Author: Seth Barnes

The orphans have declared a fast

Written by Seth Barnes on July 6, 2006. Posted in Orphans. 1 Comment on The orphans have declared a fast

I just received the following from our ministry partner in India. He’s asking for us to contact public officials who can make an appeal on behalf of the orphans. Honestly,...

Jesus learned dependence and so must we

Written by Seth Barnes on July 5, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 2 Comments on Jesus learned dependence and so must we

From our houseboat view on the lake tonight, the fireworks were fantastic. The rain threatened us for a while, but soon enough went away. The celebration was great. But tomorrow...

Why I love Gainesville, GA

Written by Seth Barnes on July 5, 2006. Posted in My Life. 3 Comments on Why I love Gainesville, GA

If God has got you living in a certain place, you ought to feel good about it. When we asked God in 1994 where in the world we should move once we’d sold our home in West Palm Beach,...

4th of July – let’s celebrate our dependence too

Written by Seth Barnes on July 3, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Formation. No Comments on 4th of July – let’s celebrate our dependence too

As we celebrate the 4th of July, of course we’re going to reflect on all that’s good about America. We have a rich Christian heritage and we’ve fought tyranny...

Get yourself a guide

Written by Seth Barnes on July 2, 2006. Posted in Discipling. No Comments on Get yourself a guide

The role of a discipler looks a lot like the role of a guide. A guide helps us see the way forward. Sometimes we look at our lives and feel like we’re living “Groundhog Day” (a movie...

Debriefing resources

Written by Seth Barnes on July 1, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 3 Comments on Debriefing resources

In my never-ending quest to equip you, my faithful readers, I’ve come across a good debriefing resource. The IMB has a web-site called The Task for its college and seminary...

Authority used to be a bad word, but it’s gotten better

Written by Seth Barnes on June 30, 2006. Posted in Discipling. 2 Comments on Authority used to be a bad word, but it’s gotten better

Once when I was 29, my mother asked me if I perhaps I would benefit from a mentoring relationship with an older man. I brushed her off, not really considering it until my life fell...

The man in the arena

Written by Seth Barnes on June 29, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 1 Comment on The man in the arena

One of my leaders called up yesterday asking for advice. One of his staff members had visited one of our bases where every week, hundreds of young people are coming to serve. He...

The blessing of a negative debrief

Written by Seth Barnes on June 28, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 2 Comments on The blessing of a negative debrief

This blog belongs with my earlier series on debriefs. 18 years ago after a really difficult and mistake-filled mission project that I led, one of the participants came to my office...

Transcendent moments in my life

Written by Seth Barnes on June 27, 2006. Posted in Vulnerability and me. 1 Comment on Transcendent moments in my life

God has built us to grasp His reality through glimpses of His magnificence in creation and in the grace He pours out in our lives. I was 11, my father had returned from a year in...

The role of a discipler in spiritual growth

Written by Seth Barnes on June 26, 2006. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 5 Comments on The role of a discipler in spiritual growth

Because God manifests His grace through people to people, because His primary modus operandi in the realm of humans is to partner with us rather than to force us, if we are to become...

10 Relationship guidelines on mission projects

Written by Seth Barnes on June 25, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 5 Comments on 10 Relationship guidelines on mission projects

One of the ways to head off conflilct on a mission project is to establish some basic relational precepts in advance. Keep these, preserve the unity in your group, and you’ll...

Minimizing risk on a mission project

Written by Seth Barnes on June 24, 2006. Posted in Short-term missions. 4 Comments on Minimizing risk on a mission project

The missions agency I run, AIM, seeks to minimize the risk inherent in any mission venture. We also seek to fully disclose the level of known risk on our projects. We use the most...

Parenting, risk, and the big picture

Written by Seth Barnes on June 23, 2006. Posted in Parenting. No Comments on Parenting, risk, and the big picture

If our job of passing our faith on to our kids is job #1 as parents, how is it that we wait so long to show them the reality of it? The substance of our faith is only proved when...

Debriefing those we love most

Written by Seth Barnes on June 22, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 2 Comments on Debriefing those we love most

William Wilkie asks: Why don’t we debrief college students periodically? Should we conduct periodic debriefing for children? When should the Body of Christ debrief members? It’s...

Debriefing #10 – Untangling lies from the truth

Written by Seth Barnes on June 21, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 2 Comments on Debriefing #10 – Untangling lies from the truth

A good debrief helps untangle lies from the truth. Here’s how: A few innocent little lies are one thing, but chances are, your mission trip participants have been sitting...

Debriefing #9 – Debriefing sharpens our spiritual sight

Written by Seth Barnes on June 21, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 1 Comment on Debriefing #9 – Debriefing sharpens our spiritual sight

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting the author, Richard Rohr. His writing themes remind me a lot of Henri Nouwen’s themes: brokenness, centeredness, and prayer among them....

Debriefing: #8 – Why debriefing is so important

Written by Seth Barnes on June 20, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 3 Comments on Debriefing: #8 – Why debriefing is so important

Without a good debriefing, you’ve missed the point of a mission project. Debriefing connects the dots for participants, helping them to see what God is doing. Debriefing takes...

Debriefing: #7 – Different ways to debrief

Written by Seth Barnes on June 19, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. No Comments on Debriefing: #7 – Different ways to debrief

I know I said this would be a 6-part series on debriefing, but the traffic on my blog site was so heavy last week, it seems like many of you have a strong felt need for help in this...

Debriefing (part 6 – how debriefs make a difference)

Written by Seth Barnes on June 18, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 1 Comment on Debriefing (part 6 – how debriefs make a difference)

We were on a project in Matamoros nine years ago. I’ll never forget the impact it made on my 12-year old boy to see Mexican kids who hadn’t eaten in a day or two. They...

Debriefing: Part 5 – Re-entry patterns

Written by Seth Barnes on June 17, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 3 Comments on Debriefing: Part 5 – Re-entry patterns

Question 31: Did you lie in answering any of the previous questions? 4 Re-entry patterns Alienation: “I can’t relate to anything I experienced – I’m going...

Debriefing (part 5 – 30 questions to ask)

Written by Seth Barnes on June 16, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 4 Comments on Debriefing (part 5 – 30 questions to ask)

What were the high points and the low points? Who most encouraged you on the trip? Did you accomplish your goals? What did God do? What stories can you share? What pictures did...

Debriefing (part 4 – areas to cover)

Written by Seth Barnes on June 15, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 2 Comments on Debriefing (part 4 – areas to cover)

Debriefing is not the same as evaluating. All aspects of a mission trip need to be evaluated by leaders in order to understand how they can be done better in the future. Debriefing...

Debriefing (part 3 ? why do it?)

Written by Seth Barnes on June 14, 2006. Posted in Debriefing. 3 Comments on Debriefing (part 3 ? why do it?)

I’m in the midst of a season of travel. Just back from Virginia where I connected with two old friends. Back in 1984 we had gone through Celebration of Discipline together. 22...