Author: Seth Barnes

7 Hard Things About Jesus’ Method

Written by Seth Barnes on February 18, 2014. Posted in Lordship. 15 Comments on 7 Hard Things About Jesus’ Method

One of the hardest things about being a Christian is to try and do what Jesus did. He invested in people in ways that look counter-cultural to us. How many pastors do you know who...

The Role of Pastor is Broken

Written by Seth Barnes on February 11, 2014. Posted in Church. 10 Comments on The Role of Pastor is Broken

We love our pastors – they are there to marry and bury and counsel us. Yet we also put too much on them and are oblivious to their pain. Here are some of the results according...

The Long View

Written by Seth Barnes on February 8, 2014. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 11 Comments on The Long View

“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” Ps.102:18 In light of this verse, here are a few questions to meditate...

Dealing With Slow Disciples

Written by Seth Barnes on February 4, 2014. Posted in How to Disciple. 7 Comments on Dealing With Slow Disciples

Ever get frustrated with your family? You wish they would change, you pray for their change, but any change comes so slow. At times like that, I find it helps to look at Jesus and...

Why I Don’t Believe in Aid

Written by Seth Barnes on January 27, 2014. Posted in Poverty. 9 Comments on Why I Don’t Believe in Aid

Africa receives roughly $50 billion in aid annually from foreign governments, and perhaps $13 billion more from private philanthropic institutions. Yet, author Paul Theroux writes...

6 Surprising Discoveries on the World Race

Written by Seth Barnes on January 21, 2014. Posted in World Race. 5 Comments on 6 Surprising Discoveries on the World Race

The World Race surprises people. We say, “Don’t have any expectations.” But you can’t help having them – how else would you navigate in a world that...

Discipleship Requires Modeling

Written by Seth Barnes on January 17, 2014. Posted in Discipling. 16 Comments on Discipleship Requires Modeling

Ever wonder why Christians can sit through so many church services and yet not become better followers of Christ? Recent breakthroughs in science give us at least one answer. Geneticists...

A Story of Finding True Love

Written by Seth Barnes on January 9, 2014. Posted in Story telling. 6 Comments on A Story of Finding True Love

Hiking the Camino in northern Spain, you hear some fascinating stories – stories of love lost and found, and of people giving up on love and finding it. Occasionally you get...

It’s Time to Get Serious About Your Dreams

Written by Seth Barnes on January 2, 2014. Posted in Dreaming. 3 Comments on It’s Time to Get Serious About Your Dreams

My son-in-law, Joe Bunting, is wise beyond his years. And he is a steward of two people I would die for – my oldest child Talia, and their son, Marston. Joe has made me a happy...

A New Year’s Resolution: More Civil Behavior

Written by Seth Barnes on December 29, 2013. Posted in Culture and Faith. 11 Comments on A New Year’s Resolution: More Civil Behavior

What changes can you make in 2014 that will appreciably impact the quality of your life? We could all do with a few: Watch less TV & have more conversations Play fewer video...

Getting in the Christmas spirit

Written by Seth Barnes on December 23, 2013. Posted in Culture and Faith. 14 Comments on Getting in the Christmas spirit

It’s Christmas, a time to remember what Jesus accomplished by coming to earth as a baby. We talk about “getting in the Christmas spirit.” What exactly does...

How to Fix Your Youth Ministry

Written by Seth Barnes on December 12, 2013. Posted in Youth Ministry. 12 Comments on How to Fix Your Youth Ministry

Youth ministry has reached a place of crisis. The brokenness spilling over from dysfunctional families has reached epidemic levels. We see the evidence of that in our admissions...

Caretakers, Undertakers and Risk Takers

Written by Seth Barnes on December 4, 2013. Posted in Faith & risk. 6 Comments on Caretakers, Undertakers and Risk Takers

Deon Vanstaden, a South African who heard God say “move to America”, knows what it is to take risks. He finds three kinds of people in Scripture – Caretakers,...

Feeling Strange This Thanksgiving

Written by Seth Barnes on November 27, 2013. Posted in Radical Living. 19 Comments on Feeling Strange This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to return home. But what do you do if your idea of home has changed? I remember at 18 feeling this way. I had left for college in Chicago and was glad for...

Why Do Short-Term Missions?

Written by Seth Barnes on November 19, 2013. Posted in Short-term missions. 5 Comments on Why Do Short-Term Missions?

I was 29 and was leading my first short-term mission (STM). When we stepped off the buses, we were immediately surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes. Swatting the air like crazy people...

Getting Help to Typhoon Victims

Written by Seth Barnes on November 16, 2013. Posted in A broken world. 2 Comments on Getting Help to Typhoon Victims

Liz Ogletree is working to help get aid to those needing it in the Philippines. She just wrote a blog post and a pilot read it and responded: “I am a Navy Helicopter Pilot...

Please Help the Philippines!

Written by Seth Barnes on November 15, 2013. Posted in A broken world. No Comments on Please Help the Philippines!

Adventures has staff and volunteers on the ground in the Philippines. They are helping mobilize people and resources to help. Liz Ogletree is one of them. A week before...

How To Write a Grief Journal

Written by Seth Barnes on November 11, 2013. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 10 Comments on How To Write a Grief Journal

I received an email from a blog reader who said: “You posted an article about grief back in 2007. You made reference to a grief journal. I find myself in a place where I have...

God Hasn’t Stopped Healing

Written by Seth Barnes on November 5, 2013. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 11 Comments on God Hasn’t Stopped Healing

This past month, some Christian leaders put on a conference in California to make the case that God no longer heals like he did in the Bible. At the same time, Maggie Dinsmore,...

Life Can Be An Adventure!

Written by Seth Barnes on November 1, 2013. Posted in Missions. 7 Comments on Life Can Be An Adventure!

I work at Adventures. We have adventures of all kinds on a regular basis. We take a generation that is spiritually hungry on a journey that deeply connects them to Jesus and...

Reflection Deficit Disorder

Written by Seth Barnes on October 25, 2013. Posted in Debriefing. 9 Comments on Reflection Deficit Disorder

I’d like to propose a new disorder for your consideration. I call it R.D.D. – “Reflection Deficit Disorder.” My bet is that most of us suffer from it. I know...

Maybe You Don’t Have A.D.D.

Written by Seth Barnes on October 17, 2013. Posted in Improving yourself. 14 Comments on Maybe You Don’t Have A.D.D.

I believe God created the heavens and the earth. But I struggle to understand the broken parts of creation. For example, does God create people with A.D.D.? Do some of us come out...

You Have To Fight For Identity

Written by Seth Barnes on October 12, 2013. Posted in Identity issues. 3 Comments on You Have To Fight For Identity

Nathan Salley has experienced his share of adversity. A cancer survivor, he learned early in life that you have to fight for identity. He shares the following about that struggle. You...

Finding God in the Brothels

Written by Seth Barnes on October 6, 2013. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. No Comments on Finding God in the Brothels

Meghan Tschanz is a World Racer who is going out with Kingdom Journeys to start women’s ministries next January. She wrote the following post. Poverty has infected India...