Reaching Rahab: Joining God in His Quest for Friends
Now Available
Barney suggests that our efforts to influence people toward Jesus should be as natural as inviting them into a cool river on a sweltering summer day.
His is a grace-filled, friendship-making approach to “gospeling” that distills down to the friends of God joining him on his quest for more friends. “Ours is the matchmaker’s mantra: ‘I’ve got a Friend I’d like you to meet…’”
Barney concedes that the story of Rahab’s rescue in the book of Joshua is not exactly your stock story from which to draw inspiration for sharing faith with not-yet-believers. He points out that the well-known miracle of crumbling walls and the conquest of Jericho, though remarkable, is only part of the story. The greater story is that of a pagan prostitute and her family’s rescue, redemption, and eventual inclusion in Jesus’ family line.
“Rahabs,” Barney writes, “are broken women and men in our own spheres of influence who may or may not make their living from other people’s brokenness, and yet they have something inside that points them in the general direction of the Repairer of the Broken.” He makes a novel connection between this narrative and what he calls “God’s passionate pursuit of people,” and then submits that we are all invited to join him in the pursuit.
His inquiry into Rahab’s “conversion” provides us with a fresh notion of shattered souls and a keen expectation of bringing them into friendship with their Maker.
The Personal Reflection, Group Discussion, and Taking Action section in the back of the book suggests a number of accessible on-ramps to the adventure of reaching many Rahabs with and for Jesus.
What Readers Are Saying About Reaching Rahab 
“Barney’s evangelism flows out of a brokenness that helps him to relate to people as a friend, a fellow learner and one who can relate with empathy in people’s personal journey… All the chapters in this book are practical and down to earth on how we as God’s people can be lovers of people leading them to love God with us.” Tim Svoboda, YWAM San Francisco Bay Area Coordinator
“This book is a keeper! It should be placed in the hands of every believer and taught as a course in every local church, because it has the power to not only deeply inform new believers about the simplicity of sharing their faith but to ignite the hearts of “older brothers and sisters” who have lost the spark of their early days of re-birth.” Ron Pinkston, longtime pastor and Supervisor of Central Pacific District of Foursquare Churches
“With his characteristically accessible style, solid scholarship, and deeply spiritual insights, he welcomes us to trade our heavy-handed, guilt-polluted approaches for the adventure of ‘Joining God in His Quest for Friends.’ He shows us how to lead a much more natural and powerful way of living in this world as bearers of the Good News.” Randy Boldt, veteran church planter and pastor
“Guilt–free, refreshing, captivating, and real! Barney lovingly and insightfully provides a pathway of Jesus-style and substance evangelism.” Rick Wulfestieg, founding Executive Director of Foursquare Media
“Rahab is the story, Barney the interpreter, and a lifetime of personal experiences are the inspiration to find freedom in life’s journey to find your own unique path in fulfilling our one great purpose: to love God and to love people toward him.” Randy Finkbeiner, missionary to KwaMhlanga, South Africa
“Is there a way for us to help our friends understand the good news in a fresh and inspiring way? The answer is “yes” and Barney does just that in this book. He provides a new way of seeing how God is already at work and how we can participate with Him as they come into a fuller relationship with Him. Reading this book, you will be inspired again to stir up the good-news gift in your own heart. Get ready to start sharing again!” Stuart Nice, Pastor and Private School Principal
Half of the profits from this book are donated to the San Francisco Youth With A Mission building fund.
The Other End of the Dark: A Memoir About Divorce, Cancer, and Things God Does Anyway
In one two-month period, Barney Wiget lost his marriage, pastoral ministry, income, and health to bone marrow cancer. In The Other End of the Dark he describes, in both heartrending and humorous tones, his grief process and emergence into a season of fulfilling and fruitful service.
You won’t find an “I-have-more-faith-than-you-do” brand of Christianity here, but a candid description of a God-trust in progress. He proposes no “mind over matter” approach to faith, but shows how God can take excruciating circumstances and weave them into his excellent plan.
Barney’s “small place in God’s big plan” continues to unfold today into a “simple single life of service” in San Francisco’s most destitute neighborhoods. He shares stories of mentoring young spiritual leaders, befriending homeless hippie travellers, and preaching on urine-soaked downtown street corners.
What Readers are Saying About The Other End of the Dark
“Barney writes with a combination of wry humor and honesty that is both enduring and passionate. His memoir leaves you feeling you have walked the journey with him, to The Other End of the Dark.”
“I found this autobiography to be so deeply moving, refreshingly devoid of superficiality, naturally humorous, solidly biblical, and well written that I am simply compelled to invite others to experience it.”
“I love how it is the perfect combination of humor, heartache, and hope.”
“This is a well written, concise, and engaging real life story of a man who was dealt a Job-like season of tragic events.”
“An honest account about walking through darkness and coming through it to help others walking through it.”
“I recommend this sensitive book to anyone trying to find compassion and understanding in the face of pain and loss. It is an excellent gift for someone who is hurting.”
barney wiget 