Author: sethbarnes

Too Busy to Care About Maria?

Written by sethbarnes on January 17, 2025. Posted in A broken world. 2 Comments on Too Busy to Care About Maria?

John Hearn shared this story about Maria a number of years ago. I share it with you in hopes that it will connect you with the heart of God. Why? Because God wants to break our...

Life Lessons Dogs Can Teach Us

Written by sethbarnes on January 14, 2025. Posted in My Life. 13 Comments on Life Lessons Dogs Can Teach Us

Asha died last week. She was my sidekick for 15 years. She was great with the grandbabies. She probably thought she was one. Daily, when I went to the office, she tagged along....

Here’s Why We Need to Be Recognized

Written by sethbarnes on January 7, 2025. Posted in Community and Covenant. 16 Comments on Here’s Why We Need to Be Recognized

After Asha’s death and Hunter’s funeral last night, I was thinking about why losing someone you love can be so painful over the long haul. One hard thing about the death of a...

God Will Give All of Us a Life Review

Written by sethbarnes on December 30, 2024. Posted in Better Living. 1 Comment on God Will Give All of Us a Life Review

In 1986, I met a man who died, met Jesus and got a chance to review his life – all during the half hour he was technically dead. His name was Dr. George Ritchie. He wrote...

How to Process Your Past Year: Here’s What Works for Me

Written by sethbarnes on December 27, 2024. Posted in Debriefing. 3 Comments on How to Process Your Past Year: Here’s What Works for Me

Let’s be honest – 2024 was a crazy year. I don’t want to repeat it, so I don’t want to miss anything it has to teach me. The problem is that so much happened....

An example of God helping process trauma

Written by sethbarnes on December 12, 2024. Posted in Wounded healers. 2 Comments on An example of God helping process trauma

Almost all of us have experienced trauma of one kind or another. And many of us may never get around to trying to find healing. If we do, thank God for the therapists who can help...

Trauma Processing Can Begin As Wars End

Written by sethbarnes on December 10, 2024. Posted in Refugees & Crisis. 1 Comment on Trauma Processing Can Begin As Wars End

The photo above is a shot of the citizens of Syria looking for food or a chance to leave their country as it is being destroyed in 2014. This week, they have the hope of returning....

Your Art Needs a Frame: The Power of Structure in Creativity

Written by sethbarnes on December 3, 2024. Posted in Dreaming. 6 Comments on Your Art Needs a Frame: The Power of Structure in Creativity

The picture above is of an old church in Sorrento, Italy. Its priest, my friend Rito Maresca, has a dream of a coffee shop that offers the best coffee drink creations for free....

How We Read Books is Radically Changing

Written by sethbarnes on November 27, 2024. Posted in Education. 6 Comments on How We Read Books is Radically Changing

I love books and spend much of my life reading, but the way I read books has been undergoing a radical tranformation recently. When Kindle came along, I shifted from reading books...

Suicide and Not Dying With Regrets

Written by sethbarnes on November 20, 2024. Posted in A broken world. 3 Comments on Suicide and Not Dying With Regrets

When people commit suicide, they inevitably leave the wreckage of unanswered questions as their friends try to understand WHY? Often, friends and family are left to sort through...

Saying Goodbye to Hunter: How To Respond When a Friend Commits Suicide?

Written by sethbarnes on November 14, 2024. Posted in Wounded healers, Wrecked. No Comments on Saying Goodbye to Hunter: How To Respond When a Friend Commits Suicide?

Recently, Hunter Young took his life. Of course it was a devastating shock to those of us who loved him. But all the more so given the joy that he shared with so many. How do you...

Hunter Young – We Will Miss You

Written by sethbarnes on November 12, 2024. Posted in A broken world. 1 Comment on Hunter Young – We Will Miss You

Hunter Young was a World Racer who took his life a couple of weeks ago. Those of us who knew him are still trying to sort it out. It was a shock. It leaves me deeply sad. We are...

Trouble is Normal – Prepare For It!

