Barry Blackstone

Have you ever imagined a trip back in time? Have you ever dreamed of exploring a native village that hasn't changed from its primitive past? Have you ever thought what it might be like to take the Gospel to an unreached people group? Since 1972 Barry Blackstone, a pastor from Maine, has imagined, dreamed, and thought of doing just that again. Those imaginations began with a trip to the deserts of Western Australia (recorded in his published book The Region Beyond) to minister to an Aboriginal tribe that had just been reached, but it wasn't until 2022 that this dream was fulfilled once more. Travel again with Pastor Blackstone to the remote tribal villages in Chhattisgarh and Kerala, India. Experience again the thrill of proclaiming God's word to villagers so removed from the modern world that the only way to reach them is by foot. It was on this trip that this pastor of fifty years learned why the apostle Paul said, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things" (Rom 10:15). Share in a baptism in a concrete water storage tank for goats; witness the first graduation of an institute educating natives to reach their own tribes with the good news of Jesus Christ; experience the thrill of preaching to four native churches on one's seventy-first birthday; walk over a forest trail, up a steep incline, through virgin trees for nearly a mile before coming to a hidden hamlet were many of the people live in trees; then return to the modern world to be the graduation speaker for the fourth time at Kerala Baptist Bible College. The contrasts will be epic, the connections will be eternal, and the cultures will be eye-opening. This was Pastor Blackstone's sixth journey into the unknowns of India, and perhaps his most dramatic

Have you ever imagined a trip back in time? Have you ever dreamed of exploring a native village that hasn't changed from its primitive past? Have you ever thought what it might be like to take the Gospel to an unreached people group? Since 1972 Barry Blackstone, a pastor from Maine, has imagined, dreamed, and thought of doing just that again. Those imaginations began with a trip to the deserts of Western Australia (recorded in his published book The Region Beyond) to minister to an Aboriginal tribe that had just been reached, but it wasn't until 2022 that this dream was fulfilled once more. Travel again with Pastor Blackstone to the remote tribal villages in Chhattisgarh and Kerala, India. Experience again the thrill of proclaiming God's word to villagers so removed from the modern world that the only way to reach them is by foot. It was on this trip that this pastor of fifty years learned why the apostle Paul said, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things" (Rom 10:15). Share in a baptism in a concrete water storage tank for goats; witness the first graduation of an institute educating natives to reach their own tribes with the good news of Jesus Christ; experience the thrill of preaching to four native churches on one's seventy-first birthday; walk over a forest trail, up a steep incline, through virgin trees for nearly a mile before coming to a hidden hamlet were many of the people live in trees; then return to the modern world to be the graduation speaker for the fourth time at Kerala Baptist Bible College. The contrasts will be epic, the connections will be eternal, and the cultures will be eye-opening. This was Pastor Blackstone's sixth journey into the unknowns of India, and perhaps his most dramatic

At a Moment's Notice is the very first writing project the author ever attempted in 1988. After thirty-five years, the author took a second look at the series of devotionals and decided they needed to be made into a book. At a Moment's Notice contains fifty chapters based upon the truth of the title. Gleaning from the word of God, the Bible, the preacher in the author recognized that more often than not the main characters underlined in the Scriptures reacted immediately to certain situations and circumstances they were confronted with. Take a trip through Holy Writ as we encounter the judge Shamgar as he comes face-to-face with a marauding band of Philistines in his field; as Lydia the purple saleswoman meets Paul by a river in Philippi; as Hur helps Moses at a moment's notice with the Rod of God that eventually wins an important battle; as Simeon comes into Herod's Temple just at the right moment to meet the Christ-child; and as Naboth has to make the most difficult decision of his life that will also cost him his life. Though the actions and reactions of each famous or infamous hero or heroine highlighted in the book have the same quality, the lessons being taught are as varied as the stories being told. Take a few moments to read the account and ponder what is being taught, and then hopefully an application can be made in the reader's heart--at a moment's notice

