A Waterfall of Service: A Tribute to Barbara Wymbs (1941-2025)

Two years ago, I had the honor to write about my dear friend, Tim Wymbs, who entered Glory on June 9, 2023. You can read the post here.

I described his life as a wildfire of prayer, in that his love to pray for all things and all kinds of people brought a lighter and kindling to the lives of those who didn't have a passion for prayer. Now two years removed from that article, I get to honor his wife, Barbara Ann, who entered glory on December 6, 2025. To continue a theme from God's created world, I would describe her life as an ever-flowing, ever-widening, ever-heightening, ever-deepening waterfall of service to God.

Connected to an Eternal Tributary

A waterfall doesn't flow without a source. It must have a water supply that is deep and plentiful. Without a plentiful supply of water, it will go dry and simply become a pile of rocks and a cliff. Human efforts in life will only go so far and run out of water apart from God. For Barbara Wymbs, this was not the case. Her life found its source of living water through repentance of sin and faith in Christ because of His life, death, and resurrection.

"...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst—ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”  - John 4:14 (LSB)

Christ is the only source of this living water, and apart from Him, you can do nothing (John 15:5). There are no additional suppliers or markets for this living water but Christ alone. As Barbara drank of this living water, her satisfaction and joy in God consistently flourished while her body wasted away.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” - John 7:38 (LSB)

When one drinks of the living water, it leads not only to eternal life but should rightly lead to a life of fruitful trusting in God and fruitful faithfulness. Trust in God will be continual, deepening, and strengthening over time. It will be the source of comfort in life - through trials, sickness, cancer, Parkinson's, hearing loss, and death. Living water comforts and nourishes the soul fully in every experience, situation, and fear.

“And Yahweh will continually guide you, And satisfy your soul in scorched places, 

And fortify your bones; 

And you will be like a watered garden, 

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. - Isaiah 58:11 (LSB)

Living water should rightly lead to a life of faithful obedience to God's law and God's Word. It seeks to obey and honor God, not out of rule following, for sinful reasons, but because of a profound love for God who saved you by His mercy and grace. Alongside faithfulness, it should lead to fruitfulness according to His Word. Fruitfulness is a life that displays the fruit of the Spirit, and is a joy and blessing to be around at all times. Barbara lived that life, and I saw it firsthand, particularly in the final years of her life.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23 (LSB)

She struggled with hearing loss from my earliest memory of her, and her hearing only regressed over the years. However, a fruitful life isn't hindered by weakness but harnesses it for God's glory and one's good. As I watched and fellowshipped with Barbara and Tim during their late years of life, I witnessed Barbara's fruitfulness in countless ways. She would often be the first one to the door with a joyful hello and welcoming smile. If I were standing in their house for a moment or two, she would immediately recognize the need and point me to a chair. If there was a delay in something, or if I was having to wait for Tim, she would do three things often.

1. Apologize for the delay or circumstance.

2. Seek to fix and or speed up the delay with love and grace toward Tim as I remember from one visit that I will share about later on.

3. Provide refreshments in the form of lemonade and usually something sweet, normally cookies (oatmeal raisin cookies were Tim's favorite).

Needless to say, the Fruit of the Spirit was evident and apparent whenever I stepped over the Wymbs' threshold.

Love and Joy in Continual Hardships

Barbara's hearing loss wasn't an excuse, and it didn't dull a virtuous woman from embodying love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. She loved one another, even if she couldn't hear everything or anything; she was joyful and pleasant to be around.

Barbara possessed joy that is rare in our world. In conversations, her joy would flow out, and it was contagious. I can still hear her laughing voice in my head and all the laughs we shared. She had the tremendous gift of being able to laugh at herself and with Tim. They both had great joy in the Lord, which produced the ability to laugh and rejoice in every and all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16), even if that meant laughing at themselves. Her joy was stronger and deeper than that of most people without hearing loss. Virtues are not darkened by disabilities but strengthened and brightened.

A Peace that Pierces Silence

Her drinking of living water led her to be at peace in life. She was content in God and learned to be at peace during frustrating circumstances. Due to her hearing loss, it was difficult to communicate with her at times.

Her peace in God helped her know when the challenges in communication would lead her spirit not to peace but to frustration. I recall times when she would recognize and acknowledge that it would be better for her to stop trying to figure out what the person was saying, so that her spirit would not be given to anger and frustration. She pursued internal peace by God's grace, through Christ, and with self-mastery.

The Communal Walk of Patience and Kindness

Patience and kindness walked hand in hand with Barbara. Inconveniences and delays didn't seem to affect either her outward or inner demeanor. She walked through frustrating situations with a simple "okay" and a quick stride. I remember on occasion struggling to fix the internet, printer, or iPad problem with Tim, and for me, it was frustrating. I had set aside time in my day to resolve this issue, but nothing was working at the moment. Tim was faithful to pray about the problem as we sought to find a resolution. His prayer convicted me and reminded me that it wasn't I who did the resolving; it was God. It was God's work from strengthening, helping, and assisting; it was all Him.

Tim would let Barbara know about the situation and how it was progressing. She would be ready to help, but I also remember her saying, "Okay, that's fine" when the situation wasn't resolved. Barbara would direct her attention to other work and good works before her.

I, on the other hand, would stew on the problem and keep thinking about how to solve it. She served as an example that the good work God has laid before you is way more important than losing your kindness and patience with a printer that can't print properly.

Goodness

When one drinks of the waters of living water, God by grace leads and helps the believer to know what is good, right, and true. God by his grace, helps set this filter, also known as our conscience, to know what is good and true. It discerns what is good and what is sin. Barbara knew not only what was wrong and right, but also what was better and best. She invested herself in what is best, serving her King in countless ways over countless years, all for the glory and fame of His Name.

