Author: Seth Barnes

Do Men Know How to Pick a Righteous Fight?

Written by Seth Barnes on August 4, 2016. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 14 Comments on Do Men Know How to Pick a Righteous Fight?

People are confused about a lot of things today. The things that we used to consider basic, like a man’s attraction to a woman are under attack. In Japan, nearly 40...

How Do You Know If You’re Being Called to Missions?

Written by Seth Barnes on July 26, 2016. Posted in Missions. 8 Comments on How Do You Know If You’re Being Called to Missions?

Are you wondering what you should do with your life? A lot of us are. Even as we get older, we feel like we haven’t arrived. We have so many options – how do you even...

How Should Christians Respond to Terrorists in Places Like Istanbul?

Written by Seth Barnes on July 16, 2016. Posted in A broken world. 7 Comments on How Should Christians Respond to Terrorists in Places Like Istanbul?

Terrorists are showing up with new ways to fill us with fear every day. Bombs and beheadings and planes and trucks. We can’t help feeling sick when we see the latest headlines....

What do you do when your nest doesn’t work for your children?

Written by Seth Barnes on July 5, 2016. Posted in Parenting. 5 Comments on What do you do when your nest doesn’t work for your children?

We had a sad thing happen at the Barnes house last week. Call it “A tale of two nests.” I shared the story at Project Searchlight as I welcomed the returning racers. We’ve...

Men Walking Through Their Own Brokenness

Written by Seth Barnes on June 21, 2016. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 19 Comments on Men Walking Through Their Own Brokenness

Thirty guys from all over the country joined us here at Adventures for a men’s retreat. Most of us are empty nest dudes. We’ve raised our kids and wish we had a “do-over”,...

Say YES to God

Written by Seth Barnes on June 16, 2016. Posted in Lordship. 9 Comments on Say YES to God

It’s the dog days of summer. Our short-term mission teams have traveled to cities and towns around America. Our two Expedition squads are coming at each other from opposite...

It’s OK to be a Mess

Written by Seth Barnes on June 8, 2016. Posted in Vulnerability and me. 14 Comments on It’s OK to be a Mess

I just got back from a trip overseas. We left at 10:30 pm across the Atlantic. We flew into rough headwinds for much of the flight. The bumpy ride filtered through to my dreams....

Are You Discouraged About Your Dreams?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 19, 2016. Posted in Dreaming. 9 Comments on Are You Discouraged About Your Dreams?

It can be easy to lose hope. Our dreams can become dusty old things, like antiques on a shelf. The gap between your dream and your reality can be a place of discouragement or even...

How to Press In & Pursue

Written by Seth Barnes on May 10, 2016. Posted in Discipling. 14 Comments on How to Press In & Pursue

Have you ever been pursued? Usually as a young person, you’re the one who needs to be pursuing. Pursuing a career, pursuing a mentor, pursuing a love interest. But we figure...

There’s Life In You Yet

Written by Seth Barnes on May 6, 2016. Posted in Discipling. 9 Comments on There’s Life In You Yet

I can be too calculating. I want to know the odds before I place my bets. When I give hugs, they tend to be side hugs. I had an urban pastor-friend who called that approach to life...

How Do We Know God’s Timing?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 29, 2016. Posted in Lordship. 7 Comments on How Do We Know God’s Timing?

I didn’t know it, but I was in the middle of a miracle. Bob and I were on a flight to Dallas. At the gate Laura walked up to me. She knows me – we have mutual friends,...

Jesus is Opposed to the American Dream

Written by Seth Barnes on April 14, 2016. Posted in Culture and Faith. 14 Comments on Jesus is Opposed to the American Dream

Jesus’ worldview is in violent opposition to the “American dream” that we live here in the 21st-century. We see that in the gospels as he starts his ministry. He...

Miracle on the Last Helicopter out of Viet Nam

Written by Seth Barnes on April 6, 2016. Posted in Living Free. 7 Comments on Miracle on the Last Helicopter out of Viet Nam

Jerry Kendall, a friend of mine, told me this story. I was astounded, did some research to corroborate it, and felt you needed to hear it… 41 years ago, April 29, 1975, Saigon...

Why the World Race?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 31, 2016. Posted in World Race. 2 Comments on Why the World Race?

Misha just walked into my room. She’s been on the WR and is here for CGA now. She didn’t beat around the bush, “Why do we have the World Race?” She asked. I...

5 Steps to Recovering from Broken Trust

Written by Seth Barnes on March 24, 2016. Posted in Better Living. 11 Comments on 5 Steps to Recovering from Broken Trust

So you were in a relationship and got hurt. Welcome to the party. It happens to all of us. And what’s worse – some of us had the misfortune of growing up in families...

What is God Doing in the World Today?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 16, 2016. Posted in The Holy Spirit is on the move. 7 Comments on What is God Doing in the World Today?

The latest election results are all over the news. Should we be concerned or elated? WWJD? Well, Jesus didn’t set up a political campaign and repeatedly described a Kingdom...

5 Reasons Why You May Need to Break Off a Relationship

Written by Seth Barnes on March 8, 2016. Posted in Living Free. 12 Comments on 5 Reasons Why You May Need to Break Off a Relationship

Loyalty is good. I’m a loyal guy. But I’ve found that my loyalty can also be a weakness. Sometimes the most loyal thing I can do is to break off a dysfunctional relationship. Sometimes...

Church is a Righteous Party

Written by Seth Barnes on March 4, 2016. Posted in Church. 5 Comments on Church is a Righteous Party

I saw true celebration at a Greek restaurant. The band played, the grandmothers and grandchildren danced on tables, and everyone else threw napkins and shouted. You felt joy and...

Evil is Personal and Wants to Destroy You

Written by Seth Barnes on February 25, 2016. Posted in Fighting your enemy. 9 Comments on Evil is Personal and Wants to Destroy You

Adventures, the organization I run, recently acquired a guesthouse in Cambodia. Along with it, it appears that we acquired some residents that came with the property. Late at night,...

Wrestling with Self-Doubt

Written by Seth Barnes on February 18, 2016. Posted in Leadership. 22 Comments on Wrestling with Self-Doubt

A few nights ago as I slept, I dreamed of a strong wind blowing a bunch of hot air balloons high up in the sky in the same direction. What does it mean? Does it represent the church...

The Gift of Self-Governance

Written by Seth Barnes on February 12, 2016. Posted in Lordship. 14 Comments on The Gift of Self-Governance

I have written several posts about the problem of smart phones on the World Race. The one thing most of us could agree on was that it’s an issue of self-governance. Smart...

Are You Really Free?

Written by Seth Barnes on February 5, 2016. Posted in Living Free. 7 Comments on Are You Really Free?

We think we’re free because we live in America. We’re free to vote, to get a job and to buy stuff. We’re free to say what we think about our politicians. But are...

Should We Be Afraid of Muslims?

Written by Seth Barnes on January 30, 2016. Posted in Radical Living. 9 Comments on Should We Be Afraid of Muslims?

What we read in the media subtly teaches us that Muslims are not to be trusted. We should fear them. From the other side of the world, a World Race team has seen another perspective....

Represent

Written by Seth Barnes on January 29, 2016. Posted in Lordship. 17 Comments on Represent

Michelle Gunnin wrote to say that she’d had a conversation with her millennial son. They were talking about world events and refugees. They were talking about the word...