At a Moment's Notice is the very first writing project the author ever attempted in 1988. After thirty-five years, the author took a second look at the series of devotionals and decided they needed to be made into a book. At a Moment's Notice contains fifty chapters based upon the truth of the title. Gleaning from the word of God, the Bible, the preacher in the author recognized that more often than not the main characters underlined in the Scriptures reacted immediately to certain situations and circumstances they were confronted with. Take a trip through Holy Writ as we encounter the judge Shamgar as he comes face-to-face with a marauding band of Philistines in his field; as Lydia the purple saleswoman meets Paul by a river in Philippi; as Hur helps Moses at a moment's notice with the Rod of God that eventually wins an important battle; as Simeon comes into Herod's Temple just at the right moment to meet the Christ-child; and as Naboth has to make the most difficult decision of his life that will also cost him his life. Though the actions and reactions of each famous or infamous hero or heroine highlighted in the book have the same quality, the lessons being taught are as varied as the stories being told. Take a few moments to read the account and ponder what is being taught, and then hopefully an application can be made in the reader's heart--at a moment's notice

If you are a cat lover and a Christian, then this book is for you. Seventeen years in the making, Meows from the Manse is a collection of remembrances and reflections from a Maine pastor about his ""cat of a lifetime"" and the years they lived together at the parsonage (manse) of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ellsworth, Maine. Eddie was a stray tomcat that eventually worked his way into the heart of this reluctant minister, despite the fact that this man of the cloth never liked cats. Surrounded by cats in his younger years on a family farm, and always living with a cat or two because of his wife's love affair with cats (Coleen's last cat would live twenty-two years--sixteen of them with Eddie), and his kid's love of cats, the exploits and experience with Eddie would change this pastor's mind about cats, teaching him the biblical challenge of Job 12:7: ""But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee "" Relive the years with Eddie and the Pearl (Coleen's cat) and the enriching spiritual lessons this preacher learned from his constant companion and friend through the challenging years as a pastor of a small coastal church, the death of a thirty-nine-year-old son, and the passing of his dear wife of forty-eight years. The cat tales begin with Eddie's arrival across from the pastor's church and end with the passing of Eddie from throat cancer. In between are insights you might not believe from the Bible, but for the author were some of the best sermons he heard during that period of his life. Without a doubt for this widower, the messages (meows) from Eddie were some of the best he ever heard, but he will let you be the judge

If you are a cat lover and a Christian, then this book is for you. Seventeen years in the making, Meows from the Manse is a collection of remembrances and reflections from a Maine pastor about his cat of a lifetime and the years they lived together at the parsonage (manse) of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ellsworth, Maine. Eddie was a stray tomcat that eventually worked his way into the heart of this reluctant minister, despite the fact that this man of the cloth never liked cats. Surrounded by cats in his younger years on a family farm, and always living with a cat or two because of his wife's love affair with cats (Coleen's last cat would live twenty-two years--sixteen of them with Eddie), and his kid's love of cats, the exploits and experience with Eddie would change this pastor's mind about cats, teaching him the biblical challenge of Job 12:7: But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee Relive the years with Eddie and the Pearl (Coleen's cat) and the enriching spiritual lessons this preacher learned from his constant companion and friend through the challenging years as a pastor of a small coastal church, the death of a thirty-nine-year-old son, and the passing of his dear wife of forty-eight years. The cat tales begin with Eddie's arrival across from the pastor's church and end with the passing of Eddie from throat cancer. In between are insights you might not believe from the Bible, but for the author were some of the best sermons he heard during that period of his life. Without a doubt for this widower, the messages (meows) from Eddie were some of the best he ever heard, but he will let you be the judge

Have you ever wondered why the best die young? Who of us hasn't thought the same thing when we learn of the death of a young Christian with such potential when a fellow believer lives on to wreck his testimony, the reputation of the local church, and the cause of Christ? Having been a pastor now for nearly fifty years I have had nearly a lifetime to ponder the word ""expendable"" in relationship to not only individuals, but dreams and desires, hopes and wishes, events and expectations. This concept of expendability came home to me years ago when I learned that my grandfather, on my mother's side, had a brother who died of an illness in his early twenties after only spending a year on the mission field in Peru Over the portal to a special room that celebrates those that died young in the Hall of the Faithful in Heaven is found, I believe, this superscription: ""EXPENDABLE"" I would like to share with you some of the biblical portraits that are hanging from those celestial walls, for if you are looking for the answer to the question I asked, I have come to believe it can only be found in the Bible.

