Like a carnival barker, Bob called out to us
inviting us to test our mental math skills
and determine if the price was right
on items Barker’s Beauties pointed to.

Like other shows,
there were consequences if we failed to tell the truth.

It took concentration to play his version of The Match Game.
You bet your life it did.
And there was double jeopardy if
the wheel of fortune proved unfortunate.

Long before Richard Dawson and Steve Harvey
were arbitrating family feuds,
Bob was taking our minds off “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

And even though Monty Hall was tempting us with
“Let’s Make a Deal,”
Bob had enticing deals of his own.

But Bob was more than a game show host.
Much more.
He was an animal rights activist
who barked on behalf of canines who couldn’t speak for themselves.

Bob was the ultimate emcee
always at home in the warm glow of the spotlight.

And while his career was defined by game shows, I hope he came to understand that the Game of Life must be played by God’s rules.

That denying God’s truth has consequences.
That the price for eternal life is righteousness
that imperfect people can never attain on their own.
That when Jesus pondered “What’s My Line?” he promptly replied,

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

I hope Bob came to realize that the only price that can make us right with our Creator was paid on his behalf by One who died that we might live forever.

I hope he heard a loving voice call to him the day he died saying…

“Bob Barker, come on down and enjoy the banquet I’ve prepared for you to enjoy with Me forever.”

Peace to his memory!

***Bob’s less-than-perfect life began in Darrington, Washington (about an hour from where I currently live). He attended college in Springfield, Missouri (the same town my mom did). He helped entertain my brother and me when we were in elementary school by hosting “Truth or Consequences” (which Marc and I were able to view as part of the studio audience on a family vacation in Hollywood).