Author: Seth Barnes

Ministering to the poor

Written by Seth Barnes on December 6, 2006. Posted in Poverty. 19 Comments on Ministering to the poor

Today’s theme from The Irresistible Revolution is particularly relevant given an experience we had with a homeless guy last night here in Colorado Springs. Tom Davis describes...

The Irresistible Revolution: The Church and the poor

Written by Seth Barnes on December 5, 2006. Posted in Poverty. 10 Comments on The Irresistible Revolution: The Church and the poor

More on The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: Claiborne is concerned with big issues where we Jesus-followers seem to have deviated from the simple way that Jesus taught....

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Written by Seth Barnes on December 4, 2006. Posted in Abandon. 10 Comments on The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

Here’s one of the best books of the year, The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. What one reviewer says: From dressing the wounds of lepers in Calcutta to...

Former pastor apologizes to youth pastor

Written by Seth Barnes on December 3, 2006. Posted in Youth Ministry. 2 Comments on Former pastor apologizes to youth pastor

As I was surfing the net this morning, I ran across this story of Tim Schmoyer, a youth pastor who had to leave a position and how the pastor realized the hurt he’d...

A better life: Mexican parable

Written by Seth Barnes on December 2, 2006. Posted in Reaching Your Destiny. 1 Comment on A better life: Mexican parable

I ran across this little story and thought you’d enjoy it. Too many of us have confused the means and the ends in our lives. We need to consider: what are we working so hard...

If Jesus advertised for a youth pastor

Written by Seth Barnes on December 1, 2006. Posted in Youth Ministry. 1 Comment on If Jesus advertised for a youth pastor

For an indicator of the state of youth ministry, just look at the Christian job posting web sites ChurchStaffing.com or ChristianPlacements.com. The latter site boasts 13,500 resumes...

The rest of the story – tracking 5 youth pastors who got booted

Written by Seth Barnes on November 30, 2006. Posted in Youth Ministry. 1 Comment on The rest of the story – tracking 5 youth pastors who got booted

I love Paul Harvey’s show, “The Rest of the Story” – he shares stuff that we probably didn’t know about famous events and people. Yesterday I blogged about how hard it is for youth...

Youth ministers must disciple!

Written by Seth Barnes on November 29, 2006. Posted in Youth Ministry. 7 Comments on Youth ministers must disciple!

In the last 30 years, the Church in America has produced a generation of professional youth pastors. They care about youth and want to impact them for Jesus, but they’ve also...

Youth pastors face huge challenges and need help

Written by Seth Barnes on November 28, 2006. Posted in Youth Ministry. 7 Comments on Youth pastors face huge challenges and need help

The average youth worker got into the field because he or she wanted to disciple young people. But something happened along the way. The youth pastor embraced a flawed model of discipleship,...

Rewind the tape & watch me as I slouch into the spiritual doldrums

Written by Seth Barnes on November 27, 2006. Posted in Vulnerability and me. 10 Comments on Rewind the tape & watch me as I slouch into the spiritual doldrums

I ate too much over Thanksgiving. Karen is an awesome cook and after the main meals are done, there is always the pressure of leftovers sitting there that will go...

Authority is often a bad word

Written by Seth Barnes on November 26, 2006. Posted in Discipling. 2 Comments on Authority is often a bad word

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not as...

Why launch into deep waters?

Written by Seth Barnes on November 25, 2006. Posted in Abandon. 1 Comment on Why launch into deep waters?

A year or so ago, one of the greatest anachronisms and human interest stories of the past century came to a close. Hemingway wrote his short story “The Old Man and the Sea”...

Friends for life

Written by Seth Barnes on November 24, 2006. Posted in My Life. 1 Comment on Friends for life

In our society that so prizes independence, one does well to hang onto friends. We’ve been hanging onto the Watsons for 19 years now. When we lived in West Palm Beach 13 years...

2 orphans show me how to be thankful

Written by Seth Barnes on November 23, 2006. Posted in Orphans. 1 Comment on 2 orphans show me how to be thankful

This is Asif and Banoo. They were orphaned a year ago when an earthquake hit Pakistan, killing 80,000 people, including their parents. 20,000 children like them were orphaned and...

Bungee jumping to your destiny

Written by Seth Barnes on November 22, 2006. Posted in World Race. 1 Comment on Bungee jumping to your destiny

I just sent the following to 30,000 people with Mark Lindberg’s help and many of Ashley Musick’s words. I loved Ashley’s symbolic act at the end of her year of...

Homecomings

Written by Seth Barnes on November 21, 2006. Posted in Community and Covenant. 1 Comment on Homecomings

Tonight Estie, Seth jr. and Emily, our three college students, come home from Indiana and Texas. If home is where the heart is, then coming home after being away at school or away...

On unity and divisiveness

Written by Seth Barnes on November 20, 2006. Posted in Community and Covenant. 3 Comments on On unity and divisiveness

Unity A friend of mine said, “I have a conviction that a country will never be greater than her churches. And what is worse, the lack of unity in our country or the lack of...

The price of spiritual freedom

Written by Seth Barnes on November 19, 2006. Posted in Living Free. No Comments on The price of spiritual freedom

Three years ago I was talking to my friend Andrew Shearman in London. He told me about his grandfather who died in the Battle of the Somme. Today the tragedy of that death was brought...

Three symbols of community

Written by Seth Barnes on November 18, 2006. Posted in Community and Covenant. 3 Comments on Three symbols of community

Training a team of missionaries (soon departing for Africa) in our home last week helped me see first-hand what we’re missing. They filled every nook and cranny in the house...

Careful listening

Written by Seth Barnes on November 17, 2006. Posted in Listening prayer. No Comments on Careful listening

Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Luke 8:18 Hear God’s word and put it into practice. Luke 8:21 To consider carefully means to mull it over in your mind, to look...

Excellence in short-term missions

Written by Seth Barnes on November 16, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 1 Comment on Excellence in short-term missions

Anything being done repetitively on a large scale needs to grapple with the idea of “excellence.” Short-term missions is no exception. The idea of standards of excellence...

Free leadership training resources

Written by Seth Barnes on November 15, 2006. Posted in Leadership. 26 Comments on Free leadership training resources

The world of missions has changed radically in a generation. Whereas the American Church used to carry the lion’s share of the load, the rest of the world has swept past us...

Freedom

Written by Seth Barnes on November 14, 2006. Posted in Living Free. 1 Comment on Freedom

“Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 As a father, I delight to see my children make their own decisions. God...

The end of an amazing year of adventures

Written by Seth Barnes on November 13, 2006. Posted in World Race. 29 Comments on The end of an amazing year of adventures

The World Racers are finishing their debrief in South Africa. What an incredible year it has been for them! I love reading their blogs. So far, Kim Kinsley, Laura Frankenfield, Cathy...