Have you ever wondered why the best die young? Who of us hasn't thought the same thing when we learn of the death of a young Christian with such potential when a fellow believer lives on to wreck his testimony, the reputation of the local church, and the cause of Christ? Having been a pastor now for nearly fifty years I have had nearly a lifetime to ponder the word ""expendable"" in relationship to not only individuals, but dreams and desires, hopes and wishes, events and expectations. This concept of expendability came home to me years ago when I learned that my grandfather, on my mother's side, had a brother who died of an illness in his early twenties after only spending a year on the mission field in Peru Over the portal to a special room that celebrates those that died young in the Hall of the Faithful in Heaven is found, I believe, this superscription: ""EXPENDABLE"" I would like to share with you some of the biblical portraits that are hanging from those celestial walls, for if you are looking for the answer to the question I asked, I have come to believe it can only be found in the Bible.

Journey with a family through six months in ""the valley of the shadow of death"" as an aggressive lung cancer takes a beloved, firstborn son through the worst battle of his life. A Purple Heart recipient from the Afghan war, Scott's war with cancer will highlight and underline the survival on a distant battlefield only to die on a familiar home front. Share the thoughts and memories of a dad reflecting on the irony of the number forty, and read of his memories of his past that helped him endure one of the greatest tragedies of his life, the death of his son in his fortieth year. Witness the miracles in the midst of the misery as family and friends rally to help this family cope with an incurable disease. Note the sadness that comes when this father's father passes away at the height of his grandson's struggle for survival. Hear the glimmer of hope that comes from looking ""beyond"" to happier and fairer days coming in the blessed place called heaven. See the faith that sustains through insomnia and illness, heartache and heartbreak. Learn the precepts from the Bible that that will not only help one understand the process but understand the purpose of why someone so young passes away. This book is more about departing than dying; more about heaven than earth; and more about acceptance than bitterness.

Contained in this book are one hundred and fifty ""fish tales"" from fifty years of fishing, shared by an avid fisherman who has also spent the last fifty years fishing for men as a small-town pastor in New England. This accounting of passed fishing trips and fish caught reflects on the spiritual application to the techniques and tactics using in fishing for trout and salmon, and a few other species of fish, to the biblical application for people Jesus called ""fishers of men"" In each of these short stories, Pastor Blackstone reveals to his reader the wonderful blessings that come from leading someone to a saving knowledge of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The author is convinced that Jesus deliberately chose fishermen to be his earliest disciples, men he would call ""apostles,"" because those Galilean fisherman had the necessary characteristics and qualifications to teach (cast) his gospel and to share it with the multitudes. It is the hope of the writer that this book will not only be of interest to someone that fishes, but ultimately will be found profitable to anyone that wants to share his or her faith in Jesus Christ with others.

Contained in this book are one hundred and fifty ""fish tales"" from fifty years of fishing, shared by an avid fisherman who has also spent the last fifty years fishing for men as a small-town pastor in New England. This accounting of passed fishing trips and fish caught reflects on the spiritual application to the techniques and tactics using in fishing for trout and salmon, and a few other species of fish, to the biblical application for people Jesus called ""fishers of men"" In each of these short stories, Pastor Blackstone reveals to his reader the wonderful blessings that come from leading someone to a saving knowledge of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The author is convinced that Jesus deliberately chose fishermen to be his earliest disciples, men he would call ""apostles,"" because those Galilean fisherman had the necessary characteristics and qualifications to teach (cast) his gospel and to share it with the multitudes. It is the hope of the writer that this book will not only be of interest to someone that fishes, but ultimately will be found profitable to anyone that wants to share his or her faith in Jesus Christ with others.

With nearly a century of combined coaching experience, Larry and Barry Blackstone unpack the most valuable lessons, stories, and principles they've gathered both on and off the field.