Written by sethbarnes on October 30, 2024. Posted in Courage, Fighting your enemy. 3 Comments on Trouble is Normal – Prepare For It!

I have friends who are leading causes scattered around the world, but one thing they have in common. They all seem to be up to their eyeballs in problems. Trouble seems to follow...

What Values Do Colleges Look for in Students?

Written by sethbarnes on October 24, 2024. Posted in Education. No Comments on What Values Do Colleges Look for in Students?

How do you as a young person going to college stack up relative to your peers? The schools I work with are looking for more than good grades or high SAT scores. Here are six values...

Mother Teresa & How God Speaks To Us

Written by sethbarnes on October 17, 2024. Posted in Listening prayer. 2 Comments on Mother Teresa & How God Speaks To Us

I’m going to Albania in a couple of weeks, home of that great saint, Mother Teresa. I look to her for inspiration and to understand how God speaks to us. Mother Teresa showed...

How Will Your Church Respond to the Hurricanes?

Written by sethbarnes on October 10, 2024. Posted in A broken world, Refugees & Crisis. No Comments on How Will Your Church Respond to the Hurricanes?

Hurricane Milton left 3 million without power this morning. It spawned a rash of tornadoes in southern Florida. Thousands are homeless. As the sun comes up on the beaches where...

Preparing for a Monster Storm

Written by sethbarnes on October 8, 2024. Posted in A broken world, Courage. 1 Comment on Preparing for a Monster Storm

Hurricane Milton is a scary, monster storm – how do you prepare? Winds yesterday hit 180 mph. Forecasters say it could be historic in the damage it causes. It smashes into...

Rescuing Those Trapped by Flooding in Asheville

Written by sethbarnes on October 3, 2024. Posted in A broken world, Refugees & Crisis. 2 Comments on Rescuing Those Trapped by Flooding in Asheville

Hurricane Helene has left thousands homeless, trapped behind roads that have been washed out. Although help is arriving, so many areas are cut off. Whitney Gorbett reports from...

Asheville Relief: When Christ-followers Care

Written by sethbarnes on October 1, 2024. Posted in A broken world, Refugees & Crisis. 3 Comments on Asheville Relief: When Christ-followers Care

The news from Asheville in the wake of Hurricane Helene, is grim. The town without power, roads washed out, many people homeless. The government struggling to get aid to people. But...

North Carolina Disaster: “We Need Your Help!”

Written by sethbarnes on September 29, 2024. Posted in A broken world, Refugees & Crisis, Wounded healers. 1 Comment on North Carolina Disaster: “We Need Your Help!”

Headlines this morning show us that North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene leaving thousands homeless. Yes, Helene hit other states hard as well. But who could have predicted...

Leaving the Weight of Our Losses Behind Us

Written by sethbarnes on September 24, 2024. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 1 Comment on Leaving the Weight of Our Losses Behind Us

I just got back from my seventh hike of the Camino de Santiago yesterday. One of the highlights for a peregrino (pilgrim) is arriving at the Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross at the...

Homeschoolers Living the Dream

Written by sethbarnes on September 12, 2024. Posted in Innovation, Kingdom Dreams. 12 Comments on Homeschoolers Living the Dream

Tomorrow I help launch an experiment. The idea is to train a small group of Christ-following leaders to be the change the world needs. We’ve recruited 13 graduating homeschoolers...

How Do I Grieve the Loss of Trust?

Written by sethbarnes on September 11, 2024. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 6 Comments on How Do I Grieve the Loss of Trust?

This morning I walked up the steps to our office. Sitting on the porch were two women talking. One I’ve known for more than a decade. I remember walking her through a hard...

Loving Justice But Lacking Courage

Written by sethbarnes on September 5, 2024. Posted in Courage. 4 Comments on Loving Justice But Lacking Courage

When the 2010 Haiti earthquake killed over 200,000 people and left so many others homeless, my son moved into action. It was chaos there. People wanted to help but had no plan....