http://www.sethbarnes.com Radical Living - in a Comfortable World en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 19:12:07 GMT 30 http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=why-dont-you-reach-out-to-poor-americans-first http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=why-dont-you-reach-out-to-poor-americans-first There is an implied criticism for short-term missionaries when would-be supporters sometimes ask this question:"Why do you want to go overseas? There is plenty of poverty right here in the U.S." Give such critics their due. They may be motivated by compassion or by a sense of stewardship. Who hasn't seen the homeless on our cities' streets and felt as though something needed to be done? Going overseas can seem like a costly extravagance when the need is great right here in our backy Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=mother-teresas-poem-anyway http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=mother-teresas-poem-anyway Here's a good poem from Ma Teresa. I don't know how she did it. All those needy people constantly asking for a piece of her. And I can relate - I've been feeling heavy lately. Just tired. Too many people need a piece of me and I don't have answers for them. People are so needy. I want to escape from their needs - go on vacation or have a pity party. Instead, I'm re-organizing AIM and counseling people, and encouraging people, and coming up with new strategies, and praying for people. And Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=why-i-love-henri-nouwen http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=why-i-love-henri-nouwen In this age of the constantly firing microscopic synaptic connection and interlocking neural networks, information cascades ceaselessly into our lives. We don't lack information or access to it - what we lack is the means by which to sort it all and make sense of it. That's the job of wisdom. And that's why I love Henri Nouwen. He's one of the wisest writers around. I get his morning devotional email and every morning, it's amazing what he can do with a paragraph or two.Take this meditation Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=making-calamaties-personal http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=making-calamaties-personal The earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar seem like they're a world away.These New York Times pictures do a great job of bringing these tragedies up close and personal. We need to not turn the dial. We need to allow our hearts to break. So they begin to beat as God's own heart does.Click on these links and ask God to speak to you about people outside our comfort zones. China earthquakeMore on China earthquakeMyanmar cyclone Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=organic-disciple-making-by-dennis-mccallum http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=organic-disciple-making-by-dennis-mccallum For a number of years now I've been working on a practical how- to book on discipleship. Dennis McCallum has beaten me to the punch with Organic Disciple Making. He's written the most practical book on how to disciple people I've ever read. Time and time again I find myself saying, "Yup, he nailed that one; that's how it works." Early on, for instance, the book covers the subject of modeling and its key role in making disciples. Later it delves into the practical questions of how you counsel an Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=being-content-in-every-circumstance http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=being-content-in-every-circumstance Life can be a bully pushing us around. I discovered this while parenting. Periodically one of my children would come to me with some tale of woe. Their face told me the story before they said anything. And frequently I would address not the problem, but their response to it by asking a question: "Have you learned the secret yet?" "What secret?" "The secret of being content no matter what your circumstances." Paul frequently found himself in the most adverse circumstances - shipwrecked, in p Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=what-do-i-do-for-devotions-when-im-uninspired http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=what-do-i-do-for-devotions-when-im-uninspired Karen asked me a question about how to find your spiritual focus as we sat in a restaurant in Panajachel, Guatemala, waiting for coffee early one morning a few weeks ago. A group of Haitian tourists ate breakfast in the background. Old Indian women in traditional garb, balancing produce on their heads, hurried to market along the road outside. In this swirl of activity, concentration was hard. How to get any kind of focus?"What do I do for devotions when I'm uninspired?" She asked. "M Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=it-takes-a-tragedy-to-birth-compassion http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=it-takes-a-tragedy-to-birth-compassion The FYM program (First-Year Missionaries) gives college students a chance to spend a a year-abroad being discipled. We started it several years ago and have seen it change hundreds of lives. My daughter Estie was the first of our children to do this, and it was one of the best things she's ever done.After spending almost a year immersed in a different culture, young Christ-followers have a new level of compassion for the the poor. In the process, they get a piece of God's heart. They learn to Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=swaziland-is-dying-here-are-the-facts http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=swaziland-is-dying-here-are-the-facts Sometimes, it seems melodramatic to say it, but there is no escaping the fact that Swaziland is dying. The official numbers show a relentless pandemic sweeping through the countryside, leaving a trail of orphans in its wake. When I first arrived in 2004, there were 80,000 orphans. Within six years, that number will have more than tripled. This is absurd.Simultaneously, the Swazi men are systematically raping and abusing the women. It's horrific stuff. My team is there in the worst part of Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=revival-in-lakeland-fl http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=revival-in-lakeland-fl I don't know if you've seen what's been going on in Lakeland, Florida. This [edited] report describes it. I find it interesting it how quickly some people rush to judgment about something that is bearing good fruit and that God may be authoring. I want to ask them, "So at a minimum they're focusing on Jesus - what are you doing to more passionately pursue a relationship with him these days?" Anyway, I recommend checking this out on line and sounding off