Coming from this preacher's love of the seashore is a series of sermonettes he heard while walking along some of the world's sandy beaches. Stroll with this man as he shares his insights from days spent on seashores in the counties of Israel, India, Canada, and Australia, as well as the states of Alaska, California, Florida, New Jersey, and Maine. Listen with him as he hears surf and sea sermons, tide and tern tenets, beach and breeze benedictions, and sand and storm sermonettes. Look with him into the face of a coastal nor'easter; watch with him as sea creatures and shoreline birds play together along the sea edge; behold brilliant sunrises and amazing sunsets over distant shores with family and friends; and observe the rising and falling of the great tides, all events along a seashore that inspired these spiritual messages from the Almighty. So take off your shoes; let the sand fill the cracks between your toes; lift your eyes toward the sea; open your ears to the sound of the surf; and ""be still, and know that I am God"" (Ps 46:10). What does God want to say? Barry Blackstone is the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in the seaside city of Ellsworth, Maine. He is the husband of Coleen and the father of Marnie, and the grandfather of Judah and Elena. His joy of writing has lasted for thirty years; this will be his thirteenth book published, and his fourth book in which he has turned common, seemingly ordinary events in his life into a short sermonette.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus saw, heard, and did during his so-called ""silent years"" between his birth in Bethlehem, after his trip to Egypt, and before his baptism at the Jordan River? The only mentioned event in the Gospels from that time frame was being forgotten in Jerusalem by his parents at the age of twelve, as recorded by Luke. Barry Blackstone takes you on an imaginative journey, an inspiring jaunt into those days of Jesus as he remembers his own boyhood and early childhood experiences in the tiny farming village of Perham, Maine, a hamlet similar in size and nature to the Nazareth of Jesus' day. After visiting an archeological site in Nazareth in 2010, Blackstone realized the parallels between his obscure upbringing and the quiet years of the Savior in his boyhood home. It is the wish of the author that his reader might see through a morning dew, a blossoming flower, a blue sky, a gentle rain, a brilliant rainbow, a crowing rooster, a loving sister, and a father's carpenter's shop into the life of the boy Jesus. Blackstone attempts to fill in some of the gaps in the story of Jesus by sharing his barnyard memories with an application to the teaching of the adult Jesus. Can one see insights into what Jesus experienced in the lessons, parables, and teachings of his adult ministry? Barry Blackstone has just finished forty-five years in the pastorate and thirty years as a writer. This is the third book (the other two are Homestead Homilies and Rover: A Boy's Best Friend) in which he uses his boyhood experiences and childhood events to instruct his readers of spiritual things and of biblical precepts he has learned as a preacher and teacher. This will be his twelfth book published by Resource Publications.

Are you ready for an Alaska adventure? Travel with a pastor through central Alaska on a two-week tour of our fiftieth state. A lifelong dream to visit the land of the midnight sun, this preacher will share his spiritual insights and Biblical observations of the last frontier. Journeying with this Maine minister will be his wife of forty-five years and their first born son, who had spent his final two years of active military service stationed in Alaska with the United States Army. Experience the North Pole and fishing for grayling and rainbow trout near Fairbanks; taste for the first time Alaskan king crab; travel south with this trio to Denali National Park and witness the animal world at its finest; view Mt. McKinley from thirty-six miles; explore the Kenai Peninsula and catch the biggest rainbow trout of your life; visit old missionary friends at their airfield ranch in Chickaloon; take a plane ride over one of the greatest glaciers in the world; four-wheel through virgin forest to a glacier river; feel the spray of ice-cold waterfalls while passing through a mountain pass; share the thrill with your son of hundreds of migrating salmon bumping against your legs in a tidal stream, and pan for gold and find some nearby ancient gold dredge. Travel with the Blackstones as they experience the best of what Alaska can offer tourists as well as the explorers, and on the way learn a few spiritual lessons that might just change your life. Barry Blackstone has been preaching for over fifty years (1966-2018) and pastoring for forty-five years, with twenty-seven of those years in his current pastorate. The husband of Coleen, the father of Scott and Marnie, the father-in-law of Josue, and the grandfather of Judah and Elena, Barry's passion for recording his traveling adventures now including nine books: four to India, one each to Israel, France, Australia, Britain, and now Alaska.