The Barber Who Wanted to Pray
Renewing Your Mind
Ligonier Ministries
4.8 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you could ask Martin Luther one question, what would it be? Today, R.C. Sproul reads from his children's book based on a time in the Reformer's life when Luther's barber asked him how to pray. Gather the family and listen together.
Request The Barber Who Wanted to Pray, the children's book by R.C. Sproul, with your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4340/offer
Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Barber Who Wanted to Pray audiobook with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global
Meet Today's Teacher:
R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.
Meet the Host:
Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.
Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today, on renewing your mind, a story about a monk, a Baba, and prayer. |
| 0:06.0 | Master Peter put a cloth around the man's neck to keep the whiskers from falling down his shirt, |
| 0:13.0 | lathered up the man's chin, and began to give the man a shave. |
| 0:18.0 | The door opened and a new customer walked into his shop. |
| 0:22.8 | Master Peter recognized the man immediately, for he was an outlaw. |
| 0:33.8 | R. C. Sprole was such an amazing communicator, whether in a seminary classroom, the pulpit, |
| 0:40.3 | or at the Ligonier Valley Study Center, where Ligonier Ministries began over 50 years ago. |
| 0:46.3 | Dr. Sprawl sought to serve every age and stage of the Christian life, and he knew the importance |
| 0:52.3 | of reaching the next generation, which is one reason |
| 0:55.6 | why he wrote his children's books. |
| 0:58.1 | You can own the beautifully illustrated children's book, The Barber, who wanted to pray, |
| 1:03.5 | when you give a donation in support of furthering this mission to reach the next generation, |
| 1:08.4 | today only at Renewing Your Mind.org. This is a one-day-only offer, |
| 1:13.6 | so don't delay. You might think that these stories are just for children, but listen to what |
| 1:19.9 | Andrews shared with us. I'm 86 years old, and I listened to R.C. Spro for about 10 years, |
| 1:26.6 | and it was times when I was trying to commit suicide, and he'd come up with one of those |
| 1:31.7 | children's stories that he wrote, and the sort of got me through that. |
| 1:35.5 | Then again, at another time, I felt like committing suicide because I wanted to give up, |
| 1:39.8 | because my family abandoned me. |
| 1:41.7 | And again, I heard him do one of those children's stories and |
| 1:45.4 | got me through the suicide feeling again. And even when I heard that he passed on, I missed |
| 1:51.2 | some of his stories, and I'm glad they bring him on once again to describe the Bible and the love |
... |
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