Faithfulness

If there were a trait of the Fruit of the Spirit that best summarizes Barbara's life, it would be faithfulness. She was faithful to God and to attending our local church. There are only a handful of times I can remember when Tim and Barbara weren't at church. If they weren't at church, it would be a reason to check in on them. They walked everywhere, at all times and in all seasons, through sun, rain, ice, and snow. On time and through the elements, they would be there ready to worship and receive the Word.

Due to the severity of Barbara's hearing loss, she learned to read lips to better communicate. As a result, they always sat in the second row, directly in front of the pulpit, for a clear view of the preacher. So yes, dear friend, your excuses for not attending worship on the Lord's Day are not valid. Barbara traversed hills and hearing loss to faithfully worship God and hear the Word preached.

Gentleness

Gentleness is magnified through trials. The year was 2020, and I was scheduled to visit Tim during a fall afternoon. I hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks because he was recovering from surgery, and this was 2020, so yes, we were concerned about getting the virus. When I arrived, Tim wasn't in the room, so I talked with Barbara and sat down in the living room. I remember at least twice during that visit that Barbara came to him with gentleness on her tongue, both notifying him of my arrival and helping him walk into the living room.

I don't remember much of what we discussed that day, but I remember the brilliant fall colors blasting through a wall of windows Tim sat in front of. The second thing I remember is Barbara's gentleness to Tim and me. She apologized for the delay in my seeing Tim, and we talked for a bit as I relaxed in their living room. Secondly, the gentleness with which she cared for Tim made me know that he would be well and that God would heal, as he mentioned in an email to me.

Self-Control

Out of all the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, this one might be the hardest trait to develop and possess consistently through the joys and trials of life. Barbara not only possessed self-control but excelled at self-control. Joy was easier for her than frustration. Love was easier than anger.

Over many years, I watched her lead and control her emotions properly to the glory of God. As I helped Tim with basic repairs on various things, sometimes the need would come for Barbara to retrieve something or get something at the store. Schedule changes never seemed to bother her, and, in many ways, from my perspective, she was hard to upset. Her emotions were steady in life, but deep when considering God, His glory, and His Word. By God's grace, she learned to manage her emotions with care and excellence. In a world where airing our emotions is our middle name, for Barbara they were private information rarely given. She was steady through life's ups and downs because her Savior was Christ, and the water she drank was living water.

A Constant Flow of Service

Waterfalls flow consistently with breathtaking beauty and strength. We love to see their glory and strength, so many people travel to see waterfalls. Tim and Barbara were no exception; they traveled many places to see God's creation. However, many people often miss the glories of God's creation and His care for us in the everyday. They also miss the glory of ordinary people who seek to serve God in extraordinary ways. Barbara was one of those people.

Barbara and Tim served at the Montrose Bible Conference for over two decades, and I had the glorious opportunity to serve with them through the years. Barbara served in many ways, from the bookstore to the office, to folding napkins; she gave her life, serving the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Wymbs would walk everywhere, and if you ever saw their car, it was a rare sighting. They would walk hand in hand multiple times a day, often picking each other up from serving at the conference. Barbara didn't measure her service by the clock, but by her faithfulness to God, whether to Tim, or the Bible conference. Barbara's life was a giving life, where clocks weren't watched and where the praise of men didn't matter. She gave, she spent, she served thousands with constancy, faithfulness, and joy.

A Waterfall of Refreshment and Nourishment

Barbara had an incredible talent for finding ways to serve and knowing needs before they were spoken or arose. She looked to the needs of others and considered them more important than her own. It was a habit that, by God's grace, she developed over the years because she drank living water.

"Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."- Philippians 2:3-4

Whenever I visited the Wymbs, I saw her skill at doing this. Whenever I came to fix something for Tim, we would often sit and talk for a bit, generally in the kitchen after the work was done. Barbara would often lead the charge in asking if I wanted any refreshments. Sometimes Tim would ask if I needed anything, but, without fail, Barbara would sprint-walk from the other room to the fridge to help. She may not have had great hearing, but she had the eyes of an eagle ready to serve and nourish the people God put before them. The needs of others were not neglected but were seen as her first priority in the home. She was ready to nourish and feed the weary and hungry at the sound of a knock on the door.

This refreshment was not just physical but spiritual. I remember the short drives to the Wymbs' home at various times. Sometimes I looked forward to the time with zeal and eagerness, but other times my weary soul was tired and exhausted. Sometimes I came with selfish thoughts that were sinful, thinking it was a waste of time to fix something that, in my view, was microscopic in nature and would take two minutes. The Lord certainly convicted me in this area and continues to convict.

Whenever I would pull into their driveway and make that weird turn, which included that reverse, and pull forward to park correctly, I was spiritually nourished. Tim and I would pass the time talking theology, God's grace, and stories from a previous era, and my soul was nourished. I constantly had to learn that the margins of life that God places you in that weren't planned are good for you. Our talks were so special, and I greatly miss them to this day. However, that wasn't the only form of spiritual refreshment.

Prayer in the Wymbs' home was like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day. Just about every visit I had with the Wymbs ended with a word of prayer. Tim, Barbara, and I would hold hands. Tim and I would often both pray. It redirected my focus to the Lord and reminded me of where my focus is to be in the day-to-day details. Yet, with that, I was reminded of the love and care the body of Christ has and should display toward one another. Tim would lead out in prayer, but Barbara's work did not go unnoticed. Barbara would help serve up the love of Christ to the weary and tired travelers headed to the Celestial City.

May we learn from Barbara Ann's life well lived, and may we drink deeply of living water, for as the Psalmist says in Psalm 87:7b, "All my springs are in you."

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Works Cited

Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.