one way or another about it.Revival in Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=roles-should-shape-but-not-define-your-identity http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=roles-should-shape-but-not-define-your-identity Rusty Jackson has been on a steep learning curve. When we first talked a year ago he said, "Seth, you and your blog have wrecked my life. I prayed that God would do something radical and I lost my job. Now what do I do?" "Well Rusty, I say, 'Go for broke.' Why don't you buy a ticket to join the World Racers for their debrief in Machu Picchu in a week." "That's probably an expensive ticket, but if you think I should do it, I'll buy it." Since that first conversation, h Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=feeling-accepted-by-god http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=feeling-accepted-by-god For the longest time, through my 20's and most of my 30's, I allowed myself the luxury of judgmentalism. Classifying people who thought differently than I did made my life more orderly and made me feel better about myself. Then in 1991, I had a personal train wreck and everything changed.  The consequences of sin became searingly real.  I was in a bad place and without grace, my life would have come unglued.  The paradox is that as I became more deeply aware of my own need for g Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=yur-family-should-move-to-antigua-guatemala http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=yur-family-should-move-to-antigua-guatemala Karen and I just got back from doing a debrief in Guatemala. On our way back, we stopped off in Antigua, the old colonial capital of the country. As we wandered the cobblestone streets at night, I thought about what a great experience it would be for a family or a young person to live there for three months. We ate in a restaurant that used to be a monastery. As we walked in, we passed along a candlelit corridor leading to a tree-lined courtyard surrounded by thick stone walls. Wha Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=things-learned-while-circumnavigating-the-globe http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=things-learned-while-circumnavigating-the-globe Wow! What a blog from Julie Lortz. She just returned from the World Race this weekend and didn't lose any time in processing her experience. Her list shows why I believe this is the best discipling experience for 20-somethings anywhere. Too many young people graduate out into the world and fling themselves at some crazy career, feeling they they need to begin paying off school debts immediately. And once locked into a career merry-go-round, many never get off until they're 50 and waking up Sun, 4 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=great-stories-activate-people-for-the-kingdom http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=great-stories-activate-people-for-the-kingdom Jamie Finch just wrote this article for Wrecked, AIM's online magazine for spiritual misfits. Wrecked is a place where anybody can share a good story about how God is transforming their hearts, usually through some kind of comfort-stretching experience. Incidentally, it was a story on Wrecked about some AIM missionaries reaching out to prostitutes in the Red-Light district of Bangkok that activated Jamie to do a trip to Thailand herself this coming Fall. Here's an excerpt:I could hear the drums Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=being-passionate-versus-being-driven http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=being-passionate-versus-being-driven My friend Mark Ostreicher, President of Youth Specialties, is writing a book called Youth Ministry 3.0 (his working title) and has some great insights on youth ministry and slowing down. Here's what he says (an excerpt from Chapter 6 of the book): I'm a big fan of passion - both the concept and the experience. I've probably chosen passion as a speaking theme to both teenagers and adults more than any other subject over the last ten years. I believe that Jesus' promise in John 10:10 - "I ha Fri, 2 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=celebrating-esties-life-on-her-birthday http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=celebrating-esties-life-on-her-birthday Today is Estie's 22nd birthday. In 1986, Karen and I were in a Charlottesville park at a cookout with our business school friends. Karen is a small-framed woman and was more than ready for the pregnancy to be over. It was a great cause for celebration when we abruptly left the park and sped to the hospital. Estie has always been our most "girly girl." Even at age two she loved to dress up like a princess and twirl around glamorously. She was also our most organized child. We were reminiscing Fri, 2 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=how-to-write-a-winwin-agreement http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=how-to-write-a-winwin-agreement One of the best tools I've found for managing the agendas of two people whether in business, missions, or marriage, is the win-win agreement. And the best explanation I've seen of it comes from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Too many people give in to the agendas of another party in order to avoid conflict. They agree to lose so the other person can win. It's a win-lose agreement. It doesn't have to be that way. I encourage my subordinates and partners to dive Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=my-favorite-tree http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=my-favorite-tree We all have a favorite place, a location that calls us to a younger, more idealistic version of ourselves. It's where we rest when we're tired, where we can be still in world of busyness, where we can retreat from the humdrum of a routine. It's the place where we come alive.If you go north on 129 out of Gainesville GA, and take a right on 75 toward Unicoi State Park, you can see my favorite waterfall and my favorite tree. It takes 35 minutes to drive from my office to Dukes Creek Falls, and i Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=wrecked-for-the-ordinary-update-last-few-weeks http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=wrecked-for-the-ordinary-update-last-few-weeks Here are some new articles at Wrecked, our online magazine where spiritual misfits can share their stories. Check out the last few weeks. Click on any articles that sound interesting to you... This week Simplicity: Beggars and Thieves: Trying to love like Jesus Culture: Fair Trade and Ethical Buying within the Clothing Industry Arts: Poem: The Dump in Manzini Community: Relational Conflict Adventure: The Drums of Africa Poverty: First Steps: Strawberry