Barney Cargile III Interview Published on: 18, Apr 2025

In high school I discovered I had a talent for writing, especially for telling stories with life lessons. I was the feature editor for my high school and college newspapers.

Absolutely. As a pastor and follower of Jesus, it impacts every aspect of my life. I use stories from everyday life to draw spiritual lessons. That’s my writing style on my blog, BarneyCargile.com. My newest book Our Perfect Savior, is an Easter devotional.

There are so many! Walking through the journey of my wife’s passing, so many folks have responded by letting me know how my transparency blessed them. Probably the most significant piece I’ve ever written is the Epilogue to The Perfect Savior, entitled, What the Resurrection Means to Me.” It’s about her last night on earth, and how it impacted me.

I don’t know what I’d do without my family. My daughter is so encouraging of my writing (as her mother was). Most of my writing is story-driven, and I draw all kinds of creative ideas from my grandkids.

It’s a game we play, where we pretend to be monsters and chase each other. Eventually, I let them catch me. The fun is in the chase. I believe God does the same thing with us. He wants us to pursue him, and eventually lets us catch him, because the joy is in the journey (or chase).

It’s very early to tell, but I’ve learned so much about life through Linda’s death—how precious and fleeting it is. My experience is also teaching me to be grateful for life’s simple blessings every day, and to enjoy each moment.

More than anything, my son is in recovery. He began drinking as a teenager, and like most alcoholics, has had a series of relapse and recovery many times. He’s doing well now.

It’s challenging at times. Having a flexible schedule definitely helps. I’m a list maker. Almost on a daily basis, I write out my “to dos” beginning with the most important item. I don’t move on until I’ve completed that task, or can’t go any further. I eat meals with daughter’s family next door every night, and read to my grandkids.

Yes. There are several such stories in my latest book, The Perfect Savior. For instance, one is about a young man I visited in jail, who came into the program where I worked, and God radically changed his life from being a gangster to a business owner and family man.

It has definitely shaped my perspective on life. I’ve been blessed to visit 59 countries, many of which are undeveloped nations. We need to broaden our American “lens” of life. God has definitely shown me how entitled we are.

Those are major themes in my writings. The subtitle of The Perfect Savior is Celebrating the Living Hope of Easter. Hope is what the resurrection of Jesus is all about. My faith gives me the resilience to continue one day at a time, and furnishes me with hope for the future.

The Perfect Gift is a Christmas devotional. While I was writing it, Linda was diagnosed with cancer, and she died eight months later, after my book was accepted by Our Daily Bread, a major Christian Publisher. My faith sustained me, and my wife continually encouraged me.

We love living in the country. My daughter is the gardener. I sit on my deck and watch wild waterfowl on our small pond, as well as our goats and sheep. It’s so restful being in nature.

In some ways. Our lives definitely parallel the seasons—Spring being like our youth, summer our productive years, etc. I’ve especially seen how true this is with Linda’s passing. Like the seasons, we all have our time here, and then we’re gone.

AllAuthor was recommended by Kindlepreneur. I listed my first two books here and it’s the only book list I’ve hung onto. I continue to receive book orders, even years later. You’ve also done an excellent job of staying connected with me. There’s nothing I dislike about it.