Author: Seth Barnes

Persecution Is a Normal Byproduct of Obedience

Written by Seth Barnes on May 29, 2017. Posted in Courage. No Comments on Persecution Is a Normal Byproduct of Obedience

I watched the movie Silence on the plane yesterday. It tells the story of missionaries being martyred for their faith in Japan. It was hard to watch. Then this morning I’ve...

What Does it Mean to ‘Make You Fishers of Men’?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 23, 2017. Posted in Story telling. 6 Comments on What Does it Mean to ‘Make You Fishers of Men’?

Jesus went looking for fishermen. He looked for those who could translate their experience with fish to a similar process with with souls. He said, “follow me and I will make...

Boomer Men Growing Old Without Friends

Written by Seth Barnes on May 12, 2017. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 3 Comments on Boomer Men Growing Old Without Friends

I’m a Boomer. I look at my generation and I see a bunch of lonely guys. Something happened to us. We need friends. We were made to have them. But somehow, as we enter our...

How to break free of a faith in Too Much

Written by Seth Barnes on May 9, 2017. Posted in Simplicity Liberates You. 10 Comments on How to break free of a faith in Too Much

We cram our lives so full and then suffer with heartburn. The Problem A couple of generations ago the problem families faced was putting food on the table. Now we have the...

3 Lessons I Learned While Trying to Become a Vulnerable Leader

Written by Seth Barnes on May 2, 2017. Posted in Leadership. 6 Comments on 3 Lessons I Learned While Trying to Become a Vulnerable Leader

I grew up in a home that looked different than a lot of modern homes. The helicopter mom may be prevalent today, but when I grew up, my mother sensed that I would do better if I...

Writing the Story of Our Lives

Written by Seth Barnes on April 27, 2017. Posted in Story telling. 3 Comments on Writing the Story of Our Lives

What kind of story are you writing with your life? Is it one of great passions and struggles or is it one of a humdrum quest for a better job and more security? A good story needs...

Bill Gates Advice to Graduates: Help the Poor

Written by Seth Barnes on April 20, 2017. Posted in A broken world. 8 Comments on Bill Gates Advice to Graduates: Help the Poor

We are approaching a season of graduations. Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, had the chance to share his best advice at the school he dropped out of, Harvard. His advice...

An Addict’s Prayer

Written by Seth Barnes on April 18, 2017. Posted in A broken world. 7 Comments on An Addict’s Prayer

One third of Americans were prescribed pain killers last year. One in seven struggled with an alcohol problem. An opioid addiction epidemic is killing thousands. As The Week says,...

My Vote For Millennial Blog Post of the Year

Written by Seth Barnes on April 15, 2017. Posted in Living Free. 12 Comments on My Vote For Millennial Blog Post of the Year

I read a lot of blogs by Millennials. By that, I mean thousands. I am addicted to Racer blogs. Over the last ten years, more than 4,000 young people have left family, homes and jobs...

Reliability: The Key to Growing Young Leaders

Written by Seth Barnes on April 12, 2017. Posted in Leadership. 11 Comments on Reliability: The Key to Growing Young Leaders

I love the activist streak I see in a lot of young people. Many of them see a problem and their first solution is to start a nonprofit to solve the problem. Then they seek my advice...

Is Life Overwhelming? Do You Feel Flooded?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 5, 2017. Posted in Better Living. 25 Comments on Is Life Overwhelming? Do You Feel Flooded?

I woke up to reports letting us know that bad weather is headed our way – nasty rogue tornadoes are bringing death and destruction. Earlier in the week our freeway caught on...

You Were Born to Be Loved

Written by Seth Barnes on March 31, 2017. Posted in Lordship. 6 Comments on You Were Born to Be Loved

I’d like to ask you a question that, while foundational to our lives, we often fail to ask and answer: Why are you alive? Many of us are motivated to get a better job...

Finally! An Answer For Those Finishing the World Race

Written by Seth Barnes on March 24, 2017. Posted in World Race. 35 Comments on Finally! An Answer For Those Finishing the World Race

When we first started the World Race, we knew we had a problem. The Race was 11 months long, but looking at Jesus’ model, we could see that would not be enough time. Jesus...

How Will You Know if Your Season of Winter is Officially Over?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 18, 2017. Posted in Living Free. 11 Comments on How Will You Know if Your Season of Winter is Officially Over?

I got up early this morning. It was cold. Our cat – an outside cat – knows that too well. He has been toughing it out in frozen places outdoors this winter. I looked...

When Your Kingdom Dream Goes Viral

Written by Seth Barnes on March 14, 2017. Posted in Kingdom Dreams. 2 Comments on When Your Kingdom Dream Goes Viral

Justin Schneider is a family friend, Christ follower, and Adventures alum. He had a dream that he talked about on national TV this morning. Three years ago he was part of a team...

Are You Careful, Cautious and Concerned?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 7, 2017. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 10 Comments on Are You Careful, Cautious and Concerned?

Sometimes when I finish an email to someone who I’ve discipled who finds himself in a far corner of the world, I’ll sign it “travel safe, but stay dangerous.”...

Do You Feel Like a Loser?

Written by Seth Barnes on February 23, 2017. Posted in Identity issues. 9 Comments on Do You Feel Like a Loser?

Do you ever wonder if you are winning or losing in life? How do you keep score? Those of us who are born competitors (usually 3’s or 8’s on the Enneagram or a high D...

8 Ways To Build a Culture of Trust

Written by Seth Barnes on February 16, 2017. Posted in Leadership. 14 Comments on 8 Ways To Build a Culture of Trust

Years ago, two leaders who reported to me struggled to trust one another. Because they started with a trust-deficit with each other, they tended to work independently, leaving potential...

God Wants Intimacy & Invites You to Dance

Written by Seth Barnes on February 9, 2017. Posted in Lordship. 1 Comment on God Wants Intimacy & Invites You to Dance

In life we will suffer. We are born hurting – screaming out our pain as we enter the world. And some of us will die that way too, in car accidents, victims of violence, or...

The Key to Turbo-Charging Your Discipleship Efforts

Written by Seth Barnes on February 2, 2017. Posted in Discipling. 4 Comments on The Key to Turbo-Charging Your Discipleship Efforts

As I debriefed 2016 with a friend, we reviewed one of our greatest disappointments. We sent a team off with high expectations. For a while they thrived, but then, as the year wore...

Calling You Inside to Comfort & Outside to Danger

Written by Seth Barnes on January 26, 2017. Posted in Journeys. 5 Comments on Calling You Inside to Comfort & Outside to Danger

When winter comes, I have a love-hate relationship with the indoors. Baby it’s cold outside. But I know that if I sit around the fireplace too long, claustrophobia will set...

Jesus’ Advice To Those Going on Mission Trips

Written by Seth Barnes on January 18, 2017. Posted in Lordship. 5 Comments on Jesus’ Advice To Those Going on Mission Trips

Some people say that we shouldn’t do short-term mission trips because our track record is poor – we can do so much damage. The critique is fair – a lot of trips...

It’s Time to Kill the Cowboy

Written by Seth Barnes on January 13, 2017. Posted in Community and Covenant. 25 Comments on It’s Time to Kill the Cowboy

Cowboys are at home, not with people, but out on the range, with deer and antelope. Descended from revolutionaries who declared independence, cowboys live solitary, often...

Great Curriculum Won’t Make Disciples

Written by Seth Barnes on January 9, 2017. Posted in Discipling. 9 Comments on Great Curriculum Won’t Make Disciples

We come out of a culture that prizes efficiency and systems. We apply that mindset to spiritual formation and assume that all we have to do to grow is to find the right curriculum...