Johnny Barnes
"Have you ever heard of Johnny Barnes?" asked Dan Jackson, as he began to unroll a poster with a picture of Johnny Barnes. I should probably add "Elder" in front of Dan Jackson, since he is our North American Division president, but if I did that, you might get the wrong impression because of our usual connotations with those titles. "Elder" Jackson does not fit any of those negative connotations, I assure you. He often stops by to say hello and share a joke or a story, which is probably why our office staff really likes him.
But today he was on a mission of sharing the story of Johnny Barnes. So we listened. Every weekday morning since about 1986, Johnny Barnes has stood in the middle of Crow Lane roundabout in Hamilton with his hands outstretched, shouting "I love you! God loves you!" and blowing kisses to the cars and people passing by. At first, people kind of thought he was crazy. Now in his early 90s, he's become a celebrity. In 1998, they even made a statue of him that says "The Spirit of Bermuda" at the bottom, because, as local community leaders say, he's changed the culture of Bermuda. If he misses a day or two, people frantically call the radio stations to find out what's going on. It disrupts the whole place, it seems. He had hip-replacement surgery once, and flowers flooded his room until they were literally lining the hallway outside his room!
Johnny Barnes, a retired bus driver, loves the people of Bermuda. And the people of Bermuda love him. And not only the people of Bermuda. Tourists from around the world come to see him. Johnny Barnes has enough of God's love to share with them too.
In a world where Christianity is often viewed as abrasive and even hateful at times, Johnny Barnes, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, gives a very different picture of God and Christianity--and gets very different results. People thought he was crazy at first, but in time, they got it--it's the world that's crazy. But a little of God's love, passed on faithfully rain or shine, can literally change the world.
*In case you're interested, here's a Wikipedia article on Johnny Barnes.
*And here is a documentary, Mr. Happy Man.
But today he was on a mission of sharing the story of Johnny Barnes. So we listened. Every weekday morning since about 1986, Johnny Barnes has stood in the middle of Crow Lane roundabout in Hamilton with his hands outstretched, shouting "I love you! God loves you!" and blowing kisses to the cars and people passing by. At first, people kind of thought he was crazy. Now in his early 90s, he's become a celebrity. In 1998, they even made a statue of him that says "The Spirit of Bermuda" at the bottom, because, as local community leaders say, he's changed the culture of Bermuda. If he misses a day or two, people frantically call the radio stations to find out what's going on. It disrupts the whole place, it seems. He had hip-replacement surgery once, and flowers flooded his room until they were literally lining the hallway outside his room! Johnny Barnes, a retired bus driver, loves the people of Bermuda. And the people of Bermuda love him. And not only the people of Bermuda. Tourists from around the world come to see him. Johnny Barnes has enough of God's love to share with them too.
In a world where Christianity is often viewed as abrasive and even hateful at times, Johnny Barnes, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, gives a very different picture of God and Christianity--and gets very different results. People thought he was crazy at first, but in time, they got it--it's the world that's crazy. But a little of God's love, passed on faithfully rain or shine, can literally change the world.
*In case you're interested, here's a Wikipedia article on Johnny Barnes.
*And here is a documentary, Mr. Happy Man.
This was so good. Thank you for bringing him to our attention too.
ReplyDeleteSeeing this was a day brightener just like he is himself. Reminds me of the post office clerk that Sonya pointed out a while back. Such people are treasures. Thank you for them, Jesus. Every good and perfect gift...
I didn't realize he was and SDA. I think perhaps we are all a little bit crazy. It's a good thing. Didn't Paul talk about being crazy for Jesus as a good thing?
ReplyDelete