian devotional, has been revived by Tulsa resident Jim Barnes. The revived edition is described in the release as a devotional that “places the reader’s name directly into Scripture” and “integrates the reader’s name directly into a curated collection of Scripture passages,” a feature Barnes says makes Scripture feel like a personal encounter.

Barnes traces the project back to 1999, when his mother gave him a “small stand-up book of personalized Scriptures.” He recalled, “When I opened it and saw Scripture written with my name in it, it hit my heart immediately. It felt as if God was speaking directly to me.” The devotional first launched in the early 2000s, the release states, was shared across the United States and internationally, and had been away “for nearly a decade” before this 2026 restoration; Barnes cites years of caregiving and personal loss as the impetus for bringing it back.

What the revived He Calls You By Name promises is intimacy by design: curated Scripture passages and reflections that literally insert a reader’s name into biblical text. The press material frames the devotional as intended for people in seasons of “grief, doubt, caregiving, or transition,” and offers the project’s stated hope in plain terms: “His hope is simple. The devotional reminds readers they are seen, known, and personally loved, especially during seasons of grief, doubt, caregiving, or transition.” For gift-givers seeking a faith-based present for someone navigating bereavement or caregiving, that stated purpose is the core selling point.

Practical details about the new edition are limited in the distributed material: the press release lists the publisher as He Calls You By Name Publishing and provides a contact phone number, +1 918-417-2578, with social platforms listed as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X; an email link appears in the copy as “email us here” but no explicit email address, ISBN, pricing, formats, or retail channels were provided. The release does include the line “The newly revised edition continues its mission of helping readers experience Scripture as a personal encounter, offering comfort during grief, loss, and life transitions.”

The announcement was carried via EINPresswire and syndicated by XPR Media on sites including Southcoasttoday and Enterprisenews; both syndication pages reproduced the same copy and included notices that USA TODAY Network editorial staff were not involved in creating the content. Those syndication details, and the absence of ISBNs or retail pricing in the materials, leave ordering and format questions open; the press contact on the release remains Jim Barnes at He Calls You By Name Publishing, +1 918-417-2578.

Barnes returned repeatedly to the devotional’s emotional aim: “To this day, seeing my name in Scripture still pierces my heart. Knowing that God loved me by name changes everything.” For anyone shopping for a personalized, faith-centered gift meant to comfort a friend or family member in a season of loss or caregiving, the revived He Calls You By Name presents a clearly stated mission and a direct point of contact from its Tulsa-based publisher.