Author: Seth Barnes

Racing to find his destiny

Written by Seth Barnes on December 27, 2006. Posted in Portraits of Disciplers. 2 Comments on Racing to find his destiny

Jonathan Hiebert is a Canadian who is always on the go. An early to rise and late to bed kind of guy, he hates wasting a minute out of the day. He does not want his time on earth...

What kinds of participants in World Race ’07?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 26, 2006. Posted in Portraits of Disciplers. 3 Comments on What kinds of participants in World Race ’07?

We’re counting down to the exciting start of the World Race ’07. 50 participants (selected from a pool of 1000) will be arriving at our training center in Matamoros,...

Barnes Christmas part 2: Morning

Written by Seth Barnes on December 25, 2006. Posted in My Life. 1 Comment on Barnes Christmas part 2: Morning

OK, folks. I know you can hardly wait. Here are the early returns from this morning. The kids (now 17, 18, 20, 21, 23) were up at 6:30 a.m. – nothing’s changed in the...

Barnes Christmas ’06

Written by Seth Barnes on December 24, 2006. Posted in My Life. 9 Comments on Barnes Christmas ’06

How we decorated our tree. Even our cat, Chloe got into the act, presenting this odd little ornament on the doorstep.

Floyd McClung on discipleship

Written by Seth Barnes on December 24, 2006. Posted in Discipling. 4 Comments on Floyd McClung on discipleship

Floyd McClung is a godfather of sorts in modern missions. A leader at YWAM for years, he currently lives with his wife, Sally, in South Africa. His view on Jesus’ call to disciple...

Project leaders need to realize they’re on-stage

Written by Seth Barnes on December 23, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 3 Comments on Project leaders need to realize they’re on-stage

We Americans like things to be organized and we like things to be clearly defined as to what is kept backstage (production) and what is onstage (product). Thus our...

VBS ladies – the pros and cons

Written by Seth Barnes on December 22, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 4 Comments on VBS ladies – the pros and cons

Warning: This blog is calculated to offend a few people, though offense is often a first step in making necessary changes. VBS ladies – I’ve seen them on every trip....

Finding translators for mission projects

Written by Seth Barnes on December 21, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 2 Comments on Finding translators for mission projects

It is hard to find a good balance between host church and sending church partners. Typically the sending church inadvertently fosters dependency. In a three-year partnership...

Evening ministry chaos on my project

Written by Seth Barnes on December 20, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 1 Comment on Evening ministry chaos on my project

Well, there is just time enough for a quick post before whisking away my bride to a romantic restaurant. OK, for those of you interested in my thoughts on mission projects, here...

Thoughts on my better half on our 26th anniversary

Written by Seth Barnes on December 20, 2006. Posted in My Life. 10 Comments on Thoughts on my better half on our 26th anniversary

Tonight Karen and I celebrate 26 years of marriage. Wow – I never thought I’d live this long or experience this much in life, and in the middle of it all has been Karen. What...

Here’s an effective model of short-term missions

Written by Seth Barnes on December 19, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 1 Comment on Here’s an effective model of short-term missions

While it’s a given that the greatest impact of most short-term mission (STM) trips is on the participants themselves, there are certain kinds of ministry that STMs were made for...

Short-term missions should be about relationships

Written by Seth Barnes on December 18, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. No Comments on Short-term missions should be about relationships

Here’s what I wrote to our 4000 participants who spent a week trying to help rebuild New Orleans this past year: Many people look at their missions project to New Orleans and they...

Short-term missions: Are one-week projects bad?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 17, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 6 Comments on Short-term missions: Are one-week projects bad?

Yesterday I wrote what may have seemed to some short-term missions (STM) practioners a fairly inflammatory blog. Some readers may be forgiven for asking the follow-up question, “Given...

Short-term missions should mobilize you for the kingdom

Written by Seth Barnes on December 16, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 2 Comments on Short-term missions should mobilize you for the kingdom

I’ve been doing short-term missions (STMs) for 30 years now as an organizer and participant. I’ve written more articles and essays on the subject than I can count, and for better...

The importance of humility

Written by Seth Barnes on December 15, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 7 Comments on The importance of humility

I’ve watched those who look a lot like Jesus to me and those who are, in John Eldredge’s words, just “posers.” I suppose there are a lot reasons for the difference...

A Muslim’s advice to Christians

Written by Seth Barnes on December 14, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 5 Comments on A Muslim’s advice to Christians

Brother Andrew tells the following story giving us a perspective on how devout Muslim perceives American Christians. In a meeting with Ayatollah Fadlallah, the spiritual leader of...

What happened to Christianity?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 14, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 8 Comments on What happened to Christianity?

Just saw this article on CNN.com. We Christians may be the last ones to notice some of the trends leading people to these conclusions. Your thoughts? By Jay Bakker and Marc Brown Special...

How to become a spiritual coach

Written by Seth Barnes on December 13, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 4 Comments on How to become a spiritual coach

If you want to become a good discipler, then you need to learn how to become a spiritual coach. And if you’re going to coach someone, that is, to help them become someone different...

Emily is blessed by a blind man who can see

Written by Seth Barnes on December 12, 2006. Posted in Portraits of Disciplers. 1 Comment on Emily is blessed by a blind man who can see

When my daughter Emily was 13, we visited Elmer, a retired blind man in the hollers of coal mining country in West Virginia. Here’s how Emily related the story: ...

God loves camping

Written by Seth Barnes on December 11, 2006. Posted in Better Living. 1 Comment on God loves camping

I come from a family of outdoorsmen. My father was a blue-blood Yale medical student and my mother was from sun-baked Las Cruces, but they met in the 50’s while working in Yosemite...

Bono & Jesus

Written by Seth Barnes on December 10, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 7 Comments on Bono & Jesus

The following interview took place in March of 2004. Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What...

What kind of revolution did Jesus have in mind?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 9, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 1 Comment on What kind of revolution did Jesus have in mind?

More on The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Claiborne tells this wonderful story: My grandfather used to bale hay. He had gotten a brand-new truck and trailer...

We Christians lack a holy rage

Written by Seth Barnes on December 8, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 4 Comments on We Christians lack a holy rage

More on The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. Do not tiptoe. Run, hop,...

Our cultural Jesus

Written by Seth Barnes on December 7, 2006. Posted in Mobilization. 1 Comment on Our cultural Jesus

More from The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Our cultural Jesus As George Bernard Shaw said, “God created us in his image and we decided to return the favor.” Everyone...