Chocolate and Broken Glass Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=fathers-heres-how-to-date-your-children http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=fathers-heres-how-to-date-your-children With five kids running amok in our house, it was sometimes easy to get caught up in the business of just living. I had to be intentional to give them the part of me their hearts longed for. So, every Saturday mornings while Karen blissfully slept in, I took the whole lot of them out to the beach (we lived in West Palm). On the drive there we'd play games that we made up on the spot (ask my kiddos about "the rhyming game"), and then on the way home we'd usually stop at the library to get bo Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=is-an-artist-only-as-good-as-those-who-love-him http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=is-an-artist-only-as-good-as-those-who-love-him So this Westmont alum named Joe Bunting emailed me: "I like how you said, 'I was made to start things.' I feel like I'm that way too. Do you ever have too many things to start in your head, and not enough time to implement them? How do you sort through the good ideas and the bad ones?"I checked out his blog and was tweaked by his thoughts on art:"My view of the role of the artist is shifting as I absorb a lot of the ideas in the blogosphere and in books, people like Seth Godin, Kevin Kelly, a Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=the-filthy-orphans-we-are http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=the-filthy-orphans-we-are The following is a story from Wrecked for the Ordinary by Lorie Newman. I met Lorie on a vision trip in Swaziland last year. I loved the way she loved orphans. And when she returned to Augusta, GA, Lorie got her whole church involved. I can relate to Lorie's story, because up until a few years ago, I didn't give much thought to orphans nor to the priority that God the Father seems to give these fatherless and motherless children. God loves his children so much. It turns out that in reaching o Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=doing-shortterms-missions-without-doing-longterm-harm http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=doing-shortterms-missions-without-doing-longterm-harm I ran across this good article from the Chalmers Center, part of which I excerpt here:Doing Short-Terms Missions without Doing Long-Term Harm by Chalmers Center Staff Given the explosion of Short-Terms Missions (STM) trips to minister to low-income communities, it would appear that STM is the most effective way to minister to poor people. Right? Wrong! In fact, most STM trips violate basic principles of effective poverty-alleviation and have the Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=surprised-by-relationships-i-wasnt-looking-for http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=surprised-by-relationships-i-wasnt-looking-for Karen and I are headed to Guatemala tomorrow morning to do the final debrief of our World Race team that has been going around the world for almost a year now. It is such a thrill to see these young people come alive. Along the way they got rid of a ton of internal baggage, began to drill down to their true identity in Christ, and they began to wake up to what he's doing in the world and how to join him. So it is such a privilege to assist them in this process. When we first started the W Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=a-conversation-with-peter-lord http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=a-conversation-with-peter-lord Peter Lord helped me to first hear God's voice and has been influential in my life. Jeff Goins and I had a chance to meet with him last year at a Cracker Barrel on the interstate near his home in Titusville, FL. For over an hour, he shared his profound insights on spiritual matters while munching on our biscuits and jelly. Yet, we saw a man approaching 80 who gets tired and still struggles. In a world numbed by Christian pop stars and spiritual elites, this was a relief and a surprise. Hi Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=fathers-exasperating-their-children http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=fathers-exasperating-their-children The feedback from the last couple of blogs on parents apologizing to their kids was good. A lot of us have struggled either as a misunderstood parent or a frustrated son or daughter. I love how the Bible is on the side of the kids. God knows we parents have all the power and tells us fathers not to exasperate our children (Eph. 6:4). Shane Vander Hart wrote me to share the following story: "I'm a guy with clay feet and when God has convicted me of blowing it with them I apo Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=things-i-wish-my-children-had-told-me http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=things-i-wish-my-children-had-told-me The Bible says that we parents shouldn't exasperate our kids. But sadly, there are a lot of exasperated and wounded kids walking around. They'd love to talk to their parents about it, but their parents can't hear.My own five kids, now ages to 18-24, are a great source of information about their generation. They tell me about how their friends wish they could talk openly with their parents. For whatever reason, they don't feel safe. The parents are too defensive and may not realize it - they Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=how-to-repent-to-your-children http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=how-to-repent-to-your-children It's almost May, a time when many children leave the nest. Some of you parents don't have much time left to finish some important business before your child leaves home. So many young people tell me, "I wish my parents had said they were sorry to me, but their pride got in the way." And beyond that, I speak from personal experience - Karen and I have five awesome children who have grown up and are in varying states of transition to adulthood. So far, four of them have needed to have a serious co Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=wr-updates http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=wr-updates My life is unusual - at any given time of the day or night I might get a phone call or an email from some random part of the world asking for prayer or help. This past week, for example, Rusty Jackson, our leader on the January '08 World Race team, called from the Miami airport (en route from Bolivia to South Africa). Steve had just lost his passport. Alarm bells sounded and we made arrangements to take care of him. Later he found it a hidden compartment in his new bag.Some hours later, Ru Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT